Wednesday, May 13, 2020

science news 13.5.2020

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.



evolution

Can we really tell male and female dinosaurs apart?
I know I can't

Ancient reptile had mammal-like tooth enamel, study shows


ecology

Alaskan rainforests are a global lichen hotspot, new study shows

Moths have a secret but vital role as pollinators in the night

Ants use collective 'brainpower' to navigate obstacles


conservation

Over-harvesting could wipe out water frogs in parts of Turkey


biomedical

Testing suggests 3% of NHS hospital staff may be unknowingly infected with coronavirus

Vitamin D determines severity in COVID-19 so government advice needs to change


humans

Geometry guided construction of earliest known temple, built 6,000 years before Stonehenge
Researchers at Tel Aviv University and the Israel Antiquities Authority have now used architectural analysis to discover that geometry informed the layout of Göbekli Tepe's impressive round stone structures and enormous assembly of limestone pillars, which they say were initially planned as a single structure.



Göbekli Tepe, Enclosure C.
Credit: Gil Haklay/AFTAU.

What we can't see can help us find things
Anyone who's ever tried to find something in a hurry knows how helpful it is to think about the lost item's color, size and shape. But surprisingly, traits of an object that you can't see also come into play during a search, Johns Hopkins University researchers found.

Children with autism face higher risk of eating disorders
Children with autistic traits are more likely than their peers to develop an eating disorder, according to a new UCL-led study.


dystopian futures

AI techniques in medical imaging may lead to incorrect diagnoses

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From the news media:


Transparency is key in a crisis - so why isn't the British government being straight with us?

asks Stephen Reicher, member of the SAGE subcommittee on behaviour, in the Guardian.




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