Omicron-specific vaccine boosters are now in humans as trials begin
The boosters may be ready in March, but what comes next is anyone's guess. Enlarge / A vial of the current Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. (credit: Getty | Ivan Romano) The first doses of omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccines went into.....»»
Thanks to humans, Salish Sea waters are too noisy for resident orcas to hunt successfully
The Salish Sea—the inland coastal waters of Washington and British Columbia—is home to two unique populations of fish-eating orcas, the northern resident and the southern resident orcas. Human activity over much of the 20th century, including red.....»»
Pollution of the potent warming gas methane soars and people are mostly to blame
The amount and proportion of the powerful heat-trapping gas methane that humans spew into the atmosphere is rising, helping to turbocharge climate change, a new study finds......»»
How viruses move through insects for transmission of diseases
Viruses are master parasites that have adapted to infect many host species. Some viruses even use multiple hosts to spread their infections—such as arboviruses that use insects to move their infections to mammalian hosts like humans. Understanding.....»»
Promoting horse welfare with an intestinal disease screening method
Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, are developing a promising method to support the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in horses. Awareness of the prevalence of IBD in both humans and animals has increased in recent de.....»»
A roadmap for using viruses to enhance crop performance
Humans, livestock and companion animals benefit from virus-based vaccines and gene therapies, but crops do not. This paradox is highlighted by an international research group led by the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants (IBMCP) wi.....»»
33 open-source cybersecurity solutions you didn’t know you needed
Open-source cybersecurity tools provide transparency and flexibility, allowing users to examine and customize the source code to fit specific security needs. These tools make cybersecurity accessible to a broader range of organizations and individual.....»»
First robot leg with "artificial muscles" jumps nimbly: Study
Researchers said on Monday they had designed the first robotic leg with "artificial muscles"—oil-filled bags allowing machines to move more like humans—that can jump nimbly across a range of surfaces......»»
How context-specific factors control gene activity
Every cell in our body contains the same DNA, yet liver cells are different from brain cells, and skin cells differ from muscle cells. What determines these differences? It all comes down to gene regulation; essentially how and when genes are turned.....»»
Space travel comes with risk—SpaceX"s Polaris Dawn mission will push the envelope further than ever
Space is an unnatural environment for humans. We can't survive unprotected in a pure vacuum for more than two minutes. Getting to space involves being strapped to a barely contained chemical explosion......»»
Solving the side effect problem of siRNA drugs for genetic disease treatment
Small interfering RNA (siRNA) drugs are a class of therapeutic agents that silence specific genes associated with inherited diseases. However, siRNA drugs have challenges because siRNAs often silence genes other than the target ones, causing side eff.....»»
Video: Mars rover trials
Rover trials in a quarry in the U.K. showing a four-wheeled rover, known as Codi, using its robotic arm and a powerful computer vision system to pick up sample tubes......»»
PlayStation celebrates its 30th birthday with free trials, board games, and more
Sony has started to announce how it'll be celebrating its 30th anniversary in December, and Astro Bot is only just the start......»»
New Waymo data shows self-driving tech drives safer than humans
Self-driving technology company Waymo said its robotaxis are making roads safer in the markets where it operates — and sharing data to back those claims......»»
New filter removes chemical contaminants from water even at very low concentrations
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products pose a major environmental threat. These chemicals, found in everyday items like medicines and cosmetics, can pollute waterways, harming the plants and animals living in the waterways and the humans who use.....»»
Moderna mRNA mpox vaccine shows promise in animal study
An experimental Moderna mRNA vaccine for mpox has demonstrated greater effectiveness than current shots in reducing disease symptoms and duration, according to an animal study published in the journal Cell on Wednesday......»»
Australian government trial finds AI is much worse than humans at summarizing
Llama2-70B failed to capture "complex context," but updated models might do better. Enlarge / ASIC evaluators found AI summaries were often "wordy and pointless—just repeating what was in the submission." (credit: Getty Images).....»»
Record measles outbreak in Oregon blamed on vaccine exemptions
Vaccine exemptions at nearly 9% in the state, enabling sustained transmission. Enlarge / A US child infected with measles during a 2024 outbreak. The child’s cheek shows the characteristic rash associated with this viral infect.....»»
Dozens of viruses detected in Chinese fur farm animals
Dozens of viruses have been detected mixing in animals at fur farms in China, some of which are new and have the potential to spill over into humans, researchers said Wednesday......»»
The world"s fastest single-shot 2D imaging technique films ultrafast dynamics in flames
Candle flames and airplane engines produce tiny soot particles from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as their precursors, both of which are harmful to humans and the environment. These carbon-based particles are also common in space, making up.....»»
Denmark reports cases of bluetongue disease that can be fatal to sheep but is harmless to humans
Denmark reported Tuesday cases of bluetongue in the country's east, a non-contagious, insect-borne viral disease that is harmless to humans but can be fatal for so-called ruminant animals—mainly sheep but also cows and goats......»»