CORONAVIRUS

What to Know About the Coronavirus and Summertime Activities
Washington Post, June 20, 2020
With the Fourth of July just around the corner and many states and communities relaxing coronavirus restrictions, the warm sunny weather beckons.

Covid-19 Is Bad. But It May Not Be the 'Big One'
Wired, June 17, 2020
Health experts want a 9/11 Commission-style report on the US pandemic response. They say we must forecast and prepare for outbreaks as we do for wars or weather.

Preventing Dangerous Blood Clots from COVID-19 Is Proving Tricky
Science News, June 23, 2020
For some severely ill COVID-19 patients, the struggle to take in enough air is not only due to having fluid-clogged lungs. The quest for oxygen also is stymied by a plethora of blood clots.

A Massive Public Health Effort Eradicated Smallpox But Scientists Are Still Studying the Deadly Virus
Medical Xpress, June 24, 2020
While the idea of completely eradicating a disease has obvious appeal during the current pandemic, differences between the smallpox and SARS-CoV-2 viruses suggest that the path to ending COVID-19 pandemic will not be the same.

Coronavirus: What Does Blood Type Have to Do with COVID-19?
Deutsche Welle, June 18, 2020
A case of COVID-19 can take mild to severe courses: Sometimes there are no symptoms, and sometimes people die. New research suggests that blood types could play a rather important role by affecting the immune response.

Vast Neolithic Circle of Deep Shafts Found Near Stonehenge

The Guardian, June 24, 2020
Exclusive: prehistoric structure spanning 1.2 miles in diameter is masterpiece of engineering, say archaeologists

The Two Forms of Mathematical Beauty
Quanta, June 16, 2020
Mathematicians typically appreciate either generic or exceptional beauty in their work, but one type is more useful in describing the universe.
 
Roundup Maker to Pay 10 Billion to Settle Cancer Suits
New York Times, June 24, 2020
Bayer faced tens of thousands of claims linking the weedkiller to cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Some of the money is set aside for future cases.

The Man Who Can't See Numbers
Cosmos, June 24, 2020
His brain can, but to him it's like spaghetti.

Maths in a Minute: Entropy
Plus, April 17, 2020
Entropy is a strange thing. Some people say it measures the amount of disorder in a physical system. Others say that it's a measure of information. And yet others talk about it in the context of steam engines. So what is it and how are these different contexts linked?

NASA Funds Harvard Hunt for Alien "Technological Civilizations"
Futurism, June 23, 2020
"The fundamental question we are trying to address is: are we alone?"
    
Summer Solstice 2020 and the Search for Life in the Galaxy
New York Times, June 20, 2020
As you mark the longest day of the year, consider the debate among astronomers over whether Earth's tilt toward the sun helps make life on our world and others possible.
   
European Physicists Boldly Take Small Step Toward 100-Kilometer-Long Atom Smasher
Science, June 19, 2020
Today, CERN's governing council announced it will launch a technical and financial feasibility study to build an even bigger collider 80 to 100 kilometers long (actually two of them in succession) that could ultimately reach an energy seven times higher than the LHC. The first machine wouldn't be built before 2040.  

Neutrinos Reveal Final Secret of Sun's Nuclear Fusion
Nature, June 24, 2020
Detection of particles produced by the Sun's core supports long-held theory about how our star is powered.

This Cosmologist Knows How It's All Going to End
Quanta, June 22, 2020
The astrophysicist and social media phenom Katie Mack is ready to tell you about the fate of the universe.

5 Ways the World Is Better Off Dealing with a Pandemic Now Than in 1918
The Conversation, June 19, 2020
The influenza pandemic became the most severe pandemic in recent history, infecting about one-third of the world's population between 1918 and 1920 and killing between 50 and 100 million people.

Museums' treasures Endure, But How We See Them May Change
National Geographic, June 24, 2020
As Europe's museums emerge from lockdown, visitors experience unique moments of peace amid the new "normal."

A 90% Clean Grid Can Be Achieved Quickly. What's Holding It Back?

GTM, June 19, 2020
This week on The Energy Gang, we review a new report that describes how to de-carbonize the grid more rapidly than we thought possible.

A Year In, 1st Patient To Get Gene Editing For Sickle Cell Disease Is Thriving
NPR, June 23, 2020
Victoria Gray is the first person with a genetic disorder to get treated in the United States with the revolutionary gene-editing technique called CRISPR.

Is Teleportation Possible? Yes, In the Quantum World
Phys.Org, June 19, 2020
While human teleportation exists only in science fiction, teleportation is possible in the subatomic world of quantum mechanics-albeit not in the way typically depicted on TV.

You're Showering Too Much
The Atlantic, July/August 2020 issue
Wash your hands, but lay off the other parts.

F.D.A. Warns of Potentially Toxic Hand Sanitizers
New York Times, June 22, 2020
The warning applies to nine lines of hand sanitizer manufactured in Mexico that contain methanol, or wood alcohol, which can be dangerous, the agency said.
 
Why Some People Find It Easier to Lose Weight
Cosmos, June 19, 2020
Study highlights our uniquely individual responses.

Mental Health After COVID-19
Scientific American, June 17, 2020
In the wake of the pandemic, there will be an even greater need for help in the face of loss, isolation and trauma.

Cholesterol-Busting Gut Bacteria May Affect People's Cardiac Health
Broad Institute, June 15, 2020
Researchers have discovered bacteria that break down cholesterol in the gut, potentially lowering blood cholesterol levels.

Python Skin Jackets and Elephant Leather Boots: How Wealthy Western Nations Help Drive the Global Wildlife Trade
The Conversation, June 19, 2020
The COVID-19 global pandemic has drawn new attention to how people think about wild animals, consume them and interact with them, and how those interactions can affect public health.

Alaskan Mega-Eruption May Have Helped end the Roman Republic
Science, June 22, 2020
Ancient historians told of the Sun's mysterious disappearance after Julius Caesar's murder in 44 B.C.E., which was followed by bouts of cold and crop failures.

'Godzilla Dust Cloud' from Sahara Blankets Caribbean on Its Way to US
The Guardian, June 22, 2020
Air quality sinks to hazardous levels as biggest cloud seen in a generation swamps region after transatlantic journey.

Origin of Life: Which Came First?
Science Daily, June 22, 2020
An experiment in recreating primordial proteins solves a long-standing riddle.

Yellowstone's Super-Volcano Is a Hot Spot, But It May Be Calming Down
New York Times, June 15, 2020
Some researchers interpret a new timeline of some of the formation's biggest eruptions as evidence that its activity is waning.

 

IEA: 'Green' Coronavirus Recovery Would Keep Global Emissions Below 2019 Peak
Carbon Brief, June 18, 2020
The world has a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to pour investment into clean energy and create millions of new jobs, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The Health of Wildlife Is Inseparable from Our Own: Joe Roman
Environmental Health News, June 19, 2020
We need to change how we relate to wildlife, putting their health, and our own, before commercial interests.

Trump Administration Will Not Regulate Rocket Fuel Chemical in Drinking Water

The Guardian, June 18, 2020
EPA claims federal government, states and public water systems have already taken steps to reduce perchlorate levels.

'China's Erin Brocovich' Goes Global to Hold Chinese Companies Accountable
Inside Climate News, June 19, 2020
Environmental lawyer Zhang Jing has worked in 20 countries since 2015 to help clean up or shut down Chinese-owned mines, power plants or industrial projects.

Senate Passes Major Public Lands Bill
Washington Post, June 17, 2020
Bipartisan legislation to fix up national parks and fully fund efforts to acquire and protect federal recreation holdings was seen as a way to help a pair of Western senators hold on to their seats.

What a 100-Degree Day in Siberia Really Means

National Geographic, June 23, 2020
The record-setting high is much more than a quick spike for the Russian Arctic, where months of extreme heat may have dangerous consequences.

Can the Forests of the World's Oceans Help Solve the Climate Crisis?
Ensia, June 24, 2020
Researchers are looking to kelp for help storing carbon dioxide far beneath the surface of the sea.

Greta Thunberg: Climate Change 'As Urgent' As Coronavirus
BBC News, June 20, 2020
Greta Thunberg says the world needs to learn the lessons of coronavirus and treat climate change with similar urgency.

Scientists Predict Scorching Temperatures to Last Through Summer
New York Times, June 18, 2020
Hotter than normal temperatures are expected across almost all of the United States into September, government researchers said.

Why the Arctic Is Warming So Fast, and Why That's So Alarming
Wired, June 23, 2020
When permafrost thaws, sea ice disappears, and wildfires rage in the north, the consequences extend to the rest of the world.