News
- Animals
Dim lighting may raise the risk of a West Nile virus exposure
Dimly lit nights increased risk of West Nile virus exposure in chickens. Artificial light proved a better predictor of risk than population or paving.
- Animals
Why do sea turtles, penguins and sharks sometimes just swim in circles or spirals?
Tracking devices recorded the loops and spirals of 10 marine species. In some cases, scientists have good guesses for why; other times it’s baffling.
- Health & Medicine
Here’s what makes 4 promising COVID-19 vaccines unique — and potentially useful
More vaccines still in the works are exploring a variety of approaches, including pills and electrical zaps.
- Health & Medicine
AstraZeneca says its COVID-19 vaccine is 79 percent effective in a U.S. trial
The shot was 80 percent effective at preventing illness in people 65 and older and prevented severe disease and hospitalization.
- Astronomy
Carbon-ring molecules tied to life were found in space for the first time
Two types of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Taurus Molecular Cloud are far more abundant than predicted.
- Physics
Can room-temperature superconductors work without extreme pressure?
The next generation of materials that conduct electricity with no resistance could shrug off the need for high pressure and low temperatures.
- Space
‘Oumuamua may be a chip knocked off an icy, Pluto-like exoplanet
If the first interstellar visitor were a shard of nitrogen ice, it would explain some of its unusual behavior when it passed through our solar system.
- Health & Medicine
AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine isn’t tied to blood clots, experts say
Multiple countries suspended use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine because of concerns about blood clots, but health authorities say the shot is safe.
- Paleontology
An ancient shark’s weird fins helped it glide like a manta ray
Nicknamed eagle shark, the newly discovered ancient creature achieved underwater flight 30 million years before the first rays.
- Animals
Two bonobos adopted infants outside their group, marking a first for great apes
Female bonobos in a reserve in the Congo took care of orphaned infants — feeding, carrying and cuddling them — for at least one year.
- Health & Medicine
We still don’t know for sure where the coronavirus came from. Here’s why
A year into the pandemic, we know the virus probably came from bats, but how and why it leaped to humans are still unknown.
- Health & Medicine
Coronavirus reinfections appear rare, especially in people younger than 65
Previous infections provide 80 percent protection in younger people and 47 percent in those over 65. Vaccines might help boost immunity further.
