*Common protein in skin can 'turn on' allergic itch

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-common-protein-skin-allergic...

--

* https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-human-skin-suppresses-inflam...

Human skin suppresses inflammation after exposure to ultraviolet radiation

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-electric-cars-pacemaker.html...

No need to steer clear of electric cars if you have a pacemaker

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-04-electric-cars-dont-jolt-impl...

Electric cars don't jolt implanted heart devices: study

--

What The Heck Is This Long, Hypnotic Stringy Thing Floating in The Ocean?

https://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-filmed-the-longest-known-s...

Climate change could cause sudden biodiversity losses worldwide

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-climate-sudden-biodiversity-losses-wo...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-black-hole.html?utm_source=nwletter&a...

Black hole bends light back on itself

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-house-nanoscale.html?utm_source=nwlet...

cleaning surfaces at the atomic level!

--

* https://sciencex.com/news/2020-04-traffic-contagious-lesscommon.htm...

https://theconversation.com/traffic-jams-are-contagious-understandi...

Traffic jams are contagious. Understanding how they spread can help make them less common

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-magnetic-field-billion-years-debate.h...

Earth's magnetic field is powered by the solidification of the planet's liquid iron core. The cooling and crystallization of the core stirs up the surrounding liquid iron, creating powerful electric currents that generate a magnetic field stretching far out into space. This magnetic field is known as the geodynamo.

Multiple lines of evidence have shown that the Earth's magnetic field existed at least 3.5 billion years ago. However, the planet's core is thought to have started solidifying just 1 billion years ago, meaning that the magnetic field must have been driven by some other mechanism prior to 1 billion years ago. Pinning down exactly when the magnetic field formed could help scientists figure out what generated it to begin with.

Don't look to mature forests to soak up carbon dioxide emissions

The plants take 'a limited quantity of CO2,  convert the absorbed carbon into sugars, but they can't use those sugars to grow more, because they don't have access to additional nutrients from the soil. Instead, they send the sugars below-ground where they 'feed' soil microbes who release teh CO2 back to atmosphere!

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-dont-mature-forests-carbon-dioxide.ht...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-basic-assumption-universe.html?utm_so...

Rethinking cosmology: Universe expansion may not be uniform (Update)

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-simultaneous-simulation-gravitation-m...

Simultaneous simulation of gravitation and magnetism of a protoplanetary disk

--

https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-the-danger-of-latex-gloves-...

Coronavirus: the danger of latex gloves

--

* https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-why-experts-disagree-so-str...

Coronavirus: why experts disagree so strongly over how to tackle the disease

--

https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-people-in-tall-buildings-ma...

Coronavirus: people in tall buildings may be more at risk – here’s how to stay safe

Scientists discovered and proposed explanation for night sky glow of STEVE

The northern and southern lights, or aurora, typically show up as swirling green ribbons of light spreading across the night sky near the poles. But STEVE is a thin ribbon of mauve or white light that stretches from east to west, closer to the equator than where auroras usually appear and at much higher altitudes.

Scientists first thought STEVE was a new kind of aurora, but previous research shows its light is not produced the same way. Researchers are still unsure of what generates STEVE's light, but a group of space physicists now suspect STEVE lights up when fast-flowing rivers of plasma jumpstart certain chemical reactions high in the atmosphere.

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-scientists-explanation-night-sky-stev...

The first scientific study published on STEVE found a stream of fast-moving plasma—a hot gas of charged particles and electrons—passing through the atmosphere right where STEVE events occurred. The researchers suspected these particles were connected to STEVE but were unsure whether they were the cause of it. These super-fast plasma flows stream through the upper atmosphere when the magnetosphere is disturbed, at about the speed it takes to orbit Earth, and STEVE occurs only during the fastest flows.

Scientists suspect the fastest plasma rivers break chemical bonds in the upper atmosphere, triggering reactions that produce light.
They propose that when the streams of plasma are hot and fast enough, they can split apart nitrogen molecules (N2), which then combine with single oxygen atoms to form nitric oxide (NO). The nitric oxide then grabs another free oxygen atom to create nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a reaction that also produces light. The researchers suspect STEVE's glow is the light from this chemical reaction, which makes sense because STEVE is found right where these plasma streams occur.

Crisis informatics expert offers three tips to avoid misinformation during COVID-19

three things we can do to find relevant and trustworthy information online during these uncertain times:

1. Solid sources: Look at information from sources where it is their job to be on top of a global pandemic. For example, The World Health Organization or local county health departments who are monitoring your local conditions are good sources.
2. Be skeptical: Take the messages you see on your social network with a grain of salt, especially if they evoke an emotional reaction, and fact check them with official sources. Many messages that contain misinformation are designed to make you angry, upset, or emotional in some way, which makes you more likely to share them.
3. Dig a little to verify: Trustworthy accounts often have a complete profile and have a professional look and tone, though these things can be faked. So, in addition, look for features that are harder to fake, such as the credibility of an account's past messages, or who follows the account (Are they followed by reliable sources?).

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-04-crisis-informatics-expert-misin...

Bluetooth signals from your smartphone could automate Covid-19 contact tracing while preserving privacy

Experts from many institutions are developing a system that augments "manual" contact tracing by public health officials, while preserving the privacy of all individuals. The system relies on short-range Bluetooth signals emitted from people's smartphones. These signals represent random strings of numbers, likened to "chirps" that other nearby smartphones can remember hearing.

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-04-bluetooth-smartphone-automate-c...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-scents-d-videos-reveal-nose.html?utm_...

Making sense of scents: 3-D videos reveal how the nose detects odor combinations

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-year-old-egg-reveals-complexity-ancie...

5,000-year-old egg hunt: Research reveals surprising complexity of ancient ostrich egg trade

--

* https://phys.org/news/2020-04-d-printed-corals-bioenergy-coral-reef...

3-D-printed corals could improve bioenergy and help coral reefs

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-technique-path-biomanufacturing-medic...

Technique offers path for biomanufacturing medicines during space flights

'Houston, we've had a problem': Remembering Apollo 13 at 50
And the real story behind the movie ... read this gripping narrative that depicts the 'heroism' behind space science.

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-houston-weve-problem-apollo.html?utm_...

and

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-apollo-famous-quotes-hollywood.html?u...

--

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-04-robots-heroes-war-coronavirus.h...

Robots may become heroes in war on coronavirus

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-enzyme-pet-ten-hours.html?utm_source=...

Engineered enzyme able to break down PET (plastic) in ten hours

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-metal-surfaces-instant-bacteria-kille...

With a little bit of tweaking with lasers, now metal surfaces can be instant bacteria killers. What if your door knobs can kill germs you transfer to them as soon as you touch them?

--

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/why-the-pursuit-o...

* 

Why the Pursuit of Scientific Knowledge Will Never End

It’s because the more we learn, the more questions we find to ask

--

The science of how diet can change the way sugar tastes

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-science-diet-sugar.html?utm_...

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-identical-mice-gut-bacteria-...

Identical mice, different gut bacteria, different levels of cancer: how microorganisms that live in the gastrointestinal tract can tweak the development of colorectal cancer.

--

$$

Take this with a pinch of salt, we don't endorse it.
We may have spotted a parallel universe going backwards in time
Strange particles observed by an experiment in Antarctica could be evidence of an alternative reality where everything is upside down

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24532770-400-we-may-have-spo... $$

--

Colliding galaxies ...

First sighting of mysterious Majorana fermion on a common metal

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-sighting-mysterious-majorana-fermion-...

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-cats-susceptible-coronavirus...

Cats are far more susceptible to new coronavirus than dogs are, but people shouldn't be 'fearful' of their pets: study

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-geneticists-regulatory-mechanism-chro...

Geneticists discover regulatory mechanism of chromosome inheritance

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-protocol-fascinating-quantum-states.h...

New protocol identifies fascinating quantum states

--

https://www.space.com/universe-expansion-rate-may-vary.html

Surprise! The universe's expansion rate may vary from place to place

--

The maths logic that could help test more people for coronavirus

https://theconversation.com/the-maths-logic-that-could-help-test-mo...

$$

Bird social distancing ... 

Social distancing: We should take our cues from birds

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-social-distancing-cues-birds.html?utm...

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-reversing-irreversible-chanc...

Reversing the irreversible: A second chance with fertility

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-toss-syringe-oral-delivery-d...

Toss the syringe: New formulation allows for oral delivery of many injectable drugs, including insulin

$$

--

Why We Have So Many Problems with Our Teeth

Our choppers are crowded, crooked and riddled with cavities. It hasn’t always been this way

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-we-have-so-many-prob...

It is best explained by a mismatch between today’s diets and those for which our teeth and jaws evolved.

• Dental problems such as crowding and cavities are common in people today. But other species tend not to have such afflictions, nor did our fossil forebears.
• Our teeth have evolved over hundreds of millions of years to be incredibly strong and to align precisely for efficient chewing. They developed these characteristics to function in a specific oral environment.
• Our dental disorders largely stem from a shift in the oral environment caused by the introduction of softer, more sugary foods than the ones our ancestors typically ate.

Moon mining is poised to become a thriving off-world industry

But what exactly does the moon, long considered a barren rock — or, in some quarters, a very old piece of cheese — have to offer?

Moon's resources can be broken down into three key elements.

The first, water, needs little introduction. It's the basis for life as we know it.

The second key element found beneath the lunar surface that humans would look to mine is Helium-3. Since the isotope isn't radioactive, it wouldn't generate dangerous waste products, prompting experts to tout Helium-3 as a safer source of nuclear energy.

The third chief draw to moon mining? Rare earth metals, like Yttrium, Lanthanum, and Samarium. These minerals aren't easy to come by on our planet. In fact, about 95 percent of them are controlled and stored by a single country: China.

But we all certainly need them. Everything from wind turbines to glass for solar panels to hybrid cars to your smartphone contains rare earth metals. Even guided missiles and other high-tech military equipment makes use of them.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/infographics/infographic.view.php?id=11272

--

https://www.sciencealert.com/a-man-injected-himself-with-his-own-se...

Where did he get this notion or misinformation?
A Man Injected Himself With His Own Semen to 'Cure' His Back Pain

How to spot a conspiracy theory – Expert guide to conspiracy theories part one

https://theconversation.com/how-to-spot-a-conspiracy-theory-expert-...

--

https://theconversation.com/who-believes-in-conspiracy-theories-and...

Who believes in conspiracy theories and why? Listen to part two of our expert guide

--

https://theconversation.com/a-short-history-of-conspiracy-theories-...

A short history of conspiracy theories – listen to part three of our expert guide

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-deadliest-malaria-strain-imm...

Deadliest malaria strain protects itself from the immune system

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-australian-home-blood-pressu...

Many home blood pressure monitors not validated for accuracy

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-gamma-ineffective-sterilizin...

The gamma radiation sterilized masks lost two-thirds of their filtering efficiency, essentially turning N95 into N30 masks

6 new coronaviruses discovered in bats

https://www.livescience.com/6-new-coronaviruses-found-bats.html

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-image-hubble-spirals-spiral.html?utm_...

Hubble spots spirals within a spiral

--

* https://techxplore.com/news/2020-04-spacecraft-survive-surfs.html?u...

Spacecraft is designed to survive fire, surfs its own wave

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-blocks-gum-disease.html?utm_source=nw...

The building blocks of gum disease

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-zoos-animals-infected-toxoplasma-gond...

Study at zoos shows 42% of animals infected with 'Toxoplasma gondii'

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-pregnancies-vitro-fertilizat...

Why do so many pregnancies and in vitro fertilization attempts fail?

https://phys.org/news/2016-10-human-eggs-wrong-chromosomes.html 

Researchers uncover importance of aligning biological clock with day-night cycles

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-uncover-importance-aligning-biologica...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-scientists-supernova-outshines.html?u...

Scientists discover supernova that outshines all others

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-formation-theory-mysterious-interstel...

New formation theory explains the mysterious interstellar object 'Oumuamua

--

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=56&v=bsfITaEonlU&am...

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-novae-sky.html?utm_source=nwletter&am...

Study finds new way novae light up the sky

--

 https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-mathematical-accurate-pictur...

Mathematical modeling draws more accurate picture of coronavirus cases

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-team-carbon-nanostructure-stronger-di...

 carbon nanostructure stronger than diamonds

Loss of smell and taste validated as COVID-19 symptoms in patients with high recovery rate

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-loss-validated-covid-symptom...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-material-mechanically-robust-shape-sh...

A new material to print mechanically robust and shape-shifting structures

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-vulnerable-cells-armor-infection-depl...

Vulnerable cells armor themselves against infection by depleting surface cholesterol

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-large-earthquakes-devil-staircase-pat...

Timing of large earthquakes follows a 'devil's staircase' pattern - a mathematical pattern, where clusters of earthquake events are separated by long but irregular intervals of seismic quiet.

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-methane-space-conditions-laboratory.h...

Methane forms under space conditions in laboratory

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-spider-venom-key-pain-relief.html?utm...

Spider venom key to pain relief without side-effects: researchers have designed a novel tarantula venom mini-protein that can potentially relieve severe pain without addiction.

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-longevity-gene.html?utm_source=nwlett...

Longevity gene discovered in plants: Using it may allow for several harvests from the same crop and thus to increase the yield per plant.

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-viruses-emerging-humans-animal-host.h...

Risk of viruses emerging in humans may not depend on their animal host: it is the characteristic traits of the viruses, rather than their animal hosts, that will be the more useful predictors of zoonotic transmission.

$$

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-scientists-coronaviruses.html?utm_sou...

Scientists discover six new coronaviruses in bats

Scientists provide new insight on how bacteria share drug resistance genes in hospitals

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-scientists-insight-bacteria-drug-resi...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-scientists-synthetic-toxic-sugar-mosq...

Scientists develop synthetic toxic sugar to manage mosquito populations

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-right-brained-left-brained-m...

Being right-brained or left-brained comes down to molecular switches: The answer lies in how certain genes on each side of the brain are switched "on" and "off" through a process called epigenetic regulation.

Each cell in the brain has the same genes but it is epigenetics that dictate whether those genes are switched "on" or "off." Labrie and her collaborators found numerous epigenetic differences between the hemispheres of healthy brains that are linked to variations in gene activity. Notably, these differences, or asymmetry, could make one side of the brain more vulnerable to neurological diseases.

For example, epigenetic abnormalities on one side of the brain could make that hemisphere more susceptible to the processes that cause the death of brain cells in Parkinson's. The differences in cell death across hemispheres leads to the appearance of the disease's hallmark symptoms, such as tremor, on one side of the body before the other. As the disease progresses, symptoms on the side first affected often are more severe than symptoms on the other side of the body.

The findings also give scientists a vital window into the various biological pathways that contribute to symptom asymmetry in Parkinson's, including brain cell development, immune function and cellular communication.

"We all start out with prominent differences between the left and right sides of our brains. As we age, however, our hemispheres become more epigenetically similar. 

For Parkinson's, this is significant: people whose hemispheres are more alike early in life experienced faster disease progression, while people whose hemispheres were more asymmetric had slower disease progression. There is huge potential to translate these findings into new therapeutic strategies."

Peipei Li et al, Hemispheric asymmetry in the human brain and in Parkinson's disease is linked to divergent epigenetic patterns in neurons, Genome Biology (2020). DOI: 10.1186/s13059-020-01960-1

Long spaceflights affect astronaut brain volume

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-spaceflights-affect-astronau...

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-breakthrough-technology-eye-...

Discovered: eye damage from repeated intravitreal injections

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-electrospun-manuka-honey-nan...

Returning to roots: Manuka honey nanofibrous wound dressings

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-earth-atmosphere-dustier-previously-b...

* Earth's atmosphere far dustier than previously believed

--

 https://phys.org/news/2020-04-carbons-absorbing-lightand-people-hea...

As the temperatures in a cookstove begin to drop, and the black smoke turns grayish-white, soot (or black carbon) emission is replaced by organic carbon.

despite its whitish appearance, organic carbon particles absorb as much—if not more—sunlight in the atmosphere as black carbon. And its health effects may be worse for the nearly 2.7 billion households worldwide that use them.

Researchers find organic carbons are also absorbing light—and likely harming people's health

--

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-04-fanfare-apple-iphone-budget-min...

Apple launches new iPhone for the budget-minded

*COVID-19 puts new science to the pressure test

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-covid-science-pressure.html?utm_sourc...

--

New research helps explain why the solar wind is hotter than expected

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-solar-hotter.html?utm_source=nwletter...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-satellite-galaxies-milky-dark-theory....

Satellite galaxies of the Milky Way help test dark matter theory

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-fossil-analysis-hints-evolutionary-in...

Fossil record analysis hints at evolutionary origins of insects' structural colours

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-covid-quickly-accurately-viral-dna.ht...

New COVID-19 test quickly and accurately detects viral DNA

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-didnt-universe-annihilate-neutrinos.h...

Why didn't the universe annihilate itself? Neutrinos may hold the answer

Why didn't the universe annihilate itself in a humungous burst of energy not long after the Big Bang?

The new research suggests that the answer comes down to a subtle discrepancy in the way that neutrinos and their evil twins, the antineutrinos, behave—one of the first indications that phenomena called matter and antimatter may not be the exact mirror images many scientists believed.

New textile could keep you cool in the heat, warm in the cold

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-textile-cool-cold.html?utm_source=nwl...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-probiotic-bifidobacteria-celiac-disea...

How probiotic Bifidobacteria could help celiac disease patients

Cavitation science: heard about it before?

A type of damage in soft materials and tissue called cavitation is one of the least-studied phenomena in physics, materials science and biology, say expert observers. But strong evidence suggesting that cavitation occurs in the brain during sudden impact leading to traumatic brain injury (TBI) has accelerated interest recently.

The researchers intend it to spark fresh discussion and drive collaboration among new communities of biologists, chemists, materials scientists, physicists and others to advance knowledge. They define high-priority goals and point out new opportunities in the field of how matter deforms and flows with cavitation.

Researchers are breaking down barriers that separate different scientific fields to spur progress in understanding cavitation—how it causes difficult-to-diagnose injuries or unseen failure in soft materials."

Studied mainly in fluids for many years, cavitation is the creation and collapse of bubbles in liquids. . When bubbles collapse they force liquid into a smaller area, causing a pressure wave and increased temperature, which lead to damage. In a pump, cavitation can erode metal parts over time, for example. Cavitation inside artificial heart valves can damage not only the parts but the blood, he says. Microcavitation in the brain as a result of high-impact blows or being near an explosion are factors in TBI.

Scienitsts hope this will lead to advances in medical devices for diagnosing disease, novel devices for protective gear and new sustainable approaches for cleaning materials.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavitation

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-scientists-perspectives-cavitation-sc...

How does COVID-19 kill? Uncertainty is hampering doctors’ ability to choose treatments

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01056-7?utm_source=Natur...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-kombucha.html?utm_source=nwletter&...

Kombucha is fermented tea

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-autism-males-linked-defect-b...

Autism in males linked to defect in brain immune cells, microglia

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-stress-remodels-brain.html?u...

Research shows how stress remodels the brain

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-sight-mice-skin-cells-light-...

Researchers restore sight in mice by turning skin cells into light-sensing eye cells

Physical distance? 'Cough chamber' shows six feet not far enough!

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-chamber-feet.html?utm_source...

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-adult-brain.html?utm_source=...

When damaged, the adult brain repairs itself by going back to the beginning

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-massive-reveals-hypermutated...

Massive study reveals how 'hypermutated' malignant brain tumors with many mutations escape chemotherapy, immunotherapy

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-heavy-wildfire-out-of-hospit...

Breathing heavy wildfire smoke may increase risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

--

* https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-high-blood-pressure-night-ef...

Could high blood pressure at night have an effect on your brain?

--

https://www.space.com/comet-atlas-falling-apart-photos.html

Comet Atlas is falling apart, new photos confirm

--

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/exotic-creature-in-antar...

Exotic Creature In Antarctica Has Survived More Than 30 Ice Ages

Its perseverance is rewriting the history of life, and of ice, across the continent 

Bats Are a Key Source of Human Viruses—but They May Not Be Special

Statistical analyses suggest surveillance efforts for the next pandemic should look beyond the flying mammals

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bats-are-a-key-source-of...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-evidence-elusive-metabolon.html?utm_s...

Study finds evidence for existence of elusive 'metabolon'- the enzyme clusters

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-key-component-autonomous-cars.html?ut...

Engineers are trying to shrink a key component to help make autonomous cars affordable to common people

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-scientists-superconducting-metal-hydr...

Scientists find a rule to predict new superconducting metal hydrides: a new 'law within a law' discovered showed a link between an element's position in the Periodic Table and its potential to form a high-temperature superconducting hydride.

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-healthy-climate-news-fava-beans.html?...

Healthy climate news: Fava beans could replace soy

Very Large Telescope sees star dance around supermassive black hole, proves Einstein right

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-eso-telescope-star-supermassive-black...

--

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-04-bacteria-around-the-clock-biose...

Mining bacteria parts to build around-the-clock biosensors

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-high-glucose-flu-patients-se...

High glucose levels may explain why some flu patients have more severe symptoms

--

Computer scientists and engineers are working on a smartphone app that could let people know if they have come in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, while protecting the privacy of all parties. The app  uses Bluetooth-enabled cell phones to notify a person if they have come into close proximity with someone infected with SARS-CoV-2. The app requires many people to use it, whether they have had COVID-19 or not. The app transmits and captures random Bluetooth signals via nearby cell phones that also have the app installed. App users who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 voluntarily and anonymously report their positive results, which then causes their Bluetooth pings from the last 14 days to be uploaded to a database that's coded to ensure that the diagnosed user is uploading their own pings. From there, those signals are compared with pings of other app participants in the system. The app then alerts users of possible proximity to an infected person, and subsequently directs them to follow up with health officials (or their doctor). All of the uploaded information is verified by a public health agency, and all apps must be installed by users voluntarily.

Watch that smell! Scents can regulate fat storage

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-scents-fat-storage.html?utm_...

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-aspirin-linked-reduction-can...

Aspirin linked to reduction in risk of several cancers of the digestive tract

--

Pandemic history: https://theconversation.com/this-isnt-the-first-global-pandemic-and...

--

https://theconversation.com/dry-wet-barking-hacking-a-guide-to-coug...

Dry, wet, barking, hacking: a guide to coughs in the time of coronavirus

--

Video: Neuroscientist gives guided tour of your stressed-out brain

The woman who discovered the first human coronavirus was the daughter of a Scottish bus driver, who left school at 16.

June Almeida went on to become a pioneer of virus imaging, whose work has come roaring back into focus during the present pandemic.

The woman, yes you heard it right, 'woman', who discovered the first coronavirus

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-52278716?utm_source=Nature+Bri...

--

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-bodies-of-people-who...

The Bodies of People Who Died from COVID-19 May Still Be Contagious

A forensic worker in Thailand most likely caught the virus from a deceased patient, a preprint study suggests

--

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/covid-19-patients...

COVID-19 Patients Need to be Tested for Bacteria and Fungi, Not Just the Coronavirus

Many hospitalized victims are developing potentially lethal secondary co-infections such as bacterial pneumonia and sepsis

A lab that reads—and writes—our dreams

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-04-lab-readsand-writesour.html?utm...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-04-scientists-cloud-brightening-great-ba...

Scientists try 'cloud brightening' to protect Great Barrier Reef

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-olive-oil-discovery-universal-law.htm...

Olive oil leads to discovery of new universal law of phase transitions

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-genetic-barcode-rapidly-revealing-cov...

Genetic tracing 'barcode' is rapidly revealing COVID-19's journey and evolution

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-heavy-heart-men-women-diseas...

How men and women develop heart disease differently

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-heavy-sanitizer-boosts-antimicrobial-...

The excessive use of cleaning products and hand sanitisers (with chemicals other than alcohol) can lead to antimicrobial resistance in bacteria.

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Scientists are considering this too: Study points to evidence of stray dogs as possible origin of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-evidence-stray-dogs-sars-cov...

Cute peacock spiders!

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Zombie Starfish | Nature's Weirdest Events

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https://massivesci.com/articles/queer-science-valentines-nature-ani...

Love, nature style

"She" discovered coronaviruses decades ago—but got little recognition

She discovered coronaviruses decades ago—but got little recognition

As Comet ATLAS crumbles away, Comet SWAN arrives to take its place for skywatchers

https://www.space.com/comet-swan-arrives-as-comet-atlas-crumbles.html

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https://www.sciencealert.com/we-finally-have-an-answer-explaining-w...

Solar Winds Hitting Earth Are Hotter Than They Should Be, And We May Finally Know Why

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https://www.sciencealert.com/earth-s-core-could-be-leaking-heavy-ir...

Earth's Core Could Be Leaking Heavy Iron Isotopes, New Study Reveals

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Doctors Have Reported The First Known Case of a Person Who Urinates Alcohol ... and it is naturally brewed in in her bladder from the fermentation of yeast.

The condition, which researchers propose to call either 'bladder fermentation syndrome' or 'urinary auto-brewery syndrome', is similar to another incredibly rare condition, auto-brewery syndrome, where simply ingesting carbohydrates can be enough to make you inebriated, even without consuming any alcohol via regular means. In the case, doctors became aware of what seems to be a related syndrome, after attending upon a 61-year-old patient who presented with liver damage and poorly controlled diabetes.

The doctors thought she 's an addict but noted that plasma test results for ethanol and urine test results for ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate, which are the metabolites of ethanol, were negative, whereas urine test results for ethanol were positive!

Furthermore, in addition to consistently denying having consumed alcohol, the patient did not appear to show signs of intoxication during visits to the clinic, even though her urine showed high levels of ethanol content.

Another mystery was the presence of large amounts of glucose in her urine – a condition called hyperglycosuria – with abundant levels of budding yeast seen in urine samples.

"These findings led us to test whether yeast colonising in the bladder could ferment sugar to produce ethanol," the researchers write.

Running tests on her urine, the team confirmed remarkably high levels of ethanol production, suggesting her strange results were due to yeast fermenting sugar in the bladder.

The yeast in question was identified as Candida glabrata, a natural yeast found in the body and related to brewer's yeast, but not normally discovered in such abundance.

Unfortunately, efforts to eliminate the yeast with antifungal treatments failed, perhaps due to the patient's poorly controlled diabetes.

While researching the woman's case, the doctors became aware of other reports involving similar production of ethanol in urine, but only in one postmortem case, and in experiments run in vitro.

That said, it's possible other patients have presented with this rare medical condition before, but the symptoms weren't recognised, due to the unusual and largely unknown nature of the pathology.

"The experience we describe here of two liver transplant teams at different institutions demonstrates how easy it is to overlook signals that urinary auto-brewery syndrome may be present," the doctors said.

"Clinicians must be diligent about paying close attention to medical record documentation and laboratory results and should always investigate in the event of incongruences."

https://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/2761824/urinary-auto-brewer...

https://www.sciencealert.com/doctors-have-reported-the-first-known-...

Origins of human language pathway in the brain at least 25 million years old

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-human-language-pathway-brain...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-04-astronomers-planet.html?utm_source=nw...

Astronomers discover planet that never was

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https://phys.org/news/2020-04-quantum-entanglement-unprecedented-pr...

Quantum entanglement offers unprecedented precision for GPS and more

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Scientists uncover principles of universal self-assembly

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-scientists-uncover-principles-univers...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-04-coronavirus-air-pollution-nitrogen-di...

Coronavirus and air pollution: Does nitrogen dioxide impact fatalities?

--

* https://phys.org/news/2020-04-scientists-air-quality-puzzle-ozone.h...

Scientists solve air quality puzzle: Why does ozone linger long after its ban?

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* https://phys.org/news/2020-04-relationship-red-stalagmites-paleocli...

Possible relationship between the red color of stalagmites and paleoclimatic changes

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First ever satellite-on-satellite rescue

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/mission-extension-vehicle-s...

Cholera studies reveal mechanisms of biofilm formation and hyperinfectivity

Free-swimming cholera bacteria are much less infectious than bacteria in biofilms, aggregates of bacterial cells embedded in a sticky matrix that form on surfaces. This accounts for the surprising effectiveness of filtering water through cloth, such as a folded sari, which can reduce infections dramatically in places where the disease is endemic, despite the fact that individual cholera bacteria easily pass through such a filter.

Biofilms are important not only in causing infections, but also in the survival of cholera bacteria (Vibrio cholerae) in the environment.

A surprising finding in the PNAS paper is that bacteria growing in biofilms have already activated the genes for virulence factors such as toxin production, before they have even infected a host.

"Two of the main virulence factors are the toxin co-regulated pilus, which allows the bacteria to adhere to the intestine, and the cholera toxin which enters intestinal cells and makes people really sick," said Jennifer Teschler, a postdoctoral researcher in the Yildiz lab and a co-first author of the paper. "These virulence factors are more highly expressed in biofilm cells, so they are already primed for causing infections."

The study also showed differences in the colonization patterns of free-swimming ("planktonic") and biofilm-grown cholera cells in the intestines of infected mice. 

The bacterium has to attach to a surface, stop swimming, and start building a matrix. As a swimming cell nears a surface, the pilus will bind to the surface, and retraction of the pilus helps pull the cell closer to the surface. The cell then makes more pili to anchor it down to the surface.

 A. L. Gallego-Hernandez el al., "Upregulation of virulence genes promotes Vibrio cholerae biofilm hyperinfectivity," PNAS (2020). https://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/1 … 1073/pnas.1916571117

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-cholera-reveal-mechanisms-biofilm-for...

Survival tricks

Scientists lead study of galaxy's 'water worlds'

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-scientists-galaxy-worlds.html?utm_sou...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-04-lizards-language-animal-chemical-shif...

Lizards develop new 'love language': Animal chemical signals shift after only four generations

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https://phys.org/news/2020-04-coronavirus-pandemic-sick.html?utm_so...

The coronavirus pandemic might make buildings sick, too. 

Water is sitting in the pipes of empty office buildings and gyms, getting old and potentially dangerous. When water isn't flowing, organisms and chemicals can build up in the plumbing. It can happen in underused gyms, office buildings, schools, shopping malls and other facilities. These organisms and chemicals can reach unsafe levels when water sits in water pipes for just a few days. But, what happens when water sits for weeks or months?

Just like food that sits in a refrigerator for too long, water that sits in a building's pipes for too long can make people sick.

Harmful organisms, like the bacteria that cause Legionnaire's disease, can grow. If not maintained, devices like filters, water tanks, heaters and softeners can become organism incubators.

With certain pipe materials, water can accumulate unsafe levels of lead and copper , which can cause learning disabilities, cardiovascular effects, nausea and diarrhea.

Developing human corneal tissue ... in the lab

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-human-corneal-tissue.html?ut...

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https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/14/health/coronavirus-prone-positio...

Why positioning Covid-19 patients on their stomachs can save lives

Prone Positioning in Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1214103

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https://www.sciencenews.org/article/gravitational-waves-unevenly-si...

Gravitational waves have revealed the first unevenly sized black hole pair

One big black hole and one little one partnered up, LIGO and Virgo detections show

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https://www.sciencealert.com/woman-s-life-saved-after-her-breast-im...

Woman's Breast Implant Saved Her Life by Deflecting a Bullet, Case Study Shows

Pumping Charged Particles onto Airplane Surfaces Could Reduce Lightning Strikes  

Tests reveal that an imbalance of charge buildup can trigger airplane lightning 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/pumping-charged-particle...

How SARS-CoV-2 gets into respiratory tissue—and how it may exploit one of our defenses

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-sars-cov-respiratory-tissuea...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-04-scientists-nanoparticle-treatment-bon...

Scientists invent nanoparticle that could improve treatment for bone defects

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https://techxplore.com/news/2020-04-confined-youtube.html?utm_sourc...

How we end up 'confined' on YouTube

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-tissues-dna-mechanical-stress.html?ut...

Tissues protect their DNA under mechanical stress

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-scientists-multiple-rna-elements-micr...

Scientists discover how multiple RNA elements control microRNA biogenesis

Thinking differently: DNA may not be life's instruction book—just a jumbled list of ingredients

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-dna-life-bookjust-jumbled-ingredients...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-04-peptide-antibiotics-effective-doses-u...

Fighting resistance: A peptide can render antibiotics effective again – at doses 100 times lower than usual

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-human-uterus-colonized-clone...

Human uterus colonized by clones with cancer-driving mutations that arise early in life

--

https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/ozone-can-be-used-to-destroy-...

Ozone Can Be Used To Destroy The New Coronavirus And Disinfect Areas

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Is ozone safe to breathe?

*Coronavirus pandemic is paving the way for an increase in superbugs

https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-pandemic-is-paving-the-way-...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-04-ocean-biodiversity-substantially-hund...

Ocean biodiversity has not increased substantially for hundreds of millions of years: study

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-method-precisely-therapeutics-body.ht...

A novel method to precisely deliver therapeutics inside the body

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-drug-particles-forensic-lab.html?utm_...

In glowing colors: Seeing the spread of drug particles in a forensic lab

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-coronaviruses-evolving-millions-years...

Coronaviruses and bats have been evolving together for millions of years

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-ferroelectricity-atomic-scale.html?ut...

Researchers discover ferroelectricity at the atomic scale

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-birth-snowman-edge-solar.html?utm_sou...

The birth of a 'snowman' at the edge of the solar system

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=345&v=xe-f4gokRBs&a...

https://www.sciencealert.com/this-high-speed-footage-of-bullets-hit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=468&v=24q80ReMyq0&a...

Engineered microbes can produce biodegradable plastics at lower cost and environmental impact than plant-based plastics

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-microbes-biodegradable-plastics-envir...

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-brain-computer-interface-tec...

Researchers restore injured man's sense of touch using brain-computer interface technology

--

* https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-protein-sepsis-lowers-blood-...

Protein produced in sepsis lowers blood pressure, treatment identified to reverse effects

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-loss-age-affects-brain.html?...

How hearing loss in old age affects the brain

Insects’ extreme farming methods offer us lessons to learn and oddities to avoid

Six-legged farmers grew their own food millions of years before humans did

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/insects-ants-extreme-farming-me...

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Scientists discover just how runny a liquid can be

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-scientists-runny-liquid.html?utm_sour...

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Cyberattack can steal data via cooling fan vibrations

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-04-cyberattack-cooling-fan-vibrati...

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-sunlight-coronavirus-quickly...

Sunlight destroys coronavirus quickly, say US scientists

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-material-homemade-masks-combination-f...

The best material for homemade face masks may be a combination of two fabrics

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-decoy-nanoparticles-block-hiv-infecti...

'Decoy' nanoparticles can block HIV and prevent infection

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-superheavy-elements-eighth-period-per...

Synthesizing new superheavy elements to open up the eighth period of the periodic table

New high-energy-density physics research provides insights about the universe

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-high-energy-density-physics-insights-...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-04-star-survives-black-hole.html?utm_sou...

The story of a Star that survived close call with a black hole

--

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-04-dont-anymore.html?utm_source=nw...

You don't have to spend $1,000 on a smart phone anymore. You can get them for $110, $249, $299 and $400 now.

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-molecules.html?utm_source=nwletter&am...

Water molecules dance in three

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https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-04/appc-cas042420.php

Conservative and social media usage associated with misinformation about COVID-19

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https://phys.org/news/2020-04-neandertals-older-mothers-younger-fat...

Neandertals had older mothers and younger fathers $$