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Accessed on 20 April 2020, 1555 UTC.
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TESS Discovers Unusual Ancient System with Two Hot Gas Giants
Genetic Variability in Immune System May Affect Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2
Star Hurtling around Milky Way’s Central Black Hole Validates Einstein’s General Relativity
Study Links Neutrophil Infiltration in Lungs to COVID-19 Symptoms
Red Dwarf Kepler-1649 Has Earth-Sized Exoplanet in Habitable Zone
Astronomers Spot Most Powerful Supernova Explosion
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TESS Discovers Unusual Ancient System with Two Hot Gas Giants
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Genetic Variability in Immune System May Affect Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2
Genetic Variability in Immune System May Affect Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2
Star Hurtling around Milky Way’s Central Black Hole Validates Einstein’s General Relativity
Study Links Neutrophil Infiltration in Lungs to COVID-19 Symptoms
Red Dwarf Kepler-1649 Has Earth-Sized Exoplanet in Habitable Zone
Astronomers Spot Most Powerful Supernova Explosion
TESS Discovers Unusual Ancient System with Two Hot Gas Giants
ASTRONOMY
Hubble Observes Little-Know Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have obtained a remarkable view of the dwarf galaxy LEDA 29388. This Hubble image shows the dwarf elliptical galaxy LEDA 29388. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / T. Armandroff. LEDA 29388 is located some 12 million light-years away in the constellation of Ursa Major. Otherwise known as UGC 5442, KDG 64 and Mailyan 50, this galaxy is a member…
SPACE EXPLORATION
Study: Long-Duration Spaceflight Affects Brain Volume
A new study led by Professor Larry Kramer from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston suggests that the impact of microgravity is far-reaching, potentially causing brain volume changes and pituitary gland deformation. Reconstructed sagittal 5-mm orthogonal midline images in the brain using the sagittal 3D T1-weighted data set: (left) preflight baseline image and (right) matching…
ARCHAEOLOGY
Neolithic East African Pastoralist Societies Consumed Milk
New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides the first evidence for diet and subsistence practices of Neolithic East African pastoralists. Neolithic rock art in Tassili n’Ajjer National Park, Sahara, Algeria. Image credit: Patrick Gruban, Munich, Germany / CC BY-SA 2.0. The development of pastoralism is known to have transformed human diets and societies…
PALEONTOLOGY
Fossil Flyers Hold Secrets to Better Flight Technologies
The physiology of pterosaurs and other fossil flyers could provide ancient solutions to modern flight problems, such as aerial stability and the ability of drones to self-launch, according to a new paper published in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution. A reconstruction of the giant pterosaur Hatzegopteryx launching into the air, just after the forelimbs have left the ground. Image credit:…
BIOLOGY
New Study Examines Structural and Chemical Characteristics of Cicada Wings
Chemical compounds that coat cicada wings also contribute to their ability to repel water and kill microbes, says a new study published in the journal Advanced Materials: Interfaces. Neotibicen pruinosus and Magicicada casinnii and their wings with the relevant cells labeled (top). Scale representations of the material removed throughout the chemical extractions (orange: 1 min; dark gray: 5 min;…
PHYSICS
New Measurements Show Evidence for Presence of Majorana Quasiparticles in Uranium Ditelluride
An international team of physicists has used high-resolution microscopy tools to peer at the inner-workings of the recently-discovered heavy-fermion superconductor, uranium ditelluride (UTe2). The measurements reveal strong evidence that this material may be a natural home to an exotic Majorana quasiparticle that’s been hiding from physicists for decades. Majorana quasiparticles on the surface…
MEDICINE
Genetic Variability in Immune System May Affect Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2
Genetic variability in the human immune system may affect susceptibility to and severity of infection by SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus which causes the COVID-19 disease, according to new research. Colorized scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell (green) heavily infected with SARS-COV-2 virus particles (yellow), isolated from a patient sample. Image credit: NIAID. Individual genetic variation…
GENETICS
Genetic Study Identifies Three Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus
In a phylogenetic network analysis of the first 160 complete genomes of SARS-CoV-2 to be sequenced from human patients, an international team of scientists found three distinct variants of SARS-CoV-2: A, B and C: the A and C types are found in significant proportions outside East Asia, that is, in Europeans and Americans; in contrast, the B type is the most common type in East Asia, and its ancestral…
GEOLOGY
Archean Earth Was Covered by Global Ocean, New Study Suggests
The surface of Earth was likely covered by a global ocean 3.24 billion years ago (Archean Eon), according to a new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience. An artist’s impression of a water-world planet. Image credit: Sci-News.com. “Our findings could help scientists to better understand how and where single-cell organisms first emerged on Earth,” said Dr. Boswell Wing, a researcher…
OTHER SCIENCES
Earth’s Core May Be Leaking Iron, Geoscientists Say
Earth’s molten core may be leaking heavy isotopes of iron, according to a study led by geoscientists from Aarhus University and the University of California, Davis. Heavier iron isotopes migrate toward lower temperatures into the mantle, while lighter iron isotopes circulate back down into the core. Image credit: L. O’Dwyer Brown, Aarhus University. The boundary between the liquid iron core and…
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