Sci-News Roundup January 21 - January 27, 2023
General Interest  Cosmos   Innovation   Health  Nature  Environment  Climate

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VIRUS


Washington Post, January 22, 2023
Despite the declines, it’s still a busy winter for hospitals contending with a new unpredictable rhythm of infectious diseases.

STAT, January 23, 2023
Scientists at the Food and Drug Administration propose making Covid vaccination a regular, once-a-year shot that is updated to match current strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Harvard Gazette, January 19, 2023
Magic, misinformation, and disinformation are effective, the experts said, because they take advantage of how the brain processes information.


GENERAL INTEREST

Discover, November 08, 2022
Creativity sometimes requires taking a step back. Activities like showering or walking can help because they allow your brain to problem solve.

Plus, January 19, 2023
Correlation and causation aren't necessarily the same thing. There are many instances, however, where it's not obvious. This can lead to misleading conclusions that can have serious effects.C

Phys.Org, January 24, 2023
What surprised the researchers most was the large "tavern" they uncovered, complete with benches, a type of clay refrigerator called a "zeer," an oven, and the remains of storage vessels, many of which still contained food. "It's a public eating space dating to somewhere around 2700 BCE..."

New York Times, January 24 2023
Two leading scientists discuss the future of their field.

Atlas Obscura, January 20, 2023
No one knows what it says.

Quanta, January 23, 2023
Whether you’re passing secret notes in class or downloading images from a space probe, Reed-Solomon codes offer an ingenious way to embed information and correct for error.


COSMOS

Astronomy, January 11, 2023
While humans won’t be heading back to the Moon until 2025, there’s plenty to get excited about this year.

Scientific American, February 01, 2023 issue
Scientists are abandoning conventional thinking to search for extraterrestrial creatures that bear little resemblance to Earthlings.

Physics Today, January 2018 issue
The rapid neutron-capture process needed to build up many of the elements heavier than iron seems to take place primarily in neutron-star mergers, not supernova explosions.

BBC News, January 24, 2023
The new super JWST space telescope has ventured into the freezer. It's been probing some of the darkest, coldest regions in space for clues about the chemistry that goes into making planets, and perhaps even life.

Phys.Org, January 24, 2023
The data suggest that early galaxies contained very few elements besides hydrogen and helium, unlike our galaxies today.   


INNOVATION

Science Daily, December 22, 2022
Technique provides model for studying genesis of age-related macular degeneration and other eye diseases.

The Age, January b20, 2023
Researchers from the University of Queensland have developed a method that does not require electricity or bulky lab equipment.

Anthropocene, January 19, 2023 (scroll down)
Engineers have made a device one-hundredth the size of previous solar-to-hydrogen devices that is over three times more efficient.

Nature, January 20, 2023
Grace Nambatya Kyeyune uses modern technology and clinical trials to help validate the efficacy and safety of products based on traditional medicine.

BBC News, January 23, 2023
Excessive outbreaks of seaweed and micro-algae are clogging up waters from the Caribbean to the Baltic. Now both are being harvested alongside farmed crops to create ingredients for cosmetics and food products.

New York Times, January 20, 2023
A rival chatbot has shaken Google out of its routine, with the founders who left three years ago re-engaging and more than 20 A.I. projects in the works.


HEALTH 

The Guardian, January 23, 2023
Volunteers less responsive to positive and negative feedback after course of serotonin-controlling drugs

CNN Health, January 23, 2023
Here’s the good news: People who spent “even small amounts of time in more vigorous activities — as little as 6 to 9 minutes — compared to sitting, sleeping or gentle activities had higher cognition scores.”

Chemistry World, January 23 2023
Dozens of studies have shown that higher levels of omega-3s in the blood relate to better cardiovascular health, reduced inflammation and sharper cognition.

Medical News Today, January 12, 2023
Sitting for too long, regardless of general physical activity, is a recognized health hazard associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.

The Conversation, January 12, 2023
there is one strategy that’s been shown time and again to boost both mood and health: meditation.

Cosmos, January 24, 2023
Flaky fish shop owners can’t identify which type of shark they are serving.


NATURE

Science Alert, January 24, 2023
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) said the formation of the new iceberg – in a natural process called "calving" – was not due to climate change, which is accelerating the loss of sea ice in the Arctic and parts of Antarctica.

BBC Future, January 16, 2023
From bearing the burdens of the Roman Empire to enabling trade over long distances, the humble donkey has been surprisingly influential.

Washington Post, January 23, 2023
This isn’t the beginning of the end times. Instead the findings stoke debate about how the core influences some of the most fundamental parts of our planet.

Cosmos, January 25, 2023
Humans may have retained some of knowledge of great ape hand gestures.

The Guardian, January 18, 2023
Study shows ‘disastrous consequences for wildlife’ if human-caused emissions push global temperatures up 4.4C.


ENVIRONMENT

Grist, January 23, 2023
A new report highlights the link between pesticides and climate change.

Carbon Brief, January 16, 2023
Last month, 196 countries including the EU member states agreed to a new global mission to “halt and reverse” biodiversity loss by 2030.

The Guardian, January 25, 2023
Coca-Cola claimed their juice was healthy despite toxic ‘forever chemicals’ levels ‘hundreds of times’ above federal limits, suit says.

The Conversation, January 17, 2023
The fragile ecosystems deep in the oceans are little understood, and the mining codes to sustainably mine these areas are in their infancy.

Inside Climate News, January 19, 2023
The latest Energy Impact Assessment (EIA) report shows renewable generation is about to cross the 25 percent mark, while coal and natural gas lose ground.


CLIMATE

DeSmog, January 19, 2023
The cost of living crisis and a surge in fossil fuel prices “turbocharged an ecosystem of disinformation” around the summit, study finds.

Carbon Brief, October 05, 2021
In first place on the rankings, the US has released more than 509 gigatons of CO2 since 1850 and is responsible for the largest share of historical emissions,

Cosmos, January 19, 2023
Carbon dioxide removal is a vital cog in the carbon reduction effort, but it’s lagging behind.

The Guardian, January 20, 2023
For a couple of days this month, wind power supplied over half the UK’s electricity. You wouldn’t know it from our bills – or our politicians.

New York Times, January 18, 2023
Bill McKibben published his first book over 20 years before Xiye Bastida was born. But as climate leaders, they agree that “for an activist to have hope is the most important thing.”