COVID-19 brain complications found across the globe: Cases of brain complications linked to COVID-19 are occurring across the globe, a new review has shown. The research found that strokes, delirium and other neurological complications are reported from most countries where there have been large outbreaks of the disease.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200708150550.htm

https://theconversation.com/from-floating-guts-to-sticky-blood-here...

From floating guts to ‘sticky’ blood – here’s how to do surgery in space

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https://theconversation.com/how-parasitic-worms-could-lead-to-new-t...

How parasitic worms could lead to new treatments for asthma

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https://www.sciencealert.com/hiv-patient-has-become-the-first-in-re...

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HIV Patient Reportedly Becomes 'First in Remission' Without a Transplant

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https://www.sciencealert.com/we-finally-know-what-that-gel-like-sub...

Glistening 'Gel-Like' Substance on Far Side of The Moon Finally Identified:

According to analysis of the images, and comparison with Apollo samples here on Earth, it's exactly what you'd expect to find on the Moon: rock.

More specifically, it's rock that was melted together - likely in the heat of a meteorite impact - to form a dark green, glossy, glassy mass.

Science Captures Some Close Encounters Between Great White Sharks and Beachgoers With Drones

A system for swarm robotics applications inspired by pheromone communication in insects

Nature is one of the most valuable sources of inspiration for researchers developing new robots and computational techniques.

A research team at the University of Manchester recently introduced a new technique for swarm robotics applications inspired by the use of pheromones among insect populations. Pheromones are chemical substances that animals and humans release into their surrounding environment, which can elicit a specific set of behaviors in other animals.

The release of pheromones can prompt mating behaviour, alert other animals of a dangerous situation, delineate a territory, or signal the presence of food. In their paper, published in SAGE's Adaptive Behavior journal, the researchers tried to artificially replicate how social insects, such as ants, use pheromones, with the aim of achieving more effective communication among teams of robots.

The main idea was to develop a bio-inspired communication system based on social animals' pheromone communication systems. Researchers wanted to emulate how ants release pheromones and the behaviors that follow. Past studies tried to create artificial pheromone systems using a variety of techniques, for instance, involving the use of alcohol, RFID tags and light as substitutes for the chemicals naturally released by animals. One of the most promising systems developed so far is COSΦ, a system that uses light to emulate pheromone release in humans and animals.

The team designed a system based on COSΦ, which also employs a model describing how pheromones spread across space and over time. This model draws inspiration from how a liquid or fluid flows in nature.

To have a realistic model of the pheromone system, they had to model all the parameters of real pheromones, such as evaporation and diffusion, and consider the environmental impacts such as effects of wind. The model now proposed is a reliable and realistic model that can imitate pheromone communication among insects.

The researchers evaluated their artificial pheromone system in a series of experiments in which a swarm of small mobile robots moved around and adapted to different environmental factors. Their results were highly promising, as their system enabled effective communication and prompted the desired group behaviors among members of the swarm.

They are currently expanding our system in three directions: (1) developing alternative communication systems for use in real-world scenarios, e.g. using light or sound for transferring small data packets within a swarm, (2) expanding the system with additional layers of pheromones, e.g. different colors and bandwidths, and (3) investigating an evolutionary swarm system where individuals improve their interactions with the pheromone over time

Seongin Na et al. Bio-inspired artificial pheromone system for swarm robotics applications, Adaptive Behavior (2020). DOI: 10.1177/1059712320918936

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-07-swarm-robotics-applications-phe...

A 'regime shift' is happening in the Arctic Ocean, scientists say

Scientists at Stanford University have discovered a surprising shift in the Arctic Ocean. Exploding blooms of phytoplankton, the tiny algae at the base of a food web topped by whales and polar bears, have drastically altered the Arctic's ability to transform atmospheric carbon into living matter. Over the past decade, the surge has replaced sea ice loss as the biggest driver of changes in uptake of carbon dioxide by phytoplankton.

the growing influence of phytoplankton biomass may represent a "significant regime shift" for the Arctic, a region that is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth.

The study centers on net primary production (NPP), a measure of how quickly plants and algae convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into sugars that other creatures can eat. "The rates are really important in terms of how much food there is for the rest of the ecosystem. "It's also important because this is one of the main ways that CO² is pulled out of the atmosphere and into the ocean. The increase in NPP over the past decade is due almost exclusively to a recent increase in phytoplankton biomass.

These microscopic algae were once metabolizing more carbon across the Arctic simply because they were gaining more open water over longer growing seasons, thanks to climate-driven changes in ice cover. Now, they are growing more concentrated, like a thickening algae soup.

In a given volume of water, more phytoplankton were able to grow each year.

K.M. Lewis el al., "Changes in phytoplankton concentration now drive increased Arctic Ocean primary production," Science (2020). science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi … 1126/science.aay8380

M. Babin el al., "Climate change tweaks Arctic marine ecosystems," Science (2020). science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi … 1126/science.abd1231

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-regime-shift-arctic-ocean-scientists....

Brain benefits of exercise can be gained with a single protein

A little-studied liver protein may be responsible for the well-known benefits of exercise on the aging brain, according to a new study in mice by scientists.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-brain-benefits-gained-protei...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-extreme-rainfall-events-top-heavy-aqu...

Extreme rainfall events cause top-heavy aquatic food webs

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-foot-long-skeleton-extinct-dolphin-pa...

15-foot-long skeleton of extinct dolphin suggests parallel evolution among whales

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-safer-crispr-gene-off-target.html?utm...

Safer CRISPR gene editing with fewer off-target hits

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-languages-significantly-interstellar-...

Languages will change significantly on interstellar flights

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https://techxplore.com/news/2020-07-team-ways-cool-super-white.html...

Cooling buildings without ACs: A research team of materials scientists has demonstrated ways to make super white paint that reflects as much as 98% of incoming heat from the sun. The advance shows practical pathways for designing paints that, if used on rooftops and other parts of a building, could significantly reduce cooling costs, beyond what standard white 'cool-roof' paints can achieve.

5G networks have few health impacts, study finds

Fifth generation or 5G wireless technology, which began being deployed worldwide in 2019, provides faster connectivity and more bandwidth, meaning higher download speeds. But because 5G technology is so new, little is known about the potential health effects from its radiofrequency radiation, which is higher than the current industry standard 4G. The Oregon State study begins to change that.

Based on their study, the researchers don't think 5G radiation is that harmful.

Researchers conducted the research using embryonic zebrafish, a model organism often used to discover interactions between environmental stressors and biological systems. Zebrafish and humans have similar developmental processes and are similar on a genomic level, meaning zebrafish research can easily be applied to humans.

In the study, published July 9 in the journal PLOS ONE, the researchers exposed embryonic zebrafish for two days to 3.5 GHz radiofrequency radiation, the frequency typically used by 5G-enabled cell phones.

They found no significant impacts on mortality, how the embryos formed or the embryos' behavioral response to light. They did find a modest impact on a test that measures the embryos' response to a sudden sound that they will investigate further.

Future research will look at the 5G radiation effects on the same zebrafish used in the study at a gene level and as they develop from embryos to adults, Dasgupta said. The researchers also would like to study the impacts of higher frequencies and higher exposure levels on zebra fish to keep pace with the changing cell phone industry.

The future research will use the same standardized experimental set up used in this study. It involves a box made of copper. The zebra fish embryos are placed on plates, which are put inside the box. The radiation enters the box through an antennae and the copper keeps it inside the box.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-5g-networks-health-impacts.h...

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The human brain: not just large but finely shaped

Large brains have long differentiated humans and primates from other mammals and there is a clear evidence that brain mass increased through time.

 a new study by the University of New England, in collaboration with Italian and American institutes, has shown that the evolution of higher cognitive capacity is not only due to having a larger brain but also due to the brain having the "right" shape.

While brain size has long been the preferred measured trait for anthropological investigations, the brain is not uniform in shape and displays considerable structural variation.

The researchers were particularly interested in how humans evolved to have the distinct large, globular shaped brains we have today.

To answer the question they conducted a novel large-scale evolutionary analysis using a large samples of 3-D digital reconstructions of primate brains.

The team used 3-D shape analysis to measure the morphological variation between the different primate groups and a novel phylogenetic strategy to reconstruct the main morphological changes occurred through the primate lineage.

Their findings reveal that the brains of great apes such as chimpanzees and humans as well as papionin monkeys—baboons and macaques—are characterized by fast evolution and larger brain size. These characteristics sets them apart from smaller lemurs and New World monkeys which evolve more slowly.

The brains of papionins and great apes also have different structures.

"Humans and, to a minor extent, the great apes display a massive reorganization of the brain areas devoted to complex thinking, articulated language, social behaviour and problem solving such as the frontal lobe and the prefrontal cortex.

The teams' heat maps clearly show the great bulging prefrontal cortex of the human brain, whereas the brains of baboons are characterized by changes in the temporal and occipital regions.

G. Sansalone et al. Variation in the strength of allometry drives rates of evolution in primate brain shape, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2020). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0807

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-human-brain-large-finely.html?utm_sou...

Lung cancer in non-smokers likely to respond differently to treatment

Lung cancer in non-smokers is a diverse and distinct disease from that in smokers, and is likely to respond differently to targeted treatments, a major new study shows.

Scientists studied a population in Taiwan with high rates of lung cancer among non-smokers—and found a range of genetic changes which varied depending on a patient's age or sex.

Many non-smokers with lung cancer had signs of DNA damage from environmental carcinogens, with young women in particular having particular genetic changes which are known to drive cancer to evolve aggressively.

The study could lead to new treatments for non-smokers with lung cancer tailored to the newly identified genetic changes.

The researchers conducted a detailed analysis of genetic changes, gene activation, protein activity and cellular 'switches' in lung cancer to develop the most comprehensive overview of the biology of disease in non-smokers to date.

Looking at the genetics and the related proteins produced by cancer cells in the tumour samples, scientists found that some early-stage lung tumours in non-smokers were biologically similar to more advanced disease in smokers.

Tumours in women often had a particular fault in the well-known lung cancer gene EGFR, whereas in men the most common faults were in the KRAS and APC genes. These differences could affect the response to targeted drugs in men and women.

Picking out people with 'late-like' early-stage lung tumours could help guide treatment decisions, and patients could be monitored more closely for signs of their disease progressing.

The study found a pattern of genetic changes involving the APOBEC gene family in three-quarters of tumours of female patients under the age of 60, and in all women without faults in the EGFR gene.

APOBEC proteins play an important role in the function of the immune system—but they can be hijacked by cancers, speeding up evolution and the emergence of drug resistance, a key area of study in the ICR's new Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery.

Patients without EGFR faults tend to do better on immunotherapy, and so testing for APOBEC could help pick out women more likely to respond to this form of treatment.

The team also picked out groups of patients—particularly among older women—whose cancers had mutation patterns linked to cancer-causing substances in their environment such as pollutants.

Finally, the team identified 65 proteins that were overactive in lung tumours that matched with existing candidate drugs. They found that one protein that cuts away at the surrounding tissue, called MMP11, was linked to poorer survival—and could be explored as a marker for early detection.

This new study offers a deep dive into the biology of lung cancer in people who have never smoked. It reveals new ways of telling apart patients with different tumour characteristics that could be exploited with tailored treatment strategies.

Cell (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.06.012

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-lung-cancer-non-smokers-diff...

CERN: physicists report the discovery of unique new particle

The LHCb collaboration at CERN has announced the discovery of a new exotic particle: a so-called "tetraquark".

Many physicists struggled to accept that so many elementary particles could exist in the universe, in what had become known as the "particle zoo". George Zweig from Caltech and Murray Gell-Mann from CERN had struck upon the same solution. What if all these different particles were really made of smaller, unknown building blocks, in the same way that the hundred-odd elements in the periodic table are made of protons, neutrons and electrons? Zweig called these building blocks "aces", while Gell-Mann chose the term that we still use today: "quarks".

We now know that there are six different kinds of quarks—up, down, charm, strange, top, bottom. These particles also have respective antimatter companions with opposite charge, which can bind together according to simple rules based on symmetries. A particle made of a quark and an antiquark is called a "meson"; while three quarks bound together form "baryons". The familiar protons and neutrons that make up the atomic nucleus are examples of baryons.

This classification scheme beautifully described the particle zoo of the 1960s. However, even in his original paper, Gell-Mann realised that other combinations of quarks might be possible. For example, two quarks and two antiquarks might stick together to form a "tetraquark", while four quarks and an antiquark would make a "pentaquark".

"Exotic" properties are quite different from ordinary mesons. 

All tetraquarks and pentaquarks that have been discovered so far contain two charm quarks, which are relatively heavy, and two or three light quarks—up, down or strange. This particular configuration is indeed the easiest to discover in experiments.

But the latest tetraquark discovered by LHCb, which has been dubbed X(6900), is composed of four charm quarks. Produced in high-energy proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, the new tetraquark was observed via its decay into pairs of well-known particles called J/psi mesons, each made of a charm quark and a charm antiquark. This makes it particularly interesting as it is not only composed entirely of heavy quarks, but also four quarks of the same kind—making it a unique specimen to test our understanding on how quarks bind together.

https://theconversation.com/cern-physicists-report-the-discovery-of...

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-cern-physicists-discovery-unique-part...

Reducing noise transmitted through an open window

A new device that can reduce the intensity of sound passing through open windows is presented in a proof-of-principle study in Scientific Reports. It fits into a two-panel sliding window and can decrease the perceived loudness of urban transportation noises by up to half (10 decibel reduction).

The device, assembled by Bhan Lam and colleagues, consists of 24 loudspeakers (each 4.5 cm in diameter), fixed in a grid pattern to bars attached to the inside of a window and one sensor located outside the window. If the sensor detects noise outside the building, the loudspeakers emit "anti-noise" at the same frequency as the detected noise but with inverted sound waves. This "anti-noise" cancels out the detected noise and reduces the volume of noise pollution entering the room, even when the window is open.

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-07-noise-transmitted-window.html?u...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-dark-discovery-microscopic-imaging-co...

Shining light into the dark: New discovery makes microscopic imaging possible in dark conditions

researchers have discovered a new way to more accurately analyze microscopic samples by essentially making them glow in the dark through the use of chemically luminescent molecules.

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https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/researchers-from-all-ove...

Researchers from All Over the World Pitch In to Fight COVID-19

Scientists are lending their expertise—whatever it may be—to help develop tests, medical devices, and other tools to try to save lives during the pandemic.

Astronomers Detect Unexpected Class of Mysterious Circular Objects in Space

https://www.sciencealert.com/mysterious-unidentified-circles-have-b...

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https://www.sciencealert.com/hundreds-of-years-of-tree-rings-reveal...

Hundreds of Years of Tree Rings Reveal a Grim Anomaly That Began in The 20th Century

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https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/animals-use-social-dista...

Animals Use Social Distancing to Avoid Disease

Lobsters, birds and some primates use quarantine to ward off infections

Sea surface temperature has a big impact on coral outplant survival

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-sea-surface-temperature-big-impact.ht...

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-scientists-alzheimer-gene-ra...

Scientists discover protective Alzheimer's gene and develop rapid drug-testing platform

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-scientists-planet-primordial-black-ho...

Scientists propose plan to determine if Planet Nine is a primordial black hole

Plant communication:Detection of electrical signaling between tomato plants raises interesting questions

Plants can communicate with other plants using wireless pathways above and underground.  Some examples of these underground communication pathways are: (1) mycorrhizal networks in the soil; (2) the plants’ rhizosphere; (3) acoustic communication; (4) naturally grafting of roots of the same species; (5) signaling chemicals exchange between roots of plants; and (6) electrical signal transmission between plants through the soil. 

Plants have developed complex systems of communication. Electrical, mechanical, and chemical signals induced by above-ground stresses in plants can affect below ground communication between roots of neighboring plants. There are different electrical, chemical and electrochemical pathways for underground signaling between plants. Electrical signal transmission is fast in comparison with chemical signaling which is controlled by a slow diffusion. Electrostimulation of plants induces electrotonic potentials transmission in the electro-stimulated plants as well as the neighboring plants located in different pots regardless if plants are the same or different types.

The soil beneath our feet is alive with electrical signals being sent from one plant to another, according to new research. A paper published recently  used physical experiments and mathematical modeling to study transmission of electrical signals between tomato plants. It was found that electrical signal propagation within a plant and also between plants through a network of Mycorrhizal fungi that's ubiquitous in soil appears to act as circuitry.

Plants generate electric signals that propagate through their parts. When the roots of tomatoes are experimentally isolated from each other with an air gap, the electrical impedance of the gap is very large.

"The electrical signals won't go through this gap. However, when the plants are living in common soil, experiments conducted  found that the ground impedance is not very large and they can communicate by passing electrical signals to each other through the Mycorrhizal network in the soil.

The tomato research, which focused on experimental study and mathematical modeling of electrical signal propagation between plants of the same species, opens new doors to questions about whether plants communicate across species through fungi. The soil plays the role of a conductor.

Another issue is to study the plants' communications via electric waves through the air.

Alexander G. Volkov et al. Underground electrotonic signal transmission between plants, Communicative & Integrative Biology (2020). DOI: 10.1080/19420889.2020.1757207

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-electrical-tomato.html?utm_source=nwl...

Study finds fatty acid that kills cancer cells

Researchers have demonstrated that a fatty acid called dihomogamma-linolenic acid, or DGLA, can kill human cancer cells. The study found that DGLA can induce ferroptosis in an animal model and in actual human cancer cells. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent type of cell death that was discovered in recent years and has become a focal point for disease research as it is closely related to many disease processes.

Implications of this work: If you could deliver DGLA precisely to a cancer cell, it could promote ferroptosis and lead to tumor cell death. Also, just knowing that this fat promotes ferroptosis might also affect how we think about conditions such as kidney disease and neurodegeneration where we want to prevent this type of cell death.

DGLA is a polyunsaturated fatty acid found in small amounts in the human body, though rarely in the human diet. 

It was discovered that feeding nematodes ( Caenorhabditis elegans ) a diet of DGLA-laden bacteria killed all the germ cells in the worms as well as the stem cells that make the germ cells. The way the cells died carried many signs of ferroptosis.

Researchers also showed that DGLA could induce ferroptosis in human cancer cells. They also found an interaction with another fatty acid class, called an ether lipid, that had a protective effect against DGLA. When they took out the ether lipids, the cells died faster in the presence of DGLA. The study also demonstrated that C. elegans can be a useful animal research model in the study of ferroptosis, a field that has had to rely mostly on cell cultures.

Source:  Developmental Cell (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.06.019

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-fatty-acid-cancer-cells.html...

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-fatty-acid-cancer-cells.html...

Rock-breathing bacteria are electron spin doctors, study shows

**Electrons spin. It's a fundamental part of their existence. Some spin "up" while others spin "down." Scientists have known this for about a century, thanks to quantum physics.

They've also known that magnetic fields can affect the direction of an electron's quantum spin, flipping it from up to down and vice versa. And it doesn't take much: Even a bacterial cell can do it.

Researchers  have found that protein "wires" connecting a bacterial cell to a solid surface tend to transmit electrons with a particular spin.

This ability to select an electron's quantum spin could have implications for the use of bacteria in the biotechnology industry and in burgeoning efforts to create bacteria-based energy cells, as well as future electronic technologies.

 Scientists have been studying certain bacteria that can use solid surfaces in the same way animals use oxygen to breathe. Instead of dumping electrons generated during metabolism onto inhaled oxygen molecules, the bacteria send the electrons down specialized proteins that plug into an external surface.

Unlike most organisms that are able to use oxygen as the electron acceptor. These bacteria transfer the electrons to a solid mineral or, as they do in our lab, to electrodes that are outside the cell.

In terms of metabolism, they "breathe" the minerals or electrodes.

To reach the external surface, the electrons are shuttled through various protein molecules that form electrical conduits. These proteins have magnetic fields that can favor a particular spin as the electrons shuttle through.

Scientists found that these magnetic fields are affected by a characteristic of the proteins called "chirality."

Many molecules, especially biological molecules, appear in two versions, each a mirror image of the other. Scientists call this "chirality." It's similar to human hands. Left and right hands have four fingers and a thumb, but they're not exactly the same. They're both hands, but they're mirror images of each other, oriented in opposite directions. Molecules can be the same way, and in fact, scientists refer to chiral molecules as being either left-handed or right-handed.

The left- or right-handedness of a protein may affect the polarity of the magnetic fields experienced by the electrons as they shuttle through the protein. That's what happens to those electrons that travel along a protein wire to get to the outside of a rock-breathing bacterium.

 These "rock-breathing" bacteria one day might be used to produce sustainable energy, for years. Finding that the electron-conducting proteins in these bacteria can select for a particular electron spin based on their chirality could be useful in developing certain electronic devices called "spintronics" . Spintronics use not only the charge of electrons but also their quantum spin and may be especially useful in quantum computing.

This work shows that bacterial cytochromes may be interesting candidates for spintronics."

Suryakant Mishra et al. Spin-Dependent Electron Transport through Bacterial Cell Surface Multiheme Electron Conduits, Journal of the American Chemical Society (2019). DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b09262

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-rock-breathing-bacteria-electron-doct...

Radiation can slow corrosion of some materials

Radiation nearly always degrades the materials exposed to it, hastening their deterioration and requiring replacement of key components in high-radiation environments such as nuclear reactors. But for certain alloys that could be used in fission or fusion reactors, the opposite turns out to be true: Researchers have now found that instead of hastening the material's degradation, radiation actually improves its resistance, potentially doubling the material's useful lifetime.

The finding could be a boon for some new, cutting-edge reactor designs, including molten-salt-cooled fission reactors, and new fusion reactors such as the ARC.

Researchers  repeated it dozens of times, with different conditions and every time they got the same results showing delayed corrosion.

The kind of reactor environment the team simulated in their experiments involves the use of molten sodium, lithium, and potassium salt as a coolant for both the nuclear fuel rods in a fission reactor and the vacuum vessel surrounding a superhot, swirling plasma in a future fusion reactor. Where the hot molten salt is in contact with the metal, corrosion can take place rapidly, but with these nickel-chromium alloys they found that the corrosion took twice as long to develop when the material was bathed in radiation from a proton accelerator, producing a radiation environment similar to what would be found in the proposed reactors.

Careful analysis of images of the affected alloy surfaces using transmission electron microscopy, after irradiating the metal in contact with molten salt at 650 degrees Celsius, (a typical operating temperature for salt in such reactors), helped to reveal the mechanism causing the unexpected effect. The radiation tends to create more tiny defects in the structure of the alloy, and these defects allow atoms of the metal to diffuse more easily, flowing in to quickly fill the voids that get created by the corrosive salt. In effect, the radiation damage promotes a sort of self-healing mechanism within the metal.

Weiyue Zhou et al. Proton irradiation-decelerated intergranular corrosion of Ni-Cr alloys in molten salt, Nature Communications (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17244-y

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-corrosion-materials.html?utm_source=n...

Scientists discover extraordinary regeneration of neurons

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-scientists-extraordinary-regeneration...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-oversized-placentas-cloning-decades.h...

Cause of oversized placentas in cloning found after two decades

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-viral-dark-exposed-metagenome-databas...

Viral dark matter exposed: Metagenome database detects phage-derived antibacterial enzyme

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How the coronavirus pandemic is changing virtual science communication

AMAZING ROBOTIC ANIMALS

$$The mathematical strategy that could transform coronavirus testing

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02053-6?utm_source=Natur...

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https://massivesci.com/articles/hydrothermal-vent-reactor-geology-m...

Scientists recreated ancient Earth’s ocean hell to figure out how life began

The experiment also suggests that extraterrestrial life could also emerge on Mars, Europa, and Enceladus

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https://massivesci.com/articles/gingko-tree-longevity-gene-activity...

The genes of 600-year-old ginkgo trees are just as active as their teenage counterparts 

Ancient trees reveal the secret to their virtual immortality

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https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-denial-spreads-o...

Climate Denial Spreads on Facebook as Scientists Face Restrictions

The company recently overruled its scientific fact-checking group, which had flagged information as misleading

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https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/stingers-have-achieved-o...

Stingers Have Achieved Optimal Pointiness, Physicists Show

A single equation describes the shapes of stingers, spikes and spines throughout the natural world

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Neptune's Moons Are Caught in One of The Strangest Orbits Ever Seen

https://www.sciencealert.com/neptune-s-moons-are-caught-in-one-of-t...

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https://www.sciencealert.com/our-atmosphere-chimes-in-time-with-ast...

Scientists Detect Earth's Atmosphere 'Ringing' Like a Bell

Just as the Moon tugs at our planet's seas, contributing to oceanic tidal waves, it also pulls at our atmosphere along with the Sun, creating waves in the sky.

A new study now demonstrates how some types of 'sky waves' resonate around Earth, much like how sound waves resonate inside a bell.

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https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-are-planning-to-make-a-sing...

Scientists Are Planning How to Make a Single Authoritative List of All Species

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Saliva Tests: How They Work and What They Bring to COVID-19

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https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-your-heart-influences-what-you-p...

How Your Heart Influences What You Perceive and Fear

Exaggerated risk of transmission of COVID-19 by fomites

Disinfecting surfaces 'not as necessary as we thought'

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/coronavirus-surfaces-groceries-packa...

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)...

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https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/pink-climat...

Pink is the shade of climate change with mountains and lakes changing colour across the globe

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https://theconversation.com/death-by-irony-the-mystery-of-the-mouse...

‘Death by irony’: The mystery of the mouse that died of smoke inhalation, but went nowhere near a fire

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https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/campaign-begins-to-derai...

Campaign begins to derail COVID-19 vaccination before it’s even developed

Thousands of scientists are working around the clock to find a coronavirus vaccine. At the same time, groups are already trying to derail it.

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-complications-covid-von-will...

Complications from COVID-19 may depend on von Willebrand factor in the blood

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** https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-covid-ten-meters.html?utm_so...

Researchers: COVID-19 spreads ten meters or more by breathing

People with high cholesterol should eliminate carbs, not saturated fat

** For decades, people diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia have been instructed to minimize their consumption of saturated fats to lower cholesterol and reduce their risks of heart disease. But a new study published in the prestigious journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine found no evidence to support those claims.

Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic disorder that causes people to have cholesterol levels 2-4 times higher than the average person. Organizations, including the American Heart Association, have suggested they avoid eating food from animal sources, such as meat, eggs and cheese, and to avoid coconut oil. An international team of experts on heart disease and diet, including five cardiologists, reviewed dietary guidelines for people with familial hypercholesterolemia. They say they couldn't find any justification for health experts to recommend a low saturated fat diet.

Following a low-carb diet is most effective for people at increased risk of heart disease, such as those who are overweight, hypertensive and diabetic. Their findings are consistent with another paper recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, which provided strong evidence that food that raises blood sugar, such as bread, potatoes and sweets, should be minimized, rather than tropical oils and animal-based food.

David M Diamond et al, Dietary Recommendations for Familial Hypercholesterolaemia: an Evidence-Free Zone, BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine (2020). DOI: 10.1136/bmjebm-2020-111412

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-people-high-cholesterol-carb...

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/04/when-does-your-baby-become-...

When Does Your Baby Become Conscious?

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Why the h-index is a bogus measure of academic impact

$$ https://theconversation.com/why-the-h-index-is-a-bogus-measure-of-a...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-scientists-theorized-neutrinoless-pro...

Scientists demonstrate a new experiment in the search for theorized 'neutrinoless' proc

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-junk-dna-free-stem-cells.html?utm_sou...

Turning off 'junk DNA' may free stem cells to become neurons

For every cell in the body there comes a time when it must decide what it wants to do for the rest of its life. In an article published in the journal PNAS, NIH researchers report for the first time that ancient viral genes that were once considered "junk DNA" may play a role in this process. The article describes a series of preclinical experiments that showed how some human endogenous retrovirus (HERV-K) genes inscribed into chromosomes 12 and 19 may help control the differentiation, or maturation, of human stem cells into the trillions of neurons that are wired into our nervous systems.

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-power-dna.html?utm_source=nwletter&am...

Power of DNA to store information gets an upgrade

Human lungs rejected for transplant recovered using novel technique

 A multidisciplinary team has demonstrated that injured human donor lungs declined for transplant can be recovered by cross-circulation between the human lung and a xenogeneic host (Connecting donated human lungs to pigs).

The new technique, described in a study published recently in Nature Medicine, has the potential to increase the supply of donor lungs available for transpalnt, saving the lives of people who would otherwise die while waiting on the transplant list.

Lungs are the least-used solid organ for transplant because only 20% of donor lungs are considered to be in sufficient condition for transplantation. If we could improve the 20% acceptance rate and increase it to 40% or 50% acceptance rate, we would essentially eliminate our waitlist and we would actually be able to open up transplantation to more people.

The team proved in earlier published research that a cross-circulation technique using an animal model can not only support but rehabilitate animal lungs for up to four days. The current research extends that success to human lungs considered too damaged for transplant, preserving them for 24 hours using the xenogeneic platform.

Lung disease is the third leading cause of death globally, and transplantation is the only definitive cure for patients who are in the end stage of the disease. The current standard of care for donor lungs is ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP), a mechanical support system that can preserve lungs for up to eight hours but has limited means to rehabilitate them. The study demonstrated that a lung that failed to improve on EVLP could be rehabilitated using the xenogeneic platform.

The xenogeneic platform offers scientists two immediate research pathways. First, it offers a new option for transplanting lungs previously considered too damaged for transplant. Secondly, the xenogeneic platform allows lungs to be preserved to test further therapeutic interventions as well as investigations in drug discovery, testing and delivery. Further, the cross-circulation platform may be used to recover other human organs and tissue, including livers, hearts and kidneys as well as limbs.

The cross-species cross-circulation allowed a human lung that failed after its six hours of standard perfusion to heal enough to meet transplant requirements and theoretically help a lung patient, though no transplant was done. 

For the current experiments, they connected pigs and human lungs with common problems found after donation: swelling from excess fluid, traumatic injury, damage from inhaled gastric fluids. All the organs had gone through six hours of perfusion before being declined for transplant. For the experiments, immune suppression drugs were infused into the pigs to prevent rejection of the human lung.

While connected to the pigs, the organs’ cells and function were monitored. After 24 hours, the lungs had improved and would likely continue to get better, according to the researchers. 

Xenogeneic cross-circulation for extracorporeal recovery of injured human lungs , Nature Medicine (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-020-0971-8

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-human-lungs-transplant-recov...

Hidden in our genes: Discovering the fate of cell development

As cells develop, changes in how our genes interact determines their fate. Differences in these genetic interactions can make our cells robust to infection from viruses or make it possible for our immune cells to kill cancerous ones.

Understanding how these gene associations work across the development of human tissue and organs is important for the creation of medical treatments for complex diseases as broad as cancer, developmental disorders, or  heart disease.

A new technology called single-cell RNA-sequencing has made it possible to study the behavior of genes in human and mammal cells at an unprecedented resolution and promises to accelerate scientific and medical discoveries.

A  team of international collaborators from China, the US and the UK, University of Sydney scientists have developed an analytical approach for this single-cell sequencing, which is able to test for broad changes in gene behavior within human tissue. It has been called single-cell higher-order testing, or scHOT.

Published today in Nature Methods, the team has demonstrated the effectiveness of this method by identifying genes in mice whose variability change in cells during embryonic liver development.

 scHOT is a powerful new tool that will uncover hidden gene associations in our cells and facilitate the full exploitation of these cutting-edge single-cell technologies to make important biological discoveries.

This research will help to uncover hidden gene associations in our cells providing a new way to view and describe biological complexity.

Investigating higher-order interactions in single-cell data with scHOT, Nature Methods (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41592-020-0885-x

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-hidden-genes-fate-cell.html?utm_sourc...

Turning off 'junk DNA' may free stem cells to become neurons

For every cell in the body there comes a time when it must decide what it wants to do for the rest of its life. In an article published in the journal PNAS, NIH researchers report for the first time that ancient viral genes that were once considered "junk DNA" may play a role in this process. The article describes a series of preclinical experiments that showed how some human endogenous retrovirus (HERV-K) genes inscribed into chromosomes 12 and 19 may help control the differentiation, or maturation, of human stem cells into the trillions of neurons that are wired into our nervous systems.

Over the course of evolution, the human genome has absorbed thousands of human endogenous retrovirus genes. As a result, nearly eight percent of the DNA that lines our chromosomes includes remnants of these genes. Although once thought to be inactive, or "junk", recent studies have shown that these genes may be involved in human embryonic development, the growth of some tumors, and nerve damage during multiple sclerosis.

Previously, researchers showed that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be linked to activation of the HERV-K gene. In this study, the team showed that deactivation of the gene may free stem cells to become neurons.

The researchers performed most of their experiments on blood cells, drawn from healthy volunteers at the NIH's Clinical Center, that they genetically transformed into induced pluripotent stem cells, which can then turn into any cell type in the body. Surprisingly, they found that the surfaces of the stem cells were lined with high levels of HERV-K, subtype HML-2, an envelope protein, that viruses often use to latch onto and infect cells. These proteins progressively disappeared as the cells were served two rounds of "cocktails." One round nudged the cells into an intermediate, neural stem cell state followed by a second round that pushed the cells into finally becoming neurons. The researchers sped up this process by turning off HERV-K, HML-2 genes in the stem cells or by treating the cells with antibodies against the HML-2 protein. In contrast, they delayed neural differentiation by artificially overloading the cells with the HML-2 genes. Finally, the team discovered that interactions on the stem cell surfaces between HML-2 and another immune cell protein called CD98HC may restrain differentiation by triggering internal chemical reactions that are known to control cell growth and tumors. In the future, the team plans to explore how HERV-K genes may shape the wiring of a nervous system.

Wang, T. et al., Regulation of stem cell function and neuronal differentiation by HERV-K via mTOR pathway, PNAS (2020). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2002427117

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-junk-dna-free-stem-cells.html?utm_sou...

Human sperm stem cells grown in lab, an early step toward infertility treatment

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-human-sperm-stem-cells-grown.html?utm...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-materials-extra-thin-chips.html?utm_s...

New materials for extra thin computer chips

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-micro-lab-chip-blood-minutes.html?utm...

A micro-lab on a chip detects blood type within minutes

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Scientists have discovered a new physical paradox

Scientists have discovered a new physical paradox: Researchers have discovered and theoretically explained a new physical effect: amplitude of mechanical vibrations can grow without external influence.

A new physical phenomenon of 'ballistic resonance," where mechanical oscillations can be excited only due to internal thermal resources of the system has been demonstrated: that heat spreads at abnormally high speeds at nano and micro levels in ultrapure crystalline materials. This phenomenon is called ballistic heat conductivity.

The discovered phenomenon describes that the process of heat equilibration leads to mechanical vibrations with an amplitude that grows with time. The effect is called ballistic resonance.

The scientific group offered their explanation on how to eliminate the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou paradox.

Vitaly A. Kuzkin et al, Ballistic resonance and thermalization in the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou chain at finite temperature, Physical Review E (2020). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.101.042209

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-scientists-physical-paradox.html?utm_...

Using math formulas to predict earthquakes

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-math-formulas-earthquakes.html?utm_so...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-fluorine.html?utm_source=nwletter&...

**How much fluorine is too much fluorine?

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** The new tattoo: Drawing electronics on skin

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-07-tattoo-electronics-skin.html?ut...

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** 

Earth-shaking science in the freezer: Next generation vibration sensors at cryogenic temperatures

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-earth-shaking-science-freezer-vibrati...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-chemicals-faster-reactions.html?utm_s...

Spinning chemicals for faster reactions

**scientists have devised a new way of making reactions up to 70 times faster by using state-of-the-art equipment to spin chemicals around.

They found that efficient mixing within a chemical reaction could be achieved by spinning chemicals and catalysts around in a small tube, causing the reactions to happen much quicker.

The new findings could have a profound influence on the way that chemicals are made in a wide variety of industries, from drug development to agriculture and fragrances.

Crop plants are taking up microplastics

Scientists  recently found that microplastics are indeed contaminating edible plants, including vegetables we eat.

Microplastics (MPs), i.e., tiny plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in length, can now be found throughout the ocean and other aquatic ecosystems, and even in our seafood and salt. As MPs have become ubiquitous, scientists have become concerned about the transfer of MPs from the environment to the food chain and the potential impact of MPs on human health.

Most MPs are emitted to the terrestrial environment and accumulate in large amounts in soil. In addition, secondary particles are formed by the degradation of plastics. Wastewater, an important source of water for agricultural irrigation, also contains small-sized MPs.

Despite the prevalence of MPs throughout the environment, the matter of MP uptake by crop plants has not received much attention.

For decades, scientists believed that plastic particles were simply too large to pass through the physical barriers of intact plant tissue. But this new study disproves this assumption.

Cracks at the emerging sites of new lateral roots of lettuce and wheat crops can take in MPs from the surrounding soil and water. Those MPs can then be transferred from the roots up to the edible parts of the crop.

The MPs identified in this study were spherical plastic particles up to 2 micrometers in size with a small degree of mechanical flexibility. These features allowed the MPs to squeeze into the small apoplastic space of plant root cells.

"Another mechanism is that at the lateral root emergence sites there are small cracks, and then the particles go through those cracks and enter the xylem vessels. Thus it is even possible that particles larger than the ones we studied might also be taken up by plants.

Li, L et al. Effective uptake of submicrometre plastics by crop plants via a crack-entry mode. Nat Sustain (2020). doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-0567-9

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-crop-microplastics.html?utm_source=nw...

 Why Some Birds Are Likely To Hit Buildings

Birds that eat insects, are on migrations or that usually live in the woods are most likely to fly into buildings that feature a lot of glass.

Billion birds die from flying into buildings each year. Suspicions have been that birds may perceive the open areas behind glass as safe passageways. Or they may mistake the reflected foliage for the real thing.

Most migratory species travel at night, when lights near buildings can distract or disorient them. insect-eating birds might be attracted to buildings because their insect prey is attracted to the lights. woodland species get fooled by the reflections of trees and shrubs in the windows.

journal Conservation Biology. [Jared A. Elmore, et al. Correlates of bird collisions with buildings across three North Ame...]

By understanding which birds are more likely to collide with buildings, researchers can perhaps determine the best way to modify buildings, or their lighting, to help prevent such accidents. And by knowing risks along with migration timing and behavior, building managers can better anticipate when birds are at their greatest danger—and modify lighting strategies accordingly.

 https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/why-some-birds-a...

 Coronavirus: Llamas provide key to immune therapy

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53369103

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Controlling COVID 19 in flats ....

To prevent droplet spread in a locked down residential building:

• keep at least 1.5 metres away from others

• allow only essential personnel in the building

• residents should keep to their own apartment

• people servicing the building can wear gloves and masks, but it’s important they be trained in their proper use

• infected/symptomatic residents should wear a mask (and be aware of how to handle these correctly so as not to increase the risk of infection)

• avoid shared spaces, for example shared laundries; limit numbers in lifts/stairwells at any given time

• if movement is required, adopt staggered, rostered times to move through the building

• if the structure allows it, utilise separate entry and exit points and one-way pathways through the building

• practise good respiratory etiquette (such as coughing into your elbow). This can reduce the number of people each infected person passes the virus to.

To reduce spread via contaminated objects:

• everyone who lives in or is visiting the building should frequently wash or sanitise their hands. Sanitiser should be available at entry and exit points and shared areas

• avoid touching your face and your food unless your hands have been freshly cleaned

• regular cleaning of shared spaces is important, including lift buttons, handrails, and door handles

• rubbish bins should be kept in separate areas to other supplies to avoid cross-contamination.

Additional measures to reduce airborne spread include:

• plumbing and ventilation systems should be maintained to ensure they’re operating effectively, particularly as buildings age

• HEPA filters in air conditioners may help to filter out the virus.

https://theconversation.com/we-could-have-more-coronavirus-outbreak...

 What happens if you ignore science, fall prey for conspiracy theories, think what scientists say are hoax theories? 

A man learnt the lesson in his final moments .... sadly at the cost of his life. 

'I thought this was a hoax': Patient in 30s dies after attending 'COVID party'

Coronavirus Is What You Get When You Ignore Science

https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/i-thought-this-was-a-hoax-pa...

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https://theconversation.com/one-vaccine-to-beat-covid-sars-mers-and...

 One vaccine to beat COVID, Sars, Mers and common cold – possible?

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The next pandemic: The warnings are clear – more diseases will follow the coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.scidev.net/global/spotlight/the-next-pandemic.html?utm_...

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 Wriggling Roundworm Found in Woman's Tonsil After She Ate Sashimi

Eating raw meat of any kind carries with it a risk of parasites, but few are as well known as those found in sashimi. The Japanese delicacy can infect the eater with a number of unpleasant aquatic parasites.

https://www.sciencealert.com/a-wriggling-moulting-roundworm-was-fou...

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Blood Transplants from Active Mice Give Brain Boost to Others

** Andean condors, at 10kg or more, are among the world’s heaviest flying birds. Once birds get this big, the energetic costs of flapping are so high they instead rely on currents of rising air to travel long distances.

on average, condors fly for three hours a day, but they flap for less than two minutes of this – just 1% of their flight time. One bird even flew for more than five hours without a single flap, covering 172km. Surprisingly, the amount they flapped hardly changed whether they were in the Andes or the steppe, or whether it was windy or not.

Moving between weak thermals of air seemed more challenging as birds flapped towards the end of the glides, when they were likely to be close to the ground. This is a critical time as birds need to find rising air to avoid an unplanned landing.

Thermals can behave like lava lamps, with bubbles of air rising intermittently from the ground when the air is warm enough. Birds may therefore arrive in the right place for a thermal, but at the wrong time. And the lengths of time when the bubbles are not rising sufficiently rapidly to be useful to a condor will be longer when thermals are weaker.

Nonetheless, even in weak thermal conditions, which may occur in winter, our results suggest condors may flap for only around two seconds per km. This remarkably low investment in flapping flight is on a par with albatrosses. In fact, albatrosses appear to flap more than condors – between (1% and 15% of their flight time outside take-off) –although it is unclear how their overall energy expenditure compares.

What is particularly striking about this findings is that all the birds teh researchers studied were immature. There was some suggestion that flight performance improved with age, but the demonstration that all birds flap so rarely shows that it is possible for even young condors to invest little energy in flying.

https://theconversation.com/we-tagged-andean-condors-to-find-out-ho...

https://theconversation.com/heres-how-scientists-know-the-coronavir...

Here’s how scientists know the coronavirus came from bats and wasn’t made in a lab

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A brain-inspired architecture for human gesture recognition

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-07-brain-inspired-architecture-hum...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-burrowing-crabs-reshaping-salt-marshe...

**Burrowing crabs reshaping salt marshes, with climate change to blame

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-scientists-fault-southeastern-nepal.h...

**Scientists discover fault system in southeastern Nepal

Why does some frogs' skin colour  appear green? 

Frogs and toads are green for a very good reason—it makes them harder to see in their leafy environments. Good camouflage allows them to eat and not be eaten. But not all frogs have arrived at this life-saving greenness in the same way.

Most of these animals rely on color-controlling structures in their skin called chromatophores that use crystals to bend light to specific colors and make them appear green. But there are hundreds of species of frogs and toads that have nearly translucent skin and very few chromatophores.

Their greenness, which can be found deep in their lymphatic fluid, soft tissues and even bones, comes from a clever biochemical workaround that combines a normally virus-fighting type of protein with a toxic byproduct of blood breakdown.

many of these frogs contain very high levels of bile pigment called biliverdin that is a byproduct of breaking apart old red blood cells. This pigment is normally considered a toxin to be filtered out in the liver and excreted as quickly as possible. But these frogs are found to carry four times as much biliverdin as even the sickest human with liver disease, and 200 times as much as their chromatophore-equipped frog cousins.

When you see something green, its color really should be called 'everything but green,' because it is soaking up all the colors of incoming light except for green. The color we see is the frequency of light it does not absorb that bounces back to our eyes.

Biliverdin by itself would appear to be somewhat greenish, as sometimes seen in an old bruise, but the researchers found that a bound serpin, BBS, stretches out biliverdin's helical shape to fine-tune its light absorbance, making it more cyan, a blue-green. Cyan, added to some other yellow pigments scattered in the skin, bounces back just the right shade of green. It also makes biliverdin less toxic as well.

This new protein has the same spectroscopic properties or light absorption properties as some plant pigments.

So this is a convergence in evolution. Being arboreal (living in trees), they developed a different way to make their coloration. This shows how natural selection can co-opt proteins for just about any purpose.

Source: Carlos Taboada et al, Multiple origins of green coloration in frogs mediated by a novel biliverdin-binding serpin, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2020). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2006771117

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-green-skin-deep-hundreds-frog-species...

 Scientists investigate radiolabeling of calcium carbonate particles in vivo

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-scientists-radiolabeling-calcium-carb...

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 https://phys.org/news/2020-07-road-traffic-microplastics-world-ocea...

Road traffic microplastics flooding world's oceans: study

Researchers find sun and rain transform asphalt binder into potentially toxic compounds

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-sun-asphalt-binder-potentially-toxic....

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-air-pollution-affects-brain.html?utm_...

Air pollution affects brain development, but when does the damage start?

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-cloud-hidden-greenhouse-gas-emissions...

Cloud computing could be producing hidden greenhouse gas emissions

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https://techxplore.com/news/2020-07-codes-smartphone-easily.html?ut...

'Knock codes' for smartphone security are easily predicted, researchers say

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https://www.sciencenews.org/article/time-universe-fundamental-cosmi...

The universe might have a fundamental clock that ticks very, very fast

Time could be the result of particles interacting with a ticking cosmic timepiece

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https://www.sciencealert.com/a-giant-wall-of-galaxies-has-been-foun...

A Giant 'Wall' of Galaxies Has Been Found Stretching Across The Universe

One in Three Young Adults at Risk of Severe Coronavirus Infections, Study Finds

certain factors that can put anyone at risk of serious illness, regardless of age. A new study from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco determined that one in three young adults ages 18 to 25 are vulnerable to severe COVID-19 cases.

Patients were considered vulnerable if they had least one risk factor, including a smoking habit or chronic illness like heart disease, diabetes, asthma, obesity, autoimmune disease, or liver problems.

https://www.sciencealert.com/smoking-may-explain-why-1-in-3-young-a...

Ex-Harvard Medical School faculty member warns COVID-19 herd immunity is ‘wishful thinking'

A Washington D.C.-based internist and former Harvard Medical School faculty member has claimed the idea that herd immunity may slow the coronavirus pandemic is "wishful thinking" after a 50-year-old patient was infected for a second time with COVID-19.

"During his first infection, my patient experienced a mild cough and sore throat," Dr. Clay Ackerly explained in an opinion piece for Vox. "His second infection, in contrast, was marked by a high fever, shortness of breath, and hypoxia, resulting in multiple trips to the hospital.

"It is possible, but unlikely, that my patient had a single infection that lasted three months," Dr. Ackerly added. "Some Covid-19 patients (now dubbed 'long haulers') do appear to suffer persistent infections and symptoms.

"My patient, however, cleared his infection — he had two negative PCR tests after his first infection — and felt healthy for nearly six weeks."

Typically, experts estimate that between 70 and 90 percent of a population must be immune to a contagious disease to achieve herd immunity -- whether through vaccination or other exposure to an infection.

However, a recent study in Spain, one of the countries hardest-hit by the pandemic, found just five percent of those surveyed had coronavirus antibodies. On a regional basis, the percentage varied from fewer than three percent in coastal regions to more than 10 percent in areas around Madrid.

https://www.foxnews.com/health/clay-ackerly-coronavirus-herd-immuni...

"My patient caught Covid-19 twice. So long to herd immunity hopes?" (Vox, 7/12/20) - original article

Researchers discover how cells remember infections decades later

https://phys.org/news/2017-12-cells-infections-decades.html

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An exploding white dwarf star blasted itself out of its orbit with another star in a "partial supernova" and is now hurtling across our galaxy, according to a new study from the University of Warwick.

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-blast-star-hurtling-milky.html?utm_so...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-scientists-uncover-key-ribosomes-prot...

Scientists uncover key process in the manufacture of ribosomes and proteins

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Scientists discover heavy element chemistry can change at high pressures

New research shows that one of the heaviest known elements can be manipulated to a greater degree than previously thought, potentially paving the way for new strategies to recycle nuclear fuel and better long-term storage of radioactive elements.

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-fsu-news-scientists-heavy-element.htm...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-07-true-scientists-discuss-evolution-whi...

Scientists discuss evolution of white coloration of velvet ants

Bacteria with a metal diet discovered in dirty glassware

Microbiologists have discovered bacteria that feed on manganese and use the metal as their source of calories. Such microbes were predicted to exist over a century ago, but none had been found or described until now.

The study also reveals that the bacteria can use manganese to convert carbon dioxide into biomass, a process called chemosynthesis. Previously, researchers knew of bacteria and fungi that could oxidize manganese, or strip it of electrons.

Researchers found the bacteria serendipitously after performing unrelated experiments using a light, chalk-like form of manganese. They had left a glass jar soiled with the substance to soak in tap water in their  office sink before departing for several months to work off campus. When they returned, the jar was coated with a dark material.

They wondered, 'What is that?' and systematically performed tests to figure that out.

The black coating was in fact oxidized manganese generated by newfound bacteria that had likely come from the tap water itself. There is evidence that relatives of these creatures reside in groundwater.

Manganese is one of the most abundant elements on the surface of the earth. Manganese oxides take the form of a dark, clumpy substance and are common in nature; they have been found in subsurface deposits and can also form in water-distribution systems.

There is a whole set of environmental engineering literature on drinking-water-distribution systems getting clogged by manganese oxides. But how and for what reason such material is generated there has remained an enigma. Clearly, many scientists have considered that bacteria using manganese for energy might be responsible, but evidence supporting this idea was not available until now.

The finding helps researchers better understand the geochemistry of groundwater. It is known that bacteria can degrade pollutants in groundwater, a process called bioremediation. When doing this, several key organisms will "reduce" manganese oxide, which means they donate electrons to it, in a manner similar to how humans use oxygen in the air. Scientists have wondered where the manganese oxide comes from in the first place.

The bacteria discovered now can produce it, thus they enjoy a lifestyle that also serves to supply the other microbes with what they need to perform reactions that we consider to be beneficial and desirable.

The research findings also have possible relevance to understanding manganese nodules that dot much of the seafloor.

Bacterial chemolithoautotrophy via manganese oxidation, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2468-5

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-bacteria-metal-diet-dirty-glassware.h...

Hallmark of severe COVID-19 patients identified

In analyzing blood, tissue, immune cells and other samples from the patients, the researchers came upon what they think is a signature for people with severe infections—a combination of an interferon response deficiency and exacerbated inflammation. They suggest the signature may represent a hallmark for severely ill COVID-19 patients. The researchers suggest their findings could lead to therapies that boost interferon response to an infection while also reducing inflammation.

More specifically, the researchers found that critically ill patients had a deficiency in the response of type I interferons—a kind of protein that is used by the immune system to fight infections. In addition, there were higher than normal levels of proinflammatory signaling. Together, the two responses left patients with little ammunition to fight their infections. The work builds on studies by other researchers finding that interferon signaling in infected areas may play a role in mitigating disease progression. Such work has shown that duration, timing and location of interferon exposure to the virus are critical factors that appear to underlie the degree of success with current therapies.

Jérôme Hadjadj et al, Impaired type I interferon activity and inflammatory responses in severe COVID-19 patients, Science (2020). DOI: 10.1126/science.abc6027

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-hallmark-severe-covid-patien...

Invasive alien species may soon cause dramatic global biodiversity loss

An increase of 20 to 30 per cent of invasive non-native (alien) species would lead to dramatic future biodiversity loss worldwide. This is the conclusion of a study by an international team of researchers.

Human activities intentionally and unintentionally introduce more and more plant and animal species to new regions of the world—for example, via commodity transport or tourism.

Some of these alien species have negative consequences for biodiversity and humans well-being, for example by displacing native species or transmitting diseases. However, while we have relatively good information on the historical spread of alien species, there is still little knowledge about their future development.

The study shows that an increase of 20 to 30 per cent in the number of newly introduced alien species is considered sufficient to cause massive global biodiversity loss—a value that is likely to be reached soon, as the number of introduced species is constantly increasing.

humans are the main driver of the future spread of alien species. The experts identify three main reasons, primarily the increasing global transport of goods, followed by climate change and then the impacts of economic development such as energy consumption and land use. The study also shows that the spread of alien species can be greatly slowed down by ambitious countermeasures.

Franz Essl et al, Drivers of future alien species impacts: An expert‐based assessment, Global Change Biology (2020). DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15199

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