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Model of the hemolithin molecule: space-filling mode (top), ball and stick (center), enlarged view of iron, oxygen and lithium termination (bottom). White = H; orange = Li; gray = C; blue = N; red = O and green = Fe. Hydrogen bonds are shown by dotted lines. Image credit: McGeoch et al, arXiv: 2002.11688.

Researchers Find Extraterrestrial Protein in Meteorite Acfer 086

Mar 26, 2020 by Sergio Prostak

A research team led by Harvard University scientist Julie McGeoch has found a never-before-seen protein inside a meteorite called Acfer 086. A sample of...

Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, isolated from a patient. Image credit: NIAID.

Patients who Take ACEIs and ARBs May Be at Increased Risk of Severe COVID-19

Mar 25, 2020 by News Staff

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) may increase the risk of severe COVID-19 cases, according to...

Reynolds et al used Chandra to look for extraordinarily low-mass axion-like particles in the Perseus galaxy cluster, a group of galaxies located 240 million light-years away from Earth. The observation lasting over five days showed no evidence for certain axion-like particles, which some theorists think can explain dark matter. The lack of detection in these Chandra observations helps rule out some versions of string theory, a set of models intended to tie together all known forces, interactions, and particles. Image credit: NASA / CXC / University of Cambridge / Reynolds et al.

Astrophysicists Perform Test of String Theory

Mar 25, 2020 by News Staff

Astrophysicists using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have looked for signs of an as-yet undetected particle predicted by string theory, a set of models...

Pregnant women should do the same things as the general public to protect themselves. Image credit: David Wagner.

COVID-19 While Pregnant or Giving Birth: Here’s What You Need to Know

Mar 24, 2020 by The Conversation

Having a baby is stressful enough without COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, and all the associated misinformation. If you’re pregnant...

Oldest Bilaterian Fossil Found in Australia

Mar 24, 2020 by News Staff

Ikaria wariootia, a wormlike creature that lived more than 555 million years ago (Ediacaran period) in what is now Australia, is the earliest bilaterian,...

Asteriornis maastrichtensis is the first modern bird from the age of dinosaurs found in the northern hemisphere. Image credit: Philip Krzeminski.

Meet Wonderchicken, Bird from Final Part of Dinosaur Era

Mar 23, 2020 by News Staff

A new species of ancient bird has been identified from a nearly complete, three-dimensionally preserved skull and associated bones found in Belgium. A...

Third-hand smoke originates from the direct contamination of surfaces (e.g., smokers’ bodies and clothes, indoor furnishings and surfaces, and building materials) with hazardous organic compounds from tobacco combustion but does not include airborne primary particles. Image credit: Aamir Mohd Khan.

Third-Hand Tobacco Smoke is Real Threat to Public Health, Study Shows

Mar 23, 2020 by News Staff

Third-hand smoke is a residual contamination from cigarette smoking that adheres to walls and other surfaces in places where smoking has previously occurred....

France’s Minister of Solidarity and Health Oliver Véran announced that taking anti-inflammatory drugs could be a factor in worsening a COVID-19 infection. Image credit: StockSnap.

Ibuprofen, Paracetamol and COVID-19: Here’s What You Need to Know

Mar 20, 2020 by The Conversation

There’s been some confusion recently on whether we should or shouldn’t take ibuprofen to treat symptoms of COVID-19, especially after the World Health...

Devonian Four-Limbed Creature Reveals Insights into How Vertebrate Hand Evolved from Fish Fins

Mar 19, 2020 by News Staff

A 1.57-m (5.2-foot) long specimen of Elpistostege watsoni from the Devonian period of Canada has yielded the missing evolutionary link in the fish to tetrapod...

An artist’s impression of a double sunset on a ‘Tatooine’ exoplanet forming in a circumbinary disk that is misaligned with the orbits of its binary stars. Image credit: NRAO / AUI / NSF / S. Dagnello.

ALMA Observes Protoplanetary Disks around Binary Stars

Mar 19, 2020 by News Staff

Using data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a team of astronomers has found striking orbital geometries in circumbinary protoplanetary...

SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus Has Natural Origin: Study

Mar 19, 2020 by News Staff

An analysis of the genomes of SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus which causes COVID-19 disease, and related coronaviruses found no evidence that the virus...

The newly-discovered mammoth-bone structure at the site of Kostenki 11; the two visible scales are 5 and 6 m long, respectively. Image credit: A.E. Dudin.

Archaeologists Unearth 22,500-Year-Old Mammoth-Bone Structure

Mar 19, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international team of archaeologists led by the University of Exeter has discovered a new circular mammoth-bone feature at the Paleolithic site of Kostenki...

This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 isolated from a patient in the U.S. Image credit: NIAID-RML.

SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus Stable for Several Hours to Days in Aerosols and on Surfaces

Mar 18, 2020 by News Staff

A novel human coronavirus that is now named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, China, in 2019 and is now causing...

An artist’s impression of two white dwarfs in the process of merging; depending on the combined mass, the system may explode in a thermonuclear supernova, or coalesce into a single heavy white dwarf, as with WD J0551+4135. Image credit: Mark Garlick / University of Warwick.

Astronomers Discover First Pulsating White Dwarf in Eclipsing Binary System

Mar 17, 2020 by Natali Anderson

Astronomers have spotted a pulsating white dwarf star in the binary stellar system SDSS J115219.99+024814.4 (SDSS J1152+0248 for short). An artist’s...

This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (round gold objects) emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. The virus shown was isolated from a patient in the U.S. Image credit: NIAID-RML.

New Report Highlights Potential Therapeutic Agents and Vaccines for COVID-19

Mar 16, 2020 by News Staff

Researchers from CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society, have released a special report in which they provide an overview of previously published...

Panel 1 from the site of Lacanja Tzeltal, Mexico. Image credit: Golden et al, doi: 10.1080/00934690.2019.1684748.

Archaeologists Unearth Long-Lost Capital of Ancient Maya Kingdom

Mar 13, 2020 by News Staff

Archaeologists excavating the site of Lacanja Tzeltal in Mexico have discovered the ruins of the capital of a kingdom known from Classic period Maya inscriptions...

Oculudentavis khaungraaea. Image credit: Xing et al, doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2068-4.

99-Million-Year-Old Amber Preserves Skull of Hummingbird-Sized Dinosaur

Mar 12, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have found an exceptionally well-preserved and diminutive skull of a previously unknown bird-like dinosaur species in a piece of Cretaceous-period...

An artist’s impression of a trans-Neptunian object. Image credit: NASA / ESA / G. Bacon, STScI.

Astronomers Discover 139 New Trans-Neptunian Objects

Mar 12, 2020 by News Staff

Astronomers have released a catalog of 316 trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) — minor planets located in the far reaches of the Solar System —...

This illustration shows a night-side view of the exoplanet WASP-76b. To the left of the image, we see the evening border of the exoplanet, where it transitions from day to night. Image credit: M. Kornmesser / ESO.

VLT Spies Iron Raining on Ultrahot Exoplanet WASP-76b

Mar 11, 2020 by News Staff

WASP-76b, a gas-giant exoplanet located some 640 light-years away in the constellation of Pisces, has a day side where temperatures climb above 2,400 degrees...