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☆ California has been hammered with rain. It may not be enough to reverse its drought.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Evan Bush | Evan Bush Is A Science Reporter For Nbc News. He Can Be Reached At Evan.Bush Nbcuni.Com. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

California counts on a system of about 1,400 human-made surface reservoirs and thousands upon thousands of miles of levees to manage surface water. During the recent storms, extreme drought has buffered some impacts of intense rainfall with plenty of space in the state’s largest reservoirs, which have withered under drought. Before the series of atmospheric rivers, it was storing less than 1 million acre-feet of water. In the Central Valley, Californians extract about 2 million acre-feet more than what returns to the ground, on average, every year, Lund said. California legislators in 2014 passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which requires local agencies to reach groundwater sustainability by 2042.

☆ Spending more time with your kids, grandkids—and their germs—may lower risk of a severe outcome from Covid-19, recent studies show
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

That's according to two studies that were published in August and November of this year, which researched how exposure to younger kids and common colds may impact outcomes for adults after contracting Covid-19. Exposure to kids may lower your risk of hospitalization from Covid-19The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in August, discovered an association between people who were exposed to young children and lower risk of severe illness from Covid-19. And researchers compared the severity of outcomes from Covid-19 for people without children and people with children in three different age ranges: 0-5, 6-11 and 12-18. The findings showed that chances of Veteran Affairs patients contracting Covid-19 decreased by 80% to 90% if they tested positive for any of the common coronaviruses between February 2020 and February 2021. This means developing a common cold may shield people from Covid-19 infection, even if for a short period time.

☆ Keystone pipeline rupture spilled diluted bitumen, complicating cleanup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Rod Nickel | Mrinalika Roy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) -The oil spilled from TC Energy Corp’s ruptured Keystone pipeline was diluted bitumen, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Thursday, adding complications to the cleanup. The report said that when diluted bitumen spills, a thick, dense material forms as a residue after exposure to the environment. “For this reason, spills of diluted bitumen pose particular challenges when they reach water bodies,” the report said. The Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy group, questioned why parts of the pipeline reopened before TC Energy had identified the leak’s cause. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, state and local agencies, TC Energy and TC Energy contractors, the agency said.

☆ Keystone pipeline break spilled diluted bitumen, complicating cleanup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Rod Nickel | Mrinalika Roy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

(Reuters) -The oil spilled from TC Energy Corp’s ruptured Keystone pipeline was diluted bitumen, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Thursday, adding complications to the cleanup. REUTERS/Drone Base/File PhotoThe 622,000 barrels per day (bpd) pipeline was shut last week after it spilled 14,000 barrels of oil in rural Kansas, including into a creek. The parts of the pipeline carrying oil from Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Illinois opened on Wednesday at reduced capacity. The Sierra Club, another environmental advocacy group, questioned why parts of the pipeline reopened before TC Energy had identified the leak’s cause. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, state and local agencies, TC Energy and TC Energy contractors, the agency said.

Put another way, more Black children in metro Phoenix will go through a child maltreatment investigation than won’t. Almost all described a system so omnipresent among Black families that it has created a kind of communitywide dread: of that next knock on the door, of that next warrantless search of their home. Many Black families first moved there as a result of redlining and racial covenants that blocked them from renting or owning property elsewhere. In Maricopa County, Black children experienced child welfare investigations at one of the highest rates among large counties nationally, and nearly three times the rate of their white peers, from 2015 to 2019. But throughout the country, investigations were more pervasive among Black families.

☆ Fact Check-Food products do not contain human fetal cells
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

There is no evidence that food products contain cells from aborted human fetuses as flavor enhancers, contrary to a social media claim that revives a related, previously-debunked charge about cells used in biomedical research. Research by Senomyx into the use of ‘HEK-293’ aborted human fetal cells as a flavor enhancer was published in Pubmed in 2002, after which several patents were filed by them. Reuters previously factchecked false claims that PepsiCo drinks contained aborted fetal cells. AN OLD CELL LINEThe controversial cell line is derived from fetal cells dating to the 1970s. There is no evidence that any food or beverage products contain cells from human fetuses or derived from fetuses.

And Wagner’s beloved fireflies – like so many insects worldwide – have largely vanished in what scientists are calling the global Insect Apocalypse. “Insects are the food that make all the birds and make all the fish,” said Wagner, who works at the University of Connecticut. Humans, too, see some 2,000 species of insects as food. “We’d see yields dropping of all of these crops.”And in nature, about 80% of wild plants rely on insects for pollination. WINNERS AND LOSERSWhile the situation is bleak for insects at large, a few types of insects are thriving.

☆ ‘Living in despair and hopelessness’: A lack of affordable housing can put people’s health at risk
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Renuka Rayasam Fred Clasen-Kelly Kaiser Health News | Renuka Rayasam | Fred Clasen-Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

She suspected the gray and brown splotches spreading through the apartment were mold and had caused her son’s illness. A nationwide affordable housing crisis has wreaked havoc on the lives of low-income families, like Joseph’s, who are close to the brink. Housing instability — such as having trouble paying rent, living in crowded conditions, or moving frequently — can have negative consequences on health, according to the federal Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. And there is no county in the country where a minimum-wage worker could afford a two-bedroom rental home, according to an August report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. A few months after leaving the apartment, Joseph and her two children moved in with her sister in Orlando, Florida, with their remaining possessions — a car and some clothes.

☆ Opinion | Science Has a Nasty Photoshopping Problem
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Elisabeth Bik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

One evening in January 2014, I sat at my computer at home, sifting through scientific papers. Manipulated imagery in scientific papers can look ordinary at first glance. However, this ability, combined with my — what some might call obsessive — personality, helped me when hunting duplications in scientific images by eye. So when a scientist’s research shows a negative result, cheating can be tempting. Legitimate criticism of scientific research should receive legal protection.

☆ Disdain and defiance among Kyiv residents after Putin order
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin makes an address on the conflict with Ukraine, in Moscow, Russia, in this still image taken from video released September 21, 2022. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"I still believe Putin isn't insane, there is some rationality in him. 'EMPTY WORDS'There was strong support among Kyiv residents for Ukraine's own armed forces, who helped by Western arms have been battling Russia's much bigger military for nearly seven months on several fronts and recaptured swathes of land in recent weeks. "I think we have to trust our armed forces and no one else. I believe in Ukraine's armed forces and hope that nothing bad will happen and that we will be defended.

☆ Scientists decry death by 1,000 cuts for world’s insects
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The world’s vital insect kingdom is undergoing “death by a thousand cuts,” the world’s top bug experts said. Wagner said scientists need to figure out if the rate of the insect loss is bigger than with other species. “There is some reason to worry more,” he added, “because they are the target of attack” with insecticides, herbicides and light pollution. Honeybees have been in dramatic decline because of disease, parasites, insecticides, herbicides and lack of food. Scientists have identified 1 million insect species, while probably 4 million more are still to be discovered, Berenbaum said.

According to a new study, there are estimated to be 2.5 million times more ants on this planet than people. In total, that's 20 quadrillion — or 20,000,000,000,000,000 — ants. Taken together, the total mass of ants on the planet would actually outweigh all of the world’s wild birds and mammals, he added. Jorge Villalba / Getty Images / iStockphotoAnts can be found in nearly all habitats except for polar regions, according to the study. A separate study published in April 2020 in the journal Science found that the planet has lost more than one-quarter of its land-dwelling insects in the past 30 years.

☆ Scientists calculated the global population of ants: there are 20 quadrillion, or 2.5 million per person
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists have estimated the number of ants on earth, which is "unimaginable," a study author said. Per the study, there are 20 quadrillion ants on earth— 20 followed by 15 zeros. That's about 2.5 million ants per human. The astonishing number — 20,000,000,000,000,000 — means there would be about 2.5 million ants per single human living today. "We simply cannot imagine 20 quadrillion ants in one pile, for example.

No one knows what all the sperm whale codas mean, but they can have distinctive rhythms and tempos, known as “dialects,” Hersh said. They’ve now determined that there are at least seven distinct sperm whale “vocal clans” across the Pacific Ocean, each with their own identity codas, Hersh said. And the sperm whale clans may be thousands of years old. Beguš is part of Project CETI — the Cetacean Translation Initiative — which was established last year to decipher the sounds of sperm whales. “As the authors note, we still understand little about the function of sperm whale codas,” she said in an email.

☆ These 7 states have the worst air pollution in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Air pollution takes a toll on your lungs and can be bad for your brain, increasing psychological stress and cognitive decline in adults. At least 85 cancer cases per year in the state are due to exposure to high levels of air pollution, according to a January 2022 study from Tulane University. Nevada's status as the second-most polluted state is also seemingly well deserved: In 2021, the American Lung Association also ranked the state's air quality among "the unhealthiest for the most harmful and widespread types of air pollution." Oregon's website notes that cars and trucks are the state's largest source of air pollution, and frequent wildfires only worsen the state's poor air quality. Vermont's cities are among the cleanest by air quality in the country, and have particularly low levels of the most harmful types of air pollution, the ALA says.

☆ Scientists may have solved the mystery of how the ancient Egyptians hauled millions of 2-ton blocks of stone through the desert to build the pyramids
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-02 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ancient Egyptians built the spectacular Giza pyramids in what is now a desert landscape. The Sphinx at the Giza Pyramids on November 20, 2019. Khufu's pyramid, known as the Great Pyramid, was the first to be built and the biggest of the three. The Great Pyramid is the oldest of the famed Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one to remain largely intact. An Egyptian walks at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, on April 26, 2021.

☆ Science says parents of successful kids have these 26 things in common
▼ + stars: | 2022-02-07 | by ( Marguerite Ward | Rachel Gillett | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +24 min

Here's what parents of successful kids have in common, according to research. Children with parents who stepped in to provide instructions frequently displayed more difficulty regulating their emotions later, the researchers wrote. "Too much direct engagement can come at a cost to kids' abilities to control their own attention, behavior and emotions. When parents let kids take the lead in their interactions, children practice self-regulation skills and build independence," Obradović wrote in the study. The parents tend to take parental leave.

☆ Отказ от математики негативно влияет на мозг подростков
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-13 | by ( Mld Media Srl | ) noi.md time to read: +2 min

Математические навыки связаны с рядом преимуществ, включая занятость, социально-экономический статус, а также психическое и физическое здоровье. Изучение математики стимулирует когнитивное развитие подростков. Основываясь на количестве химического вещества в мозге каждого участника эксперимента, исследователи смогли различить подростков, которые изучали или не изучали математику, независимо от их когнитивных способностей. Учитывая важность математики и то, что она нравится не каждому подростку, важно найти возможные альтернативы дисциплине, которые задействуют ту же область мозга. Кадош добавила, что исследование дает важное понимание того, "как отсутствие даже одного-единственного компонента в образовании может повлиять на мозг и поведение".

Persons: Рой Коэн Кадош, Кадош Organizations: National Academy of Sciences, Medical, Оксфордский университет Locations: Великобритания

☆ Эксперимент с монетками доказал, что объективно видеть мир невозможно
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-05 | by ( Mld Media Srl | ) noi.md time to read: +2 min

Люди не могут видеть мир объективно, доказал эксперимент исследователей из Университета Джонса Хопкинса. «В философии вопрос о влиянии собственной точки зрения на восприятие обсуждали в течение многих столетий, — сказал старший автор исследования Чаз Файрстоун. Испытуемым девять раз показывали пары монет, одна из которых была овальной, другая — круглой. «Этот результат удивил нас — мы ожидали, что "объективность" полностью подавит любое влияние точки зрения субъекта, — сказал Файрстоун. Даже когда мы пытаемся воспринимать мир таким, какой он есть на самом деле, мы не можем полностью отбросить наше видение», — добавил ведущий автор Хорхе Моралес.

Persons: Чаз Файрстоун, Джон Локк, Дэвид Юм, Файрстоун, Хорхе Моралес Organizations: National Academy of Sciences, Medical, Университет Джонса Хопкинса

☆ Земля в процессе шестого вымирания. Как это отразится на человечестве
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-25 | by ( Mld Media Srl | ) noi.md time to read: +11 min

Значит ли это, что Земле не грозит «шестое вымирание»? Это вымирание видов в целом уравновешивалось возникновением новых. Что такое «шестое вымирание»? Это продолжающееся вымирание видов совпадает с современной эпохой голоцена и во многом является результатом человеческой деятельности. Нынешние темпы вымирания видов оцениваются в 100 - 1000 раз выше естественных фоновых показателей.

Persons: Чарльз Дарвин, Дарвин, Дженнифер Хойал Катхилл, Николас Гуттенберг, Херардо Себальос, Пол Эрлих, Элизабет Колберт Organizations: National Academy of Sciences, Geographic, МПБЭУ, Национальный автономный университет, Стэнфордский университет Locations: —, Земля, Сибирь, Мексика, Индия, США

☆ Pământul găzduiește circa 50 de miliarde de păsări care fac parte din 9 700 de specii cunoscute, estimează un studiu australian
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-18 | by ( Onixmedia Srl | ) diez.md time to read: +1 min

Pământul găzduiește circa 50 de miliarde de păsări care fac parte din 9 700 de specii cunoscute, estimează un studiu australianTerra găzduieşte circa 50 de miliarde de păsări, aproape de şase ori mai mult decât numărul oamenilor, potrivit unei estimări realizate de oameni de ştiinţă australieni şi publicată în revista Proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences. Cercetătorii au asociat sondaje ştiinţifice ale unor specii individuale care trăiesc în anumite zone de distribuţie cu cele aproape un miliard de înregistrări din baza de date ornitologică online eBird. Cercetătorii au ajuns la concluzia că există relativ puţine specii comune şi multe specii rare. Printre cele mai răspândire 10 specii de păsări din lume se numără vrabia de casă (1,6 miliarde), graurul (1,3 miliarde), pescăruşul cu inel (1,2 miliarde) şi rândunica (1,1 miliarde). „Există un număr considerabil de exemplare de păsări în lume (50 de miliarde), dar a înţelege pe deplin de ce şi cum fiecare populaţie a ajuns la mărimea actuală va fi primordial pentru studiul viitor al evoluţiei, ecologiei şi conservării”, au menţionat cercetătorii.

Persons: William Cornwell Organizations: Academy, Sciences, University Locations: New South Wales, Sydney, Noua Zeelandă, Madagascar

☆ Выявлен главный фактор, влияющий на продолжительность жизни
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-06 | by ( Super User | ) mybusiness.md time to read: 1 min

Ученые выявили главный фактор, влияющий на продолжительность жизни. Об этом сообщает журнал Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Исследователи на протяжении 20 лет изучали замкнутую популяцию короткоживущих диких овец в Шотландии. Они проанализировали связь между длиной теломер (концевых участков хромосом), их сохранностью и продолжительностью жизни и пришли к выводу, что долголетие коррелирует с длиной теломер и не связано со степенью их истощения. Таким образом, отмечают ученые, на срок жизни больше влияет генетическая предрасположенность, нежели внешние факторы, такие как стресс или питание.

Persons: lenta.ru Organizations: National Academy of Sciences Locations: Шотландия

☆ A fost identificat un meteorit la fel de vechi ca sistemul solar. A călătorit 4,5 miliarde de ani, apoi a căzut în Sahara
▼ + stars: | 2021-03-17 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +4 min

Erg Chech 002 este un obiect rar în mai multe privinţe. Însă, în cazul Erg Chech 002, „aceasta este prima dată când avem un fragment din scoarţa”acestor corpuri cereşti. Iar pentru a intra în posesia lui a fost nevoie de o combinaţie de circumstanţe la fel de excepţionale ca obiectul în sine. Singura explicaţie ar fi aceea că „roca a fost proiectată în spaţiul îngheţat”, în urma unui şoc, după cum a explicat Jean-Alix Barrat. Până în urmă cu 26 de milioane de ani, când micul asteroid care îl conţinea a fost spulberat, iar roca a fost expusă la soare în ultima sa etapă.

Persons: Jean, Alix, Universitatea din Brest . Cercetătorul, îşi, Erg, Marc Chaussidon, Johan Villeneuve, Alix Barrat, Ea Organizations: Agerpres, Universitatea din, Academy Locations: Algeriei, Universitatea din Brest, Sahara, Paris, Universitatea din Lorena

„Corpul-părinte” al lui Erg Chech 002 avea probabil o lungime de o sută de kilometri. Însă, în cazul Erg Chech 002, „aceasta este prima dată când avem un fragment din scoarţa” acestor corpuri cereşti. Iar pentru a intra în posesia lui a fost nevoie de o combinaţie de circumstanţe la fel de excepţionale ca obiectul în sine. Singura explicaţie ar fi aceea că „roca a fost proiectată în spaţiul îngheţat”, în urma unui şoc, după cum a explicat Jean-Alix Barrat. Până în urmă cu 26 de milioane de ani, când micul asteroid care îl conţinea a fost spulberat, iar roca a fost expusă la soare în ultima sa etapă.

Persons: Jean, Alix, Universitatea din Brest . Cercetătorul, îşi, Erg, Marc Chaussidon, Johan Villeneuve, Alix Barrat, Ea Organizations: Universitatea din, Academy Locations: Algeriei, Universitatea din Brest, Sahara, Paris, Universitatea din Lorena

☆ Коронавирус был в Италии еще в сентябре 2019 года. Так когда же он появился?
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-26 | by ( ) nokta.md time to read: +6 min

Итальянские онкологи обнаружили антитела на коронавирус в анализах крови, взятых в сентябре 2019 года. Считается, что коронавирус SARS-CoV-2 появился в Китае примерно год назад. Однако по последним данным, коронавирус нового типа уже существовал в сентябре 2019 года — и не в Китае, а в Италии, сильно пострадавшей потом во время первой — весенней — волны пандемии. Коронавирус был в Италии раньше, чем предполагалосьИсследование итальянских ученых, установившее, что первые бессимптомные пациенты с атипичной пневмонией, вызванной SARS-CoV-2, были в Италии еще в сентябре 2019-го, стало не единственным доказательством появления коронавируса в Европе еще в прошлом году, до официальной вспышки пандемии. Анализ сточных вод на севере Италии, результаты которого были обнародованы в июне, также указывал на то, что коронавирус циркулировал в стране еще в конце 2019 года.

Persons: —, Питер Форстер, Форстер Organizations: China Morning, National Academy of Science, Всемирная организация здравоохранения (ВОЗ), Институт онкологии Милана, Университет Сиены Locations: Ухань, Китай, Италия, Ухане город, Северная Америка, Австралия, Сингапур, Япония, Тайвань, Гуандун, Европа

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