Opinion | ‘People Will Jump Off a 100-Foot Wall’: What We Heard This Week
“If the wall is 100 feet, people will jump off a 100-foot wall.” — Vishal Bansal, MD, of Scripps Mercy in San Diego, on serious falls at higher border walls that are filling up trauma services. “We need an ‘Operation Warp Speed’ for long COVID, and we shouldn’t settle for anything less.” — Diana Berrent, […]
How did Earth avoid a Mars-like fate? Ancient rocks hold clues: New paleomagnetic research suggests Earth’s solid inner core formed 550 million years ago and restored our planet’s magnetic field
Approximately 1,800 miles beneath our feet, swirling liquid iron in the Earth’s outer core generates our planet’s protective magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is vital for life on Earth’s surface because it shields the planet from solar wind — streams of radiation from the sun. About 565 million years ago, however, the […]
New species of stegosaur is oldest discovered in Asia, and possibly the world: Bashanosaurus primitivus roamed Earth around 168 million years ago during the Middle Jurassic period
Relatively small, but fearsome-looking stegosaur measured about 2.8 metres (9 feet) from nose to tail — but scientists can’t tell whether the remains are those of an adult or juvenile. A new species of one of the most recognisable types of dinosaur is the oldest stegosaur ever found in Asia, and one of the earliest […]
Linker histones tune the length and shape of chromosomes
Human life hinges on the ability of our cells to cram six feet of DNA into a 10-micron nucleus — equivalent to fitting a mile of string inside one green pea. But stuffing genes into cramped quarters is only half the battle. The DNA must also remain organized, carefully coiled into loops that ensure the […]
Physical distance may not be enough to prevent viral aerosol exposure indoors: Architectural engineering team investigated the effects of physical distancing, building ventilation as control strategies
Eighteen months ago, stickers began to dot the floors of most shops, spaced about six feet apart, indicating the physical distance required to avoid the COVID-19 virus an infected person may shed when breathing or speaking. But is the distance enough to help avoid infectious aerosols? Not indoors, say researchers in the Penn State Department […]