WEIRD SCIENCE
By Benjamin Neuman, The Conversation 2020 Apr 06 – COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. Coronaviruses belong to a group of viruses that infect animals, from peacocks to whales. They’re named for the bulb-tipped spikes that project from the virus’s surface …
By Michael Irving 2020 Apr 06 – A graphical representation of a hole in the ozone layer over the Arctic. Modified Copernicus data (2020), processed by DLR/BIRA/ESA. – Although a hole in the ozone layer might sound like a decidedly retro environmental issue, it’s …
Coronavirus RNA was found on a cruise ship 17 days after passengers left. What are the risks of handling packages and groceries? Coronavirus – latest US updates Live global updates See all our coronavirus coverage – This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 …
By Michael Irving – A new clinical trial of CAR T-cell therapy has shown promise against lymphoma, but there are some negative side effects. lightsource/Depositphotos. – A novel form of cancer immunotherapy has shown exceptional promise in a new clinical trial. The treatment involves …
By Nick Lavars – A sea sponge that inhabits Manado Bay, Indonesia, may be the source of a new drug to fight cervical cancer. Samuel Chow/Creative Commons. – The natural world is a huge source of life-saving drugs, with plants and animals providing us …
By Nick Lavars – A Malayan tiger (not the individual pictured here) has tested positive for COVID-19 at Bronx Zoo. wrangel/Depositphotos. – In the first case of its kind, a four-year-old tiger at New York City’s Bronx Zoo has tested positive for COVID-19, the …
Life in the time of corona More from this series – Covid-19 symptoms, when they occur, vary widely and undertesting means many people have probably been unwittingly infected. Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage – By Danielle Renwick 2020 Apr …
By Ben Coxworth – An early version of the U-CAT sea turtle robot. Tallinn University of Technology. – Marine aquaculture pens have to be regularly checked for holes, plus the fish need to be inspected for disease or parasites. And although the job is …
By Anthony Wood – Kuwait is known for setting – and breaking – high temperature records. weissdergeier/Depositphotos. – People living in the hottest places on Earth could be up to three times as likely to die from a heart-related cause, according to a …
More than 3,000 years ago, a group of people set out from the Solomon Island chain in the southwestern edge of the Pacific Ocean and steered their outrigger canoes toward the horizon, with no land as far as their eyes could see. These …