SftPublic March-April Events will be rescheduled because of coronavirus.
VIRUS
Scientific American, March 27, 2020
PCR-based tests are being rolled out in hospitals nationwide, and the Food and Drug Administration is fast-tracking novel approaches as well.
The Four Possible Timelines for Life Returning to Normal
The Atlantic, March 26, 2020
The coronavirus outbreak may last for a year or two, but some elements of pre-pandemic life will likely be won back in the meantime.
Now Is the Time to Take Care of Your Lungs. Here's How.
New York Times, April 02, 2020
If you are one of the millions of Americans breathing polluted air, you may be at a greater risk of catching the coronavirus and of having a more severe infection.
Cosmos, March 31, 2020
Scientists uncover faint but important stencils in Timor-Leste (East Timor).
Scientific American, November 15, 2018 (archive)
The way memories are anchored in the brain plays a role, neuropsychologist Boris Suchan explains.
Her Incredible Sense Of Smell Is Helping Scientists Find New Ways To Diagnose Disease
NPR/Shots, March 23, 2020 (w/audio)
For most of her life, Joy Milne had a superpower that she was totally oblivious to.
New Yorker, April 06, 2020 issue (Jill Lepore)
Until a century or so ago, almost no one lived alone; now many endure shutdowns and lockdowns on their own. How did modern life get so lonely?
The Math That Tells Cells What They Are
Quanta, March 13, 2019 (archive)
During development, cells seem to decode their fate through optimal information processing, which could hint at a more general principle of life.
COSMOS
Phys.Org, March 30, 2020
In the year 620 A.D. red light streaked across the night sky over Japan. Scientists have studied and speculated about what the cosmic phenomenon
could have been.
Infinite Visions Were Hiding in the First Black Hole Image's Rings
New York Times, March 28, 2020
A year ago a team of radio astronomers startled the world with the first photograph of a black hole. Now it appears there was more hiding in that image than we had imagined.
Physicists Brawl Over New Dark Matter Claim
Science, March 26, 2020
Three physicists claim their observations of empty patches of sky rule out one possible explanation of the strange substance-that it is made out of unusual particles called sterile neutrinos. But others argue the data show no such thing.
Will String Theory Finally Be Put to the Experimental Test?
Scientific American, March 25, 2020
Physicists have found a way the theory might limit the cosmic inflation that is thought to have expanded the early universe.
Phys.Org, March 31, 2020
A long-held mystery in the field of nuclear physics is why the universe is composed of the specific materials we see around us.
INNOVATION
The Guardian, March 30, 2020
Australian Dr Daniel Reardon ended up in hospital after inserting magnets in his nostrils while building a necklace that warns you when you touch your face.
Science Daily, March 30, 2020
In a study involving thousands of participants, a new blood test detected more than 50 types of cancer as well as their location within the body with a high degree of accuracy.
The Conversation, March 23, 2020
Imagine architects using genetic tools that encode the architecture of a building right Into the DNA of organisms, which then grow buildings that self-repair, interact with their inhabitants and adapt to the environment.
New York Times, March 31, 2020
Before this underwater forest disappears, scientists recently raced to search for shipworms and other life that might conceal medicine of the future.
Science News, March 27, 2020
Health care workers are considering re-wearing masks or using homemade ones during the COVID-19 pandemic.
HEALTH
Science Daily, March 31, 2020
A new analysis highlights the power of regular, daily exercise on our immune system and the importance of people continuing to work-out even in lockdown.
WBUR/Cognoscenti, April 02, 2020 (text)
The accelerating extinction of species around the world is a grave concern because ecologists have uncovered mechanisms by which biodiversity protects humans from viral infection.
Phys.Org, April 01, 2020
Nutritionally, they have been shown to have higher concentrations of phytochemicals and nutrients like beta-carotene (which can be converted to Vitamin A) than mature plants.
History of Ideas: Vaccines and Immunization
Cosmos, March 30, 2020
The story behind our love-hate relationship with needles.
The Guardian, March 21, 2020
Campaigners fear that EU rules banning dangerous chemicals will be relaxed to allow American companies into UK market.
NATURE
Cosmos, March 27, 2020
Scientists discover that spilled Jim Beam has forensic value.
New York Times, March `19, 2020
After a good blood meal, one bat will share with another, if the other bat is family, or has proved to be a reliable friend.
How Cognitive Intelligence Is a Whole Brain Phenomenon
Science Daily, March 26, 2020
Intelligence not only involves grey matter, but also white matter -- the brain's wiring system.
Quanta, March 23, 2020
We give our genes and our environment all the credit for making us who we are. But random noise during development might be a deciding factor, too.
Cosmos, March 19, 2020
Smell could be a valuable tool in memory-related mood disorders, according to research in mice.
ENVIRONMENT
Nature, March 27, 2020
Cold temperatures and a strong polar vortex allowed chemicals to gnaw away at the protective ozone layer in the north.
The Guardian, March 31, 2020
Exclusive: Mass bleaching seen along Great Barrier Reef could mark start of global-scale event, expert warns
New York Times, March 27, 2020
Federal scientists and lawyers, told to undo regulations that some have worked on for decades, have embedded data into technical documents that environmental lawyers are using to challenge the rollbacks.
NPR/Frontline, March 31, 2020 (text and video)
In the 1980s, the industry had a plan; a way to fend off plastic bans and keep its sales growing.
The Guardian, March 30, 2020
Internal documents describe how to profit from farmer losses and desire to oppose some independent testing.
CLIMATE
Environmental Health News, March 20, 2020
A conversation on COVID-19 with the director of Harvard University's Center of Climate, Health and the Global Environment.
National Geographic, March 25, 2020
By not doing enough to fight global warming, we're trashing the planet. Innovation may save us, but it will not be pretty.
The Guardian, March 30, 2020
Antarctica's weather has worldwide impacts and can be a 'canary in the mine' for patterns of change elsewhere.
Reuters, March 27, 2020
European Union leaders have agreed that the bloc's coronavirus economic recovery plan should take heed of its aim to fight climate change.
Inside Climate News, March 22, 2020
Airlines, farmers and plastic bag makers look for relief amid the pandemic. But the coal industry, and wind and solar energy concerns, lose out in the relief bill.
