livescience--2020-11-30--Save 53% on AncestryDNA testing kit for Cyber Monday

Need a gift for a special someone who seems to have everything ?
Or perhaps a friend or partner who is interested in their ancestors or just in history ?
AncestryDNA may be the perfect holiday present .
And right now for Cyber Monday , Amazon is selling the kit for $ 47.00 , which is 53 % off the normal list price .
The kit not only includes ethnic and ancestry information ( based on its database of more than 18 million customers ) , but it also reports whether you have genes that could up your risk for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lists those conditions on its website . )
Here 's how it works : AncestryDNA collected DNA information from groups of people across the globe , `` from small tribes in Africa to farmers in the Irish countryside , '' says AncestryDNA .
Once you order the kit , you 'll receive a saliva collection tube , instructions and a pre-paid return envelope that you can drop in the mail with your saliva sample inside .
The results are compared with everyone in the company 's database to see how closely you match @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the results on the company 's website .
For Cyber Monday , Amazon is also offering a 23andMe bundle deal at 50 % off .
In addition to giving ancestry information , the kit also includes a health analysis .
For instance , the kit can also look for genetic variants for diseases like Type 2 diabetes , using your genetics , ethnicity and age to calculate a percentage likelihood of developing the disease .
The test also looks at a gene associated with muscle composition to reveal whether your composition is common @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test will also indicate whether the subject is a carrier of genetic traits such as cystic fibrosis , sickle cell anemia , hereditary hearing loss , celiac disease , late-onset Alzheimer 's disease and Parkinson 's disease .
The extracted genetic data can even reveal the percentage of DNA that you share with Neanderthals , which interbred with early humans .
One interesting gene test called the “ cilantro taste aversion ” will let you know whether you are likely to dislike cilantro .
Perhaps , you already knew though ?
With this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ancestry and where your DNA comes from across more than 2,000 regions .
Plus , it will give results on some `` fun '' genes that will provide the likelihood you can match a musical pitch or whether you hate the sound of chewing , the company claims.View Deal

Any journey of discovery and learning can be fun, but little can match unlocking the secrets of your own family with a DNA test kit, and AncestryDNA has one of the best around. These Ancestry DNA kit deals bring great discounts on several kits. For instance, Amazon is selling the AncestryDNA: Genetic Ethnicity Test for $99.00, which is 34% off the normal price. A perfect gift for the person in your life who already seems to have everything, Ancestry draws on its database of 18 million customers covering 1,500 different regions to give you ethnic and ancestry information. The 23andMe Traits kit builds on that information with additional reports on your physical and sensory traits like what foods you might react to and hair or eye color traits.
It couldn't be simpler to set up either. After you've ordered the kit, you'll receive a saliva collection tube, instructions and a pre-paid return envelope. Take the test, put it in the post back to Ancestry or 23andMe, and you should get your results back in six to eight weeks. Your DNA is compared with everyone in the company's database, "from small tribes in Africa to farmers in the Irish countryside," according to the website, giving you amazingly detailed background information.
Related: How accurate are DNA tests?
Ancestry and 23andMe aren't the only choice, of course; there are lots of excellent alternatives out there (and even some for your pets)!
Looking for a present for your pooch this holiday season? The Embark Dog DNA Test Kits are now 33% off!
Today's best DNA kit deals
AncestryDNA: Genetic Ethnicity Test: $99 $49 at Amazon With this test, you can learn about your ancestry and where your DNA comes from across more than 1,500 regions. Plus, Ancestry will delve into its database of DNA data and family records to connect you with background family detail you might never have expected to learn.
AncestryDNA + Traits: $119 $59 at Amazon Get all the features of the standard AncestryDNA test kit, plus insight into your genetic traits that will reveal disposition for different physical and sensory traits. From eye and hair color to disliking certain herbs, it can reveal things you never knew about yourself.
Embark Dog DNA Test Kit $199 $149 at Amazon Identify the exact breed or any hereditary health issues with your four-legged friend, with this DNA test kit designed just for dogs. Save 25% at Amazon.
23andMe DNA Test - Health + Ancestry: $184.29 at Walmart If you’re looking for a test that also digs deeper into your health predispositions for things like Parkinson’s and carrier status for inherited conditions like cystic fibrosis, then this deal from Walmart is the place to look. 23andMe offers a comprehensive service and results in six to eight weeks.
23andMe Ancestry + Traits: $92.50 $69 at Amazon To get a thorough breakdown of your ancestry, some genetic traits you might carry and connections to begin exploring in your family history, this 23andMe kit offers all the essential details to get you started on your DNA journey.
Tellmegen - DNA Test Advanced: $139 $95 at Amazon The Tellmegen DNA test kit will tell you about your genetic predispositions to over 440 different traits and how you might respond to more than 150 different medications. Like the other kits, it's easy to use and offers fast results.
How to choose a DNA kit
There are a growing number of competitively priced DNA testing kits on the market now and how much you want to learn can greatly alter the final amount you'll be paying. You want to make sure that you're spending your money in the right way, paying for the information you want and not things you're not interested in. Here are some of the key differences in DNA test kits to look out for.
Traits: The cheaper kits will often offer genetic traits as a feature of the results you'll receive back from the company. This means getting information about whether or not your taste buds react negatively to certain foods, chances of passing along certain hair and eye colors and other genetic, but not medical, features that your DNA holds.
Health: The next level up of DNA testing kits will offer health information based on your results. This will include your chances of contracting certain medical conditions such as diabetes, celiac disease and more. Many can also tell you if you're a carrier for certain conditions that could be passed onto future generations.
Community features: Most DNA testing kits will give you a robust report on your family heritage and the makeup of your genetics based on the regions that your ancestors came from. The next tier of experience is often a subscription that connects you to a wider community of members who share and investigate information to build out even more complete family trees. If this is the area you want to pursue, consider packages that offer this service.


livescience--2020-11-30--Save up to 40% on Osmo Genius Kits for Cyber Monday

Osmo kits are electronic STEM toys that work with iPads or Amazon Fire tablets to turn screen time into tactile time and they 're on sale right now .
These kits use manipulables — numbers , shapes , coding instruction squares — that let kids translate something they 're doing in the physical world to action on a screen , and back again .
To get started , you 'll need an Osmo base and a compatible tablet .
Then you can choose from a number of kits designed to teach different concepts .
The more kits you have , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learn .
For Cyber Monday , Osmo is running a series of deals on these kits , available on Amazon : Osmo Little Genius Starter Kit for iPad : $ 55.99 at Amazon Like the Genius starter kit , but for preschoolers , this set comes with an Osmo base and reflector for iPad ( iOS9 or later ) , 19 cardboard pretend play costume pieces , 38 silicone sticks and rings , a silicone game play mat , stackable storage for game pieces and four game apps : ABCs , Costume Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 25 % off the list price , this starter kit is selling for one of its lowest prices .
View Deal Osmo Coding Starter Kit for Fire Tablet : $ 69.99 at Amazon ( Also for iPad : $ 78.99 at Amazon ) This kit contains everything you need to get your 5- to 10-year-old started on coding .
Compatible with the 7th Generation Fire 7 , HD 8 , HD 10 , 8th Generation Fire HD 8 , 9th Generation HD 7 and HD 10 .
You get an Osmo base & @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coding blocks and storage , along with three game apps : Coding Awbie , Coding Jam and Coding Duo.View Deal Osmo Little Genius Starter Kit for iPad + Early Math Explorer : $ 80.99 at Amazon ( Also for Fire Tablet : $ 83.99 at Amazon ) This kit comes with an Osmo base and reflector , 19 costume pieces , 38 silicone sticks and rings , a silicone play mat , storage for game pieces and 6 game apps : Shape Builder , Counting Town , ABCs , Costume Party , Stories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ selling both the iPad and Fire versions for 30 % off .
View Deal Osmo Creative Starter Kit for iPad : $ 52.49 at Amazon ( Also for Fire Tablet : $ 48.99 at Amazon ) Designed for kids 5- to 10-years-old , this kit comes with an Osmo base and reflector , a creative board , four dry erase markers , microfiber eraser pouch , stackable storage for each game & three game apps : Monster , Newton and Masterpiece .
Right now , Amazon is selling the iPad version for 25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 30 % off the retail price.View Deal For 5- to 11-year-olds , this learn-to-draw pack includes a Super Studio Frozen 2 Sketchpad , 2 Super Studio markers , a Super Sweeper eraser and the game app Super Studio Frozen 2 .
Kids will get step-by-step instructions on how to draw the scenes from `` Frozen 2 , '' and then watch the story come to life in their first animation .
Amazon is selling the the super studio kit for 25 % off .
View Deal

These Osmo deals are a great way to engage your kids in fun activities that boost their brainpower as well. Time in front of a screen for kids doesn’t need to be a passive experience, as Osmo kits are ideal for wannabe coders, keen learners and kids who love to read. These Osmo kit deals offer educational games that are fun and engaging.
Osmo is an electronic STEM toy that’s compatible with both iPads and Amazon Fire tablets, making it very accessible. They offer a tactile experience using manipulables — numbers, shapes, coding instruction squares — that takes what you’re doing in the real world and translates that to activity on the screen and then back again.
The Osmo base and a compatible tablet are all you need to get started and there’s a wide array of kits to pick from, letting you find the experience that’s best for you. Of course, the more kits you pick up the wider the array of different things your child can learn and with these Osmo deals, you might be able to afford more than one. Osmo's Super Studio is 30% off at Amazon is ideal for fans of Disney.
Don’t miss Live Science's list of the best coding toys for even more recommendations.
Today's best Osmo deals
Osmo Genius Starter Kit for iPad: $99.99 $69.99 at Amazon
This starter kit will work with all iPads running iOS 10 or later, except Generation 1-4, 9 & Mini 6. Designed for 6- to 10-year-olds, it comes with an Osmo base and reflector for iPad, tangram pieces, number tiles, word tiles, storage for each game and five games: Numbers, Tangram, Words, Newton and Masterpiece. At 30% off, you're getting a great deal.
Osmo Little Genius Starter Kit for iPad: $79.99 $59.99 at Target
Like the Genius starter kit, but for preschoolers, this set comes with an Osmo base and reflector for iPad (iOS 10 or later), 19 cardboard pretend play costume pieces, 38 silicone sticks and rings, a silicone game play mat, stackable storage for game pieces and four game apps: ABCs, Costume Party, Stories and Squiggle Magic. And right now, Target is selling the kit for 38% off the list price.
Osmo Creative Starter Kit for iPad: $69.99 $48.99 at Amazon
Designed for 5- to 10-years-old kids, this kit comes with an Osmo base and reflector, a creative board, four dry erase markers, microfiber eraser pouch, stackable storage for each game & three game apps: Monster, Newton and Masterpiece. Right now, Amazon is selling the iPad version for 30% off the retail price.
Osmo Coding Starter Kit for iPad: $99.99 $69.99 at Amazon
Designed for ages 5 to 10, this game bundle includes 31 tangible coding blocks, including Walk, Jump, Hand, Magic, Rest, Quantifiers (Numbers), Repeat, Subroutines, as well as Stackable storage for game pieces and three game apps: Coding Awbie, Coding Jam and Coding Duo. Right now, Amazon is selling the bundle for 30% off.
Osmo - Creative Starter Kit for iPad + Detective Agency: $119.98 $83.98 at Amazon
Get 30% off this starter kit, which comes with: Osmo Base for iPad, new Creative Board, 4 dry-erase markers, microfiber eraser pouch, Stackable storage for each game and 3 Game Apps: Monster, Newton and Masterpiece. Plus, kids can solve mysteries with the Detective Agency add-on, which contains four double-sided maps, a map holder, magnifying glass and one game app: Detective Agency. Designed for ages 5 to 12.
Osmo - Math Wizard and the Secrets of the Dragons for iPad & Fire Tablet: $59.99 $44.99 at Amazon
There be dragons with this Osmo kit deal for the Fire Tablet and for iPad. Kids in 1st and 2nd grade can learn about measurements and estimation in a world filled with dragons. Kids can also explore the Dragon Reserve to complete your Dragon Guidebook. Along the way, they will measure and care for their dragons, earn their trust and watch them grow. They won't even know they are becoming little mathematicians. For Cyber Monday, you can snag this kit for 25% off. NOTE: The Osmo Base is not included. You can get that on Amazon as well.
Osmo - Math Wizard and the Magical Workshop for iPad & Fire Tablet: $59.99 $41.99 at Amazon
Kids ages 6 to 8 can explore the village of Wyverndell with the wizard cat Mumbles. They will learn adding and subtracting, place value and more as they brew dragons' claw potions and magic sparkles, and help dragons fly up and down using balloons. Adults can adjust the game difficulty. Requires an Osmo base for iPad or a Fire tablet. Right now, this magical math game is 30% off at Amazon.
Osmo - Monster Starter Kit for iPad: $49.99 $38.59 at Walmart
What kid doesn't want to play with monsters? These are the cute kind of monsters, of course. With this kit, kids ages 5 to 10 can create their own monster drawings (dubbed "Mo") and bring it to life on the tablet, where kids can interact in one of Mo's amazing rooms. The kit comes with a drawing board, erasable marker, microfiber cleaning cloth and the Osmo Base for iPad. (It is also available in English and Spanish.)
Osmo Pizza Co: $49.99 $34.99 at Amazon
Five to 12-year-olds can make pizzas and practice counting change with this pizza-parlor game. This kit comes with a pizza and tray, toppings, money tiles, stackable storage for game pieces and one game app: Pizza Co.
Osmo - Super Studio Disney Frozen 2 Game: $29.99 $15.89 at Amazon
For 5- to 11-year-olds, this learn-to-draw pack includes a Super Studio Frozen 2 Sketchpad, 2 Super Studio markers, a Super Sweeper eraser and the game app Super Studio Frozen 2. Kids will get step-by-step instructions on how to draw the scenes from "Frozen 2," and then watch the story come to life in their first animation. The Osmo Base is NOT included.
Osmo - Detective Agency: $49.99 $43.99 at Amazon
Kids can become their own version of a Sherlock Holmes with this Osmo add-on for the Fire tablet and iPad. Using a game piece magnifying glass, your little P.I. can search for landmarks around the world while also learning trivia facts about geography, culture and history (Detective Agency). Along the way, there are plenty of mysteries to solve. The add-on comes with 4 double-sided maps, a map holder, a magnifying glass & 1 Game App: Detective Agency.
How do kids learn with Osmo?
The Osmo device works through what the company calls "augmented reality," in which a reflector mirror is attached to an iPad or Fire tablet that sits in the Osmo base. That reflector captures images from the table below and feeds them to the tablet's camera. With the Osmo app, those physical objects — such as Osmo's letter or number tiles — become part of the digital world, where your child can interact in a hands-on setting.
With that basic premise, Osmo has created a slew of add-ons, and that's where the learning truly begins. For these learning games, you can choose between different age groups: 3-5, 6-9 and 10+. Also, parents can adjust the skill level for these add-ons to fit their child's needs.
Math: If you have a child who needs help in math, or perhaps they need a number challenge, you can choose from several math add-ons depending on level and type of activity. For instance, for 6- to 8-year-olds, the Math Wizards Bundle comes with four games that teach geometry (with fun food puzzles), the foundations of multiplication (with all-star sports teams), measurement (with dragons!) and addition/subtraction by brewing silly potions in a magical workshop journey.
Literacy: To help your kids learn or just improve their reading skills, you can check out the "literacy" sets. For instance, the Early Literacy bundle can help kids with a range of skills, from letter recognition, vocabulary familiarity, sentence construction and even phonics with ABCs. The 38 silicon sticks and rings that come with the set can be used for creating letters that come alive on your tablet for gameplay and other fun learning activities. The bundle is rated for ages 3 to 12 because all of the "equipment" is flexible in terms of the games/apps it can be used with.
Science: Yes, Osmo dives into some science areas! With Osmo Newton , kids can either draw an object or find something lying around their room. Then, they use this imaginary cup, some new invention they hand-draw or real-life objects such as mom's keys to guide falling balls on the screen into targeted spots. And there are 60 levels.
Other skills targeted with Osmo add-ons and related apps include: coding, critical thinking, drawing, geography, imaginative play and puzzles.


livescience--2020-12-01--The best science kit gifts for kids

The best science kit gifts for kids

If you 've got a little scientist on your hands , look no further for the best science kits this holiday season .
Live Science has gathered a group of the most incredible science kits you can buy right now .
Is your kid fascinated by the weather ?
There 's a science kit for that .
Do they want to know how plants grow ?
Get them a glow-in-the-dark terrarium .
Are they always talking about squishy , gross guts ?
Maybe they 'd like an anatomically accurate model of just where guts go in the human body and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter your kids ' science interests , we have a kit for them .
Kids will have a ton of fun with the more than 26 explosive kitchen experiments in this box .
All of these experiments can be made with common ingredients you can find in any kitchen .
The kit teaches scientific principles about acids , bases , pH scale , DNA , electricity and diffusion using ingredients like lemon juice , salt , and pepper .
In addition to ingredients and tools , this science kit , recommended for ages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact-filled colorful lab guide .
NOTE : The reviews on Amazon appear to be mostly fake , though other reviews of the set suggest it ’ s a solid science kit for kids.View Deal Get your little scientists started early with .
This lab is meant for preschoolers ( age 4 and up ) .
It comes with 20 hands-on STEM experiments using common household ingredients like vinegar and baking soda .
Kids will learn how twisting a switch to complete a circuit makes a bulb light up ; they 'll be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maze ; and they can play more than 40 sounds to bring the wonder lab to life .
View Deal Kids can set up their own circuits with .
The goal is to create real electrical circuits that light up designated beacons .
Recommended for ages 8 and up , the kit provides 60 tricky challenge cards that depict the beginning of a path , then kids will have to choose where to add the next tokens in order to create a working circuit .
View Deal Potato clocks are a classic science @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ minds will be blown when they learn that a potato can make electricity ( just like yours probably was ) .
This , which is recommended for kids 8 and up , includes zinc and copper electrodes , which cause an oxidation/reduction reaction that converts to low voltage .
Kids will have tons of fun trying to figure out what other ordinary objects can be turned into batteries .
View Deal Magic Science For Wizards Only : $ 15.29 at Walmart is the perfect gift for kids who are actually wizards ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The `` spells '' included in this kit rely on chemical reactions to turn normal powders into a `` fizzy frenzy '' or to create color changing liquids .
The kit includes four test tubes and chemicals like citric acid , baking soda , vegetable oil , cross-linked polyacrylate copolymer ( for gel-like crystals ) , red cabbage powder , color tablets and zinc sulfide .
View Deal are an exploding good time for kids ( and adults ! )
of all ages .
This kit includes 10 high-quality crystal-filled geodes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ display stands and a learning guide .
Kids can use a hammer to break open the geodes , which look like normal rocks on the outside but are filled with beautiful , colorful crystals on the inside .
Then , they can learn about how each crystal formed inside the rocks with the full-color learning guide .
View Deal is one of the best microscope-set options for kids ages 6 and up .
Instead of the blurry plastic lenses that many microscopes made for kids use , JuniorScope uses premium-grade glass .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : 40x , 100x and 400x .
With JuniorScope , you get both a low-power microscope great for looking at solid objects like leaves and insects and a high-power microscope that can zoom in on details like blood cells and bacteria .
View Deal If you have a budding meteorologist in your life , will get them off to a good start .
This kit lets kids explore the water cycle and global warming , create clouds , experiment with acid rain , study the greenhouse effect and much more .
The kit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Deal If you 're looking for a science kit that will teach your kids the basics , is the one you want .
With this kit , children can test several scientific principles with awesome experiments like creating a sunset in a test tube and making a color-changing volcano .
The kit includes everything you need to set up 11 experiments as well as a detailed instruction book so parents can answer questions about what ’ s happening in each experiment .
Recommended for ages 5 to 11.View Deal Kidzlabs uses the force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this awesome science kit that teaches kids about the laws of physics .
The Anti-Gravity Magnetic Levitation kit includes fun experiments in which budding physicists float a pencil , levitate a screw and build a maglev .
Kids ages 8 and up will learn how magnetism works while they assemble seven different projects.View Deal

Playz Explosive Kitchen Lab: $69.95 $39.95 at Amazon
Kids will have a ton of fun with the more than 26 explosive kitchen experiments in this box. All of these experiments can be made with common ingredients you can find in any kitchen. The kit teaches scientific principles about acids, bases, pH scale, DNA, electricity and diffusion using ingredients like lemon juice, salt, and pepper. In addition to ingredients and tools, this science kit, recommended for ages 8 and up, also includes a fact-filled colorful lab guide .
NOTE: The reviews on Amazon appear to be mostly fake, though other reviews of the set suggest it’s a solid science kit for kids.


livescience--2020-12-01--Mysterious black spot in polar explorer's diary offers gruesome clue to his fate

As a polar explorer lay frostbitten and starving in a frozen cave , he smeared a black spot onto the bottom of his last journal entry .
More than a century later , that dark smudge has revealed grim new details of the dying man 's final hours .
His name was Jørgen Brønlund ; he was a Greenland-born Inuit and was part of a three-man team on the Denmark Expedition to Greenland 's Northeast Coast , conducted from 1906 to 1908 and led by Danish ethnologist Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen .
Brønlund died in November 1907 and was the last of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only one whose body was ever recovered .
He recorded his final thoughts in a diary , and the last page included a heavy black smudge .
Researchers recently conducted extensive analysis of the spot , finding that it contained burnt rubber , oils and feces .
These traces hint at Brønlund 's desperate and unsuccessful attempts to light a life-saving petroleum burner before he succumbed to cold and hunger , scientists wrote in a new study .
Brønlund died during the team 's return to base camp from Greenland 's northern coast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ice .
Mylius-Erichsen and Niels Peter Høeg Hagen , the expedition 's cartographer , had already died of exposure and exhaustion by the time Brønlund made it to a sheltering cave near the depot , he wrote in his journal .
`` I reached this place under a waning moon , and can not go on , because of my frozen feet and the darkness .
The bodies of the others are in the middle of the fjord , '' read the diary 's bleak final entry , according to a report published @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discovered Brønlund 's body and journal in March 1908 ; they buried him at the site of his death , and the diary was added to the collection at the Royal Library in Copenhagen .
Under Brønlund 's signature on that last diary page was `` an adhered black spot , '' according to the new study .
The mysterious mark was so intriguing that it prompted an unnamed researcher to surreptitiously remove it for analysis in 1993 without prior permission , said lead study author Kaare Lund Rasmussen , a professor in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pharmacy at the University of Southern Denmark .
`` The spot was immediately brought to the National Museum [ of Denmark ] for examination .
There was no commercial or otherwise gain for this person , '' Rasmussen told Live Science in an email .
`` Nowadays , we do not analyze samples without written authorization , but it was entirely different then . ''
At the time , experts with the National Museum 's Natural Science Unit were unable to determine the chemical makeup of the strange spot .
For the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ techniques that did n't exist in the 1990s — such as fluorescence ( XRF ) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry ( ICP-MS ) — to analyze the mark at the atomic level and pinpoint its chemical elements .
Along with carbon in the charred fragment , the researchers discovered , and .
But that trio of signatures did n't match any known rock formations in northeastern Greenland , Rasmussen said .
Further analysis of the spot solved the puzzle , identifying the minerals calcite , rutile and zincite , which contained those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fillers in rubber production , suggesting that the diary spot included burnt rubber .
That likely came from a charred gasket on a kerosene stove or burner that Brønlund was trying to light , according to the study .
The researchers also detected three groups of organic compounds : lipids — such as vegetable oil , animal fat , and fish or whale oil — petroleum and human fecal matter ( in his severely weakened and desperate state , Brønlund may have tried burning his own excrement to get the stove to light @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brønlund had starved for weeks , was tired beyond his capacity , and he was freezing , '' the scientists wrote .
`` It is likely that his hands were shaking when he used the matches from the depot to pre-heat and turn on the stove in the small cave . ''
Such stoves metabolized alcohol for preheating before they could be lit , and there was none in the depot .
Brønlund may have left the mark on his diary page after attempting — and probably failing — to preheat the stove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the presence of feces in the mark speaks to the dire circumstances and poor conditions during his `` last dismal days , '' the study authors reported .
The findings were published online Nov. 16 in the journal .

As a polar explorer lay frostbitten and starving in a frozen Greenland cave, he smeared a black spot onto the bottom of his last journal entry. More than a century later, that dark smudge has revealed grim new details of the dying man's final hours.
His name was Jørgen Brønlund; he was a Greenland-born Inuit and was part of a three-man team on the Denmark Expedition to Greenland's Northeast Coast, conducted from 1906 to 1908 and led by Danish ethnologist Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen. Brønlund died in November 1907 and was the last of the team to perish — and the only one whose body was ever recovered.
He recorded his final thoughts in a diary, and the last page included a heavy black smudge. Researchers recently conducted extensive analysis of the spot, finding that it contained burnt rubber, oils and feces. These traces hint at Brønlund's desperate and unsuccessful attempts to light a life-saving petroleum burner before he succumbed to cold and hunger, scientists wrote in a new study.
Related: Photos of Greenland's gorgeous glaciers
Brønlund died during the team's return to base camp from Greenland's northern coast, as they were traveling over inland ice. Mylius-Erichsen and Niels Peter Høeg Hagen, the expedition's cartographer, had already died of exposure and exhaustion by the time Brønlund made it to a sheltering cave near the depot, he wrote in his journal.
"I reached this place under a waning moon, and cannot go on, because of my frozen feet and the darkness. The bodies of the others are in the middle of the fjord," read the diary's bleak final entry, according to a report published in 1908 in Scottish Geographical Magazine . Another expedition had discovered Brønlund's body and journal in March 1908; they buried him at the site of his death, and the diary was added to the collection at the Royal Library in Copenhagen.
Jørgen Brønlund died in 1907 of frostbite and starvation, during a disastrous expedition in Greenland. (Image credit: Det Kongelige Bibliotek)
Under Brønlund's signature on that last diary page was "an adhered black spot," according to the new study. The mysterious mark was so intriguing that it prompted an unnamed researcher to surreptitiously remove it for analysis in 1993 without prior permission, said lead study author Kaare Lund Rasmussen, a professor in the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy at the University of Southern Denmark.
"The spot was immediately brought to the National Museum [of Denmark] for examination. There was no commercial or otherwise gain for this person," Rasmussen told Live Science in an email. "Nowadays, we do not analyze samples without written authorization, but it was entirely different then."
At the time, experts with the National Museum's Natural Science Unit were unable to determine the chemical makeup of the strange spot. For the new study, scientists reexamined the spot using techniques that didn't exist in the 1990s — such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) — to analyze the mark at the atomic level and pinpoint its chemical elements.
Along with carbon in the charred fragment, the researchers discovered calcium , titanium and zinc . But that trio of signatures didn't match any known rock formations in northeastern Greenland, Rasmussen said. Further analysis of the spot solved the puzzle, identifying the minerals calcite, rutile and zincite, which contained those elements. These minerals were used as fillers in rubber production, suggesting that the diary spot included burnt rubber. That likely came from a charred gasket on a kerosene stove or burner that Brønlund was trying to light, according to the study.
Brønlund's petroleum burner was found in 1973. (Image credit: Jørn Ladegaard)
The researchers also detected three groups of organic compounds: lipids — such as vegetable oil, animal fat, and fish or whale oil — petroleum and human fecal matter (in his severely weakened and desperate state, Brønlund may have tried burning his own excrement to get the stove to light).
"At this time, Brønlund had starved for weeks, was tired beyond his capacity, and he was freezing," the scientists wrote. "It is likely that his hands were shaking when he used the matches from the depot to pre-heat and turn on the stove in the small cave."
Such stoves metabolized alcohol for preheating before they could be lit, and there was none in the depot. Brønlund may have left the mark on his diary page after attempting — and probably failing — to preheat the stove with anything he could find, and the presence of feces in the mark speaks to the dire circumstances and poor conditions during his "last dismal days," the study authors reported.
The findings were published online Nov. 16 in the journal Archaeometry .
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-01--Sprawling 8-mile-long 'canvas' of ice age beasts discovered hidden in Amazon rainforest

An 8-mile-long `` canvas '' filled with ice age drawings of mastodons , giant sloths and other extinct beasts has been discovered in the Amazon rainforest .
The gorgeous art , drawn with — a red pigment frequently used as paint in the ancient world — spans nearly 8 miles ( 13 kilometers ) of rock on the hills above three rock shelters in the Colombian Amazon , a new study finds .
`` These really are incredible images , produced by the earliest people to live in western Amazonia , '' study co-researcher Mark Robinson , an archaeologist at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rock art alongside Colombian scientists , .
Indigenous people likely started painting these images at the archaeological site of Serranía La Lindosa , on the northern edge of the Colombian Amazon , toward the end of the last ice age , about 12,600 to 11,800 years ago .
During that time , `` the Amazon was still transforming into the tropical forest we recognize today , '' Robinson said .
Rising temperatures changed the Amazon from a patchwork landscape of savannas , thorny scrub and forest into today 's leafy tropical rainforest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include both handprints , geometric designs and a wide array of animals , from the `` small '' — such as , , alligators , , monkeys , turtles , serpents and — to the `` large , '' including camelids , horses and three-toed hoofed mammals with trunks .
Other figures depict humans , hunting scenes and images of people interacting with plants , trees and savannah creatures .
And , although there is also ice age animal rock art in Central Brazil , the new findings are more detailed and shed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like , the researchers said .
`` The paintings give a vivid and exciting glimpse into the lives of these communities , '' Robinson said .
`` It is unbelievable to us today to think they lived among , and hunted , giant herbivores , some which were the size of a small car . ''
Many of South America 's large animals went extinct at the end of the last ice age , likely through a combination of human hunting and climate change , the researchers said .
Excavations within the rock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the earliest human-occupied sites in the Amazon .
The paintings and camps offer clues about these early hunter-gatherers ' diets ; for instance , bone and plant remains indicate that the menu included palm and tree fruits , , alligators , snakes , , rodents such as paca and , and , the researchers said .
Scientists excavated the rock shelters in 2017 and 2018 , following the 2016 peace treaty between the Colombian government and FARC , a rebel guerrilla group .
After the peace agreement , researchers spearheaded a project @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find out when people first settled the Amazon , and what impact their farming and hunting had on the biodiversity of the region .
`` These rock paintings are spectacular evidence of how humans reconstructed the land , and how they hunted , farmed and fished , '' study co-researcher José Iriarte , an archaeologist at the University of Exeter , said in the statement .
`` It is likely art was a powerful part of culture and a way for people to connect socially . ''
The findings were published in April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Exeter released a statement today ( Nov. 30 ) to coincide with a new TV documentary on the finding called `` Jungle Mystery : Lost Kingdoms of the Amazon , '' which will air in the U.K. in December .

Thousands of images drawn during the last ice age were found in the Amazon Rainforest.
An 8-mile-long "canvas" filled with ice age drawings of mastodons, giant sloths and other extinct beasts has been discovered in the Amazon rainforest.
The gorgeous art, drawn with ochre — a red pigment frequently used as paint in the ancient world — spans nearly 8 miles (13 kilometers) of rock on the hills above three rock shelters in the Colombian Amazon, a new study finds.
"These really are incredible images, produced by the earliest people to live in western Amazonia," study co-researcher Mark Robinson, an archaeologist at the University of Exeter, who analyzed the rock art alongside Colombian scientists, said in a statement .
Related: 10 extinct giants that once roamed North America
Image 1 of 2 Rock art showing humans interacting with ice age animals. (Image credit: Ella Al-Shamahi) Some of the rock art has faded over the millennia. (Image credit: Ella Al-Shamahi)
Indigenous people likely started painting these images at the archaeological site of Serranía La Lindosa, on the northern edge of the Colombian Amazon, toward the end of the last ice age, about 12,600 to 11,800 years ago. During that time, "the Amazon was still transforming into the tropical forest we recognize today," Robinson said. Rising temperatures changed the Amazon from a patchwork landscape of savannas, thorny scrub and forest into today's leafy tropical rainforest.
The thousands of ice age paintings include both handprints, geometric designs and a wide array of animals, from the "small" — such as deer , tapirs , alligators, bats , monkeys, turtles, serpents and porcupines — to the "large," including camelids, horses and three-toed hoofed mammals with trunks. Other figures depict humans, hunting scenes and images of people interacting with plants, trees and savannah creatures. And, although there is also ice age animal rock art in Central Brazil, the new findings are more detailed and shed light on what these now-extinct species looked like, the researchers said.
"The paintings give a vivid and exciting glimpse into the lives of these communities," Robinson said. "It is unbelievable to us today to think they lived among, and hunted, giant herbivores, some which were the size of a small car."
Many of South America's large animals went extinct at the end of the last ice age, likely through a combination of human hunting and climate change, the researchers said.
Ice age people drew these figures, handprints and designs with red ochre. (Image credit: Marie-Claire Thomas/Wild Blue Media)
Excavations within the rock shelters revealed that these camps were some of the earliest human-occupied sites in the Amazon. The paintings and camps offer clues about these early hunter-gatherers' diets; for instance, bone and plant remains indicate that the menu included palm and tree fruits, piranhas , alligators, snakes, frogs , rodents such as paca and capybara , and armadillos , the researchers said.
Scientists excavated the rock shelters in 2017 and 2018, following the 2016 peace treaty between the Colombian government and FARC, a rebel guerrilla group. After the peace agreement, researchers spearheaded a project known as LastJourney, which aimed to find out when people first settled the Amazon, and what impact their farming and hunting had on the biodiversity of the region.
"These rock paintings are spectacular evidence of how humans reconstructed the land, and how they hunted, farmed and fished," study co-researcher José Iriarte, an archaeologist at the University of Exeter, said in the statement. "It is likely art was a powerful part of culture and a way for people to connect socially."
The findings were published in April in the journal Quaternary International , and the University of Exeter released a statement today (Nov. 30) to coincide with a new TV documentary on the finding called "Jungle Mystery: Lost Kingdoms of the Amazon," which will air in the U.K. in December.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-01--AI system solves 50-year-old protein folding problem in hours

An company that gained fame for designing computer systems that could beat humans at games has now made a huge advancement in biological science .
The company , DeepMind , which is owned by the same parent company as Google , has created an AI system that can rapidly and accurately predict how proteins fold to get their 3D shapes , a surprisingly complex problem that has plagued researchers for decades , according to .
Figuring out a protein 's structure can require years or even decades of laborious experimentation , and current computer simulations of protein folding fall short @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , known as AlphaFold , required only a few hours to accurately predict a protein 's structure , the Times reported .
Related : Why does artificial intelligence scare us so much ?
Proteins are large molecules that are essential for life .
They are made up of a string of chemical compounds known as amino acids .
These `` strings '' fold in intricate ways to create unique structures that determine what the protein can do .
( For example , the on the new coronavirus allows the virus to bind to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 years ago , scientists hypothesized that you could predict a protein 's structure knowing just its sequence of amino acids .
But solving this `` protein folding problem '' has proved enormously challenging because there are a mind-boggling number of ways in which the same protein could theoretically fold to take on a 3D structure , according to a statement from DeepMind .
Twenty-five years ago , scientists created an international competition to compare various methods of predicting protein structure — something of a `` protein olympics , '' known as CASP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Protein Structure Prediction , according to .
In this year 's challenge , AlphaFold 's performance was head and shoulders above its competitors ' .
It achieved a level of accuracy that researchers were not expecting to see for years .
`` This computational work represents a stunning advance on the protein-folding problem , a 50-year-old grand challenge in biology , '' Venki Ramakrishnan , president of the Royal Society in the United Kingdom , who was not involved with the work , .
`` It has occurred decades before many people in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be exciting to see the many ways in which it will fundamentally change biological research . ''
For the competition , teams are given the amino acid sequences of about 100 proteins , the structures of which are known but have not been published , according to .
The predictions are given a score from zero to 100 , with 90 considered on par with the accuracy of experimental methods .
AlphaFold trained itself to recognize the relationship between the amino acid sequence and protein structure using existing databases .
Then , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ computer algorithm modeled on the way the human brain processes information — to iteratively improve its prediction of the unpublished protein structures .
Overall , AlphaFold had a median score of 92.5 .
That 's up from a score of less than 60 that the system achieved in its first CASP competition in 2018 .
The system is n't perfect — in particular , AlphaFold did not perform well in modeling groups of proteins that interact with each other , Nature News reported .
But the advance is a game-changer .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be very disruptive to the protein-structure-prediction field .
I suspect many will leave the field as the core problem has arguably been solved , '' Mohammed AlQuraishi , a computational biologist at Columbia University told Nature News .
`` It 's a breakthrough of the first order , certainly one of the most significant scientific results of my lifetime . ''
DeepMind previously made headlines when it created an AI program , known as AlphaGo , that beat humans at the ancient game of Go .
Researchers hope AlphaFold can have many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could help identify the structures of proteins involved in certain diseases and accelerate drug development .
DeepMind is currently working on a peer-reviewed paper on its work on AlphaFold , the Times reported .

An artificial intelligence company that gained fame for designing computer systems that could beat humans at games has now made a huge advancement in biological science.
The company, DeepMind, which is owned by the same parent company as Google, has created an AI system that can rapidly and accurately predict how proteins fold to get their 3D shapes, a surprisingly complex problem that has plagued researchers for decades, according to The New York Times .
Figuring out a protein's structure can require years or even decades of laborious experimentation, and current computer simulations of protein folding fall short on accuracy. But DeepMind's system, known as AlphaFold, required only a few hours to accurately predict a protein's structure, the Times reported.
Related: Why does artificial intelligence scare us so much?
Proteins are large molecules that are essential for life. They are made up of a string of chemical compounds known as amino acids. These "strings" fold in intricate ways to create unique structures that determine what the protein can do. (For example, the "spike" protein on the new coronavirus allows the virus to bind to and invade human cells.)
Nearly 50 years ago, scientists hypothesized that you could predict a protein's structure knowing just its sequence of amino acids. But solving this "protein folding problem" has proved enormously challenging because there are a mind-boggling number of ways in which the same protein could theoretically fold to take on a 3D structure, according to a statement from DeepMind .
Twenty-five years ago, scientists created an international competition to compare various methods of predicting protein structure — something of a "protein olympics," known as CASP, which stands for Critical Assessment of Protein Structure Prediction, according to The Guardian .
In this year's challenge, AlphaFold's performance was head and shoulders above its competitors'. It achieved a level of accuracy that researchers were not expecting to see for years.
"This computational work represents a stunning advance on the protein-folding problem, a 50-year-old grand challenge in biology," Venki Ramakrishnan, president of the Royal Society in the United Kingdom, who was not involved with the work, said in a statement . "It has occurred decades before many people in the field would have predicted. It will be exciting to see the many ways in which it will fundamentally change biological research."
For the competition, teams are given the amino acid sequences of about 100 proteins, the structures of which are known but have not been published, according to Nature News . The predictions are given a score from zero to 100, with 90 considered on par with the accuracy of experimental methods.
AlphaFold trained itself to recognize the relationship between the amino acid sequence and protein structure using existing databases. Then, it used a neural network — a computer algorithm modeled on the way the human brain processes information — to iteratively improve its prediction of the unpublished protein structures.
Overall, AlphaFold had a median score of 92.5. That's up from a score of less than 60 that the system achieved in its first CASP competition in 2018.
The system isn't perfect — in particular, AlphaFold did not perform well in modeling groups of proteins that interact with each other, Nature News reported.
But the advance is a game-changer.
"I think it's fair to say this will be very disruptive to the protein-structure-prediction field. I suspect many will leave the field as the core problem has arguably been solved," Mohammed AlQuraishi, a computational biologist at Columbia University told Nature News. "It's a breakthrough of the first order, certainly one of the most significant scientific results of my lifetime."
DeepMind previously made headlines when it created an AI program, known as AlphaGo, that beat humans at the ancient game of Go .
Researchers hope AlphaFold can have many real-world applications. For example, it could help identify the structures of proteins involved in certain diseases and accelerate drug development.
DeepMind is currently working on a peer-reviewed paper on its work on AlphaFold, the Times reported.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-01--Biblical Goliath may not have been a giant

Goliath , the giant who was felled by in the Hebrew Bible , is described as having a jaw-dropping height .
But that number may not have been a true physical measurement but rather a metaphor , drawn from the width of his hometown 's city wall , new research suggests .
That does n't reveal whether other aspects of the story are true — for instance whether Goliath was a giant or whether his mismatched battle with David took place .
`` We 're not trying to make a statement on the veracity of the story , '' said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Archaeology and Near Eastern Studies at Brigham Young University , in a paper he presented at the American Schools of Oriental Research ( ASOR ) virtual annual meeting on Nov 19 .
`` The issue is the metric , '' he said , `` where does it come from , where might it have been obtained ? ''
Some ancient texts say that Goliath stood at `` four cubits and a span '' –- which Chadwick says equals about 7.80 feet ( 2.38 meters ) — while other ancient texts claim that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ span '' — a measurement equivalent to about 11.35 feet ( 3.46 m ) .
That would certainly have been an impressive height , as the tallest recorded person in modern times was Robert Wadlow , who stood an impressive 8 feet 11 inches ( 2.72 m ) tall , according to .
But how much these `` cubits '' and `` spans '' are in modern-day measurements is a source of debate among scholars .
These measurements probably varied throughout the ancient world .
Chadwick has been studying ancient architectural sites throughout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and noting measurements that seem to be used frequently .
His research indicates that a `` cubit '' in the region was equal to 1.77 feet ( 54 centimeters ) , and a span was equal to 0.72 feet ( 22 cm ) .
He is preparing his metrics research for publication .
Chadwick is part of a team that is excavating Gath ( also known as Tell es-Safi ) , a city where Goliath grew up , according to the Hebrew Bible .
Related : 7 biblical artifacts that will probably never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ excavated a fortification wall found in the northern part of the lower city .
The wall was built in the 10th century B.C.
, a time `` when the Philistines controlled the city as it served as their capital , '' Chadwick told Live Science .
`` The stone wall foundations measured exactly 2.38 m — four cubits and a span — in width at every point along the 40 m of its line exposed by our excavations '' Chadwick said .
He noted that the wall may have been 23 feet ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ASOR presentation , Chadwick proposed that biblical writers may have gotten Goliath 's height from the width of the north lower city wall of Gath .
He noted that Goliath is the only person whose precise height is recorded in the Bible .
`` Nobody else 's height is recorded as an actual metric , '' Chadwick said .
Given that the Bible 's authors likely did n't have access to Goliath 's corpse , this leaves the question of where biblical writers would have gotten Goliath 's height of `` four cubits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's possible the writers may `` have been metaphorically describing the champion [ Goliath ] as being comparable to the size and strength of the Philistine capital 's city wall —a metric that would have been preserved over many centuries and would have known from those familiar with Gath , '' Chadwick said .
Live Science contacted several experts not affiliated with the research to get their thoughts on Chadwick 's theory .
None were able to reply at time of publication .
Excavations at Gath are led by Aren Maeir , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israel .

Goliath, the giant who was felled by King David in the Hebrew Bible, is described as having a jaw-dropping height.
But that number may not have been a true physical measurement but rather a metaphor, drawn from the width of his hometown's city wall, new research suggests. That doesn't reveal whether other aspects of the story are true — for instance whether Goliath was a giant or whether his mismatched battle with David took place.
"We're not trying to make a statement on the veracity of the story," said Jeffrey Chadwick, Jerusalem Center Professor of Archaeology and Near Eastern Studies at Brigham Young University, in a paper he presented at the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) virtual annual meeting on Nov 19. "The issue is the metric," he said, "where does it come from, where might it have been obtained?"
Related: Biblical battles: 12 ancient wars lifted from the bible
Ancient metrics
The lower north city wall in the ancient city of Gath measured about 7.8 feet (2.38 meters) in width. This is equal to four cubits and a span — the same height that Goliath once stood according to some biblical texts. (Image credit: Aren Maeir, 2019)
Some ancient texts say that Goliath stood at "four cubits and a span" –- which Chadwick says equals about 7.80 feet (2.38 meters) — while other ancient texts claim that he towered at "six cubits and a span" — a measurement equivalent to about 11.35 feet (3.46 m). That would certainly have been an impressive height, as the tallest recorded person in modern times was Robert Wadlow, who stood an impressive 8 feet 11 inches (2.72 m) tall, according to Guinness World Records .
But how much these "cubits" and "spans" are in modern-day measurements is a source of debate among scholars. These measurements probably varied throughout the ancient world. Chadwick has been studying ancient architectural sites throughout ancient Israel , measuring the remnants of numerous structures and noting measurements that seem to be used frequently. His research indicates that a "cubit" in the region was equal to 1.77 feet (54 centimeters), and a span was equal to 0.72 feet (22 cm). He is preparing his metrics research for publication.
Hometown measurement
The site of Gath (also known as Tell es-Safi) is seen here from a distance. According to the Hebrew Bible, it was the hometown of Goliath. (Image credit: Jeff Chadwick)
Chadwick is part of a team that is excavating Gath (also known as Tell es-Safi), a Philistine city where Goliath grew up, according to the Hebrew Bible.
Related: 7 biblical artifacts that will probably never be found
Recently, the team has excavated a fortification wall found in the northern part of the lower city. The wall was built in the 10th century B.C., a time "when the Philistines controlled the city as it served as their capital," Chadwick told Live Science. "The stone wall foundations measured exactly 2.38 m — four cubits and a span — in width at every point along the 40 m of its line exposed by our excavations" Chadwick said. He noted that the wall may have been 23 feet (7 m) high .
In his ASOR presentation, Chadwick proposed that biblical writers may have gotten Goliath's height from the width of the north lower city wall of Gath. He noted that Goliath is the only person whose precise height is recorded in the Bible. "Nobody else's height is recorded as an actual metric," Chadwick said.
Given that the Bible's authors likely didn't have access to Goliath's corpse, this leaves the question of where biblical writers would have gotten Goliath's height of "four cubits and a span."
So it's possible the writers may "have been metaphorically describing the champion [Goliath] as being comparable to the size and strength of the Philistine capital's city wall —a metric that would have been preserved over many centuries and would have known from those familiar with Gath," Chadwick said.
Live Science contacted several experts not affiliated with the research to get their thoughts on Chadwick's theory. None were able to reply at time of publication. Excavations at Gath are led by Aren Maeir, a professor of archaeology at Bar-Ilan University in Israel.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-01--Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates

Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates

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90-year-old woman in the UK receives first dose of Pfizer vaccine, FDA review confirms vaccine is safe and effective A 90-year-old woman (who will turn 91 next week) became the first in the world to be given Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine outside of clinical trials, according to the BBC. Margaret Keenan, who is originally from Northern Ireland, was given the vaccine at the University Hospital in Coventry, England. She received the first of 800,000 doses expected to be administered in the U.K. in the coming weeks, according to the BBC. "I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against Covid-19," Keenan said, according to the BBC."It's the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the new year after being on my own for most of the year." "My advice to anyone offered the vaccine is to take it. If I can have it at 90, then you can have it too," she added. Up to four million doses of Pfizer's vaccine is expected to be given to people in the U.K. by the end of the month. Meanwhile, a 53-page Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review published Tuesday (Dec. 8) confirmed that Pfizer's vaccine is safe and effective, according to The Washington Post.
Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine starts to work just 10 days after 1st dose Pfizer's new COVID-19 vaccine starts to protect people from the novel coronavirus just 10 days after the first dose, according to new documents from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The documents were released on Tuesday (Dec. 8), two days before a meeting of the FDA's vaccine advisory panel, which will vote on whether to recommend authorization of the vaccine in the U.S, Live Science reported . The FDA analyzed data from Pfizer's phase 3 clinical trial, which included some 44,000 people in the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Turkey, about half of whom received the vaccine while the other half received a placebo. Both groups received two shots, 21 days apart. About 10 days after the first dose, there was a noticeable drop-off in new COVID-19 cases in the vaccine group compared with the placebo group, indicating that even one dose provides some protection, the report said. However, scientists don't know how long the protection from a single dose will last, so it will still be important for people to receive two shots, according to The New York Times . Overall, the vaccine was 52% effective after the first dose and 95% effective after the second dose, the report said.
People with significant allergies should avoid Pfizer vaccine, UK warns The U.K.'s Regulatory Agency is advising people with a history of "significant" allergic reactions to avoid Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, after two National Health Service members developed severe allergic reactions to it on Tuesday (Dec. 8), Live Science reported. "As is common with new vaccines the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) have advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination after two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday," Stephen Powis, the national medical director for England's National Health Service said in a statement on Wednesday (Dec. 9). Both workers have a history of severe allergies and carry adrenaline auto injectors (such as EpiPens) around with them, according to The Guardian. Shortly after receiving the vaccine, both NHS workers developed anaphylaxis-like symptoms, or severe allergic reactions, but have recovered after receiving treatment. The MHRA will investigate further and Pfizer and BioNTech will support their investigation, according to Reuters. "Allergic reaction occurs with quite a number of vaccines, and perhaps even more frequently with drugs. So it is not unexpected," Stephen Evans, a professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said in remarks to journalists published by Britain's Science Media Center. “What would be wise, as the MHRA have already advised, would be for anyone who has known severe allergic reaction such that they need to carry an EpiPen, to delay having a vaccination until the reason for the allergic reaction has been clarified," he said. For the general population this does not mean that they would need to be anxious about receiving the vaccination, he added. "One has to remember that even things like marmite [a quintessential British food spread] can cause unexpected severe allergic reactions.”
Canada approves Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine Canada has authorized Pfizer's new COVID-19 vaccine, with the first doses expected to be administered there as early as next week. Health Canada, the country's health regulatory agency, said in a statement on Wednesday (Dec. 9) that it had determined that the vaccine "meets the Department's stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements for use in Canada," according to CTV News . "We expect vaccines to arrive maybe as early as Monday [Dec. 14]. It takes time to prepare the vaccine," said Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, the top military general leading the vaccine rollout for the Public Health Agency of Canada, according to CTV News. The first doses could be administered by the middle of next week, he said. Canada is the third country in the world to authorize the Pfizer vaccine, following the United Kingdom and Bahrain. The country should receive up to 249,000 doses of the vaccine by the end of December, and has purchased 20 million doses total, with the option to purchase more, CTV News reported.
Daily COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. reaches record-high, surpassed 9/11 On Wednesday (Dec. 9), the U.S. recorded 3,124 new COVID-19 deaths, the highest daily death toll to date, according to CNN . In comparison, 2,977 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks. The U.S. has now recorded 280,488 deaths related to the virus, according to The COVID Tracking Project . A forecast from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that the total death toll can increase to between 332,000 and 362,000 by January 2, according to CNN. There are currently 106,671 people hospitalized with the virus in the U.S.; 20,903 of them are currently in the ICU and 7,621 are currently on a ventilator, according to the COVID Tracking Project. On Thursday (Dec. 10), the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is set to meet to discuss an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.
FDA panel recommends authorization of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine A panel of experts for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that the agency authorize Pfizer's new COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. On Thursday (Dec. 10), the panel voted 17 to 4 to recommend that the vaccine receive emergency use authorization (EUA) for people ages 16 and older, according to The New York Times . The FDA typically follows the advice of its panels, and so today's vote is an important step towards the vaccine's authorization. It is anticipated that the agency will officially authorize the vaccine on Saturday (Dec. 12), the Times reported. Several countries have already authorized Pfizer's vaccine, including Canada, the United Kingdom and Bahrain.
Vaccine approval could come this weekend, as U.S. continues to record high daily death tolls On Thursday (Dec. 10), the U.S. recorded another 2,902 COVID-19 deaths, a day after the country set a record of 3,253 deaths, according to Reuters . “Probably for the next 60 to 90 days, we’re going to have more deaths per day than we had on 9/11 or we had at Pearl Harbor,” Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday, according to Reuters. "The reality is the vaccine approval this week is not going to really impact that, I think, to any degree for the next 60 days." On Thursday, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee discussed, voted and recommended that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should grant an emergency use authorization for Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine has already been approved in the U.K. and in Canada, and FDA approval for use in the U.S. could come this weekend.
Australia abandons local COVID-19 vaccine after it caused false-positive HIV tests An Australian COVID-19 vaccine that had shown promising results in early trials is being abandoned after researchers found that the shot caused false-positive results on HIV tests. On Friday (Dec. 11), Australian officials said they had canceled an order for some 51 million doses of the vaccine, which was being developed by The University of Queensland and CSL Ltd., a local biotech company, according to The New York Times . In an early trial with 216 participants, the vaccine appeared to be safe and to produce a robust immune response against COVID-19, according to a statement from CSL . But some volunteers falsely tested positive for HIV, which officials feared would undermine trust in the vaccine, the Times reported. The vaccine contained small fragments of an HIV protein, which helped stabilize the vaccine. Some of the participants developed antibodies against these fragments, and these antibodies triggered false positive results on some HIV tests. It's important to note that there is no way for the vaccine to cause an HIV infection, because it contains harmless fragments of the virus.
ICU nurse in New York becomes first person in the US to receive a coronavirus vaccine outside of clinical trials New York, the worst-hit state at the start of the pandemic, just became the first to administer a coronavirus vaccine outside of clinical trials, kicking off a long, massive effort to vaccinate the American people, Live Science reported. Around 9 a.m. E.T. on Monday (Dec. 14), the very first dose of Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine was given to Sandra Lindsay, an intensive care nurse in Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, New York, according to The New York Times. This comes as the U.S. continues to battle a massive wave of the virus that has more than 109,000 people currently hospitalized, according to The COVID Tracking Project. Since the start of the pandemic, New York has recorded more than 780,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 35,100 deaths, according to The Times. "This vaccine is exciting because I believe this is the weapon that will end the war," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a live broadcast of the first vaccination. "It's the beginning of the last chapter of the book, but now we just have to do it."
FDA analysis confirms Moderna's vaccine is safe and effective, emergency authorization is likely to come Friday A new briefing document from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released on Tuesday (Dec. 15) confirmed that Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, according to NPR . Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is 94% effective and has "a favorable safety profile," according to the document. A panel of experts is set to meet on Thursday (Dec. 17) to discuss the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine and vote on whether or not the FDA should grant emergency approval to the vaccine. Last week, the same panel voted that the FDA should grant emergency approval to Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine; the authorization came a day late and the first doses were given on Monday (Dec. 15). The FDA will likely approve Moderna's vaccine for emergency use on Friday (Dec. 18), according to The New York Times .
FDA authorizes first over-the-counter COVID-19 test The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the first over-the-counter COVID-19 test, which can be done at home and does not need a prescription. The test, made by the Australia-based company Ellume, provides results in as little as 20 minutes, according to a statement from the FDA . It is a "lateral flow antigen test," meaning it works in a similar way to a home pregnancy test, by running a "liquid sample along a surface with reactive molecules," the FDA said. The test works in conjunction with a smartphone app. Users take a nasal swab and place their sample in an analyzer, which communicates to the smartphone app via Bluetooth. The results are delivered through the app, and also reported to public health authorities (based on a user's zip code) through a secure cloud connection, the company said . Ellume is ramping up production of its test, and expects to produce three million tests in January 2021, and 20 million within the first half of 2021.
A wild mink tested positive for the coronavirus, it may be the first wild animal to have a confirmed case A wild mink in Utah may be the first "free-ranging, native wild animal" confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Live Science reported. The mink was found near a mink farm and likely picked up the infection from the farmed mink. There's no evidence that the virus spread to other minks or wild animals; but if the virus does begin circulating in wild animals, it could pick up mutations that COVID-19 vaccines may not protect well against if it spreads back to humans, according to the report. "If it does [establish a reservoir], then we've got a long-term issue here, where this virus has the potential to be with us for millennia," Sarah Olson, associate director of the health program at the Wildlife Conservation Society, told Vox. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has screened other animal species for the virus near mink farms in Utah, Michigan and Wisconsin, but all of them have tested negative so far, according to a statement.
An FDA advisory panel will meet today to vote on whether to recommend Moderna's coronavirus vaccine for emergency approval On Thursday (Dec. 17), a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee will meet to determine whether to recommend that Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency approval, according to The New York Times . This panel, composed of independent experts, will vote on whether to recommend the vaccine after hearing from the company, FDA scientists and the public, according to The Times. Last week, the same panel of experts met to discuss Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine and voted to recommend emergency authorization; the authorization came the next day. There have now been more than 16.9 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and more than 307,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins dashboard . There are currently 113,090 people hospitalized across the country with more than 21,900 of them in the ICU and 7,778 on a ventilator, according to The COVID Tracking Project .
California becomes new epicenter of COVID-19 in U.S. California, once praised for its early pandemic response, is now the new U.S. hotspot for COVID-19 infections. The state has reported an alarming surge in cases, breaking previous records for daily cases. On Thursday (Dec. 17), the state reported some 50,000 COVID-19 infections in 24 hours, and nearly 100,000 in 48 hours, according to The Washington Post . That's more than the daily cases reported in many countries, including India, Germany and Britain, the Post reported. The state also set a record for daily deaths on Thursday, with 379 fatalities reported, up from the previous high of 293. Capacity in intensive care units has also dropped dramatically, with hospitals in Southern California reporting zero percent capacity on Thursday. "I want to be very clear: Our hospitals are under siege, and our model shows no end in sight," said Christina Ghaly, director of Los Angeles County's Department of Health Services, the Post reported.
FDA expected to authorize Moderna's vaccine on Friday The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine on Friday (Dec. 18). Once authorized, it will be the second coronavirus vaccine to get the green light from the agency in just a week, with Pfizer's vaccine gaining authorization on Dec. 11. Moderna is expected to begin shipping 5.9 million doses of its vaccine on Sunday (Dec. 20), with the first deliveries arriving Monday (Dec. 21), according to The New York Times . Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, Moderna's vaccine does not require storage in extremely cold temperatures, and states are hoping to distribute the vaccine to rural hospitals and community health centers, the Times reported.
COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the U.S. There have now been more than 17 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and more than 300,000 deaths, according to The COVID Tracking Project . There are currently 114,237 people hospitalized across the country and 21,900 people in the ICU. California is facing a massive surge in cases; the state reported 41,012 new COVID-19 cases and 300 new deaths on Thursday (Dec. 17), according to the state's COVID-19 dashboard . By comparison, at the start of November, California was reporting a seven-day average of 4,183 cases, compared to an average of 38,774 on Thursday, according to CNN . "We're experiencing an explosive and very deadly surge," Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County Public Health Director said, according to CNN. Intensive care unit beds are rapidly filling up across the state; there are only 1,234 ICU beds left available in California, according to the dashboard. Current closures across California are impacting around 98% of the state's population, according to CNN.
London and southeast England are under an emergency lockdown Following concerns of a new version of the coronavirus that might be more transmissible, London and most of southeast England are now under an emergency lockdown, according to The New York Times . Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the lockdown on Saturday (Dec. 19) citing concerns that the mutated virus — which was detected a couple of weeks ago in southeast England — may be as much as 70% more transmissible than previous versions, according to the Times. The new version of the coronavirus is detected in more than 60% of new infections in London and have also been detected in several other countries, according to the Times. But it's not yet clear if this coronavirus version is any more infectious than the last and thorough analyses will need to be conducted before conclusions are made, scientists cautioned. In South Africa, a similar version of the virus has been found in up to 90% of new cases detected since mid-November, according to The Times . It's common for viruses to mutate, and this particular coronavirus has mutated many times since the start of the pandemic. But experts told The Times that it would take years for the virus to mutate enough such that it would make the current vaccines developed to fight COVID-19 ineffective.
Biden gets Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine President-elect Joe Biden received a dose of Pfizer's new COVID-19 vaccine on Monday (Dec. 21), according to The New York Times . He received the shot on camera at the Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware. "I'm doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared when it's available to take the vaccine. There's nothing to worry about," Biden said.
Antarctica has its 1st COVID-19 outbreak The first COVID-19 cases have been reported in Antarctica , meaning the disease has now spread to every continent in the world. On Tuesday (Dec. 22), Chilean officials reported an outbreak of 36 COVID-19 cases at the Chilean research base General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme on the Antarctic Peninsula, according to the BBC . Of these, 26 cases were military personnel and 10 were maintenance workers, the BBC reported. All of these cases have been evacuated from Antarctica to Punta Arenas, Chile, according to The Guardian . Antarctica had been COVID-19 free up until the current outbreak. The continent has no permanent residents, but about 1,000 people, including scientists and other workers, stayed there this past winter, The Guardian reported.
Live updates will continue in 2021!


livescience--2020-12-01--COVID-19 may have arrived in US by December 2019

COVID-19 may have already arrived in the United States by December 2019 , before the disease was even identified in China , a new study suggests .
The study researchers , from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) , analyzed more than 7,000 blood donations collected by the American Red Cross in nine states between Dec. 13 , 2019 and Jan. 17 , 2020 .
Of those , 106 samples tested positive for against SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19 .
The findings suggest `` SARS-CoV-2 infections may have been present in the U.S. in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' the authors wrote in their paper , published Monday ( Nov. 30 ) in the journal .
Related : 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history Officials in China first reported a cluster of in Wuhan , which would turn out to be caused by COVID-19 , on Dec. 31 , 2019 .
In the United States , the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported on Jan. 20 , 2020 in a resident of Washington state who had recently traveled to China .
But there have been hints @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recognized .
A case of COVID-19 in China was reportedly traced back to Nov. 17 , 2019 , .
In France , retrospective testing of samples from hospitalized patients revealed a .
And researchers have found SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in blood samples collected in Italy in September , .
In the new study , of the 106 samples that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies , 39 were collected from California , Oregon and Washington between Dec. 13 and Dec. 16 , 2019 ; and 67 were collected from Connecticut , Iowa , Massachusetts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dec. 30 , 2019 and Jan. 17 , 2020 .
Positive suggest a prior infection with COVID-19 , but they can not prove that a person was infected .
There 's a chance that antibodies against other coronaviruses may `` cross-react '' to give a positive result .
But when the researchers performed additional tests to account for such cross-reactivity , they found that 84 out of 90 samples tested had antibodies that were specific for SARS-CoV-2 .
The authors also used a highly accurate test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies .
But even very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of false positive results .
However , the number of positive results in the new study was higher than would be expected from false positives alone , the researchers wrote .
Overall , these findings `` make it very unlikely that all reactive specimens [ positive results ] represent false positives , '' the authors concluded .
In other words , at least some of these positives from December 2019 and early January 2020 were likely due to prior COVID-19 infections .
However , even though the authors tried to measure antibodies that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with other coronaviruses '' ca n't be ruled out , Dr. George Rutherford , professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California , San Francisco , told Live Science .
And even if these were true COVID-19 infections , the study can not determine where the participants acquired the infection — it 's possible that some blood donors in the study had recently traveled to China and were infected there , Rutherford noted .
( The current study did not have information on if and where the donors had traveled .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the study , the findings ca n't reveal how much the virus was circulating at that time .
To confirm the findings , human tissue , saliva or blood samples from that time should be tested for traces of genetic material from the SARS-CoV-2 virus , the authors said .
Rutherford added that donors could be contacted in future studies , which could provide information on whether they had traveled or experienced symptoms similar to those of COVID-19 .

COVID-19 may have already arrived in the United States by December 2019, before the disease was even identified in China, a new study suggests.
The study researchers, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), analyzed more than 7,000 blood donations collected by the American Red Cross in nine states between Dec. 13, 2019 and Jan. 17, 2020. Of those, 106 samples tested positive for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The findings suggest "SARS-CoV-2 infections may have been present in the U.S. in December 2019, earlier than previously recognized," the authors wrote in their paper, published Monday (Nov. 30) in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases .
Related: 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history
Officials in China first reported a cluster of mysterious pneumonia cases in Wuhan, which would turn out to be caused by COVID-19, on Dec. 31, 2019. In the United States, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported on Jan. 20, 2020 in a resident of Washington state who had recently traveled to China.
But there have been hints that the virus was circulating earlier than recognized. A case of COVID-19 in China was reportedly traced back to Nov. 17, 2019, Live Science previously reported . In France, retrospective testing of samples from hospitalized patients revealed a patient infected in late December 2019 . And researchers have found SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in blood samples collected in Italy in September, Live Science previously reported .
In the new study, of the 106 samples that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, 39 were collected from California, Oregon and Washington between Dec. 13 and Dec. 16, 2019; and 67 were collected from Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island and Wisconsin between Dec. 30, 2019 and Jan. 17, 2020.
Positive antibody tests suggest a prior infection with COVID-19, but they cannot prove that a person was infected. There's a chance that antibodies against other coronaviruses may "cross-react" to give a positive result. But when the researchers performed additional tests to account for such cross-reactivity, they found that 84 out of 90 samples tested had antibodies that were specific for SARS-CoV-2.
The authors also used a highly accurate test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. But even very accurate tests still produce a small number of false positive results. However, the number of positive results in the new study was higher than would be expected from false positives alone, the researchers wrote.
Overall, these findings "make it very unlikely that all reactive specimens [positive results] represent false positives," the authors concluded. In other words, at least some of these positives from December 2019 and early January 2020 were likely due to prior COVID-19 infections.
However, even though the authors tried to measure antibodies that were specific to SARS-CoV-2, "cross-reactivity with other coronaviruses" can't be ruled out, Dr. George Rutherford, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco, told Live Science. And even if these were true COVID-19 infections, the study cannot determine where the participants acquired the infection — it's possible that some blood donors in the study had recently traveled to China and were infected there, Rutherford noted. (The current study did not have information on if and where the donors had traveled.)
In addition, because of limitations of the study, the findings can't reveal how much the virus was circulating at that time.
To confirm the findings, human tissue, saliva or blood samples from that time should be tested for traces of genetic material from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the authors said. Rutherford added that donors could be contacted in future studies, which could provide information on whether they had traveled or experienced symptoms similar to those of COVID-19.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-01--Newfound marine blob looks like 'party balloon' with two strings, scientists say

Deep in an underwater canyon off the coast of Puerto Rico , there 's a party of balloon-like sea creatures keeping things festive in the abyssal depths .
Their bodies are small — about the size of a golf tee ( just over 2 inches , or 6 centimeters , long ) — but they 're vibrant ; when the creatures move and pulse , rows of tiny hair-like cilia light into a prism of shining colors .
Researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) first spotted these mysterious party blobs in 2015 , sighting three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ depth of roughly 13,000 feet ( 4,000 meters ) .
Now , in a paper published Nov. 18 in the journal , the team has identified the blobs as a new species of ctenophore –- tiny invertebrate predators also known as or `` sea walnuts '' –- called Duobrachium sparksae .
While their wee bodies and shimmering cilia are traits commonly shared among the 100-plus known ctenophore species , the Puerto Rican party blobs still represent an exciting first in marine biology .
According to the researchers , this is the first underwater @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pictures alone ; the team had no access to physical samples for their new study .
`` The cameras on the [ remotely operated ] Deep Discoverer robot are able to get high-resolution images and measure structures less than a millimeter , '' study co-author Allen Collins , a NOAA fisheries scientist , .
`` We do n't have the same as we would in a lab , but the video can give us enough information to understand the morphology in detail . ''
Despite their name , comb jellies are not related @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar gelatinous appearance .
D. sparksae is no exception , with eight rows of prickly cilia wrapping around a translucent body .
That body ends at two points attached to long , thin tentacles , giving the creature an appearance like a floating balloon with two `` dangly bits , '' each attached to its own string , Collins said .
One of the three specimens the team encountered seemed to be `` anchored '' to the seafloor by its tentacles , the researchers wrote .
Using a pair of lasers on their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approximate length of that specimen 's body and tentacles , finding the tentacles to be roughly five times as long as jelly 's body ( each tentacle was 12 inches , or 30 cm , long ) .
When the jelly moved , it moved `` like a hot air balloon , '' maintaining a specific altitude above the ocean floor , said lead study author Michael Ford , also of NOAA .
Many questions remain about these elusive , deep-sea jellies , including what role they play in their ecosystem .
More @ @ @ @ @ @ @ additional clues , but to conduct a crucial analysis researchers will have to get their gloves on an actual intact specimen .
That may be easier said than done , as jelly-like animals have a very short shelf-life outside of the deep sea , the researchers said .
`` Even if we had the equipment , there would have been very little time to process the animal because gelatinous animals do n't preserve very well ; ctenophores are even worse than jellyfish in this regard , '' Collins said .
`` High-quality video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new species . ''

Deep in an underwater canyon off the coast of Puerto Rico, there's a party of balloon-like sea creatures keeping things festive in the abyssal depths.
Their bodies are small — about the size of a golf tee (just over 2 inches, or 6 centimeters, long) — but they're vibrant; when the creatures move and pulse, rows of tiny hair-like cilia refract light into a prism of shining colors.
Researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) first spotted these mysterious party blobs in 2015, sighting three of them near the seabed at a depth of roughly 13,000 feet (4,000 meters). Now, in a paper published Nov. 18 in the journal Plankton and Benthos research , the team has identified the blobs as a new species of ctenophore –- tiny invertebrate predators also known as comb jellies or "sea walnuts" –- called Duobrachium sparksae.
Related: 8 Crazy facts about octopuses
While their wee bodies and shimmering cilia are traits commonly shared among the 100-plus known ctenophore species, the Puerto Rican party blobs still represent an exciting first in marine biology. According to the researchers, this is the first underwater species NOAA researchers have ever described from pictures alone; the team had no access to physical samples for their new study.
"The cameras on the [remotely operated] Deep Discoverer robot are able to get high-resolution images and measure structures less than a millimeter," study co-author Allen Collins, a NOAA fisheries scientist, said in a statement . "We don't have the same microscopes as we would in a lab, but the video can give us enough information to understand the morphology in detail."
Despite their name, comb jellies are not related to jellyfish , though they do share a similar gelatinous appearance. D. sparksae is no exception, with eight rows of prickly cilia wrapping around a translucent body. That body ends at two points attached to long, thin tentacles, giving the creature an appearance like a floating balloon with two "dangly bits," each attached to its own string, Collins said.
Each comb jelly sports 8 rows of cilia that refract light into a prism. (Image credit: NOAA)
One of the three specimens the team encountered seemed to be "anchored" to the seafloor by its tentacles, the researchers wrote. Using a pair of lasers on their underwater robot, the researchers measured the approximate length of that specimen's body and tentacles, finding the tentacles to be roughly five times as long as jelly's body (each tentacle was 12 inches, or 30 cm, long). When the jelly moved, it moved "like a hot air balloon," maintaining a specific altitude above the ocean floor, said lead study author Michael Ford, also of NOAA.
Many questions remain about these elusive, deep-sea jellies, including what role they play in their ecosystem. More video footage of the blobs will provide additional clues, but to conduct a crucial DNA analysis researchers will have to get their gloves on an actual intact specimen. That may be easier said than done, as jelly-like animals have a very short shelf-life outside of the deep sea, the researchers said.
"Even if we had the equipment, there would have been very little time to process the animal because gelatinous animals don't preserve very well; ctenophores are even worse than jellyfish in this regard," Collins said. "High-quality video and photography were crucial for describing this new species."
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-01--China's Chang'e 5 lands on the moon to collect the 1st fresh lunar samples in decades

China has apparently landed on again — and this time the country plans to bring home some souvenirs .
, China 's first-ever sample-return mission , successfully touched down today ( Dec. 1 ) , according to state media reports .
Details on the landing were not immediately available from the China National Space Administration , but the state-run CGTN news channel announced the landing success in a single-sentence statement .
Chang ' e 5 's landing was expected to occur at about 10:13 a.m. EST ( 1513 GMT ) near Mons Rümker , a mountain in the Oceanus Procellarum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region of the moon .
Two pieces of the four-module , 18,100-lb .
( 8,200 kilograms ) Chang ' e 5 mission hit the gray dirt today — a stationary lander and an ascent vehicle .
If all goes according to plan , the lander will spend the next few days collecting about 4.4 lbs .
( 2 kg ) of lunar material , some of it dug from up to 6.5 feet ( 2 meters ) beneath the lunar surface .
In pictures : China on the moon !
A history of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be transferred to the ascent vehicle , which will launch to lunar orbit and meet up with the other two Chang ' e 5 elements — an orbiter and an Earth-return craft .
The return vehicle will haul the moon dirt and rocks to our planet , with a touchdown planned in Inner Mongolia in mid-December .
That will be a landmark event ; pristine lunar samples have not been delivered to Earth since 1976 , when the Soviet Union 's Luna 24 mission came home with about 6 ounces ( 170 grams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5 just , so it 's packing a lot of action into a few short weeks .
The compressed timeline is driven largely by the mission 's energy needs : The Chang ' e 5 lander is solar powered , so it must get all of its work done in two Earth weeks at most , before the sun sets at Mons Rümker .
( One lunar day lasts about 29 Earth days , so most moon sites receive two weeks of continuous sunlight followed by two weeks of darkness . )
Chang @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the of robotic lunar exploration , which is named after a moon goddess in Chinese mythology .
The Chang ' e 1 and Chang ' e 2 orbiters launched in 2007 and 2010 , respectively , and Chang ' e 3 put a lander-rover duo down on the moon 's near side in December 2013 .
The Chang ' e 5 T1 mission sent a prototype return capsule around the moon and back to Earth in October 2014 to help prepare for Chang ' e 5 .
And in January 2019 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pulled off the first-ever soft touchdown on the moon 's mysterious , largely unexplored far side .
Both Chang ' e 4 robots remain operational today , as does the Chang ' e 3 lander .
Though Chang ' e 5 's operational life will be short , the mission is designed to have a long-lasting impact .
After all , scientists are still studying the 842 lbs .
( 382 kg ) of lunar material brought to Earth by NASA 's Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972 .
Some of the Apollo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ huge volcanic plain that explored in late 1969 .
But Mons Rümker rocks formed just 1.2 billion years ago , whereas all of the samples collected by the Apollo astronauts are more than 3 billion years old .
Chang ' e 5 therefore `` will help scientists understand what was happening late in the moon 's history , as well as how Earth and the solar system evolved , '' the nonprofit Planetary Society wrote in its description of the mission .
Chang ' e 5 is n't the only sample-return game in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliver pieces of the asteroid Ryugu to Earth on Dec. 5 , and NASA 's OSIRIS-REx probe in late October .
The Bennu samples are scheduled to come home in September 2023 .
Mike Wall is the author of `` `` ( Grand Central Publishing , 2018 ; illustrated by Karl Tate ) , a book about the search for alien life .
Follow him on Twitter @ michaeldwall .
Follow us on Twitter @ Spacedotcom or Facebook .

China has apparently landed on the moon again — and this time the country plans to bring home some souvenirs.
Chang'e 5 , China's first-ever sample-return mission, successfully touched down today (Dec. 1), according to state media reports. Details on the landing were not immediately available from the China National Space Administration, but the state-run CGTN news channel announced the landing success in a single-sentence statement.
Chang'e 5's landing was expected to occur at about 10:13 a.m. EST (1513 GMT) near Mons Rümker, a mountain in the Oceanus Procellarum ("Ocean of Storms") region of the moon.
Two pieces of the four-module, 18,100-lb. (8,200 kilograms) Chang'e 5 mission hit the gray dirt today — a stationary lander and an ascent vehicle. If all goes according to plan, the lander will spend the next few days collecting about 4.4 lbs. (2 kg) of lunar material, some of it dug from up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) beneath the lunar surface.
In pictures: China on the moon! A history of Chinese lunar missions
The sample will then be transferred to the ascent vehicle, which will launch to lunar orbit and meet up with the other two Chang'e 5 elements — an orbiter and an Earth-return craft. The return vehicle will haul the moon dirt and rocks to our planet, with a touchdown planned in Inner Mongolia in mid-December.
That will be a landmark event; pristine lunar samples have not been delivered to Earth since 1976, when the Soviet Union's Luna 24 mission came home with about 6 ounces (170 grams) of material.
This illustration shows the components of China's ambitious Chang'e 5 lunar sample-return mission. (Image credit: All About Space//Future)
Chang'e 5 just launched on Nov. 23 , so it's packing a lot of action into a few short weeks. The compressed timeline is driven largely by the mission's energy needs: The Chang'e 5 lander is solar powered, so it must get all of its work done in two Earth weeks at most, before the sun sets at Mons Rümker. (One lunar day lasts about 29 Earth days, so most moon sites receive two weeks of continuous sunlight followed by two weeks of darkness.)
Chang'e 5 is the latest mission in the Chang'e program of robotic lunar exploration, which is named after a moon goddess in Chinese mythology. The Chang'e 1 and Chang'e 2 orbiters launched in 2007 and 2010, respectively, and Chang'e 3 put a lander-rover duo down on the moon's near side in December 2013.
The Chang'e 5 T1 mission sent a prototype return capsule around the moon and back to Earth in October 2014 to help prepare for Chang'e 5. And in January 2019, the Chang'e 4 lander-rover duo pulled off the first-ever soft touchdown on the moon's mysterious, largely unexplored far side. Both Chang'e 4 robots remain operational today, as does the Chang'e 3 lander.
Though Chang'e 5's operational life will be short, the mission is designed to have a long-lasting impact. After all, scientists are still studying the 842 lbs. (382 kg) of lunar material brought to Earth by NASA's Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972.
Some of the Apollo material came from Oceanus Procellarum, a huge volcanic plain that Apollo 12 explored in late 1969. But Mons Rümker rocks formed just 1.2 billion years ago, whereas all of the samples collected by the Apollo astronauts are more than 3 billion years old.
Chang'e 5 therefore "will help scientists understand what was happening late in the moon's history, as well as how Earth and the solar system evolved," the nonprofit Planetary Society wrote in its description of the mission .
Chang'e 5 isn't the only sample-return game in town. Japan's Hayabusa2 mission is scheduled to deliver pieces of the asteroid Ryugu to Earth on Dec. 5, and NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe collected samples of the space rock Bennu in late October. The Bennu samples are scheduled to come home in September 2023.