Science News - Page 5

Africa trying to replicate Moderna's COVID vaccine in an attempt to lessen the gap of vaccine inequity

Some experts see reverse engineering — recreating vaccines from fragments of publicly available information — as one of the few remaining ways to redress the power imbalances of the pandemic.

Advising committee member resigns after NASA refuses to change telescope named after homophobic former administrator

The telescope was originally named just ‘Next Generation Space Telescope,’ but in 2002, then NASA boss Sean O’Keefe renamed it to honour Webb, who had served the US space agency during the Apollo era.

New Delta subvariant AY.4.2 spreads fast in UK, US, Russia, Israel: Everything you need to know

Experts say that given how the Delta variant has predominated samples of Covid-19 globally for more than six months, it was seen as an indication that the novel coronavirus had reached its “evolutionary limit".

Pfizer's COVID-19 booster shot is safe, 95.6 percent effective against virus in patients 16 years and older

Several countries have already approved Covid-19 booster shots to increase immunity in people who have already been vaccinated, but whose protection may have dipped after several months, per some studies.

Largest triceratops skeleton unearthed, Big John, was auctioned for 6.6 million euros in Paris

Big John's skeleton is 60 percent complete and was unearthed in South Dakota in the United States in 2014 and put together by specialists in Italy.

COVID-19 Fact Check: As long as COVID persists, new variants of the virus will keep emerging

Delta is twice as contagious as earlier versions of the virus and it could still mutate to become more infectious, it probably won’t double its transmission rate.

Elephants in Mozambique may never develop tusks due to civil war, constant poaching finds study

Genes are responsible for whether elephants inherit tusks from their parents, once rare occurance, it has become more common — like a rare eye colour becoming widespread.

48 countries most vulnerable to climate change effects laid out demands for richer nations ahead of COP26

The group also called for governments to update their emissions goals at each annual climate summit, something rich countries currently only do every five years.

Boeing to test unmanned Starliner capsule at the start of 2022, crewed launch may occur later in the year

Starliner was scheduled to fly to the ISS on 3 August but the flight was aborted hours before launch because of problems with propulsion system valves.

Over 99.9 percent of published scientific papers agree humans play a major role in causing climate change

This study, updated an older paper that reviewed studies published from 1991 and 2012, looked at literature published from 2012 to November 2020.

Oink oink: Surgeons transplanted kidney grown in a pig to a human and its works perfectly

Researchers have long sought to grow organs in pigs to transplant into humans and technologies like cloning and genetic engineering have brought the vision closer to reality in recent years.

Orionids meteor shower will take place till 7 November, to peak on Thursday: Here is how you can watch it

The Orionid meteor shower are made from material left behind by Halley’s comet that visits the Earth’s solar neighbourhood once every 76 years.

COVID exposed the broken system of the plastic production and recycling sector: Here’s how we can fix it

Since before the pandemic, governments worldwide have shown a tendency to seek quick-fix solutions to plastic pollution in order to signal a decisive stance on sustainability.

Moon rocks brought back by China's mission revealed new info about ancient lunar volcano activity

The samples showed that volcanic activity occurred on the moon as recently as two billion years ago, compared to previous estimates that thought it halted some 2.8 billion and three billion years ago.

Cannot cut corners while recommending a vaccine, WHO seeks more information from Bharat Biotech

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, which has developed Covaxin, had submitted EOI to the WHO on 19 April for the vaccine's Emergency Use Listing.

Risk to mama and baby from COVID infection is far greater than risk from vaccine side-effects

A viral infection can disrupt the placenta’s function, leading to preterm birth and, in the worst case, the death of the foetus in the womb.

Similar to COVID, Tuberculosis also spreads via aerosols expelled when exhaled deeply

Research suggests that some methods used to limit COVID transmission — masks, open windows or doors, and being outdoors as much as possible — could curtail TB as well.

Diver discovers 'extremely rare' 900-year-old sword dating back to the Third Crusade

Katzin also found stone anchors and pottery fragments that date back hundreds of years was found in the same 1,000-square-foot site.

COVID-19 vaccine can provide some immunity against all types of coronaviruses finds study

a universal Sarbecovirus vaccine can be made for SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2 and other SARS-related coronaviruses, and a universal Embecovirus for HCoV-OC43 and HKU1 that cause common colds.

WHO chief and Health Minister discuss Covaxin's EUL, vaccine equity and supplying COVAX during virtual call

India will resume export of surplus COVID-19 vaccines in the fourth quarter of 2021 under the Vaccine Maitri' programme and to meet its commitment to the COVAX global pool.

Concrete is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases on Earth after China, US

The stakes for the planet are high: the UN estimates that three quarters of the world's infrastructure by 2050 has yet to be built.

Reducing carbon emissions may not be enough anymore, direct CO2 capture might be the way to go

Appeals to remove the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere have begun to enter the political arena, and could become a contentious issue at the UN negotiations in Glasgow and beyond, experts say.

Mice that ate less calories instead of just reducing food intake lived a longer life, finds study

The study shows that mice on a calorie-restricted diet with 21 hours between meals lived about half a year longer than mice who ate as much as they wanted at any time of day.

Children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy need timely and affordable pediatric care in India

In July 2021, the government finalised the National Policy for Rare Diseases (NPRD) in which voluntary crowdfunding for the treatment of rare diseases like SMA was approved.

UN passes resolution that clean, healthy environment is a fundamental human right

According to the WHO, around 13.7 million deaths a year are linked to the environment, caused by air pollution, chemical exposure, etc.

Russian actress, director return to Earth after filming first movie for 12 days aboard space station

Yulia Peresild is the film's lead actress, was selected from some 3,000 applicants, said she was "sad" to leave the ISS.

Bitcoin miners set up private power plant, garners wrath of environmentalists as it threaten climate action

Greenidge Generation runs its own power plant to produce about 44 megawatts to run 15,300 computer servers which is enough to power more than 35,000 homes.

India's Takachar wins Earthshot Prize's for creating machine that turns agricultural waste into fertiliser

In a short film recorded, Prine William warns the "actions we choose or choose not to take in the next 10 years will determine the fate of the planet for the next thousand".

Will poor countries get access to new antiviral medication to treat COVID or be elusive as vaccines?

The drugs work best if taken as soon as symptoms appear, and patients must be sure they have the coronavirus. But testing is scarce in many places.

WHO's advisory group to meet on 26 Oct to decide on EUL for Covaxin says chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan

The approval for the vaccine is much awaited, especially by students, medical tourists, business travellers and people with international travel plans and has been in the works since July.