Science News from around the Web
- Largest Study Yet Finds Chloroquine Increases Risk of Death in COVID-19 PatientsIt spanned 671 hospitals and 6 continents.... Read more »
- This Early Human 'Eden' Was So Lush, Even Migratory Animals Didn't Bother to MoveA lost paradise, swallowed by the sea.... Read more »
- SpaceX Is About to Launch Two Astronauts Into Space in a Historic FirstFind out all the details. ... Read more »
- Bumblebees Bite Plants to Make Them Bloom, Scientists FindWow, nature. Just wow.... Read more »
- Experts Warn Climate Change Is Already Killing Way More People Than We RecordDeath certificates need to reflect this.... Read more »
- A clue as to why it's so hard to wake up on a cold winter's morningDo you remember the challenge of waking up on winter's cold, dark days? Neurobiologists have uncovered a clue to what's behind this behavior. In a study of the fruit fly, the researchers have identified a 'thermometer' circuit that relays information about external cold temperature from the fly antenna to the... Read more »
- Scientists solve half-century-old magnesium dimer mysteryMagnesium dimer (Mg2) is a fragile molecule consisting of two weakly interacting atoms held together by the laws of quantum mechanics. It has recently emerged as a potential probe for understanding fundamental phenomena at the intersection of chemistry and ultracold physics, but its use has been thwarted by a half-century-old... Read more »
- Mississippi Delta marshes in a state of irreversible collapseA key finding of the study is that coastal marshes experience tipping points, where a small increase in the rate of sea-level rise leads to widespread submergence.... Read more »
- A stitch in time: How a quantum physicist invented new code from old tricksBuilding large-scale quantum computers will require suppression of errors. Scientists have used a neat trick to apply powerful 3D error-suppression codes in a 2D architecture, something one industry insider said many thought was impossible.... Read more »
- New urine testing method holds promise for kidney stone sufferersAn improved urine-testing system for people suffering from kidney stones inspired by nature may enable patients to receive results within 30 minutes instead of the current turnaround time of a week or more.... Read more »
- Record-high data transmission using a soliton crystal(Institut national de la recherche scientifique - INRS) Australian and Canadian researchers led by Prof David J. Moss at Swinburne University of Technology and honorary professor at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) was able to achieve world record-high data transmission over 75 km of standard optical fibre... Read more »
- Epilepsy-related deaths common in young adults and are not reducing, new research shows(Spink Health) A new study due to be presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Virtual Congress shows the burden of potentially avoidable epilepsy-related deaths in young adults remains large, with those aged between 16 and 24 having a six-fold increased risk of epilepsy-related death.... Read more »
- Novel biomarkers predict benefit with immunotherapy in metastatic breast cancer(European Society for Medical Oncology) Two novel biomarkers have been found to correlate with improved outcomes with immunotherapy in metastatic breast cancer and may help to identify the patients most likely to benefit from this treatment, according to exploratory studies reported at the ESMO Breast Cancer Virtual Meeting 2020.... Read more »
- Large-scale analysis of protein arginine methylation by mass spectrometry(Bentham Science Publishers) In this research, the researchers offer an overview on state-of-the-art approaches for the high-confidence identification and accurate quantification of protein arginine methylation by high-resolution mass spectrometry methods, which comprise the development of both biochemical and bioinformatics methods.... Read more »
- MSU scientists solve half-century-old magnesium dimer mystery(Michigan State University) Magnesium dimer (Mg2) is a fragile molecule consisting of two weakly interacting atoms held together by the laws of quantum mechanics. It has recently emerged as a potential probe for understanding fundamental phenomena at the intersection of chemistry and ultracold physics, but its use has been thwarted... Read more »
- Early Coronavirus Immunity Data Fuel Promise for a VaccineResearchers found COVID-19 infection produces a strong T cell response. Here’s why they say that is good news -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com ... Read more »
- Coronavirus Pandemic Threatens to Derail Polio Eradication--but There's a Silver LiningCOVID-19 has stifled the world’s largest immunization program. Yet polio’s vast workforce is also helping in the fight against the new disease -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com ... Read more »
- Bumblebees Bite Plants to Force Them to Flower (Seriously)The behavior could be an evolutionary adaptation that lets bees forage more easily -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com ... Read more »
- NASA Proposes New Rules for Moon-Focused Space RaceThe Artemis Accords could ensure a peaceful and prosperous future for lunar exploration—if everyone agrees to them -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com ... Read more »
- How the Coronavirus Has Changed Animals' Landscape of FearThe pandemic lockdowns are providing a window into how a wariness of humans uniquely shapes other species’ behavior -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com ... Read more »
- The surprising benefits of contemplating the death of the universeCosmologist Katie Mack spends her days pondering the end of everything. Whether the cosmos dies a slow heat death or winks out of existence tomorrow, she finds it helps put everyday troubles in perspective... Read more »
- Cold war nuclear bomb tests changed rainfall patterns over the UKRadiation from nuclear bomb test detonations in the cold war may have affected rainclouds, causing increases in rainfall thousands of kilometres away... Read more »
- We have seen hints of a new fundamental force of natureMultiple indications seem to be showing that something is manipulating the universe beyond the four basic forces we know – and we are starting to work out what it is... Read more »
- Pondering the big question of consciousness is a welcome distractionOur best mathematical theory of consciousness is sparking a rethink of one of science’s hardest problems – how simple matter gives rise to a complex mind... Read more »
- Is the universe conscious? It seems impossible until you do the mathsThe question of how the brain gives rise to subjective experience is the hardest of all. Mathematicians think they can help, but their first attempts have thrown up some eye-popping conclusions... Read more »
- A blood test could reveal how quickly or slowly you are ageingA blood test that measures changes in gene expression to estimate a person's age can also help predict whether a person is more likely to develop a chronic disease... Read more »
- All five of Earth's largest mass extinctions linked to global warmingThere have been five particularly large extinction events in Earth’s history, and for the first time all of them have been linked to global warming... Read more »
- Fake news gets shared more when it is angry and anxiety-inducingAn analysis of fake news shared on social media service Weibo has found that posts flagged as fake news were more like to contain words associated with anger than real news... Read more »
- Which animals are benefitting from coronavirus lockdowns?It isn’t true that dolphins have returned to Venice, but bees are benefitting from lower air pollution, and a drop in ocean traffic could be good for whales... Read more »
- Coronavirus drugs: how well is the hunt for covid-19 treatments going?Hundreds of trials are testing known antiviral drugs, as well as those that block immune responses to coronavirus, but we may need to build a covid-19 treatment from scratch... Read more »