A team of U.S. and German scientists is developing detectors that could remove some of the mysteries—and hazards—of using large lithium-ion batteries to power vehicles and store renewable energy. The solution they see will rely on ultrasensitive new detectors, specialized magnetometers that can produce an image of the magnetic field of a given battery, revealing […]
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How Do Children Spread the Coronavirus? The Science Still Isn’t Clear
The role of children in spreading the coronavirus has been a key question since the early days of the pandemic. Now, as some countries allow schools to begin reopening after weeks in lockdown, scientists are racing to figure this out. Children represent a small fraction of confirmed COVID-19 cases—less than 2% of reported infections in […]
We Need to Rethink Involuntary Hospitalization during This Pandemic
For millions of Americans detained by law, the COVID-19 pandemic may be especially distressing. As of April 8, more than 1,300 COVID-19 cases had been reported at jails and prisons in the U.S., raising questions about the rights of people who have limited ability to protect themselves from infection. Policy makers have explored different options […]
How Coronavirus Spreads Through the Air: What We Know So Far
Several months into a pandemic that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and decimated economies around the world, scientists still lack a complete understanding of how the virus that caused it is transmitted. Lockdowns are already easing in some places, and people are preparing to return to a version of work and social life. […]
Antipoaching Tech Tracks COVID-19 Flare-Ups in South Africa
On May 1 South Africa began to slowly open its stores and economy after a five-week lockdown to limit the spread of COVID-19. The key to this loosening of restrictions, the government and scientists say, is a plan to quickly spot new disease flare-ups and isolate them before they spread further. To do so, officials […]
How Heavy is the Universe? Conflicting Answers Hint at New Physics
Two entirely different ways of “weighing” the cosmos are producing disparate results. If more precise measurements fail to resolve the discrepancy, physicists may have to revise the standard model of cosmology, our best description of the universe. “If this really is a glimpse of the standard model breaking down, that would be potentially revolutionary,” says […]
Lemur Flirting Uses Common Scents
When preparing for a date, a human might use a small spritz of cologne or perfume. And male ring-tailed lemurs also splash on some cologne to impress the females. The only difference is they secrete their own scents from glands near their wrists. And during the breeding season, the males rub the secretions from their […]
Millions More Americans Will Face Climate Disasters with Warming
Roughly one-third of the U.S. population—or 118 million Americans—could feel one or more extreme weather events annually by 2050 if population and greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, new research from the Energy Department’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory shows. That more than doubles the 47 million Americans who currently experience extreme heat and cold, prolonged […]
Blood Clots Are Mysteriously Tied to Many Coronavirus Problems
Purple rashes, swollen legs, clogged catheters and sudden death—blood clots, large and small, are a frequent complication of COVID-19, and researchers are just beginning to untangle why. For weeks, reports have poured in of the disease’s effects throughout the body, many of which are caused by clots. “This is like a storm of blood clots,” […]
We’re in the Calm before a New Storm of COVID-19 Infections and Deaths
COVID-19 deaths and infections appear to have slowed down for now, but as we begin to emerge from our homes in an attempt to return to normal, we need to brace for the storm to surge back. The nation has watched Georgia, my home state, just now end its shelter-in-place order. But depending on how […]