livescience--2020-12-10--SpaceX's Starship SN8 prototype soars on epic test launch, with explosive landing

SpaceX 's Starship spaceflight system just took a big step on its path to Mars .
The latest Starship prototype , a shiny silver vehicle known as SN8 , launched on an epic high-altitude test flight today ( Dec. 9 ) , taking off at 5:45 p.m. EST ( 2245 GMT ) from SpaceX 's facility near the South Texas village of Boca Chica .
The goal was to soar about 7.8 miles ( 12.5 kilometers ) into the sky , perform some complex aerial maneuvers — including a `` belly flop '' like the one the final Starship will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operational flights — and then land safely near the launch stand .
The 165-foot-tall ( 50 meters ) SN8 appeared to notch all of these big milestones , except for the final one : The vehicle hit its landing mark but came in too fast , exploding in a dramatic fireball 6 minutes and 42 seconds after liftoff .
SN8 's rapid unplanned disassembly did nothing to dampen the spirits of SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk , who was thrilled by the results of today 's flight .
`` Fuel header tank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ causing touchdown velocity to be high & RUD , but we got all the data we needed !
Congrats SpaceX team hell yeah !
! ''
Musk tweeted this evening .
`` Mars , here we come ! ''
he added in another tweet .
Musk was not expecting complete , wire-to-wire success today ; he had previously given SN8 ( short for `` Serial No .
8 '' ) just a 1-in-3 chance of landing in one piece .
That 's because today 's flight was far more complex and demanding than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previous altitude record was about 500 feet ( 150 m ) , achieved by three different Starship vehicles — the stubby Starhopper , SN5 and SN6 .
All three of those predecessors were pretty bare-bones ; they looked like flying silos and featured just one of SpaceX 's next-generation Raptor engines .
SN8 was much more capable and complex .
It was powered by three Raptors and had a nose cone and stabilizing body flaps .
These new pieces did their jobs well today , Musk said in another tweet : `` Successful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ precise flap control to landing point ! ''
SpaceX is developing Starship to carry people and cargo to the moon , Mars and other distant destinations .
The system consists of two elements : a stainless-steel spacecraft called Starship , which will sport six Raptors , and a giant rocket known as Super Heavy , which will have about 30 of the engines .
Both of these vehicles will be fully and rapidly reusable , Musk has said .
Starship will be capable of making many trips from Earth to Mars and back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up many launches during its life .
( Starship will be powerful enough to launch itself off the moon and Mars , but it will need Super Heavy to get off our much more massive Earth . )
SpaceX wants Starship and Super Heavy to be operational soon .
NASA 's Artemis program is considering using Starship to land astronauts on the lunar surface , for example , and the first of those touchdowns is targeted for 2024 .
And Musk recently said he 's confident that SpaceX will launch its first crewed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ milestone possible in 2024 `` if we 're lucky . ''
SpaceX aims to meet this ambitious timeline by iterating fast and flying often .
The company is building multiple Starship prototypes at its South Texas site , and we should expect those coming vehicles to get off the ground fairly soon — especially SN9 , which is apparently nearly done .
SN9 and SN10 will be quite similar to the three-engine SN8 , featuring `` many small improvements '' over the vehicle that flew today , Musk said via Twitter on Nov. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for SN15 , '' he said in another tweet that day .
Today 's launch was originally scheduled to take place yesterday ( Dec. 8 ) .
But SN8 detected something abnormal with one or more of its Raptors and aborted the attempt automatically less than two seconds before liftoff .
Mike Wall is the author of `` Out There '' ( Grand Central Publishing , 2018 ; illustrated by Karl Tate ) , a book about the search for alien life .
Follow him on Twitter @ michaeldwall .
Follow us on @ @ @ @ @ @

SpaceX's Starship SN8 prototype launches on its first high-altitude test flight from Boca Chica, Texas on Dec. 9, 2020.
SpaceX's Starship spaceflight system just took a big step on its path to Mars.
The latest Starship prototype, a shiny silver vehicle known as SN8, launched on an epic high-altitude test flight today (Dec. 9), taking off at 5:45 p.m. EST (2245 GMT) from SpaceX's facility near the South Texas village of Boca Chica.
The goal was to soar about 7.8 miles (12.5 kilometers) into the sky, perform some complex aerial maneuvers — including a "belly flop" like the one the final Starship will perform when coming back to Earth on operational flights — and then land safely near the launch stand.
Starship and Super Heavy: SpaceX's Mars-colonizing vehicles in images
The 165-foot-tall (50 meters) SN8 appeared to notch all of these big milestones, except for the final one: The vehicle hit its landing mark but came in too fast, exploding in a dramatic fireball 6 minutes and 42 seconds after liftoff.
SN8's rapid unplanned disassembly did nothing to dampen the spirits of SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk, who was thrilled by the results of today's flight.
"Fuel header tank pressure was low during landing burn, causing touchdown velocity to be high & RUD, but we got all the data we needed! Congrats SpaceX team hell yeah!!" Musk tweeted this evening.
"Mars, here we come!" he added in another tweet.
Mars, here we come!!December 9, 2020 See more
Musk was not expecting complete, wire-to-wire success today; he had previously given SN8 (short for "Serial No. 8") just a 1-in-3 chance of landing in one piece.
That's because today's flight was far more complex and demanding than any previous Starship prototype test. The previous altitude record was about 500 feet (150 m), achieved by three different Starship vehicles — the stubby Starhopper, SN5 and SN6.
All three of those predecessors were pretty bare-bones; they looked like flying silos and featured just one of SpaceX's next-generation Raptor engines. SN8 was much more capable and complex. It was powered by three Raptors and had a nose cone and stabilizing body flaps.
These new pieces did their jobs well today, Musk said in another tweet: "Successful ascent, switchover to header tanks & precise flap control to landing point!"
SpaceX is developing Starship to carry people and cargo to the moon, Mars and other distant destinations. The system consists of two elements: a stainless-steel spacecraft called Starship, which will sport six Raptors, and a giant rocket known as Super Heavy, which will have about 30 of the engines.
Both of these vehicles will be fully and rapidly reusable, Musk has said. Starship will be capable of making many trips from Earth to Mars and back, and each Super Heavy will rack up many launches during its life. (Starship will be powerful enough to launch itself off the moon and Mars, but it will need Super Heavy to get off our much more massive Earth.)
SpaceX wants Starship and Super Heavy to be operational soon. NASA's Artemis program is considering using Starship to land astronauts on the lunar surface, for example, and the first of those touchdowns is targeted for 2024. And Musk recently said he's confident that SpaceX will launch its first crewed Mars mission by 2026, with the milestone possible in 2024 "if we're lucky."
SpaceX aims to meet this ambitious timeline by iterating fast and flying often. The company is building multiple Starship prototypes at its South Texas site, and we should expect those coming vehicles to get off the ground fairly soon — especially SN9, which is apparently nearly done.
SN9 and SN10 will be quite similar to the three-engine SN8, featuring "many small improvements" over the vehicle that flew today, Musk said via Twitter on Nov. 24. "Major upgrades are slated for SN15," he said in another tweet that day.
Today's launch was originally scheduled to take place yesterday (Dec. 8). But SN8 detected something abnormal with one or more of its Raptors and aborted the attempt automatically less than two seconds before liftoff.
Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (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.


livescience--2020-12-09--Coronavirus outbreak: Live Updates

Coronavirus outbreak: Live Updates

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 .
`` We expect vaccines to arrive maybe as early as Monday [ Dec. 14 ] .
It takes time to prepare the vaccine , '' said Maj.-Gen. Dany @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
The U.K. 's Regulatory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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.
” 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 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) .
The documents were released on Tuesday ( Dec. 8 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the FDA 's vaccine advisory panel , which will vote on whether to recommend authorization of the vaccine in the U.S , .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the placebo group , indicating that even one dose provides some protection , the report said .
However , scientists do n'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 .
Overall , the vaccine was 52 % effective after the first dose and 95 % effective after the second dose , the report said .
90-year-old woman in the UK receives first dose of Pfizer vaccine , FDA review confirms vaccine is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .

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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--2020-12-09--Watch SpaceX test a giant 'Starship' over Texas today [UPDATED]

Update Wednesday , Dec. 9 at 4:27 p.m. EST : The launch is now on `` hold , '' and now anticipated to take place at 5:40 p.m. EST .
Update Wednesday , Dec. 9 at 4:02 p.m. EST : SpaceX is getting ready to launch again any minute .
A livestream is below .
Update Tuesday , Dec. 8 at 5:41 p.m. EST : An automatic engine abort with 1 second to go before launch prevented a test flight from taking place Tuesday .
This page will be updated if SpaceX says it will re-attempt a launch .
SpaceX @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over Boca Chica , Texas , on Tuesday ( Dec. 8 ) .
Starship is SpaceX 's big , shiny rocket standing 160 feet ( 49 meters ) tall and 30 feet ( 9 m ) wide .
Unlike the Crew Dragon , which is currently docked to the International Space Station , or the company 's fleet of more standard rockets , Starship has n't been built to serve a specific space agency or private customer 's needs .
Instead , it 's designed to further CEO Elon Musk 's stated goal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heavy payloads to the moon and eventually Mars — a goal NASA supported earlier this year with a $ 135 million investment , The anticipated test will mark the first opportunity to see a completed Starship prototype in action .
Related : Here 's every spaceship that 's ever carried an astronaut into orbit Today 's 41,000-foot ( 12,500 m ) test flight will top out slightly below the 50,000 feet ( 15,240 m ) Musk initially projected , Dave Mosher reported for .
There 's no official start time , but SpaceX @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posted to YouTube that if the flight does n't take place by 5 p.m. CST it will likely be bumped to Wednesday ( Dec. 9 ) or Thursday ( Dec. 10 ) .
Spaceflight Now reporter Stephen Clark to point out that a NASA surveillance plane will be in the area around 3 p.m. CST , making that a plausible launch window .
SpaceX has previously tested a Starship prototype , Starship Serial Number 4 ( SN4 ) , which exploded just after an engine test .
This test of Starship Serial Number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rocket high into the atmosphere , turn it on its side , then have it attempt to right itself again for a landing .
SpaceX has cautioned that a total success , including a safe landing , is unlikely , and that a failure at some stage would be normal for a test flight .
Several YouTube channels are livestreaming the launch site .
The stream below includes a checklist of steps SpaceX will take before launch , giving viewers clues as to when the test might occur .

Update Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 4:27 p.m. EST: The launch is now on "hold," and now anticipated to take place at 5:40 p.m. EST.
Update Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 4:02 p.m. EST: SpaceX is getting ready to launch again any minute. A livestream is below.
Update Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 5:41 p.m. EST: An automatic engine abort with 1 second to go before launch prevented a test flight from taking place Tuesday. This page will be updated if SpaceX says it will re-attempt a launch.
SpaceX plans to test its enormous Starship prototype over Boca Chica, Texas, on Tuesday (Dec. 8).
Starship is SpaceX's big, shiny rocket standing 160 feet (49 meters) tall and 30 feet (9 m) wide. Unlike the Crew Dragon, which is currently docked to the International Space Station, or the company's fleet of more standard rockets, Starship hasn't been built to serve a specific space agency or private customer's needs. Instead, it's designed to further CEO Elon Musk's stated goal of delivering large numbers of people or heavy payloads to the moon and eventually Mars — a goal NASA supported earlier this year with a $135 million investment, Spaceflight Now reported. The anticipated test will mark the first opportunity to see a completed Starship prototype in action.
Related: Here's every spaceship that's ever carried an astronaut into orbit
Today's 41,000-foot (12,500 m) test flight will top out slightly below the 50,000 feet (15,240 m) Musk initially projected, Dave Mosher reported for Business Insider . There's no official start time, but SpaceX said in the caption of a livestream posted to YouTube that if the flight doesn't take place by 5 p.m. CST it will likely be bumped to Wednesday (Dec. 9) or Thursday (Dec. 10). Spaceflight Now reporter Stephen Clark tweeted to point out that a NASA surveillance plane will be in the area around 3 p.m. CST, making that a plausible launch window.
SpaceX has previously tested a Starship prototype, Starship Serial Number 4 (SN4), which exploded just after an engine test. This test of Starship Serial Number 8 (SN8) will take the rocket high into the atmosphere, turn it on its side, then have it attempt to right itself again for a landing. SpaceX has cautioned that a total success, including a safe landing, is unlikely, and that a failure at some stage would be normal for a test flight.
Several YouTube channels are livestreaming the launch site. The stream below includes a checklist of steps SpaceX will take before launch, giving viewers clues as to when the test might occur.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-09--Missing link in pterosaur origins discovered

Nearly nothing is known about the family tree of — iconic reptiles that flew alongside the .
These now-extinct beasts appear in the fossil record with already developed wings and senses adapted for flying , with researchers having nary a clue about their immediate evolutionary history .
But now , the pterosaur 's family tree has a new branch ; an enigmatic group of small reptiles , known as lagerpetids , might be the closest-known pterosaur relatives on record , the researchers of a new study say .
Unlike pterosaurs , however , lagerpetids did not fly .
`` Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a flightless pterosaur relative would look like , '' study co-researcher Sterling Nesbitt , an associate professor of geosciences at Virginia Tech , told Live Science .
The first pterosaur fossils were described in 1784 , and countless pterosaur remains have turned up since then , dating as far back as 220 million years during the to about 65 million years ago , at the end- extinction .
But beyond knowing that pterosaurs were archosaurs , a group that includes dinosaurs , birds and , scientists have n't figured out the pterosaur 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clues about how the pterosaur became the first vertebrate to powered flight .
Although lagerpetids were Earth-bound , they do shed light on pterosaur flight , Nesbitt said .
Researchers have published studies on lagerpetid fossils since the 1970s , but they did n't know much about this weird reptile , except that it lived from about 237 million to 210 million years ago , and that it was likely related to dinosaurs , which first appeared about 233 million years ago .
After all , the lagerpetid hindlimb and pelvis did resemble @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But then , researchers started finding more complete lagerpetid fossils in more places around the world , including a 237 million-year-old `` `` from Madagascar , and realized that these animals shared more in common with pterosaurs than with dinosaurs .
In addition , researchers used a ( computed tomography ) scan to analyze a lagerpetid braincase , where the brain sat .
The results showed that lagerpetids and pterosaurs had similarly shaped brains and inner ears , so some of the pterosaur 's specialized sensory systems likely evolved before powered flight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the semicircular canals [ in the ear ] , which orients you in 3D space , '' Nesbitt said .
`` The shape of those canals correlates with ecology and how you move your head — basically , are you agile or not ?
And a lot of things that have flight have semicircular canals with a really large and characteristic [ shape ] because you 're flying , you 're in a lot more 3D space . ''
Lagerpetids , however , are not the direct ancestors of pterosaurs .
If you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a `` Y , '' the lagerpetids and pterosaurs are on different `` arms '' of the Y , but share a common ancestor at the Y 's base .
The study `` provides some impressive evidence , '' but `` some difficult questions remain , '' said David Unwin , a reader in paleobiology at the University of Leicester in England who studies pterosaurs , but was n't involved with the study .
`` Lagerpetids , argued in this analysis to be the closest known relatives to pterosaurs , were small , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ animals with relatively short forelimbs , '' Unwin told Live Science in an email .
`` Pterosaurs , by contrast , were fully quadrupedal [ four-legged ] and had highly elongate [ d ] forelimbs . ''
In other words , there 's a huge difference in the body shapes of lagerpetids , pterosaurs and dinosaurs , and `` these discoveries throw little light on when , where and how pterosaurs and their flight ability first evolved , '' Unwin said .
The study was published online Wednesday ( Dec. 9 ) in @ @ @

Lagerpetids, including the species Ixalerpeton (illustrated here), may be close relatives of pterosaurs.
Nearly nothing is known about the family tree of pterosaurs — iconic reptiles that flew alongside the dinosaurs . These now-extinct beasts appear in the fossil record with already developed wings and senses adapted for flying, with researchers having nary a clue about their immediate evolutionary history.
But now, the pterosaur's family tree has a new branch; an enigmatic group of small reptiles, known as lagerpetids, might be the closest-known pterosaur relatives on record, the researchers of a new study say.
Unlike pterosaurs, however, lagerpetids did not fly. "Now, we have an idea of what a flightless pterosaur relative would look like," study co-researcher Sterling Nesbitt, an associate professor of geosciences at Virginia Tech, told Live Science.
Related: Photos: Baby pterosaurs couldn't fly as hatchlings
The first pterosaur fossils were described in 1784, and countless pterosaur remains have turned up since then, dating as far back as 220 million years during the Triassic period to about 65 million years ago, at the end- Cretaceous extinction. But beyond knowing that pterosaurs were archosaurs, a group that includes dinosaurs, birds and crocodylians , scientists haven't figured out the pterosaur's immediate ancestors — animals that could offer clues about how the pterosaur became the first vertebrate to evolve powered flight.
Although lagerpetids were Earth-bound, they do shed light on pterosaur flight, Nesbitt said. Researchers have published studies on lagerpetid fossils since the 1970s, but they didn't know much about this weird reptile, except that it lived from about 237 million to 210 million years ago, and that it was likely related to dinosaurs, which first appeared about 233 million years ago. After all, the lagerpetid hindlimb and pelvis did resemble that of a dinosaur, Nesbitt said. But then, researchers started finding more complete lagerpetid fossils in more places around the world, including a 237 million-year-old " tiny bug slayer " from Madagascar, and realized that these animals shared more in common with pterosaurs than with dinosaurs.
Image 1 of 9 This small reptile, a lagerpetid known as Ixalerpeton, climbs a tree about 233 million years ago in what is now Brazil. (Image credit: Rodolfo Nogueira) Martín Ezcurra (left) and Sterling Nesbitt (right) collect reptile specimens from Triassic rocks at the Chañares Formation of northwest Argentina. (Image credit: Courtesy Martín Ezcurra) The researchers excavate fossils at the Chañares Formation in Argentina. (Image credit: Courtesy Martín Ezcurra) A reconstruction of a lagerpetid skeleton. (Image credit: Courtesy Martín Ezcurra) Martín Ezcurra (left) and Sterling Nesbitt (right) hunt for fossils in northwest Argentina. (Image credit: Courtesy Martín Ezcurra) The Triassic rocks of the Chañares Formation (grey and brown), in northwest Argentina, that held the remains of the lagerpetid Lagerpeton. (Image credit: Courtesy Martín Ezcurra) The Chañares Formation, where lagerpetid fossils were found. (Image credit: Courtesy Martín Ezcurra) The location in Argentina where researchers found the lagerpetid Lagerpeton. (Image credit: Courtesy Martín Ezcurra) A partially prepared specimen (showing the trunk and tail vertebrae, pelvic girdle, and hindlimb) of the lagerpetid Lagerpeton from the Triassic Chañares Formation of Argentina. (Image credit: Courtesy Martín Ezcurra)
In addition, researchers used a micro-CT (computed tomography) scan to analyze a lagerpetid braincase, where the brain sat. The results showed that lagerpetids and pterosaurs had similarly shaped brains and inner ears, so some of the pterosaur's specialized sensory systems likely evolved before powered flight.
"It has to do with the semicircular canals [in the ear], which orients you in 3D space," Nesbitt said. "The shape of those canals correlates with ecology and how you move your head — basically, are you agile or not? And a lot of things that have flight have semicircular canals with a really large and characteristic [shape] because you're flying, you're in a lot more 3D space."
Image 1 of 6 About 212 million years ago, in what is now Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, a species of lagerpetids known as Dromomeron romeri grabbed a drink while several pterosaurs fly overhead. (Image credit: Stephanie Abramowicz/Dinosaur Institute, NHMLAC) A field team excavates fossils from the Late Triassic Hayden Quarry at Ghost Ranch in 2018. (Image credit: Nathan Smith/Dinosaur Institute, NHMLAC) Triassic outcrops of the Chinle Formation of New Mexico, which held the fossils of the lagerpetid Dromomeron. (Image credit: Courtesy Martín Ezcurra) The site where researchers found the lagerpetid Dromomeron. (Image credit: Courtesy Martín Ezcurra) The lower left jawbone of the lagerpetid Ixalerpeton, from the Triassic Santa Maria Sequence of southern Brazil. (Image credit: Courtesy Martín Ezcurra) The lower right jawbone of the lagerpetid Ixalerpeton, from the Triassic Santa Maria Sequence of southern Brazil. (Image credit: Courtesy Martín Ezcurra)
Lagerpetids, however, are not the direct ancestors of pterosaurs. If you think of a family tree shaped like a "Y," the lagerpetids and pterosaurs are on different "arms" of the Y, but share a common ancestor at the Y's base.
The study "provides some impressive evidence," but "some difficult questions remain," said David Unwin, a reader in paleobiology at the University of Leicester in England who studies pterosaurs, but wasn't involved with the study.
"Lagerpetids, argued in this analysis to be the closest known relatives to pterosaurs, were small, lightly-built, fully bipedal [two-legged] animals with relatively short forelimbs," Unwin told Live Science in an email. "Pterosaurs, by contrast, were fully quadrupedal [four-legged] and had highly elongate[d] forelimbs." In other words, there's a huge difference in the body shapes of lagerpetids, pterosaurs and dinosaurs, and "these discoveries throw little light on when, where and how pterosaurs and their flight ability first evolved," Unwin said.
The study was published online Wednesday (Dec. 9) in the journal Nature .
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-09--Dramatic transformation of the Arctic landscape may be permanent

From vanishing sea ice to blistering air temperatures to , is reshaping the Arctic .
And that transformation may be permanent , researchers said on Tuesday ( Dec. 8 ) at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union ( AGU ) .
The Arctic has warmed and melted at an alarmingly accelerating pace over the last 15 years , and the impacts are accumulating so rapidly that `` there 's no reason to think that in 30 years anything will be as it is today , '' Rick Thoman , an Alaska climate specialist with the International Arctic Research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Alaska Fairbanks ( UAF ) , said at the conference , held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic , on Tuesday .
For the last 15 years , the Arctic Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) has released the Arctic Report Card ( ARC ) , a yearly summary of the northern region 's current environmental status .
The ARC has documented shifts across this vulnerable region as Earth warms , and has outlined repercussions for ecological systems , weather patterns and human communities .
Related : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off the rails This year 's news was not good : June snow cover across the Eurasian Arctic was at its lowest in 54 years ; coastal permafrost erosion is increasing ; and glaciers and ice sheets in continued a trend `` of significant ice loss , '' according to the report .
Arctic warming is happening twice as quickly as warming elsewhere on Earth , and this year brought air temperatures that were 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit ( 1.9 degrees Celsius ) higher than average , making 2020 the Arctic 's second-hottest year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in August were also hotter , as much as 5.4 F ( 3 C ) warmer than average sea-surface temperatures in August from 1982 to 2010 .
Sea-ice loss began earlier than usual in the spring , with end-of-summer ice coverage diminishing to the second-lowest in 42 years of record-keeping .
And a landmark year-long research expedition — the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate ( MOSAiC ) — revealed the extent of ice loss to an international team of researchers in real-time .
MOSAiC scientists traveled to the Arctic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an ice floe to drift in the Arctic Sea , enabling experts to set up monitoring stations on the ice , conduct surveys and collect data , said Matthew Shupe , a senior research scientist with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences ( CIRES ) at the University of Colorado in Boulder , and a member of the MOSAiC expedition .
While much of the data is yet to be analyzed , the expedition found sea-ice cover to be `` very thin , '' and it was challenging for them to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Shupe said at AGU .
The sea ice where scientists had hoped to establish camps would often crack and shift .
Strong ocean circulation patterns that prevailed across the Arctic in 2020 , also propelled MOSAiC scientists across the Arctic faster than they had planned , with rapid drift pushing their observatory to the very edge of the ocean 's ice cover , Shupe said .
Persistent heat and dryness also sparked more than 700 that burned over 3,800 square miles ( 9,800 square kilometers ) in the northern latitudes , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the region are variable , but since the beginning of the 21st century , years with significant fire damage in the Arctic have become more common , said ARC co-author Alison York , an expert in Alaska fire ecology at the IARC and coordinator of the Alaska Fire Science Consortium .
Arctic fires are fueled not only by trees , but also by material known as duff — layers of dead plants and moss .
Extreme cold in the Arctic slows decomposition , so dead plant material breaks down slowly and builds up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said at AGU .
Duff stores about 30 % to 40 % of global soil carbon and insulates Arctic permafrost , but warm conditions can make duff highly flammable .
When duff ignites , even if the flames die down the material can smolder all winter , flaring to life again in the summer .
These so-called zombie fires play a key role in stoking destructive fire seasons in northern latitudes , and 2020 was `` a record fire year '' within the , with many of these `` undead '' fires and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Current warming trends in the Arctic are unlikely to slow without drastic efforts to dial back global climate change .
In fact , models show that the more ice the Arctic loses , the faster it will warm , and warming in the north is likely to be baked in beyond the levels for the rest of the planet , said James Overland , a research oceanographer with NOAA 's Pacific Marine Environment Laboratory .
`` While we may be able to hold the globe down to a 2-degree [ Celsius ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like 4 to 5 degrees of warming , '' Overland said at AGU .
`` What we do now will greatly impact what happens in the second half of the century , '' he added .
One bit of good news in the report involves the Arctic 's bowhead whales ( Balaena mysticetus ) , the only baleen whale species that lives exclusively in the Arctic and does n't travel to southern latitudes to birth its calves .
These whales were once hunted nearly to extinction , but their populations have climbed over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ due to the increase in nutritious zooplankton that ocean warming has brought to the Arctic , and the whales ' health and numbers now stand as `` a conservation success story , '' said ARC co-author Craig George , a biologist with the Department of Wildlife Management in Alaska 's Northern Slope Borough .
But it remains to be seen if the Arctic 's bowheads will continue to thrive .
Thinning sea ice further increases the whales ' vulnerability to orca attacks , and as oceans warm and other baleen whale species such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visitors in Arctic waters , bowheads face increased competition , challenging their recovery and making the future of this long-lived species less certain , George said at AGU .

From vanishing sea ice to blistering air temperatures to zombie fires , climate change is reshaping the Arctic. And that transformation may be permanent, researchers said on Tuesday (Dec. 8) at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).
The Arctic has warmed and melted at an alarmingly accelerating pace over the last 15 years, and the impacts are accumulating so rapidly that "there's no reason to think that in 30 years anything will be as it is today," Rick Thoman, an Alaska climate specialist with the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), said at the conference, held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on Tuesday.
For the last 15 years, the Arctic Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released the Arctic Report Card (ARC), a yearly summary of the northern region's current environmental status. The ARC has documented shifts across this vulnerable region as Earth warms, and has outlined repercussions for ecological systems, weather patterns and human communities.
Related: 10 signs that Earth's climate is off the rails
This year's news was not good: June snow cover across the Eurasian Arctic was at its lowest in 54 years; coastal permafrost erosion is increasing; and glaciers and ice sheets in Greenland continued a trend "of significant ice loss," according to the report.
Arctic warming is happening twice as quickly as warming elsewhere on Earth, and this year brought air temperatures that were 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit (1.9 degrees Celsius) higher than average, making 2020 the Arctic's second-hottest year since at least 1900. Ocean temperatures in August were also hotter, as much as 5.4 F (3 C) warmer than average sea-surface temperatures in August from 1982 to 2010.
Monthly average sea-ice extent map for (left) March 2020 and (right) September 2020. (Image credit: NOAA)
Warming seas, melting ice
Sea-ice loss began earlier than usual in the spring, with end-of-summer ice coverage diminishing to the second-lowest in 42 years of record-keeping. And a landmark year-long research expedition — the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) — revealed the extent of ice loss to an international team of researchers in real-time.
MOSAiC scientists traveled to the Arctic on an icebreaker ship that embedded in an ice floe to drift in the Arctic Sea, enabling experts to set up monitoring stations on the ice, conduct surveys and collect data, said Matthew Shupe, a senior research scientist with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and a member of the MOSAiC expedition.
While much of the data is yet to be analyzed, the expedition found sea-ice cover to be "very thin," and it was challenging for them to find a suitable ice floe to follow, Shupe said at AGU. The sea ice where scientists had hoped to establish camps would often crack and shift. Strong ocean circulation patterns that prevailed across the Arctic in 2020, also propelled MOSAiC scientists across the Arctic faster than they had planned, with rapid drift pushing their observatory to the very edge of the ocean's ice cover, Shupe said.
Zombie fires
On June 21, 2020, the Himawari-8 satellite viewed the ongoing Siberian fires above the Arctic Circle. "The main causes,” said a translated version of Russia's Federal Forestry Agency press release, "are human and thunderstorm factors." (Image credit: NOAA)
Persistent heat and dryness also sparked more than 700 wildfires that burned over 3,800 square miles (9,800 square kilometers) in the northern latitudes, according to the ARC. Fire seasons in the region are variable, but since the beginning of the 21st century, years with significant fire damage in the Arctic have become more common, said ARC co-author Alison York, an expert in Alaska fire ecology at the IARC and coordinator of the Alaska Fire Science Consortium.
Arctic fires are fueled not only by trees, but also by material known as duff — layers of dead plants and moss. Extreme cold in the Arctic slows decomposition, so dead plant material breaks down slowly and builds up in layers on the ground, York said at AGU. Duff stores about 30% to 40% of global soil carbon and insulates Arctic permafrost, but warm conditions can make duff highly flammable. When duff ignites, even if the flames die down the material can smolder all winter, flaring to life again in the summer. These so-called zombie fires play a key role in stoking destructive fire seasons in northern latitudes, and 2020 was "a record fire year" within the Arctic Circle , with many of these "undead" fires and millions of acres burned, York said.
Success for whales
Current warming trends in the Arctic are unlikely to slow without drastic efforts to dial back global climate change. In fact, models show that the more ice the Arctic loses, the faster it will warm, and warming in the north is likely to be baked in beyond the levels for the rest of the planet, said James Overland, a research oceanographer with NOAA's Pacific Marine Environment Laboratory.
"While we may be able to hold the globe down to a 2-degree [Celsius] increase, the Arctic will see more like 4 to 5 degrees of warming," Overland said at AGU. "What we do now will greatly impact what happens in the second half of the century," he added.
One bit of good news in the report involves the Arctic's bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus), the only baleen whale species that lives exclusively in the Arctic and doesn't travel to southern latitudes to birth its calves. These whales were once hunted nearly to extinction, but their populations have climbed over the past 30 years, in part due to the increase in nutritious zooplankton that ocean warming has brought to the Arctic, and the whales' health and numbers now stand as "a conservation success story," said ARC co-author Craig George, a biologist with the Department of Wildlife Management in Alaska's Northern Slope Borough.
But it remains to be seen if the Arctic's bowheads will continue to thrive. Thinning sea ice further increases the whales' vulnerability to orca attacks, and as oceans warm and other baleen whale species such as humpbacks and fin whales become more frequent visitors in Arctic waters, bowheads face increased competition, challenging their recovery and making the future of this long-lived species less certain, George said at AGU.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-09--When will COVID-19 vaccines start to make a difference?

COVID-19 vaccines should dramatically drive down the rate of new cases , hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. — provided that enough people get the shots .
According to a new model , posted Nov. 30 to the preprint database , vaccinating just 40 % of the U.S. population would cut the attack rate , or new infections from the more than four-fold over the course of one year .
That reduction would occur both by directly protecting those who get the shots and indirectly protecting others in the wider community .
Without any , about 7 % of susceptible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , the authors estimated .
That 's assuming people comply with measures like social distancing and mask-wearing ; the attack rate would likely be higher without such precautions in place .
The low attack rate with vaccines translates to fewer hospitalizations and deaths from ; with 40 % of the population vaccinated , both ICU and non-ICU hospitalizations would fall more than 85 % , according to the model .
Deaths would fall by more than 87 % compared with a year-long scenario with no vaccinations .
Related : 20 of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that mean we can throw caution to the wind and stop if 41 % of the population gets vaccinated ?
No , not exactly .
About three-quarters of the population will likely need to be vaccinated before we can safely begin easing restrictions , given between people , said study author Meagan Fitzpatrick , an assistant professor and infectious disease transmission modeler at the University of Maryland School of Medicine .
In addition , the new model has not yet been peer-reviewed , and in any case , it can not perfectly predict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But the study does give us reason for hope , Fitzpatrick said .
With such highly effective vaccines under review , `` the strategy now is to try to get these vaccines into as many people as possible , '' she said .
The two — one designed by Moderna and the other by Pfizer and BioNTech — are both more than 94 % effective at preventing COVID-19 , according to early analyses .
That level of efficacy is `` so much higher than any of us had a right to expect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` What our research confirms is that these vaccines with extraordinarily high efficacy really do have the potential to make a huge impact , '' she said .
In their model , the study authors assumed that people with the highest risk of COVID-19 exposure and death would receive the vaccine first .
These included a large proportion of all health care workers , people with and individuals ages 65 and older .
Individuals younger than age 65 received the vaccine next , and no individuals under 18 got the shots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been tested thoroughly in children yet .
In addition , the authors assumed that 10 % of the population had already caught COVID-19 and developed natural immunity to the virus .
`` Ten percent is fair , but may be an underestimate in some places '' where case counts have been particularly high , Stanley Perlman , a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Iowa , who was not involved in the study , said in an email .
Related : Here are the most promising coronavirus vaccine candidates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ model showed that vaccinating 40 % of the population substantially reduced case counts , hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 .
The most dramatic drop occurred in people ages 65 and older , who experienced an 83 % to 90 % reduction in potential cases .
People ages 20 and younger had half as many new infections , even though no one under 18 was vaccinated .
In other words , while older adults got direct protection from the vaccine , young adults and children were indirectly protected as immunity increased in the community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeing the impact of 40 % vaccination rates , the authors tested what would happen with only 20 % of the population vaccinated .
Again , the model prioritized vaccinating those at high risk of exposure and severe illness .
Even with such low vaccine coverage , non-ICU hospitalizations fell by 60 % , ICU hospitalizations by 62 % and deaths by more than 64 % .
This suggests that , as vaccines begin to roll out , we may begin to see their positive impacts even before many people get the shots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highlights the power and promise of COVID-19 vaccines , the study authors cautioned that vaccines must be paired with other safeguards against the virus , such as masking , testing and contact tracing .
If we drop those safeguards too soon , more people would need to be vaccinated to prevent a spike in new cases , they wrote .
`` I think that we [ will ] need social distancing and masks for many months still , '' Perlman said .
`` Opening up restaurants and allowing mass gatherings will need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are high , '' he noted .
If anything , contact-tracing efforts should ramp up as vaccines roll out , so health officials can quickly spot new outbreaks and identify communities that should be prioritized for vaccination , Fitzpatrick said .
Reaching high-risk groups will be critical to stopping the pandemic , and this is one way in which the model might differ from reality .
In the model , vaccination rates were assumed to be similar across the whole country , and those in high-risk groups always got their shots first .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ leading vaccines require two shots given several weeks apart , and in the model , everyone in the model got both doses of the vaccine .
In reality , `` vaccination programs often miss their targets , '' said Dr. Eric Schneider , senior vice president for policy and research at The Commonwealth Fund , a national organization that researches health and social policy issues , who was not involved in the study .
`` If , in reality , lower-risk individuals ... are more likely than higher-risk individuals to receive [ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the effect of the vaccination program , '' Schneider said in an email .
In other words , the model will reflect reality only if the U.S. follows through with its plan to give high-risk groups the vaccine first .
To work , this plan must be well-coordinated at all levels of the government and health care system , and paired with clear communication about the vaccine 's risks and benefits , according to a .
And of course , once a vaccine becomes available , those offered access must agree to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine only works if people take it . ''
hint that many U.S. residents would probably or definitely get a COVID-19 vaccine if offered one today , but a smaller proportion say that they probably or definitely would not .
These reports should be taken with a huge grain of salt , though , because `` what someone says they 're going to do in a survey does n't always represent what they 're actually going to do , '' Fitzpatrick said .
Thankfully , while we wait to see what happens , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of reason to be hopeful , '' she added .

COVID-19 vaccines should dramatically drive down the rate of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. — provided that enough people get the shots.
According to a new model, posted Nov. 30 to the preprint database medRxiv , vaccinating just 40% of the U.S. population would cut the attack rate, or new infections from the virus , more than four-fold over the course of one year. That reduction would occur both by directly protecting those who get the shots and indirectly protecting others in the wider community.
Without any vaccines , about 7% of susceptible people would get infected over the next year, the authors estimated. That's assuming people comply with measures like social distancing and mask-wearing; the attack rate would likely be higher without such precautions in place.
The low attack rate with vaccines translates to fewer hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 ; with 40% of the population vaccinated, both ICU and non-ICU hospitalizations would fall more than 85%, according to the model. Deaths would fall by more than 87% compared with a year-long scenario with no vaccinations.
Related: 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history
Does that mean we can throw caution to the wind and stop social distancing if 41% of the population gets vaccinated? No, not exactly.
About three-quarters of the population will likely need to be vaccinated before we can safely begin easing restrictions, given how easily COVID-19 spreads between people, said study author Meagan Fitzpatrick, an assistant professor and infectious disease transmission modeler at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. In addition, the new model has not yet been peer-reviewed, and in any case, it cannot perfectly predict what will happen once Americans are vaccinated.
But the study does give us reason for hope, Fitzpatrick said. With such highly effective vaccines under review, "the strategy now is to try to get these vaccines into as many people as possible," she said.
Reason to hope
The two leading vaccine candidates — one designed by Moderna and the other by Pfizer and BioNTech — are both more than 94% effective at preventing COVID-19, according to early analyses. That level of efficacy is "so much higher than any of us had a right to expect one year into the pandemic ," Fitzpatrick said. "What our research confirms is that these vaccines with extraordinarily high efficacy really do have the potential to make a huge impact," she said.
In their model, the study authors assumed that people with the highest risk of COVID-19 exposure and death would receive the vaccine first. These included a large proportion of all health care workers, people with existing medical conditions and individuals ages 65 and older. Individuals younger than age 65 received the vaccine next, and no individuals under 18 got the shots, since none of the leading vaccines have been tested thoroughly in children yet.
In addition, the authors assumed that 10% of the population had already caught COVID-19 and developed natural immunity to the virus. "Ten percent is fair, but may be an underestimate in some places" where case counts have been particularly high, Stanley Perlman, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Iowa, who was not involved in the study, said in an email.
Related: Here are the most promising coronavirus vaccine candidates out there
Given these parameters, the model showed that vaccinating 40% of the population substantially reduced case counts, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19.
The most dramatic drop occurred in people ages 65 and older, who experienced an 83% to 90% reduction in potential cases. People ages 20 and younger had half as many new infections, even though no one under 18 was vaccinated. In other words, while older adults got direct protection from the vaccine, young adults and children were indirectly protected as immunity increased in the community at large, Fitzpatrick said.
After seeing the impact of 40% vaccination rates, the authors tested what would happen with only 20% of the population vaccinated. Again, the model prioritized vaccinating those at high risk of exposure and severe illness. Even with such low vaccine coverage, non-ICU hospitalizations fell by 60%, ICU hospitalizations by 62% and deaths by more than 64%. This suggests that, as vaccines begin to roll out, we may begin to see their positive impacts even before many people get the shots, Fitzpatrick said.
Models versus reality
While the study highlights the power and promise of COVID-19 vaccines, the study authors cautioned that vaccines must be paired with other safeguards against the virus, such as masking, testing and contact tracing. If we drop those safeguards too soon, more people would need to be vaccinated to prevent a spike in new cases, they wrote.
"I think that we [will] need social distancing and masks for many months still," Perlman said. "Opening up restaurants and allowing mass gatherings will need to be done very cautiously until vaccination rates are high," he noted.
If anything, contact-tracing efforts should ramp up as vaccines roll out, so health officials can quickly spot new outbreaks and identify communities that should be prioritized for vaccination, Fitzpatrick said.
Reaching high-risk groups will be critical to stopping the pandemic, and this is one way in which the model might differ from reality. In the model, vaccination rates were assumed to be similar across the whole country, and those in high-risk groups always got their shots first. What's more, both of the leading vaccines require two shots given several weeks apart, and in the model, everyone in the model got both doses of the vaccine.
In reality, "vaccination programs often miss their targets," said Dr. Eric Schneider, senior vice president for policy and research at The Commonwealth Fund, a national organization that researches health and social policy issues, who was not involved in the study. "If, in reality, lower-risk individuals ... are more likely than higher-risk individuals to receive [a] vaccine, then the model overstates the effect of the vaccination program," Schneider said in an email.
In other words, the model will reflect reality only if the U.S. follows through with its plan to give high-risk groups the vaccine first. To work, this plan must be well-coordinated at all levels of the government and health care system, and paired with clear communication about the vaccine's risks and benefits, according to a recent report by The Commonwealth Fund .
And of course, once a vaccine becomes available, those offered access must agree to take it, Fitzpatrick said. "A vaccine only works if people take it."
Recent surveys hint that many U.S. residents would probably or definitely get a COVID-19 vaccine if offered one today, but a smaller proportion say that they probably or definitely would not. These reports should be taken with a huge grain of salt, though, because "what someone says they're going to do in a survey doesn't always represent what they're actually going to do," Fitzpatrick said.
Thankfully, while we wait to see what happens, "I think there's a lot of reason to be hopeful," she added.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-09--Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine is 86% effective, early data suggest

A Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine is 86 % effective at preventing infection , an early data analysis suggests .
The , developed by the state-owned corporation Sinopharm , was already granted `` emergency use authorization '' by the United Arab Emirates in September , which allowed frontline health care workers to receive the shot , according to a from the government .
Now , after reviewing data from late-stage clinical trials , the U.A.E .
has approved the vaccine for widespread use .
`` The EUA vaccination programme has effectively safeguarded the U.A.E .
frontline workers , '' according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine `` leads the way to comprehensively protecting the population and responsibly opening the economy . ''
Related : 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history The U.A.E .
statement notes that the government reviewed an `` interim analysis '' conducted by Sinopharm , but it does not specify whether they also conducted their own independent review of the raw data , .
While the preliminary analysis suggests the vaccine is 86 % effective , this number might change once data from all the ongoing trials is finalized .
Sinopharm is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries , the Times reported .
Sinopharm 's analysis also shows that the vaccine poses no serious safety concerns , and that 99 % of those given the shot develop neutralizing , which latch onto the and stop it from infecting cells , according to the statement .
The appearance of neutralizing antibodies does n't guarantee that a person wo n't catch COVID-19 , since the antibodies need to be of a certain quality , number and type to be maximally protective ; this may help explain why the vaccine appears 86 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even so , according to the analysis , the vaccine also prevents 100 % of moderate to severe cases of COVID-19 — but again , this figure may change as more trial data becomes available .
The Sinopharm vaccine contains an inactivated form of SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19 , Live Science previously reported .
Once inactivated , or `` killed , '' the virus can no longer cause disease but instead trains the immune system to fight off the pathogen .
It 's unknown if or when U.A.E .
will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sinopharm vaccine , but Morocco has announced plans to use the vaccine in its own program , The Associated Press reported ; the country hopes to vaccinate 80 % of its citizens using both the Sinopharm vaccine and another developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca .

A Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine is 86% effective at preventing infection, an early data analysis suggests.
The vaccine , developed by the state-owned corporation Sinopharm, was already granted "emergency use authorization" by the United Arab Emirates in September, which allowed frontline health care workers to receive the shot, according to a statement from the government. Now, after reviewing data from late-stage clinical trials, the U.A.E. has approved the vaccine for widespread use.
"The EUA vaccination programme has effectively safeguarded the U.A.E. frontline workers," according to the government statement. Official approval of the vaccine "leads the way to comprehensively protecting the population and responsibly opening the economy."
Related: 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history
The U.A.E. statement notes that the government reviewed an "interim analysis" conducted by Sinopharm, but it does not specify whether they also conducted their own independent review of the raw data, The New York Times reported . While the preliminary analysis suggests the vaccine is 86% effective, this number might change once data from all the ongoing trials is finalized. Sinopharm is currently running clinical trials in 10 different countries, the Times reported.
Sinopharm's analysis also shows that the vaccine poses no serious safety concerns, and that 99% of those given the shot develop neutralizing antibodies , which latch onto the virus and stop it from infecting cells, according to the statement. The appearance of neutralizing antibodies doesn't guarantee that a person won't catch COVID-19, since the antibodies need to be of a certain quality, number and type to be maximally protective; this may help explain why the vaccine appears 86% effective, rather than 99%.
Even so, according to the analysis, the vaccine also prevents 100% of moderate to severe cases of COVID-19 — but again, this figure may change as more trial data becomes available.
The Sinopharm vaccine contains an inactivated form of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, Live Science previously reported. Once inactivated, or "killed," the virus can no longer cause disease but instead trains the immune system to fight off the pathogen.
It's unknown if or when U.A.E. will launch a nationwide vaccination program using the Sinopharm vaccine, but Morocco has announced plans to use the vaccine in its own program, The Associated Press reported; the country hopes to vaccinate 80% of its citizens using both the Sinopharm vaccine and another developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-09--People with significant allergies should avoid Pfizer COVID-19 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 ) .
`` 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
`` Any person with a history of a significant allergic reaction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( such as previous history of anaphylactoid reaction , or those who have been advised to carry an adrenaline autoinjector ) should not receive the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine , '' according to the new MHRA guidance .
The guidance also notes that `` resuscitation facilities '' should be available for all vaccinations at all times .
Pfizer previously said that people with a history of severe adverse allergic reactions were n't included in late stage trials , according to Reuters .
Indeed , only 0.63 % of people who were given the vaccine and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the placebo reported allergic reactions — some of which were mild — in the trials , according to the first Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) review of the vaccine data that was published on Tuesday .
`` 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 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were administered to several thousand people in the U.K. on Tuesday , according to the BBC .

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).
"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.
Related: Coronavirus live updates
The MHRA will investigate further and Pfizer and BioNTech will support their investigation, according to Reuters.
"Any person with a history of a significant allergic reaction to a vaccine, medicine or food (such as previous history of anaphylactoid reaction, or those who have been advised to carry an adrenaline autoinjector) should not receive the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine," according to the new MHRA guidance. The guidance also notes that "resuscitation facilities" should be available for all vaccinations at all times.
Pfizer previously said that people with a history of severe adverse allergic reactions weren't included in late stage trials, according to Reuters.
Indeed, only 0.63% of people who were given the vaccine and 0.51% of people who were given the placebo reported allergic reactions — some of which were mild — in the trials, according to the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review of the vaccine data that was published on Tuesday.
"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.”
The very first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were administered to several thousand people in the U.K. on Tuesday, according to the BBC.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-10--Bees defeat 'murder hornet' relatives with poop

Giant hornets such as the enormous `` `` and others in the Vespa genus , are highly aggressive and deadly beehive invaders .
However , Asian can defend themselves against these insect predators by smearing animal feces around the hive entrance .
When giant hornets target a beehive , they attack as a group and overwhelm the colony .
But Asian honey bees ( Apis cerana ) that are under attack by the giant hornet Vespa soror , a close relative of the murder hornet Vespa mandarinia , can often prevent hornet attacks by collecting and applying animal waste to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This poop defense is `` next level '' for honey bees , which typically rely exclusively on plants for everything they need to survive , said Heather Mattila , an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Wellesley College in Wellesley , Massachusetts , and lead author of a new study on this unusual bee behavior .
`` This dung defense is pretty sophisticated ; it takes multiple workers to execute it , '' Mattila told Live Science .
Asian honey bees , which are about 0.4 inches ( 10 millimeters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hornets ; V. soror workers measure up to 1.4 inches ( 35 mm ) in length .
Like their murder hornet cousins , V. soror hornets are also orange-and-black striped with orange heads , and they share their cousins ' bee-killing habits .
Giant hornets usually hunt individual bees , but at the end of their breeding season — when the hornet brood is at its most numerous and there are lots of hungry mouths to feed — worker hornets start attacking beehives as a group , Mattila said .
As the study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vietnam , they saw worker hornets rubbing their abdomens on the bees ' hives `` and on trees above the hives , '' Mattila said .
`` The presumption is that the [ hornet ] nestmates are following a chemical trail . ''
If a hornet army followed that scent to a beehive , the carnage was swift and terrible .
Adult bees were slaughtered , and any survivors abandoned the hive , leaving their helpless young behind as an all-you-can-eat takeout buffet for the hornets to ferry back to their hungry hornet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ honey bees have a few defenses against these giant predators .
They can deter hornets by hissing at them , or by gathering in a group and threateningly waggling their abdomens .
Bees can also kill a hornet collectively as a `` bee ball , '' mobbing an invader until it suffocates or is cooked to death by the bees ' body heat .
Asian honey bees are also very quick fliers — `` they zig and they zag all over the place '' — which helps them evade capture by the slower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , scientists have discovered one more defense — animal poop .
For the study , Mattila and her colleagues observed apiaries in Vietnam , and of 67 beekeepers who raised Asian honey bees in wooden hives , 94 % said that most of those hives had fecal spotting near the entrance .
The researchers saw that if a hive was visited by giant hornets , the bees responded by collecting bits of solid waste from nearby chicken coops and mammal dung piles and returning with the clumps to the hive .
They then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they shaped with their mandibles .
The poop defense was a solid one .
Hives with lots of fecal spotting had fewer visits from giant hornets , which seemed unwilling to chew on or rub up against poop-covered entrances .
Hives that the bees anointed with poop were never successfully overrun by giant hornets , according to the study .
`` The only time we saw it get to the point where a colony absconded — which is what you call it when they abandon their home — was when we really made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and opened the entrance so the hornets could get in , '' Mattila said .
The bees then formed `` bee balls '' that killed some of the invaders , but ultimately the bees abandoned their home because `` they could n't stop the attack , '' Mattila said .
Anecdotal reports that the researchers collected from Bhutan , southeastern China , Nepal , Thailand and Vietnam described fecal spotting on beehives ; as these locations are also within the range of V. mandarinia , it 's likely that bees use the spotting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too , the researchers wrote .
One missing puzzle piece is the fecal ingredient that deters giant hornet attacks .
It could be that the waste odor is simply very unpleasant to hornets , or that it masks the chemical scent that they use to `` tag '' the hive for their nestmates , Mattila said .
`` We have a lot of ideas still to explore — it 's a pretty big open question at this point , '' she added .
The findings were published online Dec. 9 in the journal @

Giant hornets such as the enormous " murder hornet " and others in the Vespa genus, are highly aggressive and deadly beehive invaders. However, Asian honey bees can defend themselves against these insect predators by smearing animal feces around the hive entrance.
When giant hornets target a beehive, they attack as a group and overwhelm the colony. But Asian honey bees (Apis cerana) that are under attack by the giant hornet Vespa soror, a close relative of the murder hornet Vespa mandarinia, can often prevent hornet attacks by collecting and applying animal waste to their doorways, new research finds.
This poop defense is "next level" for honey bees, which typically rely exclusively on plants for everything they need to survive, said Heather Mattila, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and lead author of a new study on this unusual bee behavior.
Related: Photos: Murder hornets will haunt your nightmares
"This dung defense is pretty sophisticated; it takes multiple workers to execute it," Mattila told Live Science.
Asian honey bees, which are about 0.4 inches (10 millimeters) long, are dwarfed by giant hornets; V. soror workers measure up to 1.4 inches (35 mm) in length. Like their murder hornet cousins, V. soror hornets are also orange-and-black striped with orange heads, and they share their cousins' bee-killing habits. Giant hornets usually hunt individual bees, but at the end of their breeding season — when the hornet brood is at its most numerous and there are lots of hungry mouths to feed — worker hornets start attacking beehives as a group, Mattila said.
As the study authors observed hornet behavior at apiaries in Vietnam, they saw worker hornets rubbing their abdomens on the bees' hives "and on trees above the hives," Mattila said. "The presumption is that the [hornet] nestmates are following a chemical trail."
If a hornet army followed that scent to a beehive, the carnage was swift and terrible. Adult bees were slaughtered, and any survivors abandoned the hive, leaving their helpless young behind as an all-you-can-eat takeout buffet for the hornets to ferry back to their hungry hornet youngsters, Mattila said.
Honey bees apply animal dung at the entrance of their hives to ward off attacks from giant hornets. (Image credit: Heather Mattila/Wellesley College)
But Asian honey bees have a few defenses against these giant predators. They can deter hornets by hissing at them, or by gathering in a group and threateningly waggling their abdomens. Bees can also kill a hornet collectively as a "bee ball," mobbing an invader until it suffocates or is cooked to death by the bees' body heat. Asian honey bees are also very quick fliers — "they zig and they zag all over the place" — which helps them evade capture by the slower hornets, Mattila said.
And now, scientists have discovered one more defense — animal poop.
Solid evidence
For the study, Mattila and her colleagues observed apiaries in Vietnam, and of 67 beekeepers who raised Asian honey bees in wooden hives, 94% said that most of those hives had fecal spotting near the entrance.
The researchers saw that if a hive was visited by giant hornets, the bees responded by collecting bits of solid waste from nearby chicken coops and mammal dung piles and returning with the clumps to the hive. They then applied the dung in tiny mounds that they shaped with their mandibles.
The poop defense was a solid one. Hives with lots of fecal spotting had fewer visits from giant hornets, which seemed unwilling to chew on or rub up against poop-covered entrances. Hives that the bees anointed with poop were never successfully overrun by giant hornets, according to the study.
"The only time we saw it get to the point where a colony absconded — which is what you call it when they abandon their home — was when we really made it hard for them to defend themselves and opened the entrance so the hornets could get in," Mattila said. The bees then formed "bee balls" that killed some of the invaders, but ultimately the bees abandoned their home because "they couldn't stop the attack," Mattila said.
Anecdotal reports that the researchers collected from Bhutan, southeastern China, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam described fecal spotting on beehives; as these locations are also within the range of V. mandarinia, it's likely that bees use the spotting defense against mass attacks by murder hornets too, the researchers wrote.
One missing puzzle piece is the fecal ingredient that deters giant hornet attacks. It could be that the waste odor is simply very unpleasant to hornets, or that it masks the chemical scent that they use to "tag" the hive for their nestmates, Mattila said.
"We have a lot of ideas still to explore — it's a pretty big open question at this point," she added.