WEIRD SCIENCE
By Michael Irving – 2020 Apr 20 – An artist’s impression of a cometary collision around the star Fomalhaut, which is now proposed to be the explanation for a “disappearing exoplanet” ESA, NASA and M. Kornmesser. – Exoplanet discoveries are a dime a dozen …
By David Sharp Updated 2019 Dec 28 – City 40, or what is today known as Ozersk, is a closed city in Russia that the Soviet Union created during the Cold War. City 40 didn’t appear on any maps until 1991, allowed no outsiders to …
By Michael Irving 2020 Apr 15 – A Yale team has found a new type of cancer drug that can target solid tumors. vitanovski/Depositphot. – A new study has shown that an experimental class of cancer drugs has wider potential than previously thought. BET …
The SARS-CoV-2 virus endures for days on plastic or metal but disintegrates soon after landing on copper surfaces. Here’s why. Copper wire (Getty Images) By Jim Morrison, SmithsonianMag.Com – 2020 Apr 14 – When researchers reported last month that the novel coronavirus causing …
High-speed photography shows a sneeze can blast saliva and mucus well beyond current social distancing guidelines, and tiny droplets can remain in the air longer than thought. High-speed video imaging colored to reveal the two main components of a sneeze show a shower …
By Loz Blain – New research has identified the pathways through which the presence or absence of certain smells can trigger or switch off fat storage in the intestines. olly18/Depositphotos. – Olfactory signals can switch fat storage mechanisms on and off without having any …
By Rich Haridy – We knew the distinctive smell of rain on dry earth was the result of a chemical released by bacteria, but new research helps explain why the bacteria evolved to do this. mihtiander/Depositphotos. – New research from an international team of …
By Nick Lavars 2020 Apr 07 – New research suggests we may have been underestimating the role the ocean plays in soaking up CO2 from the atmosphere. ongap_/Depositphotos. – The world’s oceans play an important role in regulating the amount of carbon dioxide in …
By Rich Haridy – After some debate the CDC now recommends the general public wear some kind of face covering when in public spaces. Kzenon/Depositphotos. – Reversing prior advice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now recommending everyone in the United …
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 …
