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Top Stories:  Here are the latest trends in science, technology, medicine, health, the environment, and artificial intelligence.

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Accessed on 20 April 2020, 1555 UTC.

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ASTRONOMY

Hubble Observes Little-Know Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy

This Hubble image shows the dwarf elliptical galaxy LEDA 29388. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / T. Armandroff.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

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 postflight image (postflight day 1) in the same astronaut; the black arrowheads show upward expansion of the anterior, middle, and posterior superior margins of the lateral ventricle with associated narrowing of the marginal sulcus of the cingulate sulcus (white arrowhead); there is subtle expansion of the third ventricle (indicated by a 3), which has displaced the thalamus (T) from midline, making it less visible; there is thickening of the intermediate signal scalp soft tissues (arrows). Image credit: Kramer et al, doi: 10.1148/radiol.2020191413.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

Neolithic rock art in Tassili n’Ajjer National Park, Sahara, Algeria. Image credit: Patrick Gruban, Munich, Germany / CC BY-SA 2.0.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

A reconstruction of the giant pterosaur Hatzegopteryx launching into the air, just after the forelimbs have left the ground. Image credit: Mark Witton.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

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; blue: 20 min) and the remaining pillar height (light gray) after the extraction (bottom), based on SEM images. Image credit: Román-Kustas et al, doi: 10.1002/admi.202000112.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

Majorana quasiparticles on the surface of uranium ditelluride. Image credit: E. Edwards, Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center.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

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.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

Colorized scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell (greenish brown) heavily infected with SARS-COV-2 virus particles (pink), isolated from a patient sample. Image credit: NIAID.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

An artist’s impression of a water-world planet. Image credit: Sci-News.com.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

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.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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Russ Roberts

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https://hawaiisciencedaily.com

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