Researchers are working on a medical device that uses UV-A as a potential treatment for COVID-19 patients. But a study is in early stages.
As if 2020 wasn’t already bad enough, the US now has another problem to deal with: a terrifying monster insect nicknamed the “murder hornet”.
Officially called the Asian giant hornet, or Vespa mandarinia, the huge insects have been spotted in the US for the first time in recent months, appearing in Washington state, the state’s Department of Agriculture says.
The hornets, which are over two inches long, were first spotted in the state in December last year, and generally become active in the spring, researchers from Washington State University said in a post published in early April.
Altitude: 346 km.
Philippines at International Space Station 🛰 🇵🇭 NASA Photo ID: ISS023-E-35961 © NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) 🇺🇸.
The coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, swept the world fast and furiously — and we’re barely starting to experience the first wave of the pandemic. However, to biologists and virologists, the sudden appearance of the coronavirus wasn’t surprising. It is simply a natural consequence of humans disturbing ecosystems in equilibrium and wildlife trade, something that we’ve done at an increasing rate with each passing decade.
Pandemics such as COVID-19 might become increasingly frequent as humans continue unabated on their course to expand their range at the expense of wildlife.
High rates of deforestation in Asia over the last four decades have prompted many scientists to sound the alarm, warning the world of the risk of dangerous microorganisms migrating to humans.
An expert warns there is “nothing more valuable” in the world today than a way to prevent the disease.
AstraZeneca will make and distribute Oxford University’s coronavirus vaccine if it proves effective.
A Chinese pharmaceutical company carrying out human trials for a coronavirus vaccine says it’s ready to start producing its product on a mass scale.
‘Through advances in medical devices and synthetic biology, DARPA’s new Advanced Acclimation and Protection Tool for Environmental Readiness (ADAPTER) program aims to develop a travel adapter for the human body, an implantable or ingestible bioelectronic carrier that can provide warfighters control over their own physiology. The integrated system will be designed to entrain the sleep cycle – either to a new time zone or back to a normal sleep pattern after night missions – and eliminate bacteria that cause traveler’s diarrhea after ingestion of contaminated food and water,’ reads a DARPA statement on the new device.”
The adapter is meant to regulate sleep patterns and protect against diarrhea.
Earlier this year, the layer of ozone over the Arctic thinned out enough to be considered a serious sized hole. It wasn’t exactly impressive compared with its southern cousin, but it was certainly a lot bigger than we’d ever seen it before.
Now, according to surveillance by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), we can breathe a sigh of relief. It’s healed up again.
That’s great news for ecosystems below, which rely on concentrations of ozone gas high up in the stratosphere to act as a planetary-scale sunscreen against damaging showers of UV radiation.
Northeastern University and Wenzhou Medical University in China have partnered to combine their expertise in nanotechnology and medicine, respectively, to collaborate on research focusing on reducing eye infections caused by contact lenses and intraocular devices.
Through this partnership, the researchers will explore the emerging field of picotechnology, which involves the manipulation of matter on an even smaller scale than is used in nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology researchers at Northeastern are joining forces with Wenzhou Medical University in China to collaborate in the new field of picotechnology—and combat eye infections.
Continue reading “Picotechnology in the center of new research partnership” »
