Nov 26th, 2020 - A secondary nuclear fusion process first proposed 30 years ago has now been confirmed by scientists in Italy. Stars produce copious amounts of energy by fusing hydrogen into helium. This process, known as the proton-proton chain, is thought to dominate energy production in the sun — but since 1990, physicists have theorized that a second process must also occur. This process, known as carbon–nitrogen–oxygen (CNO) cycle, is thought to be responsible for only 1% of the sun’s energy. In a historic study, scientists have now confirmed neutrinos originating from this up-to-know elusive ... [Read More]

Nov 26th, 2020 - Early in the pandemic, many researchers feared people who contracted COVID could be reinfected very quickly. This was because several early studies showed antibodies seemed to wane after the first few months post-infection. It was also partly because normal human coronaviruses, which are one cause of common colds and are cousins of SARS-CoV-2, do not generate long-lasting immunity , so we can get reinfected with them after 12 months. But new preliminary research suggests key parts of the immune system can remember SARS-CoV-2 for at least eight or nine months, and possibly for years. Immune ... [Read More]

Nov 25th, 2020 - The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics went to three researchers who confirmed that Einstein’s general relativity predicts black holes,…By Sidney Perkowitz T he 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics went to three researchers who confirmed that Einstein’s general relativity predicts black holes, and established that the center of our own galaxy houses a supermassive black hole with the equivalent of 4 million suns packed into a relatively small space. Besides expanding our understanding of black holes, the strong gravitational field around the supermassive black hole is a lab to study nature under ... [Read More]

Nov 25th, 2020 - Nov. 25 (UPI) -- After a tour on the International Space Station, a group of nematode worms exhibited changes in nearly 1,000 genes. The findings, published Wednesday in the journal iScience , suggests prolonged exposure to microgravity can influence cells at the genetic level. Though most of the genetic changes identified by scientists were relatively subtle, researchers also observed a handful of more significant genetic alterations among nervous system cells, or neurons. The study, a collaboration between the University of Exeter and NASA GeneLab, could help scientists identify the ... [Read More]

Nov 25th, 2020 - The avian fossil, found in what is now Madagascar, offers insight into the evolution of the faces of modern birds. Illustration depicting Falcatakely amidst dinosaurs and other creatures during the Late Cretaceous in Madagascar. (Artwork by Mark Witton) (CN) — A bird from the late Cretaceous period, which resembles something of a buck-toothed toucan with a large scythe-like beak, has provided scientists new insights into the evolution of face and beak shapes of the distant ancestors of modern birds. An international team of scientists studied a fossil belonging to a previously unknown ... [Read More]

Nov 25th, 2020 - Researchers have uncovered evidence to suggest that the largest sharks to ever roam the seas commonly raised their young in nursery areas where juveniles could grow up in a safe environment. The scientists identified five potential megalodon nurseries—one off the eastern coast of Spain, two in the United States and two in Panama—in a study published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters . Megalodon ( Otodus megalodon ) is an extinct shark species that lived between 23 million and 3.6 million years ago. The shark is considered to be one of the largest and most powerful predators ... [Read More]

Nov 25th, 2020 - The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread like wildfire all over the world. A major contributing factor to SARS-CoV-2’s rapid and worldwide transmission has been international travel. Over 60.24 million people across 191 countries and territories have been infected, and over 1.41 million have lost their lives. One of the key non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) to curb any travel-related spread of SARS-CoV-2 has been restricting and monitoring international travel and movement. Researchers from ... [Read More]

Nov 25th, 2020 - The boulder-like object has resumed its journey around the sun, but many other minimoons are waiting to be discovered. Earlier this year, highly sensitive telescopes on Earth discovered a dishwasher-sized asteroid that had been temporarily circling the Earth-moon system. Essentially, the object, known as 2020 CD3, was a natural satellite, or minimoon, if only briefly. In a new study, researchers have confirmed that 2020 CD3 is indeed a space rock rather than some man-made contraption, making it only the second minimoon detected thus far. Rarely detected by not rarely present Not all ... [Read More]