Science

COVID-19 cases reported today by province, and one more death

March 27, 2020

Currently, to be counted as recovered, an individual with COVID-19 needs to have two negative test results from tests taken 24-hours apart. Ontario has ordered all non-essential businesses to close by midnight tonight in order to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

Great Barrier Reef suffers mass coral bleaching event

March 27, 2020

UNESCO's World Heritage Committee is due to assess the Great Barrier Reef's status as a World Heritage site later this year. "In some places we're seeing no bleaching or very little bleaching, in other places we're seeing severe levels of coral bleaching", Dr Heron said.

100 new COVID-19 cases reported in Ontario this morning

March 26, 2020

The province generally defines institutions as long-term care homes, correctional facilities and mental health facilities. The facilities were already restricting non-essential visits. Power and telecommunications will continue to run, as will taxis, vehicle fix and rental businesses, companies that support IT infrastructure providers and clean drinking water.

Curiosity Mars rover takes stunning selfie during record climb

March 25, 2020

This annotated version of the selfie shows the rover near the Hutton drill hole. Those images are then stitched together to create the final selfie. The Greenheugh Pediment is above the rover and its climbing vacation spot is marked to the appropriate.

Inmates Escape From Yakima County Jail, 6 Prisoners Still on Run

March 25, 2020

A spokesperson for the police is anxious that the prisoners won't listen to the stay at home order and will be roaming the streets where they could be vulnerable. The inmates were last seen wearing shirts with "YCDOC" on the back and black trousers. The four other at-large inmates include Fernando Gustavo Casteneda-Sandoval, 31, of Yakima; Hugo Alejandro Amezcua-Hernandez, 28, of Yakima; Andrew Derrick Wofley, 26, of Union Gap; and Neftali Serrano, 27, of Yakima.

Coronavirus: Redbridge Council suspending some waste collection services to keep staff save

March 25, 2020

A spokeswoman said: "Every attempt will be made for crews to deal with requests already booked but from now on householders will need to take their bulky items to one of the council's household waste recycling centres". Try to minimise the amount of waste your household produces. In Sheffield, Veolia has temporarily stopped green waste collections and warned other bin services may be disrupted as staff self-isolated.

Russian Federation launches 34 OneWeb satellites into orbit

March 24, 2020

The 34 satellites join six spacecraft that were launched in February 2018 , and 34 others that were sent up last month . OneWeb , which will be fully operational with 650 satellites, is expected to launch new satellites in groups in the coming years, and is said to have launched all its satellites by the last quarter of 2021.

NASA Confirms Voyager 2 Has Left the Solar System

March 23, 2020

The new findings confirm that the leakiness of the heliopause, spotted in two very different parts of the heliosphere , is not a rare characteristic of the bubble, although there is still no real explanation for what's causing it. When Voyager 1 crossed, "we were surprised to find that the direction of the magnetic field was not what we had expected when we were outside, and with Voyager 2 we are finding a very similar result".

Four New Asteroids are Approaching Earth This Weekend, Says NASA

March 22, 2020

Almost a year after the cosmic shot, scientists finally had a chance to inspect this first-of-its-kind data - captured by cameras on the spacecraft - to learn about an asteroid roughly 314 million kilometers (195 million miles) away. In Indian time, both these asteroids will fly past on early Monday, March 23 - the 2020 DP4 will fly past us at 12:04AM on March 23, will the 2020 FF1 will whoosh past at 3:39AM.

WHO launches multi-country trial in search for Covid-19 treatment

March 22, 2020

A test in Chinese patients with severe COVID-19 disease found the 99 who received AbbVie Inc's Kaletra, a combination of lopinavir and ritonavir , fared no better than the 100 who received standard care. Israel approved the licensing of a generic version of an HIV drug to treat patients infected with the coronavirus on Thursday, despite doubts about its effectiveness in trials.

SpaceX plans its first astronaut launch, United States News & Top Stories

March 20, 2020

NASA has not decided if it will require another test flight before sending astronauts aloft in the Starliner capsule. On Tuesday, all 11 NASA centers were placed at Stage 3 of the agency's coronavirus contingency plans, requiring staff to work remotely except for those assigned to "mission-essential" projects, including the Space Launch System .

‘Wonderchicken’ fossil from Belgium reveals dawn of modern birds

March 20, 2020

It had the long slender legs of a shorebird, and a face like a chicken , according to the Cambridge University researchers, who found its ancient traces hidden away in rocks dug up at a Belgium quarry 20 years ago. Basal birds are so far removed from crown birds that scientists can't be sure which, if any, of their descendant species, known as neornithines, gave rise to modern birds.

NASA’s Voyager 2 becomes second spacecraft to reach interstellar space

March 20, 2020

The Nasa craft is the second ever to travel beyond the heliosphere , the bubble of supersonic charged particles streaming outwards from the sun . This graphic shows the position of NASA's Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes, outside of the heliosphere , a protective bubble created by the Sun that extends well past the orbit of Pluto.

Central Pennsylvania weather: Marginal risk of severe weather tomorrow

March 20, 2020

It has been a dreary and damp day with highs near 40. All forms of severe weather, including tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds are possible, with the highest tornado threat in the Ohio Valley Thursday afternoon and evening. Expect more rain next week. Highs will reach the 60s in most locations. Once that rain moves out, windy will turn to the northwest and be very gusty, sustaining between 20-30mph, with gusts up to 40s, making way for a chilly day Friday .

Australian government joins NASA's next Artemis Lunar & Mars missions

March 20, 2020

Australia is set to invest $101 million into President Trump's efforts to achieve another Moon landing by 2024 and send future US missions to Mars , Reuters reports. Also included within the contract award is the production of Gateway , NASA's lunar-orbiting spaceship. Johnson also manages the agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services, the first two deliveries for which are targeted to launch to the Moon in July 2021.

Earliest Spring in over 100 years arrives on Thursday

March 19, 2020

On the vernal (spring) equinox , day and night are each approximately 12 hours long (with the actual time of equal day and night, in the Northern Hemisphere, occurring a few days before the vernal equinox ). The apparent path of the sun as observed from the Earth's surface in the Northern Hemisphere. The exact moment that the Sun appears to be over the equator, in either case, is known as an Equinox .

Home diagnostics startup Everlywell is launching an at-home coronavirus test sample kit

March 19, 2020

The Guidance contains policies regarding (i) laboratories' development and use of certain tests prior to or without an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), (ii) commercial manufacturers' development and distribution of certain tests prior to an EUA, and (iii) development, use, and distribution of serological tests without an EUA.

Air pollution increases coronavirus vulnerability, experts say

March 19, 2020

Emissions from petrol and diesel engines were still at "dangerous" levels that could imperil the most vulnerable during this and future pandemics, said the European Respiratory Society (EPS), which is a member of the EPHA . Reductions in air pollution have been recorded over northern Italy, the centre of that nation's outbreak. The link between such pollutants and early deaths are well known and Marshall Burke, at Stanford University in the USA, used the data to estimate the impacts on air ...

NASA Remembers Apollo Astronaut Al Worden

March 19, 2020

He kept the module while the other two mission members surfaced. Worden was born February 7, 1932, in Jackson, Michigan. Worden was the pilot of the Endeavor command module during the Apollo 15 mission to the Hadley Rile and Appennine Mountains of the Moon.

Faster coronavirus test results after FDA rule change

March 19, 2020

The largest risk of this pandemic is that healthcare systems will be overwhelmed and will lack the resources and personnel they need to treat the critically ill. Due to the limited number of COVID-19 tests that exist in the US right now, not everyone can be tested but if you present with symptoms or have been in contact with a person who has the virus, then you need to be tested.

SpaceX to live stream launch of Starlink satellites tomorrow

March 18, 2020

In Wednesday's launch, a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off into blue skies streaked with thin clouds from the company's Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX is proceeding with this launch despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which late on Tuesday prompted NASA to move to a "Stage 3" condition across all of their facilities, which mandates telework for all agency employees except for those whose presence on site are mission critical for operations.

Biden, Sanders campaign online on eve of crunch votes

March 17, 2020

Gone are huge public rallies with thousands of people, a time-honored staple of the US political scene. As Arizona, Florida, and IL prepare to vote Tuesday, there is confusion over whether polling stations will be safe, given the pandemic.

Massive genome study unlocks secrets of how cancers form

March 17, 2020

Clemency Jolly, a co-author of the study , called the results of the research "extraordinary". But the new study provided surprising evidence that Epstein-Barr virus, which causes glandular fever, may be linked to breast and prostate cancer.

SpaceX aborts Falcon 9 launch with rare 'Liftoff! Disregard' sequence

March 16, 2020

SpaceX was planning to launch 60 more of its Starlink satellites created to bring low-priced internet to far-flung places. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket aborted a planned launch on Sunday morning at the last second due to an engine power issue.

The first supermoon of 2020 will arrive this weekend

March 16, 2020

At that point, the moon appears to be 14% larger and 30% brighter than when the moon is near its apogee at the further point of its orbit from the Earth. This is the first Supermoon of 2020, according to information available online. And it will be officially full at 10.53 a.m. EST according to NASA's Skycal.

The first super moon of the year will rise this weekend

March 15, 2020

The Snow Moon, which astronomers call a super moon, will be the closest to the earth during its orbit. Despite increasing clouds, you'll still have a shot at seeing the Super Snow Moon . The term snow moon comes from northeastern Native American tribes who experienced the heaviest snowfall this time of year, according to the Farmer's Almanac .

CN Rail strike could have dramatic effect on economy: transport minister

March 15, 2020

Some 3,200 unionized employees, including conductors and yard workers, hit picket lines on Tuesday in the biggest such action in a decade. "It's something that's never been experienced", she said, adding that the government should deem propane as an essential product for railways to move without interruption.

First Quebec child diagnosed with coronavirus

March 14, 2020

With assurances that "the pandemic is under control in Quebec" and that the 13 confirmed cases in the province had been contained, Legault said, "Our goal is to completely halt the progression of the virus". On Thursday, Legault issued a directive that no indoor gatherings of more than 250 people be held in the province until further notice. In addition, the provincial government has placed a mandatory quarantine period of 14 days for all public and private employees in the healthcare and ...

Greenland, Antarctica ice loss accelerating #41086

March 14, 2020

According to the worldwide team of climatologists behind the research, the unprecedented rate of melt has already contributed 0.7 inches (1.78 centimeters) to global sea level rise in the last three decades, putting the planet on track for the worst-case climate warming scenario laid out in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC ) latest report .

More than 300 small planets discovered beyond Neptune

March 14, 2020

These objects ranged in distance from about 30 astronomical units (AU), which is close to Neptune's orbit, right out to over 90 AU. Unlike conventional surveys aimed at on the lookout for TNOs-which take very widespread measurements of the sky-DES was once created to watch massive, far-off items corresponding to stars, galaxies and supernovae.

Two rare white giraffes found slaughtered in Kenya

March 14, 2020

The mother giraffe was found in a "skeletal state" after being killed by the poachers in northeastern Kenya's Garissa county, Kenya-based daily The Star reported on Tuesday. The female giraffe had made it to the news in 2017, for the first time after she was discovered, with her calf. The extremely rare animals reportedly inherited their bright white coat from a condition that is known as leucism , which inhibits the pigmentation in some skin cells.

‘Don’t panic’ says US woman who recovered from coronavirus

March 14, 2020

While it can still cause serious and life-threatening infections - particularly in older people and those with pre-existing health conditions, the scientists said, children appear to have milder clinical symptoms than adults, and tend to be at substantially lower risk of severe disease.

The second person in the world could a cure for HIV

March 14, 2020

He had also been suffering from a blood cancer alongside HIV. "It's a long way away". Castillejo, a.k.a. the "London patient," made worldwide headlines at the 2019 CROI conference when his case report became the second case of HIV remission recorded after the famous " Berlin patient ", Timothy Brown.

NASA’s SLS moon rocket is 30 percent over budget, report says

March 14, 2020

WASHINGTON-Questionable contracting procedures, unnecessary accounting problems, schedule delays, and more than $2 billion in cost overruns are raising serious doubts about NASA's plan to return Americans to the Moon in late 2024, according to the agency's inspector general (IG).

ESA, Roscosmos ExoMars Joint Mission Delayed Until 2022 Over Coronavirus

March 13, 2020

Professor Woerner said: "After carefully reviewing reports, we have together accepted the advice that launching this year would mean sacrificing essential remaining tests". With a launch window opening up this summer season, a number of global locations together with the US, China, and the United Arab Emirates are launching spacecraft to Mars.

Exoplanet Boasting Molten Iron Rain Discovered Some 640 Light-Years From Earth

March 13, 2020

It's also so hot (temperatures reach above 2400 degrees Celsius!) that researchers believe metals like iron vaporise into the atmosphere. It is the first time that chemical variations have been detected in a giant ultra-hot planet. "Cloud particle on exoplanets have been shown to be composed of a mix of minerals as the effect of the enormous chemical richness of these atmospheres", she said.

As China scrambles to contain coronavirus, Xi calls situation grave

March 13, 2020

He said officials had been working on such preparations through the weekend. Chinese authorities have so far reported 1,975 cases nationwide. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, China's President Xi Jinping stressed the urgency of controlling the outbreak - which has seen hundreds more confirmed cases since Friday - and urged state authorities to prioritize containment efforts.

Second patient to be cured of HIV shrugs anonymity and reveals identity

March 12, 2020

The key to eradicating the virus was the selection of a stem cell donor whose cells had two copies of the CCR5Δ32 mutation that prevents the infiltration of HIV into host white blood cells, according to the researchers. "After 2.5 years off antiretrovirals and lack of evidence for any active virus, this nearly certainly represents cure", Gupta told the Bay Area Reporter.

SpaceX will be taking tourists to space as soon as next year

March 12, 2020

A commander, professionally trained by Axiom, is to accompany the three tourists who will be on board the ISS for at least eight days before returning to Earth . The first-generation variant of the Dragon spacecraft first flew in 2010 with a test flight in low Earth orbit. Recently, SpaceX announced that it will work in collaboration with Space Adventures to arrange a trip orbiting the Earth for a limited number of travelers.

Hummingbird-sized dinosaur skull preserved in 99-million-year-old amber

March 12, 2020

Discovered and studied by an worldwide team led by Lars Schmitz, associate professor of biology at the W.M. Keck Science Department at Scripps College , the fully-grown skull came from a dinosaur that was about the size of a modern bee hummingbird, which is the smallest living bird, weighing under two grams (0.07 oz) and reaching a length of 6.1 cm (2.4 in).

Global CO2 emissions from power sector fell 2% last year

March 12, 2020

The study shows a worldwide decline in coal-fired power generation with significant falls of 24 per cent in the European Union and 16 per cent in the USA in 2019, taking coal generation to around half the level seen in 2007 in both regions.

March full moon is a Worm Moon and a supermoon

March 12, 2020

This is because the Moon's orbit is not a ideal circle and is actually slightly oval. Native American tribes from further north named this moon the Full Crow Moon as the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter. Full moons occur roughly once every month when the Earth is positioned directly between the sun and the moon. In Canada the Full Sap Moon, marks the time of tapping maple trees for maple syrup.

Sea Turtles Have a Deadly Attraction to Stinky Plastic

March 12, 2020

In lab tests, scientists enticed young loggerhead sea turtles with the smell of biofouled plastic both with and without different meal offerings, including fish and shrimp meal and the biofouled plastic itself. Scientists estimate that half of the world's turtles and nearly every seabird has ingested plastic. Sea turtles live in the ocean and feed on vegetation and algae floating in the waters.

Kenya's rare white female giraffe 'killed by poachers'

March 11, 2020

Two rare white giraffes-a mother giraffe and her calf- were killed by poachers in a Kenyan wildlife sanctuary, officials say. " According to images sent in by the community, the giraffe was in a skeletal state after being killed by armed poachers", the Conservancy said.

NASA names new Mars rover Perseverance

March 11, 2020

While the contest began almost a year ago on August 28, 2019, it all came to an end on Thursday when NASA's Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate, revealed Mather had won during a celebration at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia.

China bans wildlife trade nationwide due to coronavirus outbreak

March 11, 2020

The virus has so far killed 56 people. While global experts have mostly praised efforts to contain the virus, Chinese citizens are increasingly critical and anxious as the travel restrictions grow to encompass a population bigger than Australia.

John’s University asks students to vacate dorms amid coronavirus outbreak

March 10, 2020

The university, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts , asked its 36,000 graduate and undergraduate students not to return to campus after the spring recess and to continue studying remotely "until further notice". Vanderbilt added that, beginning Monday, March 16 through at least March 30, they would suspending in-person classes and will move to "distance and other alternative learning options".

Passengers disembark coronavirus-infected cruise ship in California

March 10, 2020

He said the process of disembarking all passengers was expected to take several days. "The worst part was probably the uncertainty because, I mean, it just felt like we didn't know anything and they weren't telling us anything and that was probably the most frustrating part of it", Boyles said.

Officials Prepare to Receive Ship With Coronavirus Victims in California

March 10, 2020

Princess Cruises has confirmed that one person was disembarked Saturday (March 7) for medical reasons unrelated to COVID-19. More than 230 Canadians were stuck on a cruise ship that was idling off the coast of California for days, and before that, a number of citizens were also locked down on other vessels around the world due to the virus.

Spectacular pictures of the 'worm' supermoon captured lighting up night skies

March 10, 2020

When the moon is at perigee during a full moon (when the earth is between the moon and sun and the face of the moon is fully illuminated) the full moon appears larger and brighter , up to 7%! As the temperature begins to rise in North America and the snow begins to melt, earthworm casts appear .

Information