Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna Therapeutics has received fast-track approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273. The company’s chief medical officer, Tal Zaks, M.D., Ph.D., has become a ubiquitous presence on American news programs
Ideally we should all be living like this, with our own personal cow. Until that happens new research finds a way to slow methane development in cow stomachs.
Used in medieval art and illustrations, and in Dutch cheese. Botanists in Portugal have some fun by recreating ancient blue from foraged plants in a nearby village.
On Earth Day, April 22, PBS (America’s Public Broadcasting Service) will premiere a compelling new documentary, Climate Change – The Facts, presenting scientific evidence of the impact of global warming. The program also examines possible solutions to the crisis, including the latest innovations, technology and actions individuals can take to prevent further damage. The one-hour […]
When containing a massive disaster like an oil spill, small microbes play a big role. Arezoo Ardekani, a Purdue University associate professor of mechanical engineering, has published research that describes the complex hydrodynamics of microorganisms at liquid-liquid and gas-liquid interfaces, showing that microbes may flock to areas where surfactant has been applied. This is important […]
Your brain state before you build a memory determines if you will remember it or not? Can we create superbrains that will remember every single little thing? With the age of computers, will we want that - or maybe we want a spotless mind?
When two (or three bodies of different sizes and distances) orbit a center point, it’s easy to calculate their movements using Newton's laws of motion. However, if all three objects are of a comparable size and distance from the center point, a power struggle develops and the whole system is thrown into chaos. When chaos happens, it becomes impossible to track the bodies’ movements using regular math. Enter the three-body problem. Now, an international team, led by astrophysicist Dr. Nicholas Stone at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Racah Institute of Physics, has taken a big step forward in solving this conundrum. Their findings were published in the latest edition of Nature.
In the past twenty years, both scientists’ understanding of the physical properties of quantum dots and their levels of control over these tiny particles have increased tremendously. This has led to a widespread application of quantum dots in our daily lives—from bio-imaging and bio-tracking (relying on the fact that quantum dots emit different colors based on their size) to solar energy and next-generation TV monitors with exceptional color quality.
The albedo effect from the greenhouse effect? Learn what will happen when the arctic melts. Impress your friends. Be scared into saving your future.
Movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind show us what it's like when painful emotional memories are erased. But can positive ones be implanted too? A new study from Israel says yes. They have done it in animals.
A curious physicist revived 5000-year-old yeast and baked delicious bread from it.
A first-of-its-kind deep-sea research station placed 50km (31mi) from the Israeli shore called DeepLev which combines “deep” with the Israeli meaning for heart which is “lev”. Reaching a 1.5km depth (~1mi) it is set to shed new light on the eastern Mediterranean marine environment and the implications changes in this ecosystem hold for humans. The […]
Not all witches get the opportunity of going to Hogwart School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to polish their skills. Take my dad for example – a water witch from Newmarket, Canada. Maybe it is because he never made it past grade 8 or because he was never confident enough in his witching powers. Known as a […]
Urgent action is needed to address soil pollution and contain the multiple threats it poses to global food safety and food security, said FAO today marking World Soil Day. Thousands of chemicals, which are commercially produced on a large scale, plastic and electronic waste, non-treated wastewater can all become a source of soil pollution, paving […]
New research presented by the American Chemical Society at their August meeting warned of the damage disposable contact lenses cause after they’re flushed down our home plumbing, a daily habit of many of the 45 million Americans who wear them. Those flimsy, flexible lenses easily pass through sewage treatment plant filters. Sinking to the bottom of rivers and oceans, the impacts […]
New research by Hebrew University of Jerusalem details the complex mathematical calculations that animals perform to locate their next meal. Turns out that even the simple earthworm constantly computes new scent data to see if they are on right track to food. Can humans learn from these tubular hermaphrodites?
New research from the University of East Anglia has confirmed a dramatic decrease in oxygen in the Gulf of Oman part of the Arabian Sea. But the environmental disaster is worse than expected. The ‘dead zone’ was confirmed by underwater robots called Seagliders – which were able to collect data in areas of water previously […]
It’s World Water Day, celebrated annually on March 22. The day is about focusing world attention on the importance of clean water and how we can collectively protect and preserve water quality, and as importantly, quantity.
Dust off old Donna Summer albums and celebrate the premature return of New Zealand’s giant “disco ball” satellite as it drops down to Earth from outer space. Just like the Age of Disco, it will completely disintegrate, leaving only groovy memories. The Humanity Star is a reflective satellite launched in January by Rocket Lab, a […]
American twins Scott (left) and Mark Kelly are the only identical twin astronauts in history, but after Scott spent nearly a year on a space mission, they may not be identical anymore. In 2016, when Scott Kelly returned to Earth after a 340-day voyage aboard the International Space Station (ISS), he was 2 inches taller […]
As if expecting women don’t have enough to worry about, a new scientific study indicates a direct correlation between traffic noise and ambient air pollution and the health of pregnant women and their birth outcomes. Specifically, these environmental influences are proving to increase the incidences of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and low birth weights.
Vogue Knitting Live! is a three day event that occurs annually in several US cities. It is the Burning Man for fiber enthusiasts, a high energy festival featuring classes and lectures and fashion shows. Anchored by the Marketplace, an enormous and spirited souk selling buttons, patterns, organic handcreams, every knitting and crochet accessory on the […]
In the wake of the 2016 American presidential election, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) observed an unusual and muscular increase in online political action by people concerned about conservation and the environment. Especially noteworthy is an uptick in financial support to environmental NGOs by citizens willing to back their beliefs with cash.
According to the International Coffee Organization, people wordwide consumed more than 11 million US tons* of coffee beans between October 2015 and September 2016. (Consumption is far outpacing production, due to climactic fluctuations.) Those beans depend on a sea of fresh water to convert them into the beverages we love. Now a team of Italian scientists have developed […]