Notes
COVID-19
Unequal access
Even before efficacy data for the vaccine candidates was released, it was clear that there will not be enough supply to immunize the entire global population before the end of next year
By Redação
COVID-19
Australia gives up on vaccine candidate
A vaccine being developed by the University of Queensland and biotechnology company CSL, both from Australia, is the first of more than 200 candidates to be discarded
By Redação
COVID-19
Vaccines and sharks
A compound extracted from the livers of sharks is used in five coronavirus vaccine candidates
By Redação
Zoology
Sound absorbing wings
Microscopic structures on the scaled wings of two moth species are able to absorb many of the ultrasound waves emitted by bats
By Redação
Notes
Ten people who made a difference in 2020
In December, the journal Nature published its traditional annual list of 10 science personalities who deserved recognition in 2020
By Redação
Medicine
Microneedles to treat cancer
A dressing made up of hundreds of microscopic needles that dissolve in the body promises to improve skin cancer treatment with photodynamic therapy
By Redação
Astronomy
Space 1.6 million years from now
Using new data astronomers have predicted the movement of the 300,000 stars within 326 light-years of the Sun over the next 1.6 million years
By Redação
Anthropogenic mass
The weight of human production
Asphalt and concrete make up most of the mass produced by humans
By Redação
Hayabusa2
Successful return
The Japanese space mission has successfully collected samples from the asteroid Ryugu and brought them safely back to Earth
By Redação
Paleontology
The oldest and largest blind snake
Paleontologists from the University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto campus, have identified the world’s largest and oldest blind snake
By Redação
Biochemistry
Anti-predator chemical shield
Seemingly harmless at first glance, the African maned rat (Lophiomys imhausi) carries a lethal weapon in its coat
By Redação
Biology
Underground dispute
A team of researchers from the USA, Spain, and Brazil have explained the growth behavior of plant roots
By Redação
COVID-19
Bird sings at lower volume in quiet city
During the pandemic, the white-crowned sparrow's singing returned to the volume it sang at in the 1970s
By Redação
COVID-19
Nasal spray prevents infection in ferrets
A nasal spray tested on ferrets prevented absorption of SARS-CoV-2 and for a period of 24 hours, prevented them from becoming infected with the novel coronavirus when exposed to animals known to be affected by the pathogen
By Redação
COVID-19
Preexisting antibodies against SARS-CoV-2
Antibodies against other varieties of coronavirus are in some cases capable of recognizing SARS-CoV-2 and providing some degree of protection to those who have not yet contracted the COVID-19 pathogen
By Redação
COVID-19
Higher risk of premature birth
Pregnant women infected with the novel coronavirus are at greater risk of giving birth prematurely
By Redação
COVID-19
Restaurants spread infections in the United States
A study suggests that the majority of novel coronavirus infections recorded between March and May this year occured in restaurants in metropolitan areas in the USA
By Redação
Ecology
Under the female gaze
Males with brightly colored wings attract more females to their territory, as well as more rival males, sparking a fierce competition for mating partners
By Redação
Chemistry
Signs of life on Venus fade
Venus was the center of attention in September when Jane Greaves of Cardiff University, UK, and her colleagues published a paper in Nature Astronomy on the high concentrations of phosphine gas (PH3) detected in the planet’s atmosphere
By Redação
Archaeology
Neanderthals were weaned at 6 months
New evidence suggests that the weaning age and growth rate of newborn Neanderthals were similar to modern humans
By Redação
Zoology
Leprosy in wild chimpanzees
Photos taken in 2017 are the first record of wild chimpanzees with lesions indicative of leprosy on their faces and other parts of their bodies
By Redação
Open access
Disappearing journals
Digital open access scientific journals are vanishing from the internet, leaving no indication that their files are being kept in digital libraries or archives
By Redação
Environment
The scale of the thaw in Greenland
Greenland's three largest glaciers lost nearly 2.9 trillion tons of ice between 1880 and 2012
By Redação
Astronomy
A 10-billion-year-old fossil
In the center of the Milky Way lie the remains of another galaxy that it cannibalized some 10 billion years ago
By Redação
Physiology
A new pair of salivary glands
Newly identified salivary glands are located in the area between the nose, ears, and throat
By Redação
Paleontolgy
The advanced brain of a primitive dinosaur
The brain of a well-preserved specimen of Buriolestes schultzi, one of the oldest known dinosaurs, has been reconstructed using computed tomography, suggesting an unusual evolutionary path for one of the most important lineages of this extinct group of reptiles: the sauropods
By Redação
COVID-19
Monitoring the evolution of COVID-19
Blood levels of a particular protein can indicate the severity of coronavirus infections and guide the response of the attending health care team
By Redação
COVID-19
The impact of the virus on Australian universities
Universities in Australia are to receive extra funding to boost the country's economic recovery after the pandemic
By Redação
COVID-19
Coronavirus and the brain
A study confirms that the novel coronavirus can infect different types of brain cells, and may be capable of directly damaging the brain
By Redação