First Coronavirus Vaccine Could Come From University Of Pittsburgh Medical Center
medicaldaily.com – A potential vaccine against COVID-19 has been developed by researchers and scientists over at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. It is now with the U.S. FDA for approval of testing on humans.
Source: Eun Kim, et al. Microneedle array delivered recombinant coronavirus vaccines: Immunogenicity and rapid translational development. EBioMedicine, 2020.
Image of the Day: Ancient Dental Enamel
the-scientist.com – An analysis of fossilized teeth sheds light on the evolutionary relationships between Pleistocene hominins.
Source: Frido Welker, et al. The dental proteome of Homo antecessor. Nature, 2020.
The way tau spreads may lead to new dementia treatments
futurity.org – A new understanding of how tau proteins moves from neuron to neuron in the brain could pave the way for new ways to fight neurodegenerative diseases.
Source: Jennifer N. Rauch, et al. LRP1 is a master regulator of tau uptake and spread. Nature, 2020.
Urea In Astronaut Pee Could Be Used To Build Moon Bases
science20.com – I'm not all that excited about manned missions in space because it is a struggle for NASA to even build a space telescope without going 13 years over budget, but it's worth doing basic research on how an outpost on Luna might be built.It will require a lot of multi-purposing, and re-purposing.
Source: Shima Pilehvar, Marlies Arnhof, Ramón Pamies, Luca Valentini, Anna-Lena Kjøniksen. Utilization of urea as an accessible superplasticizer on the moon for lunar geopolymer mixtures. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2020.
How will the global coronavirus pandemic end?
cbc.ca – Experts say there are several likely COVID-19 end scenarios that could play out, but for the time being, we’re at the whim of a virus that shows no signs of slowing down.
Source: Luca Ferretti, et al. Quantifying SARS-CoV-2 transmission suggests epidemic control with digital contact tracing. Science, 2020.
U.S. Coronavirus Cases Cross 113,000: Live Updates
nytimes.com – At least 17 states reported tallies of at least 1,000 infections. Illinois reported the first known U.S. death of an infant with the virus.
Source: Wei-jie Guan, et al. Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in China. New England Journal of Medicine, 2020.
Milky Way Dark Matter Signals in Doubt after Controversial New Papers
sciam.com – New analyses question whether mysterious gamma-ray and x-ray light in the galaxy actually stems from an invisible mass
Source: Christopher Dessert, Nicholas L. Rodd, Benjamin R. Safdi. The dark matter interpretation of the 3.5-keV line is inconsistent with blank-sky observations. Science, 2020.
Getting To The Heart Of The Coronavirus Pandemic
science20.com – Co-authored by by Lauren Philippi, Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of GuelphIn late December 2019 an outbreak of pneumonia cases arose in Wuhan, China. Patients presented with an acute respiratory illness linked to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Source: Kai Kupferschmidt. WHO launches global megatrial of the four most promising coronavirus treatments. Science, 2020.
Engineers test a powered 'ankle exoskeleton' to make running easier
engadget.com – Ankle exoskeletons could help you run longer and faster and even serve as a new mode of transportation, according to a team of Stanford University engineers. The engineers tested a motorized exoskeleton rig that attaches around the ankle and foot and found that it made running 15 percent easier. They explained that when the exoskeleton's motor is switched on, it reduces the energy cost of running and allows the user to run longer than they're usually capable of. The device can also boost a...
Source: Kirby A. Witte, Pieter Fiers, Alison L. Sheets-Singer, Steven H. Collins. Improving the energy economy of human running with powered and unpowered ankle exoskeleton assistance. Science Robotics, 2020.
The coronavirus test isn't as scary as it looks
mashable.com – "It is perfectly normal."
Source: Dennis Normile. Coronavirus cases have dropped sharply in South Korea. What’s the secret to its success?. Science, 2020.
