Friday, May 08, 2020

science news 8.5.2020

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.



conservation

Benthos in the Antarctic Weddell Sea in decline
between 1988 and 2014, total benthic biomass on the continental shelf of the northeast Weddell Sea declined by two thirds


nanoworld

Dendrimers finally have what it takes to break into the laser scene
Dendrimers were so exciting in the 90s and I covered them in my nanoworld book, but then all those futuristic applications failed to materialise and these days I very rarely see papers about them. I really wanted to show the image here, but it said "Unauthorized use is prohibited" so that's too bad. Click through to the PR to see it.

High color purity 3D printing
a new method to obtain high color purity 3D objects with the use of a new class of nanoparticles.


biomedical

Bioethicist calls out unproven and unlicensed 'stem cell treatments' for COVID-19
Back in mid March, when I was writing my feature on stem cell "cures", searches already brought up the occasional offer of a cure for covid-19.

Vitamin D linked to low virus death rate
Good excuse to do some more sunbathing.

Study finds breathing and talking contribute to COVID-19 spread

By the third day most with COVID-19 lose sense of smell


sustainability

Planting trees is no panacea for climate change, ecologist writes in Science commentary

Using digital twins to design more sustainable cities


humans

Beer was here! A new microstructural marker for malting in the archaeological record


Genomes of the ancient Andes, analyzed



An international research team has conducted the first in-depth, wide-scale study of the genomic history of ancient civilizations in the central Andes mountains and coast before European contact. The analysis included representatives of iconic civilizations in the Andes from whom no genome-wide data had been reported before, including the Moche, Nasca, Wari, Tiwanaku and Inca. Shown here is a detail from the Tiwanaku Gate of the Sun.
Credit: Miguel Angel López


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From the news media:

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