Science 2.0
Baryon Acoustic Oscillations, Dark Energy, And Cosmic Expansion
A new paper uses a combination of cosmic voids – large expanding bubbles of space containing very few galaxies – and the faint imprint of sound waves in the very early Universe, known as baryon acoustic oscillations, that can be seen in the distribution of galaxies, to show how large structures in the distribution of galaxies in the Universe can provide the most precise tests of dark energy and cosmic expansion yet.
Categories: Science 2.0
The Emperor Has No Clothes: The Failure Of Hydroxychloroquine As A COVID-19 Treatment And The Science That Explains It
The antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, touted as a miracle cure for COVID-19, has hit another roadblock, and this time it is heartbreaking. A new study published in the Lancet analyzed the records of patients from 6 continents and found that not only is hydroxychloroquine not an effective treatment, it’s cardiac side effects are potentially dangerous.
The Study
Categories: Science 2.0
New Flu? Coronavirus Might Become Cause Of A Seasonal Illness
The flu kills over 600,000 people each year and in 2020 another virus exploded in public health circles for the third time in 17 years; coronavirus.
SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 disease, has killed nearly 400,000, and given the risk factors it is hard to say how people would have been killed by any respiratory disease, but one question is not philosophical: is this the new normal?
SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 disease, has killed nearly 400,000, and given the risk factors it is hard to say how people would have been killed by any respiratory disease, but one question is not philosophical: is this the new normal?
Categories: Science 2.0
The Purell Of The Future May Be A Handheld UV Light Device
Though "energy medicine" and "oxygenated herbs" promoted by CNN's Chris Cuomo are woo, one notion ridiculed by journalists has merit; using light to disinfect areas and kill coronavirus.
Though chemicals are most common, they are not always practical or portable. Ultraviolet radiation in the 200 to 300 nanometer range will destroy the virus, it just requires UV radiation sources that emit sufficiently high doses of UV light. Current devices are things like expensive mercury-containing gas discharge lamps, which require high power, have a relatively short lifetime, and are bulky.
Though chemicals are most common, they are not always practical or portable. Ultraviolet radiation in the 200 to 300 nanometer range will destroy the virus, it just requires UV radiation sources that emit sufficiently high doses of UV light. Current devices are things like expensive mercury-containing gas discharge lamps, which require high power, have a relatively short lifetime, and are bulky.
Categories: Science 2.0
Females And Alcoholism: Blame Estrogen?
A new paper posits that fluctuating estrogen levels may make alcohol more rewarding.
The giant caveat is that the study was in mice, and despite what you may read in corporate media, mice are not little people, so this research is firmly in the "exploratory" part of science.
The giant caveat is that the study was in mice, and despite what you may read in corporate media, mice are not little people, so this research is firmly in the "exploratory" part of science.
Categories: Science 2.0
Riot Or Resistance - Media Framing And Bias Shapes The Public's View Of Protests
A teenager held her phone steady enough to capture the final moments of George Perry Floyd’s life as he apparently suffocated under the weight of a Minneapolis police officer’s knee on his neck. The video went viral.
What happened next has played out time and again in American cities after high-profile cases of alleged police brutality.
Categories: Science 2.0
Does Your Dog Really Want To Rescue You? Yes
We know dogs will try to rescue humans, those Lassie stories were based on events that have happened for as long as humans and dogs have co-existed, but simply observing dogs rescuing someone doesn't tell you much about dogs' actual interest in rescuing humans
So psychologists at Arizona State University set up an experiment assessing 60 pet dogs' propensity to rescue their owners. None of the dogs had any kind of rescue training.
So psychologists at Arizona State University set up an experiment assessing 60 pet dogs' propensity to rescue their owners. None of the dogs had any kind of rescue training.
Categories: Science 2.0
X And Y And Meiosis: Some Progress In The Sex Chromosomes Science Mystery
In high school biology you learned that in humans, a normal cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes; 22 autosomes, which are the same in both males and females, while in the 23rd, the sex chromosomes, females have two copies of the X chromosome while males have one X and one Y.
Their differences don't stop there. Chromosome pairs are numbered according to size, pair 1 being largest and 23 the smallest. And the Y is tiny compared to the X. X contains thousands of genes critical for life while the Y provides the instructions for initiating male development and making sperm.
Exactly how they work together during meiosis, the form of cell division that creates sperm and egg, contains a science mystery.
Their differences don't stop there. Chromosome pairs are numbered according to size, pair 1 being largest and 23 the smallest. And the Y is tiny compared to the X. X contains thousands of genes critical for life while the Y provides the instructions for initiating male development and making sperm.
Exactly how they work together during meiosis, the form of cell division that creates sperm and egg, contains a science mystery.
Categories: Science 2.0
Kampecaris Obanensis:Move Over Nessie, Scotland Is Now Home To The World's Oldest Bug
A 425-million-year-old Kampecaris obanensis millipede fossil is the world's oldest "bug." It is older than any known fossil of an insect, arachnid or other related creepy-crawly and it was found on the Scottish island of Kerrera.
It's about 75 million years younger than the age other scientists have estimated the oldest millipede to be using a technique known as molecular clock dating, which is based on DNA's mutation rate. Other research using fossil dating found that the oldest fossil of a land-dwelling, stemmed plant (also from Scotland) is 425 million years old and 75 million years younger than molecular clock estimates.
It's about 75 million years younger than the age other scientists have estimated the oldest millipede to be using a technique known as molecular clock dating, which is based on DNA's mutation rate. Other research using fossil dating found that the oldest fossil of a land-dwelling, stemmed plant (also from Scotland) is 425 million years old and 75 million years younger than molecular clock estimates.
Categories: Science 2.0
Domestic Violence Incidents Rise In Los Angeles, Indianapolis During COVID-19 Lockdown
Two cities, Los Angeles and Indianapolis, reported higher than usual domestic violence incidents once COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions were implemented in March.
For their paper, the scholars analyzed police calls for service before and during the coronavirus pandemic; from Jan. 2 to April 18 in Los Angeles and from Jan. 2 to April 21 in Indianapolis.School, restaurant and bar closures were ordered in both cities on March 16th. Los Angeles implemented government lockdown orders on March 20th and Indianapolis enacted similar orders on March 24th.
For their paper, the scholars analyzed police calls for service before and during the coronavirus pandemic; from Jan. 2 to April 18 in Los Angeles and from Jan. 2 to April 21 in Indianapolis.School, restaurant and bar closures were ordered in both cities on March 16th. Los Angeles implemented government lockdown orders on March 20th and Indianapolis enacted similar orders on March 24th.
Categories: Science 2.0
Coronavirus Coverage Has Caused People To Stop Using Corporate News
When the coronavirus pandemic really started to take hold in the UK in March, news consumption increased, as in many other countries. But, since then, our research shows that an increasing share of the UK population is switching off from the news.
Categories: Science 2.0
The Rocket Science Of The SpaceX Astronaut Launch
Two NASA astronauts, Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, will make history by traveling to the International Space Station in a privately funded spacecraft, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule. It will also be the first time astronauts have launched from US soil in nine years.
Categories: Science 2.0
Workplace Wellness Programs Don't Do Anything Except Make Wellness Companies Wealthy
A new study has found that even when it comes to something as broad as "wellness" such wellness programs have little recognizable impact on employee health, health beliefs, or medical utilization.
All things they were supposed to improve.
All things they were supposed to improve.
Categories: Science 2.0
R5519 And Cosmic Ring Of Fire From 11 Billion BC
The galaxy, named R5519, is 11 billion light-years from our Solar System and it is making stars at a rate 50 times greater than the Milky Way. The hole at its centre is truly massive, with a diameter two billion times longer than the distance between the Earth and the Sun.
That means it is three million times bigger than the diameter of the supermassive black hole in the galaxy Messier 87, which in 2019 became the first ever to be directly imaged.
Astronomers have captured an image of this "cosmic ring of fire" as it existed 11 billion years ago. It was roughly the mass of the Milky Way, is circular with a hole in the middle, rather like a titanic doughnut.
That means it is three million times bigger than the diameter of the supermassive black hole in the galaxy Messier 87, which in 2019 became the first ever to be directly imaged.
Astronomers have captured an image of this "cosmic ring of fire" as it existed 11 billion years ago. It was roughly the mass of the Milky Way, is circular with a hole in the middle, rather like a titanic doughnut.
Categories: Science 2.0
Anomaly! : The Lost Chapters (Part 6)
The text below is the sixth and last part of what could have become "Chapter 13" of the book "Anomaly! Collider Physics and the Quest for New Phenomena at Fermilab", which I published in 2016.
Categories: Science 2.0
While We Worry About 400,000, Let's Not Jeopardize 80,000,000
Due to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic, lots of people don't want to travel anywhere. Even to the doctor. But prevention in this case may be worse than the disease.
The World Health Organisation warns that 80,000,000 kids under age 1 are at greater risk of diphtheria, measles and polio because immunization is being hindered in 70 countries.
Of the 129 countries where data are available, 54 percent reported disruptions or a total suspension of vaccination services during March-April 2020.
The World Health Organisation warns that 80,000,000 kids under age 1 are at greater risk of diphtheria, measles and polio because immunization is being hindered in 70 countries.
Of the 129 countries where data are available, 54 percent reported disruptions or a total suspension of vaccination services during March-April 2020.
Categories: Science 2.0
Wuhan: CanSino COVID-19 Vaccine Is Safe In Early Results Of Small Trial
Clinical trials are an arduous, costly process in the United States, primarily because every time a drug has side effects or harm not predicted by clinical trials, lawyers sue and then Congress tells FDA to make clinical trials needed for approval more costly and expensive.
Categories: Science 2.0
Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine: We Need Clinical Trials To Keep Media From Claiming Observational Papers As Fact
An observational study - statistical correlation, no clinical trial was involved - does not show a link between the antimalarial drug chloroquine (or its analogue hydroxychloroquine) and benefit in patients with COVID-19. The pool was nearly 15,000, presumably patients with COVID-19, receiving a combination of any of the four drug regimens, compared with 81,000 who did not. They did find a statistical link to risk of more heart issues.
What does that really mean? Despite what you read in the media about how it does not work, and that it "causes" heart attacks, it really only means the drugs need to go into clinical trials.
What does that really mean? Despite what you read in the media about how it does not work, and that it "causes" heart attacks, it really only means the drugs need to go into clinical trials.
Categories: Science 2.0
There Is No Political Divide Over Masks
It's an election year and the third coronavirus pandemic of the last 17 years so Resistance Journalism has lots of targets for its culture war, which is to say the War on Republicans.
So we have been treated to claims that Trump didn't do enough to prevent coronavirus deaths by letting CDC handle it after they previously claimed he did too much when he put in travel restrictions after WHO said it was unnecessary, because SARS-CoV-2 couldn't spread human to human.
And then stories of defiant tweets about right wingers not wearing masks because they are awful people.
So we have been treated to claims that Trump didn't do enough to prevent coronavirus deaths by letting CDC handle it after they previously claimed he did too much when he put in travel restrictions after WHO said it was unnecessary, because SARS-CoV-2 couldn't spread human to human.
And then stories of defiant tweets about right wingers not wearing masks because they are awful people.
Categories: Science 2.0