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Apr 1, 2020

More Than 3,000 Lightning Bolts Strike Greece on Thursday (video)

Posted by in category: climatology

This is not normal and there is another 3000 happening right now based on lightning tracker.


More than 3,000 lightning strikes, which occurred mostly during rainstorms, were recorded in central regions of the country on August 15, according to the National Observatory of Athens.

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Apr 1, 2020

When Humans Are Sheltered in Place, Wild Animals Will Play

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Really thought this was cute!


Goats in Wales; coyotes in San Francisco; rats, rats, everywhere: With much of the world staying home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, animals have ventured out where normally the presence of people would keep them away.

Apr 1, 2020

Israeli scientists say vaccine to be tested on humans

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

A team of Israeli researchers says that they are days away from completing the production of the active component of a coronavirus vaccine that could be tested on humans as early as June 1.


MIGAL and IIBR are both testing potential COVID-19 vaccinations on mammals.

Apr 1, 2020

Mechanical Ventilation

Posted by in category: futurism

“Mechanical Ventilation” published on by Oxford University Press.

Apr 1, 2020

‘Liquid biopsy’ blood test accurately predicts cancer

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, information science, robotics/AI

A new blood test that can detect methylation of DNA can accurately predict whether a person has any one of 50 cancers and where the tumour is growing.

The California-based healthcare company Grail, which developed the test, owns a large database of methylation patterns in cancerous and non-cancerous cell-free DNA. From that repository, a machine learning program was developed to analyse blood samples. The algorithm identified methylation changes that are classified as cancerous or non-cancerous, and it could even pinpoint the tissue of origin before the onset of symptoms.

Validation of the test was carried out by researchers from the US at the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and Harvard medical school, working with colleagues at the Francis Crick Institute and University College London in the UK. In all, more than 15,000 volunteers from over 140 clinics in North America took part, and their samples revealed that this ‘liquid biopsy’ had a 0.7% false positive rate for cancer detection. The test was also able to predict the tissue that the cancer originated in with more than 90% accuracy. It performed best on 12 of the most common cancers, including ones that are most lethal and have no established screening paradigms such as pancreatic and ovarian cancers.

Apr 1, 2020

Human evolution: The astounding new story of the origin of our species

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, evolution

Forget the simple out-of-Africa idea of how humans evolved. A huge array of fossils and genome studies has completely rewritten the story of how we came into being.

Apr 1, 2020

The world’s largest aircraft will now test hypersonics for the military

Posted by in categories: government, military, satellites

“Our hypersonic testbeds will serve as a catalyst in sparking a renaissance in hypersonic technologies for our government, the commercial sector, and academia,” said W. Jean Floyd, Stratolaunch’s chief executive, in a statement.

This is an interesting, if not wholly unexpected, turn for Stratolaunch. During the last decade, the aerospace community has often collectively scratched its head, wondering how such a large aircraft could be cost-competitive in the hotly contested market to launch small- and medium-sized satellites. And without a dedicated rocket in existence, the company seemed little more than a vanity project for the wealthy Allen. If Stratolaunch served any purpose, the speculation went, it must be to meet some unspecified military need.

There can be no question that the military is interested in hypersonic technology. China, Russia, and the United States are all racing to develop hypersonic missiles, as well as new countermeasure technology as high-speed missiles threaten to penetrate most existing defenses. A Rand Corporation report from 2017 provides more basic information, suggesting, “There is probably less than a decade available to substantially hinder the potential proliferation of hypersonic missiles and associated technologies.”

Apr 1, 2020

Tesla’s next killer app: solar power on its electric cars — starting with Cybertruck

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Solar power on electric cars has yet to become a common feature, but Tesla is about to change that — starting with the Cybertruck electric pickup.

We’ve discussed solar roofs on electric vehicles before, most recently with the one on the latest Prius Prime, but the recurring problem is that they rarely generate enough power to be worth it.

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Apr 1, 2020

How Epidemics of the Past Changed the Way Americans Lived

Posted by in categories: education, health

Past public health crises inspired innovations in infrastructure, education, fundraising and civic debate.

Apr 1, 2020

Ten Tips from Scientists Who Have Spent Months in Isolation

Posted by in category: futurism

Find a hobby, for starters, and don’t forget the mission, say scientists who have worked at remote research stations.