How Can You Tell if a COVID-19 Vaccine Is Working?
NPR/Shots, September 07, 2020 (w/audio)
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about the large-scale vaccine efficacy studies.
UV Light Can Make Indoor Spaces Safer During the Pandemic -- if Used the Right WayThe Conversation, September 09, 2020
Ultraviolet light has a long history as a disinfectant and the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, is readily rendered harmless by UV light. The question is how best to harness it.
Washington Post, September 08, 2020
We are tracking 200 experimental vaccines aimed at ending the pandemic, a scientific quest moving at record-breaking speed.
The Atlantic, September 08, 2020
The White House's new science adviser says: nothing. The science disagrees.
Operation Warp Speed Promised to So the Impossible. How Far Has It Come?
STAT, September 08, 2020
Is it working? Roughly five months after top U.S. health officials coalesced around the idea of a public-private effort to accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics, an answer to that question remains out of reach.
GENERAL INTEREST
New York Times, September 07, 2020
The harvest of the much-extolled but long-lost Judean dates was something of a scientific miracle. The fruit sprouted from seeds 2,000 years old.
Nature, August 26, 2020
Carl Jung and Wolfgang Pauli bounced ideas off each other, Paul Halpern's book shows.
The Oldest Neanderthal DNA of Central-Eastern Europe
EurekAlert, September 08, 2020
An 80,000-year-old Neanderthal reveals cultural and genetic affinities between Poland and the Northern Caucasus
BBC Future, September 07, 2020
Humans as a species are adept at using numbers, but our mathematical ability is something we share with a surprising array of other creatures.
The Guardian, November 24, 2017 (archive)
The world-beating British sandwich industry is worth £8bn a year. It transformed the way we eat lunch, then did the same for breakfast - and now it's coming for dinner
COSMOS
Phys.Org, September 08, 2020
The telescope was searching for powerful radio emissions at frequencies similar to FM radio frequencies, that could indicate the presence of an intelligent source.
Cosmos, September 09, 2020
Two new studies look at the impact on astronauts.
EarthSky, September 05, 2020
A brown dwarf is more massive than a planet, but less massive than a star. Exactly how much more and less?
A New Cosmic Tension: The Universe Might Be Too Thin
Quanta, September 08, 2020
Cosmologists have concluded that the universe doesn't appear to clump as much as it should. Could both of cosmology's big puzzles share a single fix?
Scientific American, September issue, 2020
The universe turns out to be much bigger and weirder than anyone thought.
INNOVATION
Cosmos, September 08, 2020
Consider stepping out in mushroom shoes.
PRI/Living on Earth, August 28, 2020 (w/audio)
Modern industrial agriculture is a resource-intensive endeavor, requiring massive amounts of land, water, and energy. Some urban farmers are thinking outside the box by bringing their farms inside the box in the form of shipping containers.
Science News, September 03, 2020
Gene editing to make heritable changes in human DNA isn't yet safe and effective enough to make gene-edited babies. But a road map has now been laid out for rolling out heritable gene editing should society decide that kind of DNA alteration is acceptable.
Science Daily, September 08, 2020
Despite having a great concern for the environment and animal welfare, 72 percent of Generation Z were not ready to accept cultured meat.
The Guardian, September 03,2020
Mission proposals include analysis of sun's atmosphere and its unseen polar regions.
HEALTH
Washington Post, September 06, 2020
Walking can help people manage their weight and reduce their risk for heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, depression and some cancers.
The Risks of the Prescribing Cascade
New York Times, September 07, 2020
The problem occurs when drug-induced side effects are viewed as a new ailment and treated with yet another drug that can cause still other side effects.
NPR/Shots, September 02, 2020 (w/audio)
To reassure wary customers, owners have put in place - and now advertise - a variety of coronavirus control measures.
Which Cooking Oil is the Healthiest?
BBC Future, September 04, 2020
Oils are all packed with fat and calories, but their chemistry - and effect on our health - can be very different.
New York Times, September 08, 2020
When this dentist reopened his dental practice in early June, the tooth fractures started coming in: at least one a day, every single day.
NATURE
Treehugger, September 08, 2020
The discovery may help with human vocalization research.
