science news 14.4.2020

Today's selection of science news. Links are normally to press releases on EurekAlert (at the bottom end I may also add a couple of newspaper stories). I include quotes from the summary in italics in cases where the title alone doesn't reveal what the story is about. My own thoughts appear without italics if I have any.


astrobiology

New formation theory explains the mysterious interstellar object 'Oumuamua


evolution

When fathers are pregnant
Reproduction is still one of the greatest mysteries in nature. Pregnancies are usually carried out by the female sex. Only in pipefishes and seahorses males are the pregnant sex. An international team of scientists led by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel has deciphered the complex modifications of their immune system that enabled male pregnancy.



Sea horse
Credit: S. Kaehlert, GEOMAR


ecology

Scientists discover bent-toed gecko species in Cambodia

Plant diversity in European forests is declining


biomedical

Loss of smell and taste validated as COVID-19 symptoms in patients, with high recovery rate

Study finds remdesivir effective against a key enzyme of coronavirus that causes COVID-19

Super-charging drug development for COVID-19
Researchers are using cell-free manufacturing to ramp up production of valinomycin, a promising drug that has proven effective in obliterating SARS-CoV in cellular cultures.

New Rutgers saliva test for coronavirus gets FDA approval


dystopian futures

'I saw you were online': How online status indicators shape our behavior


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From the news media:

We are of course, absolutely screwed here in the UK, with the govt. failure of early March now on track to cause the highest death toll of any European country. The one thing we have left to cheer us up is looking at the US. They are so much more screwed than us. Here's a timeline of events and lies from the top.