ac Maati Baani: ‘Music is A Powerful Medium for Peace’ By rollingstoneindia.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 19:31:57 +0000 The world music duo on reinventing their 2011 track ‘Karpur Gauram’ with 17 musicians from nine countries The post Maati Baani: ‘Music is A Powerful Medium for Peace’ appeared first on My Site. Full Article News & Updates Adriano Piccioni Akshat Parikh Alisa Sadikova Amit Mishra Anaar Desai Stephens Argentina collaboration concerts covid-19 Devang Rachh Franco Prosperi gigs Govind Gawli india Ismel Leal Pich Israel italy Jess Townsend Jiro Yoshioka Joel Eisenkramer Karpur Gauram Kartik Shah Ligal Soffer Lockdown Maati Baani Madhav Haridas Max Fellermann NGO Nirali Kartik peace remote production Russia Spain streaming Switzerland Tao Issaro trends U.K. U.S.A.
ac FDA: Makers of coronavirus antibody tests must now show tests actually work By arstechnica.com Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 22:46:00 +0000 Regulatory “flexibility” was never meant to allow fraud, agency says. Full Article Science antibody blood testing COVID-19 fda immunology infectious disase public health SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence testing
ac SpaceX has fired Starship’s Raptor engine, and the vehicle still stands By arstechnica.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 03:00:35 +0000 The Raptor rocket engine burned for about 4 seconds. Full Article Science
ac Astronomers have discovered closest black hole yet in trinary star system By arstechnica.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 11:46:43 +0000 Just 1,000 light years from Earth, its two companion stars are visible to the naked eye. Full Article Science astronomy astrophysics binary stars black holes European Southern Observatory Physics
ac Researchers engineer photosynthetic bacteria to produce hydrogen By arstechnica.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 22:39:54 +0000 A solar-driven hydrogen-producing machine that makes more copies of itself. Full Article Science biochemistry bioengineering biofuels Biology cyanobacteria hydrogen photosynthesis renewable energy
ac Rocket Report: Military space plane returns to pad, SLS engine costs soar By arstechnica.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 11:00:53 +0000 LauncherOne to cap eight years of development with upcoming flight. Full Article Science
ac China’s new spacecraft—which resembles a Crew Dragon—just landed By arstechnica.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 14:28:27 +0000 China now has a capsule potentially capable of returning from the Moon. Full Article Science
ac Fired scientist back to peddling anti-vaxx COVID-19 conspiracy theories By arstechnica.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 17:50:18 +0000 YouTube, Facebook crack down on two viral videos for spreading medical misinformation. Full Article Science anti-vaxxer Biology cognitive bias conspiracy theories COVID-19 dr. anthony fauci fake news health misinformation medicine science
ac ‘Kathmandu is still a place of magic’: Sir Chris Bonington By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2017-10-21T09:00:19Z Despite much change, the Nepalese capital’s staggering views and warm memories are as vivid as ever for the veteran mountaineer and leader of 19 Himalayan expeditionsMy first sight of Kathmandu and the Himalayas was in 1960 as part of Lt Col Jimmy Roberts’s expedition – we made the first successful ascent of Annapurna II. At 7,937 metres, it’s a superb peak that’s just short of what mountaineers see as the magical height: 8,000 metres.Arriving in Kathmandu was extraordinary. There was only one hotel, the Royal, an old palace run by a wonderful, eccentric Russian called Boris. There was also just one guesthouse, and practically no tourists. Continue reading... Full Article Nepal holidays Asia Mount Everest holidays Climbing holidays Heritage Travel
ac ‘Moderate becoming good’: my journey to every place in the shipping forecast By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-02T06:00:15Z From Fair Isle to German Bight, Charlie Connelly has visited all 31 sea areas, but still finds the poetry of the daily radio odyssey mesmerisingThe shipping forecast is probably the closest thing we have in the modern age to a national epic. The institution’s rhythms and rituals have changed little since it was first broadcast on New Year’s Day 1924: there is poetry in the daily litany and mystery in its terminology. “The radio’s prayer,” Carol Ann Duffy called it. For Seamus Heaney it was “a sibilant penumbra”.The forecast reminds us we’re a maritime nation and its map binds us to our continent, covering not only our own coasts and waters but an area extending from Norway to Portugal to Iceland. There is democracy in its geography, where tiny Fair Isle carries as much heft as mighty Biscay while Lundy, a sliver of rock in the Bristol Channel, is equal in importance to the Irish Sea. And from the salty old seadog in his brine-encrusted fishing boat to the merchant banker on his yacht, the shipping forecast, all seafarers are equally reliant on it. Continue reading... Full Article United Kingdom holidays Norway holidays Denmark holidays Iceland holidays Europe holidays Travel Met Office BBC UK weather Radio Television & radio
ac The imaginary American town that became a tourist attraction By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-03T10:00:49Z Map-makers insert fake towns or trap-streets to catch out plagiarists, but Agloe, in New York state, took on a strange life of its ownIn 2008, Argleton village in west Lancashire appeared on Google, complete with weather reports, a job site and an estate agent advertising houses for sale. Argleton vanished two years later. While its site was – and still is – a damp field in the middle of nowhere, it’s worth noting that Argleton is an anagram of G Not Real. Although Google never admitted to having created it, Argleton was a phantom settlement, planted as a trap.In the world of digital mapping and cartography, snares to catch unwary plagiarists take the form of fake roads or places, known as “trap streets” or “paper towns”. For some, such as Lye Close or Noereal Road, the clue is in the name. (A real alleyway in Cardiff that served as a trap street in the 2014 Dr Who episode Face the Raven may, conversely, be the world’s only fictional fictional street.) Continue reading... Full Article Maps United States holidays North and Central America holidays Travel
ac NOAA makes a pact with Vulcan to deepen collaboration on ocean science By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Tue, 21 Apr 2020 13:49:53 -0400 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it has forged a new agreement with Vulcan Inc., the Seattle-based holding company created by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, to share data on ocean science and exploration. The memorandum of understanding builds on an existing relationship between NOAA and Vulcan. “The future of ocean science and exploration is partnerships,” retired Navy Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator, said today in a news release. “NOAA is forging new collaborations, such as the one with Vulcan, to accelerate our mission to map, explore… Read More Full Article
ac Allergy impact from invasive weed 'underestimated' By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Tue, 21 Apr 2020 17:55:08 -0400 The impact on human health of an invasive ragweed plant may be "seriously underestimated". Full Article
ac Will anyone ever find Shackleton's lost ship? By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Wed, 22 Apr 2020 01:09:18 -0400 Last year's failed attempt to locate one of the world's great wrecks has lessons for future efforts. Full Article
ac Swarm Technologies chooses Momentus and SpaceX to launch constellation of tiny satellites By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Thu, 23 Apr 2020 00:04:35 -0400 Swarm Technologies has struck an agreement with California-based Momentus for the launch of a dozen telecommunication satellites, each the size of a slice of bread, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in December. The December rideshare mission is the first of a series that Momentum plans to execute for Swarm, continuing into 2021 and 2022. Swarm plans to have 150 satellites launched over the next couple of years for a communication network in low Earth orbit. The first 12 SpaceBee satellites covered by the agreement announced today will be deployed into orbit from the Falcon 9. The inch-thick satellites fit… Read More Full Article
ac Spaceflight signs up as anchor customer for Firefly Aerospace launch in 2021 By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Thu, 23 Apr 2020 00:39:40 -0400 Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. has signed an agreement to secure most of the payload mass on a Firefly Aerospace rocket that's due to lift off from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base in 2021. The agreement, announced today, establishes Spaceflight as the mission's anchor customer and commits the company to managing the logistics for multiple payloads on the Firefly Alpha rocket. That should help Firefly maximize use of the rocket's 630-kilogram (1,389-pound) capacity for a launch to sun-synchronous orbit. Texas-based Firefly Aerospace is planning to launch the Alpha on its maiden flight from Vandenberg later this year. The company suffered a setback in… Read More Full Article
ac Far out! Xplore teams up with JPL and Aerospace Corp. on gravity-lens telescope By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Tue, 28 Apr 2020 16:15:57 -0400 NASA has awarded a $2 million grant to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, The Aerospace Corp. — and Xplore, a Seattle-based space venture — to develop the design architecture for a far-out telescope array that would use the sun's gravitational field as a lens to focus on alien planets. The Phase III award from the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program, or NIAC, would cover two years of development work and could lead to the launch of a technology demonstration mission in the 2023-2024 time frame. Xplore's team will play a key role in designing the demonstration mission's spacecraft, which would be… Read More Full Article
ac AI in Africa: Teaching a bot to read my mum's texts By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 08:02:18 -0400 How African researchers are using the continent's languages to help spur innovation in Artificial Intelligence. Full Article
ac Nasa space lasers track melting of Earth's ice sheets By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 14:12:11 -0400 US space agency satellites follow the melting trends in Antarctica and Greenland over 16 years. Full Article
ac Bill Gates says the world will need 7 billion vaccine doses to end COVID-19 pandemic By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 15:00:44 -0400 Bill Gates has been big on vaccines since before the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but in a new blog posting, the Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist says the only way to end the pandemic for good is to offer a vaccine to almost all of the planet's 7 billion inhabitants. That's big. "We've never delivered something to every corner of the world before," Gates notes. It's especially big considering that a vaccine hasn't yet been approved for widespread use, and that it may take as long as a year to 18 months to win approval and start distribution. Some… Read More Full Article
ac NASA puts Blue Origin, Dynetics and SpaceX on the list for lunar lander development program By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 17:06:10 -0400 NASA has selected teams led by Blue Origin, Dynetics and SpaceX to develop lunar landing systems capable of putting astronauts on the moon by as early as 2024. "We want to be able to go to the moon, but we want to be a customer," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told reporters today during a teleconference. "We want to drive down the costs, we want to increase the access, we want to have our partners have customers that are not just us, so they compete on cost and innovation, and just bring capabilities that we've never had before." Fixed-price contracts totaling… Read More Full Article
ac ICESat-2 laser-scanning satellite tracks how billions of tons of polar ice are lost By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 20:21:28 -0400 A satellite mission that bounces laser light off the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland has found that hundreds of billions of tons' worth of ice are being lost every year due to Earth's changing climate. Scientists involved in NASA's ICESat-2 project report in the journal Science that the net loss of ice from those regions has been responsible for 0.55 inches of sea level rise since 2003. That's slightly less than a third of the total amount of sea level rise observed in the world's oceans over that time. To track how the ice sheets are changing, the ICESat-2… Read More Full Article
ac A breakthrough approaches for solar power By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 04:57:33 -0400 Scientists are working on better solar cells that will turn more of the sun's rays into electricity. Full Article
ac Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo makes its first gliding test flight over New Mexico By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 19:02:44 -0400 For the first time, Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane flew free in the skies over New Mexico's Spaceport America, its new base of operations. The SpaceShipTwo plane, known as VSS Unity, has made rocket-powered flights beyond the 50-mile space milestone during tests at California's Mojave Air and Space Port, but today's unpowered test flight was the first to be flown from Spaceport America. "Today's VSS Unity flight is another exciting milestone for Virgin Galactic's progress in New Mexico," Dan Hicks, executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, said in a news release. "We are extremely happy and proud of… Read More Full Article
ac NASA and SpaceX get set to make history with landmark spaceflight during pandemic By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 21:54:54 -0400 Everything is in readiness for the first mission to send humans into orbit from U.S. soil since NASA retired the space shuttle fleet in 2011 – from the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that will take two astronauts to the International Space Station, to the parachutes that will bring them back down gently to an Atlantic Ocean splashdown, to the masks that NASA's ground team will wear in Mission Control. The fact that the launch is coming in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic has added a weird and somewhat wistful twist to the history-making event. "That certainly is disappointing," NASA… Read More Full Article
ac Dancing gargantuan black holes perform on cue By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Sun, 03 May 2020 06:10:06 -0400 Scientists predict the explosive behaviour of two supermassive black holes almost to the hour. Full Article
ac NASA confirms it’s working with Tom Cruise (and SpaceX?) to make a movie on space station By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Mon, 04 May 2020 21:32:29 -0400 NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has confirmed in a tweet that the space agency is working with movie star Tom Cruise on a project that involves shooting a film on the International Space Station. Deadline Hollywood reported on Monday that a space movie project involving NASA and SpaceX is in the works, but that "no studio is in the mix at this stage." Bridenstine followed up with a tweet saying that NASA was "excited" to be working with Cruise, and explaining that "we need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make NASA's ambitious plans a… Read More Full Article
ac What if You Don't Want to Go Back to the Office? By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 15:11:13 -0400 For Jeff Anderson, 61, working from home during the coronavirus pandemic has been a respite from office politics and the chatter around the copy machine.But as the push to reopen the country's economy intensifies, so do feelings of dread at the idea of returning to the office, said Anderson, a self-described introvert and anthropology professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York."Just walking from the parking lot to my office I feel like I could be sick," he said. "It's that bad."In wanting to work alone, Anderson is not alone. People other than introverts view a return to the office with sadness and anxiety, and not just because they still risk getting infected. A Gallup poll found a majority of U.S. adults working from home would prefer to continue doing so "as much as possible" after the pandemic.These fans of online work worry that they -- and the country itself -- will lose important benefits discovered during this unprecedented experiment in mass remote work. People who have never liked schmoozing with colleagues have found new heights of productivity away from meetings and office chitchat. People worried about climate change are eager to reduce their carbon footprints by avoiding commutes by car. And while many parents are desperate for schools and day care centers to reopen, some working parents are appreciating more time with their children.Before the pandemic, Christine Reilley had to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to catch an early bus to Manhattan where she works as senior director of strategy and innovation for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers."I'm better rested. I can devote more time to my work," she said. "Just saving the time and money of commuting, I really like this personally."Impossible for Some and 'Overrated' for OthersIt did not take long for naysayers to declare that working from home was "overrated."And yes, it is an option mostly for white-collar office workers. Telecommuting is rarely possible for people in manufacturing or service jobs, and for the health workers, emergency responders, grocery store clerks and delivery people who have been deemed essential personnel. And the more than 30 million Americans who have lost their jobs since March may be impatient about complaints from people still drawing paychecks.Nor can the other downsides be denied. Trying to meet on Zoom from a kitchen table with bored children and annoyed spouses complaining in the background is hardly good for productivity. Women say that video calls make it harder for them to get in a word during meetings dominated by men. This crisis has also increased the burdens on working mothers.Telecommuting was already a growing trend that left out many low-wage workers and was viewed warily by employers who worried that people were slacking off at home. Researchers warned that problem solving and creativity suffer when workers are isolated from one another. Isolated work can lead to loneliness and boredom. Remote workers have also reported they have had to work even longer hours.OK, So What Are the Benefits?For remote work to be successful, employers need to provide the right equipment and other support, said Laurel Farrer, chief executive of Distribute Consulting, a business consulting firm. And the employees must be able to get work done without supervision. If set up properly, experts and advocates say, remote work has many benefits:-- Less time on the road. Commuting by car has been linked to increased stress, more pollution and respiratory problems. The average American who drives to work spends 54 hours per year stuck in traffic, according to an analysis by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.-- Greater productivity. One well-known study from 2014 led by Stanford professor Nicholas Bloom examined remote workers at a Chinese travel agency and found that they were 13% more efficient than their office-based peers.-- A cleaner environment (maybe). According to estimates from Global Workplace Analytics, a research and consulting firm, if everyone in the United States worked remotely half the time, it could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicle travel by more than 51 million metric tons a year. Graphics showing the reduction in air pollution and pictures of clearer skies over cities like Los Angeles have been among the silver linings of the pandemic. Of course, when people return to work, the roads may fill up again, especially if people fear getting the virus on public transit. And even if more people start working remotely, they might use their cars more for errands closer to home, said Bill Eisele, a senior research engineer at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. Office commuters make up only about 18% of all traffic, he said.-- Money saved. Global Workplace Analytics estimated that people could save, on average, $2,000 to $6,500 every year by not spending on things like gasoline and day care. Companies could spend less on real estate. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office estimated it saved more than $38 million in 2015 by not using as much office space, according to a Harvard Business School working paper from November.-- More job satisfaction. A 2005 study found that job satisfaction increased with each additional hour people spent working remotely. But it stopped increasing beyond 15 hours worked remotely.-- Less sickness. Even as companies consider reconfiguring workplaces with plexiglass barriers on desks and special air filters, letting employees work from home can help keep them safe from communicable diseases (and not just COVID-19).-- More time for fitness. You may be able to squeeze in more workouts. "Having a little more time, if you're using it wisely, can be very beneficial," said Marilyn Skarbek, an assistant professor of exercise science at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. "There are a lot of other things you can do around the house to keep you moving: laundry, cleaning -- all of that keeps you active. My house is definitely cleaner than normal." But there is a risk you could be more sedentary, she warned.Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics, predicted that workers will be looking for the "happy medium," splitting time between remote work and showing up at the office. The hope is that the pandemic will have shown managers that workers can be trusted to do their jobs without constant supervision."Any kind of flexibility is something that people are really, really ripe for, just some control over where and when they work," she said.Happy Tales From the Home OfficeMany people who had never considered this kind of working life have now had a taste of it, and they love it.Jacquie Benetua-Rolens, communications and engagement coordinator at Santa Cruz Community Health Centers in Santa Cruz, California, has a 2-year-old son who has become a daily part of Zoom meetings with colleagues, waving at them in his pajamas."There is this softened, unfiltered, more honest version of ourselves that I'm enjoying getting to know," Benetua-Rolens said. "There is room to be forgiving and understanding with each other and ourselves. And it's because we've all had to juggle."Benetua-Rolens said she often thinks of her small cubicle back at the office, which she decorated with plants and pictures of her two children."I used to love it," she said. "But I don't miss it at all. I don't want to go back to that even though my house is filthy."Jessica Keup, a 37-year-old single mother and a computer programmer in Ann Arbor, Michigan, moved to her parents' home in rural Tennessee with her 3-year-old son in mid-March, after her company told employees to work from home.Since then, she has been coding from the deck while her son plays with the goats, chickens and peacocks that roost on the vast property.Keup said the solitude has made her more focused and more productive. Her work is not interrupted by chatty colleagues who want to say hi or need help fixing a computer glitch."The people who are in the office who are extroverts stand out and talk a lot and can take the oxygen out of the room," she said.At least one poll from early in the pandemic suggests a strong preference for remote work. Gallup found that almost 60% of Americans working from home would prefer to work remotely "as much as possible" after restrictions are lifted, with 40% saying they preferred to return to the workplace. The online survey of 2,276 randomly selected adults was conducted from March 14 through April 2. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.At the very least, some workers would like to see employers put lessons of the pandemic into practice, including more compassionate management in general.Rico Sisney, who works for Greenpeace USA, said he would like to continue seeing the kinds of emails his organization has been sending lately encouraging employees to take walks and small breaks."Organizations can continue that even when there is not a pandemic," Sisney said. "Highlight mental health."Christine de Denus, a chemistry professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, said she has relished the quiet of working from her porch. She thinks workplaces should adapt to all styles of working."Go to the people and say, 'How can I help you thrive?'" de Denus said. "Just because I'm quiet in a meeting doesn't mean I don't have ideas."When the time comes to return to the office, Keup said she plans to ask if she can work two to four weeks a year from Tennessee."It's beautiful. It's resting and restorative," she said. "And I'll miss that."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company Full Article
ac Tethers Unlimited and Rocket Propulsion Systems win NASA grants for space tech By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 19:57:12 -0400 Two Seattle-area space ventures — Tethers Unlimited and Rocket Propulsion Systems — are among 124 businesses receiving $750,000 Phase II grants from NASA's Small Business Innovation Research program. The two-year grants, announced today, support the further development of technologies that can benefit future space missions as well as life on Earth. All of the recipients, hailing from 31 states in all, received $125,000 Phase I grants during earlier rounds of funding. "We are encouraged by the ingenuity and creativity we’ve seen from these companies in their Phase I work," Jenn Gustetic, NASA's SBIR program executive said in a news release.… Read More Full Article
ac Iceye's small radar satellites achieve big capability By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 11:37:05 -0400 One of the hardest tasks in Earth observation is tracking tiny changes in the shape of the ground. Full Article
ac 'Nearest black hole to Earth discovered' By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 18:16:17 -0400 An unseen object is found to be lurking in a double-star system a mere 1,000 light-years from Earth. Full Article
ac University of Washington wins NASA grant to create spacey contest for Artemis Student Challenges By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 22:39:49 -0400 NASA has awarded the University of Washington a $499,864 grant to develop a competition that calls on students to turn a simulated lava tube into a habitat suitable for harboring humans on the moon or Mars. The exploration and habitation skills competition will be funded as part of NASA's Artemis Student Challenges program, which plays off the themes of the Artemis moon program to inspire the next generation of explorers and engineers. The competition will involve navigating a rover through a facsimile lava tube and surface structures, generating maps, identifying valuable resources and deploying an airtight barrier to seal the… Read More Full Article
ac Some landscapes show resistance to ash dieback By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 08:57:12 -0400 Certain habitats can help dampen the spread of ash dieback, which threatens ash trees. Full Article
ac Abbott coronavirus test is accurate; infected mother's breast milk may protect infants By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 13:36:57 -0400 The following is a brief roundup of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. A new antibody test is highly accurate at determining whether people have been infected with the novel coronavirus, according to a study published on Friday in The Journal of Clinical Microbiology. Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine found the test, manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, had a specificity rate of 99.9% and a sensitivity rate of 100%, suggesting little chance of incorrectly diagnosing a healthy person as having been infected and virtually no chance of a false negative readout. Full Article
ac Astronomers found the closest black hole to Earth — and there could be millions more like it By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 19:30:00 -0400 Scientists usually find black holes by detecting X-rays they emit as they devour nearby stars. But this one was quietly hidden 1,000 light-years away. Full Article
ac No TV, no sat nav, no internet: how to fix space's junk problem – video By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-04-01T09:12:15Z As Elon Musk's Starlink and Jeff Bezos's Project Kuiper race to create high-speed internet using satellites orbiting Earth, there's a small problem that could get in the way: debris. From dead spacecraft that have been around since the dawn of the space age to flecks of paint smashing windows on the International Space Station, rubbish is clogging up our orbits. And with objects moving as fast as 15,500mph (25,000 kmph), the satellite services we've come to depend on are at constant risk of collision. So how to fix the problem with junk in space? Ian Anderson investigates Continue reading... Full Article Space Elon Musk Jeff Bezos SpaceX The space shuttle Technology Nasa European Space Agency
ac 'Bigger and brighter' supermoon graces night sky – video By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-04-08T07:16:34Z The largest, brightest full moon in nearly seven decades started to show on Tuesday evening over Europe, Latin America, the US and the Middle East. This year, the supermoon was expected to come nearer to Earth than at any time since 1948, astronomers have said. A supermoon occurs when the timing of a full moon overlaps with the point in the moon's 28-day orbit that is closest to Earth, and about every 14th full moon is a supermoon. If skies are clear, this time the full moon will appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than usual, according to Nasa Continue reading... Full Article The moon US news UK news World news Nasa Astronomy
ac Covid-19: the psychology of conspiracy theories By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-05T04:00:26Z With false information linking the coronavirus to 5G telecoms or Chinese labs being widely shared on social media, Ian Sample speaks to social psychologist Dr Daniel Jolley about why the pandemic is such fertile ground for conspiracy theories Continue reading... Full Article Psychology Telecommunications industry Social media Science Coronavirus outbreak Infectious diseases Health
ac UK scientists hit back at attempts to discredit scientific basis for lockdown By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-09T13:27:00Z Letter seeks to dispel view that Prof Neil Ferguson was single architect of lockdown idea Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage A group of leading UK scientists have insisted that the scientific basis for the coronavirus lockdown is the work of a large group of experts, and that epidemiologist Prof Neil Ferguson is just one voice among many.In a letter co-ordinated by Dr Thibaut Jombart, an associate professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, more than 25 prominent scientists said debates after Ferguson’s “individual error” – in which he flouted lockdown rules by receiving visits at home from his lover – had amplified a misconception that he alone persuaded the government to change policy. Continue reading... Full Article UK news Coronavirus outbreak Science Politics
ac No 10 scientific advisers warned of black market in fake coronavirus test results By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-05T10:18:05Z Sage told widespread use of antibody tests could lead to criminal behaviour, papers revealCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDowning Street’s scientific advisers feared people might intentionally seek to contract coronavirus and that a black market in fake test results could emerge if employers allowed workers to return only when they had a positive antibody test.The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, known as Sage, was warned last month by its behavioural psychology subgroup that the widespread introduction of antibody tests could lead to a range of potentially dangerous and even criminal “negative behavioural responses” if not handled well. Continue reading... Full Article Coronavirus outbreak Health Infectious diseases Science Society UK news
ac Rashes, headaches, tingling: the less common coronavirus symptoms that patients have By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-06T14:39:48Z Studies have examined some of the more unusual signs of Covid-19Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe World Health Organization lists the most common symptoms of Covid-19 as fever, tiredness and a dry cough. Others include a runny nose, sore throat, nasal congestion, pain, diarrhoea and the loss of sense of taste and/or smell. But there are also other more unusual symptoms that patients have presented. Continue reading... Full Article Coronavirus outbreak World Health Organization Health Science Infectious diseases
ac Black hole found 1,000 light years from Earth By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-06T12:00:53Z Object found in HR 6819 system is the closest to Earth yet known – and is unusually darkAstronomers say they have discovered a black hole on our doorstep, just 1,000 light years from Earth.It was found in a system called HR 6819, in the constellation Telescopium. Continue reading... Full Article Black holes Astronomy Space Science
ac Black people four times more likely to die from Covid-19, ONS finds By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-07T14:51:37Z Official figures show that wide disparity not just due to health and economic differences Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBlack people are more than four times more likely to die from Covid-19 than white people, according to stark official figures exposing a dramatic divergence in the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in England and Wales.The Office of National Statistics found that the difference in the virus’s impact was caused not only by pre-existing differences in communities’ wealth, health, education and living arrangements. Continue reading... Full Article Health Coronavirus outbreak Race Science UK news Society Office for National Statistics
ac WHO conditionally backs Covid-19 vaccine trials that infect people By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-08T15:05:06Z ‘Challenge’ studies would deliberately give coronavirus to healthy volunteers Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageControversial trials in which volunteers are intentionally infected with Covid-19 could accelerate vaccine development, according to the World Health Organization, which has released new guidance on how the approach could be ethically justified despite the potential dangers for participants.So-called challenge trials are a mainstream approach in vaccine development and have been used in malaria, typhoid and flu, but there are treatments available for these diseases if a volunteer becomes severely ill. For Covid-19, a safe dose of the virus has not been established and there are no failsafe treatments if things go wrong. Continue reading... Full Article Medical research Coronavirus outbreak World Health Organization Infectious diseases Science World news Vaccines and immunisation
ac Widower seeks class-action lawsuit against N.S. gunman's estate By www.cbc.ca Published On :: Thu, 7 May 2020 22:10:06 EDT A man whose wife was killed in the April mass shooting in Nova Scotia is the plaintiff named in a proposed class-action lawsuit against the estate of the deceased gunman, denturist Gabriel Wortman. Full Article News/Canada/Nova Scotia
ac Man used a semi-automatic, tactical-style shotgun in confrontation with RCMP, ASIRT says By www.cbc.ca Published On :: Fri, 8 May 2020 20:10:54 EDT Alberta's police watchdog have released new details about an armed confrontation that left one person dead and a police officer seriously injured. Full Article News/Canada/Edmonton
ac Families separated by the pandemic yearn for personal contact on Mother's Day By www.cbc.ca Published On :: Sat, 9 May 2020 04:00:00 EDT The mother of a newborn wants to see her own mother cuddle the baby, while adult children must rely on virtual connections with their elderly mother. COVID-19 proves challenging physically and emotionally for many this Mother's Day. Full Article News/Canada/Saskatchewan
ac Poll: Most in US back curbing in-person worship amid virus By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 11:00:11 -0400 While the White House looks ahead to reopening houses of worship, most Americans think in-person religious services should be barred or allowed only with limits during the coronavirus pandemic — and only about a third say that prohibiting in-person services violates religious freedom, a new poll finds. States have taken different approaches to resuming gatherings as the coronavirus continues to spread, raising tough questions for religious leaders and the faithful about the appropriate time to return. Among that group is 54-year-old Andre Harris of Chicago, a onetime Sunday school teacher who has shifted his routine from physical worship to the conference calls his church is holding during the pandemic. Full Article
ac The importance of the coronavirus R rate in other countries across the globe By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 12:27:25 -0400 In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel has been praised for her realism and flexibility when it comes to using her country's reproduction rate to inform lockdown policies. During a press conference on April 16 she explained: "The whole evolution (of the rate) is based on the fact that we assume that we have an infection figure that we can monitor, that we can track and that we have more protection concepts and that, thanks to those, we can loosen restrictions. "But it is thin ice," as Mr Tschentscher (the Hamburg Mayor) said, "or a fragile situation, or really a situation where caution is the order of the day and not overconfidence". The Robert Koch Institute, the government’s health agency, provides regular updates on the country’s rate. On May 5, it stood at 0.71, slightly declining two days later to 0.65. Mrs Merkel’s caution is reflected across the border in France, where the R has fluctuated as the country began easing lockdown measures. On May 1, Jerome Salomon, France's public health chief, said it had risen to between 0.6 and 0.7 on average from 0.5, due to the “progressive return to activity”. But officials are not solely relying on the R, instead reviewing several indicators to decide when to loosen restrictions. At the end of April Spanish authorities said almost all areas of the country had a reproduction number below one, but that they would not consider easing restrictions unless this continues. Full Article
ac Exclusive: Iran-linked hackers recently targeted coronavirus drugmaker Gilead - sources By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 13:19:55 -0400 Hackers linked to Iran have targeted staff at U.S. drugmaker Gilead Sciences Inc in recent weeks, according to publicly-available web archives reviewed by Reuters and three cybersecurity researchers, as the company races to deploy a treatment for the COVID-19 virus. In one case, a fake email login page designed to steal passwords was sent in April to a top Gilead executive involved in legal and corporate affairs, according to an archived version on a website used to scan for malicious web addresses. Ohad Zaidenberg, lead intelligence researcher at Israeli cybersecurity firm ClearSky, who closely tracks Iranian hacking activity and has investigated the attacks, said the attempt was part of an effort by an Iranian group to compromise email accounts of staff at the company using messages that impersonated journalists. Full Article