Science / 19

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 .

Federal lab confirms second case of coronavirus in Quebec

March 09, 2020

Earlier Thursday, Quebec public health officials said the province's second presumptive case of the new coronavirus involves a traveller returning to the province from India. Officials are asking the public to practice proper hygiene measures, including rigorous hand washing. Handles and tripods in metro cars will be cleaned at least once a week, rather than every five to six weeks.

A 7th Grader Provides the Name for NASA's Next Mars Rover

March 09, 2020

More than 770,000 votes were counted online. More than 1,000 photos, including an incredible 1.8-billion-pixel image, and a video were taken on Mars over the course of four days, showing the desolate and rocky area that the rover explored, NASA announced in a press release .

Climate Law proposal is out to cement EU's 2050 climate neutrality goal

March 08, 2020

Juan Espadas, the mayor of Seville and newly appointed chair of the Commission for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE) and of the Green Deal Working Group, added: "If the European Commission is serious about making the European Climate Law the heart of the European Green Deal, then we need to make sure that cities and regions are involved because such a transformation can not happen without their commitment".

What to Make of Those 'Doomsday Asteroid' Warnings

March 08, 2020

According to the space agency, this asteroid is now traveling across space and moving toward our planet at a massive velocity of nearly 53,000 miles per hour. Because of its size and the Earth-crossing orbit, the space rock has already been labeled as a potentially hazardous asteroid . "This shows that our efforts to find near-Earth objects are paying off".

Here's a list of disinfectants you can use against coronavirus

March 08, 2020

In addition, the EPA did not review other household products, such as vinegar, or if they are effective against viruses and bacteria, an agency spokesman said . Probably to two most well-known names on the list are Clorox and Lysol. "It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads", the site read.

SpaceX launches space station supplies, nails 50th rocket landing

March 08, 2020

Should you be interested, tickets are selling for $55 million, TechCrunch reports. "This history-making flight will represent a watershed moment in the march toward universal and routine access to space", Michael Suffredini, the CEO of Axiom, said in a statement .

UFC 248: Yoel Romero makes weight for title fight against Israel Adesanya

March 07, 2020

But he'll have his hands full when he takes on powerful contender Yoel Romero. It was a relief for Romero, who did not make weight in his two previous UFC title opportunities. They're simply satisfied that I more than happy, as well as they're constantly below with me to see to it I'm excellent. Adesanya doesn't understand why, and wants to make the Cuban fighter known as "Soldier of God" cry.

Remains found may be missing 15-month old Evelyn Boswell

March 07, 2020

At this time, the investigation is in the early stages and there a lot of work yet to be done", said Cassidy. A media briefing is planned for Friday evening. "I want to thank the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and our detectives and officers for their persistent dedication and hard work in trying to locate Evelyn", the sheriff said.

Tropical Forest's Carbon Intake Capacity Is Speedily Debilitating

March 07, 2020

Climate change will have more accelerated impacts and it will create disasters for the living beings and the climate system will become much tougher and more costly to retain back into the better form. If forests start to become sources of carbon rather than absorbers of it, that would be a powerful positive feedback leading to much greater warming that would be hard to stop.

SpaceX signs deal to send tourists, others to International Space Station

March 07, 2020

If this deal turns out to be successful, it will be for the first time that a U.S. spacecraft will be used to take the travelers to the International Space Station . Private astronauts are expected to complete physical and medical checks before signing on for the mission, at which point a 15-week training course kicks off.

Possible signs of life: Mars rover finds organic matter

March 07, 2020

The name was announced at the event in school lake Braddock in Burke, Virginia to congratulate Alex Mazer, a student of seventh class, which chose him. An army of volunteers - educators, professionals and space enthusiasts - was employed to whittle down the avalanche of ideas into a more manageable shortlist of nine on which the public was then asked to vote.

SpaceX To Send Three Tourists To International Space Station In 2021

March 07, 2020

The Trump administration has been seeking to reduce federal spending on the facility and encourage private enterprise to assume a greater portion of the facility's capabilities and costs. Those discussions have begun, a spokeswoman for the space agency said Thursday. Also, when NASA announced in 2019 that it's opening up the station to private astronauts, it said it would get $35,000 a night for each person.

EPA Releases List of Disinfectants for Coronavirus

March 06, 2020

The EPA says it's best to follow the instructions on the disinfectant's label and pay attention to the how long the product should be on the surface you're cleaning. For the full list, visit https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-03/documents/sars-cov-2-list_03-03-2020.pdf. This program allows product manufacturers to provide EPA with data, even in advance of an outbreak, that shows their products are effective against harder-to-kill viruses than SARS-CoV-2 .

Atomic clock, green fuel, ashes: what’s aboard Falcon Heavy, what for

March 06, 2020

The two side booster rockets have been used in a previous mission, and this was the first time SpaceX had reused these parts successfully on another launch. ASCENT green fuel. One of the satellites will be a test spacecraft for a safer rocket fuel. The LightSail is a crowdfunded project that aims to become the first spacecraft in earth orbit propelled exclusively by sunlight, the society, which has championed solar propulsion for decades, says on its website.

The Worm Moon Is Coming

March 06, 2020

When is the Worm Moon this year? March's full moon has all these nicknames because they're all signs of the coming spring. TimeAndDate.com , which writes a lot about big sky events, uses 223,694 miles (which is 360,000 kilometers) as its benchmark for supermoons.

Applications are now open to become a NASA astronaut

March 06, 2020

Recently, Thomas Zurbuchen, head of NASA's Science Mission Directorate has confirmed via Twitter that the launch of the VIPER mission has been pushed back by a year owing to essential upgrades on the rover. Until they are assigned to a spaceflight, recruits will have responsibilities including supporting fellow astronauts in space and advising on the construction of new spacecraft.

NASA Eyes Up to 12 Artemis Moon Missions With New Contract

March 06, 2020

Around 2022, NASA will order three more vehicles for $1.9 billion. Why is NASA ordering the capsules in groups of three? Through Artemis , NASA will send the first woman and next man to the surface the Moon by 2024, and establish sustainable exploration with our commercial and worldwide partners by 2028.

NASA announced the approach of a potentially hazardous asteroid to Earth

March 06, 2020

The space rock is between 1.1 and 2.5 miles wide and has been added to the space agency's list of potentially risky objects. This means that the asteroid will only be about twice the distance between the Earth and the Moon during its approach.

Large asteroid to fly by the Earth in late April, says NASA

March 06, 2020

One ongoing mission, OSIRIS-REx, will likely return a sample of the Near-Earth asteroid Bennu in 2023 ; another, NEOWISE , has dispatched a camera into space to scour the skies for rogue objects. As per the data available on a website which monitors Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) for NASA, the asteroid which is called 52768 (1998 OR2 ) will cross past Earth on April 29 with the exact time still unknown.

European Union and United Kingdom fail to agree on fisheries says, Michel Barnier

March 06, 2020

After both sides have failed to agree on five areas, this now is preventing a deal being struck for the free trade agreement. London wants to free itself from the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. Barnier also said that there would be "definitive changes" that he says are "underestimated". The two sides aim to seal an agreement before the end of the year, when the current transition period - when Britain remains bound by European Union laws and regulations - is due to expire.

Massive asteroid will pass Earth next month

March 05, 2020

According to NASA's data , the asteroid is projected to pass by Earth several times in the next century, The closest approach will be April 16, 2079, when the asteroid will pass about 929,560 miles away from the planet (only about three times the distance between the Earth and its moon).

Thermo Fisher acquiring Qiagen in deal value about $10.1B

March 05, 2020

Thermo Fisher, which has a market valuation of around $120 billion, is the leading maker of instruments, software and other services for scientific research, including the vaccines and diagnostic tests now under development to combat coronavirus.

NASA Curiosity Rover Shares High-Resolution Mars Panorama You've Never Seen Before

March 05, 2020

The vistas were captured the mission's predominately American team were celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. It required more than six-and-a-half hours over the four days to capture the individual shots. The latest image shared by NASA is an in-depth landscape that surpasses all others, stitched more than a thousand pics collectively. "This is the first time during the mission we've dedicated our operations to a stereo 360-degree panorama".

Australian summers grow longer due to climate change:…

March 04, 2020

Around the previous five many years, the examination confirmed, Australian summers ended up on normal 50% for a longer time than they were in the mid-twentieth century primarily based on temperature readings. While the major fires have been contained or extinguished, more than a dozen were still burning at the end of February, which traditionally marks the end of summer in Australia.

NASA selects SpaceX for 2022 'Psyche' asteroid mission

March 04, 2020

The metallic Psyche asteroid. The Psyche asteroid is considered unique because it appears to largely be made of the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet. It will orbit the asteroid to study its unique characteristics. It may even reveal the violent history of collisions and accretion that created terrestrial planets in the first place.

NASA is now accepting applications for new astronauts

March 04, 2020

After more than two years of intense training, 11 cadets were selected to graduate earlier this year in the agency's first public ceremony. Why it matters: The space agency doesn't put out a call for new astronauts unless they have a need to fill.

SpaceX prototype spacecraft blows up during testing in Texas

March 03, 2020

We already saw similar fireworks (though perhaps not quite as dramatic) back in November when the Starship Mk1 prototype blew its top during pressurization testing. " We're now building flight design of Starship SN1, but each SN will have at least minor improvements, at least through SN20 or so of Starship V1 .0", he wrote in a tweet on December 27.

Researchers say Earth has two moons now

March 02, 2020

The 2006 RH120 , another asteroid that entered our orbit before, was discovered by the same observatory. A zoomed-in view of the possible TCO, or mini-moon. "These events are really rare", said Wierzchos, and astronomer at Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson. Up until this point, they have about seven days of information, Christensen said.

Donald Trump ‘Respectfully’ Asks Media Not to Incite Coronavirus Panic

March 02, 2020

It appeared poised for a spike in the United States, in part because of more testing to confirm cases. "For that reason, I really would wish that we could really, that we could report exactly what's happened, how well we're doing under quite adverse circumstances, but we're doing really well", he said .

New York's Plastic Bag Ban Goes Into Effect

March 02, 2020

Whether you're saving the store money on a bag (ultimately, saving the store money saves all of us money in prices that can go up a little more slowly) or just reducing the need for another batch of disposable bags to be manufactured, reusable bags are good.

Astronomers detect biggest explosion in history of universe

March 02, 2020

Scientists reported Thursday that the blast came from a black hole in a cluster of galaxies 390 million light-years away. The blast is said to have left a very big trace in the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster . Scientists detect the explosion, which happened many million light years ago and wasn't in the visual range, by studying the cavity in the hot gases surrounding the black hole.

Cannibalism Among Polar Bears Is On The Rise, Scientist Says

February 29, 2020

Being at the top of the food chain in the Arctic , the only threat to polar bears are other polar bears. "Cannibalism among polar bears is a long established fact, but we are anxious that these cases that used to occur rarely are now quite frequent, " said polar bear expert Ilya Mordvintsev, quoted by the Interfax news agency .

Potentially habitable exoplanet could broaden search for life beyond Earth

February 29, 2020

This super earth , is 124 light-years away from the earth we reside on, and is 2.6 times the radius of Earth. For most of human history, the question of whether or not extraterrestrial life exists has been philosophical. The exoplanet was initially considered to be a "mini-Neptune" or a planet shrouded in a thick envelope of hydrogen, water and a core of rock and iron.

Coronavirus Epidemic Threatens Rio Tinto's Supply Chain

February 29, 2020

Rio is now evaluating the impact of the coronavirus situation, which as per the Company would create significant uncertainty for its business over the short-term; however, Rio kept its previous guidance unchanged and anticipates a capital expenditure of United States dollars 7.0 billion in 2020, USD 6.5 billion in 2021 and 2022, including a sustaining capex of ~ USD 2.5 billion a year, out of which USD 1.0 to 1.5 billion would be for the Pilbara business.

Goldberg Wins The Universal Title At WWE Super ShowDown

February 29, 2020

Undertaker didn't even remove his hat and coat before chokeslamming Styles for the pin, the win and a huge yellow trophy sculpted in the image of Tuwaiq Mountain in Saudi Arabia. Goldberg announced in February that he wanted to come back to the ring, and challenged The Fiend. NXT's Tyler Breeze also joked about Goldberg defeating The Fiend with the Jackhammer, which was botched a bit.

JPMorgan cuts back lending to coal companies and Arctic drillers

February 28, 2020

The presentation showed that JPMorgan's outlook remained unchanged for profit at its corporate & investment bank (CIB), a disappointment for analysts who had expected the lender to push for higher growth at the unit that accounted for a third of total revenue in 2019.

Scientists in Australia detect largest explosion since Big Bang

February 28, 2020

In fact, many were skeptical when the report first got released in the Astrophysical Journal . Black holes are well known for sucking in matter, but they also shoot it outwards in the form of jets or beams. The observations confirm the presence of the curved edge and also reveal a huge patch of radio emissions tightly bordering the curve, which would correspond to the expected bubble.

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