livescience--2020-09-10--Earth barreling toward 'Hothouse' state not seen in 50 million years, epic new climate record shows

Sixty-six million years ago , after a hit Earth with the explosive energy of roughly , a shroud of ash , dust and vaporized rock covered the sky and slowly rained down on the planet .
As plant and animal species died en masse , tiny undersea amoebas called forams continued to reproduce , building sturdy shells out of calcium and other deep-sea minerals , just as they had for hundreds of millions of years .
When each foram inevitably died — pulverized into seabed sediment — they kept a little piece of Earth 's ancient history alive in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have studied those shells , finding clues about the ancient Earth 's ocean temperatures , its carbon budget and the composition of minerals spilling through the air and seas .
Now , in a new study published today ( Sept. 10 ) in the journal , researchers have analyzed the chemical elements in thousands of foram samples to build the most detailed climate record of Earth ever — and it reveals just how dire our current climate situation is .
The new paper , which comprises decades of deep-ocean drilling missions into a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swings across the entire — the 66 million-year period that began with the death of the and extends to the present epoch of human-induced .
The results show how Earth transitioned through four distinct climate states — dubbed the Warmhouse , Hothouse , Coolhouse and Icehouse states — in response to changes in the planet 's orbit , levels and the extent of polar ice sheets .
Related : 10 Signs Earth 's climate is off the rails The zig-zagging chart ( shown above ) ends with a sobering peak .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anthropogenic far exceeds the natural climate fluctuations seen at any other point in the Cenozoic era , and has the potential to hyper-drive our planet out of a long icehouse phase into a searing hothouse state .
`` Now that we have succeeded in capturing the natural climate variability , we can see that the projected anthropogenic warming will be much greater than that , '' study co-author James Zachos , professor of Earth and planetary sciences at the University of California , Santa Cruz , .
`` The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' scenario will potentially bring global temperature to a level the planet has not seen in 50 million years . ''
( The IPCC is a United Nations group that assesses the science , risks and impacts of climate change on the planet . )
To compile their new era-long climate map , the study authors examined fossil foram shells in deep-sea sediment cores — long tubes of rock , sediment and microbes — drilled from the world 's oceans over the past several decades .
Forams ( short for foraminifera ) are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ocean close to a billion years ago ; the deeper scientists dig into the seabed , the older the foram specimens they uncover .
The ratios of and isotopes ( versions of elements ) in foram shells hold critical climate information .
The ratio between the oxygen isotopes oxygen-18 and oxygen-16 , for example , can reveal how warm the surrounding water was when a foram constructed its shell ; the higher the ratio , the colder the water .
The ratio between carbon-13 and carbon-12 shows how much organic carbon was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here , a higher ratio correlates with more greenhouse gases ( like carbon dioxide ) in the atmosphere .
Because the team 's climate record covers such an incredibly long time period , the researchers also had to consider astronomic impacts on the planet 's climate — that is , how Earth 's slowly changing orbit and tilt toward the sun impact the amount of sunlight reaching different parts of the planet at different times , also known as .
When the team overlaid orbital data with their isotopic climate data , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relatively small-scale changes to the global climate .
Crucially , each big jump between climate states was tied to a massive shift in levels , the researchers said .
For example , about 10 million years after the dinosaur extinction , jumped from a warmhouse state to a hothouse state .
This event , known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum , saw temperatures up to 60 degrees Fahrenheit ( 16 degrees Celsius ) above modern levels , Zachos said , and was driven by a massive release of carbon into the atmosphere , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ volcanic eruptions in the North Atlantic .
Similarly , as carbon dioxide disappeared from the atmosphere over the next 20 million years , ice sheets started to form in and the planet entered a coolhouse phase , with surface temperatures averaging about 40 F ( 4 C ) above modern levels .
About 3 million years ago , Earth entered an icehouse phase , driven by waxing and waning ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere .
Now , human greenhouse gas emissions are causing temperatures to rise to an extent not seen in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rise is well beyond the natural variations triggered by Earth 's changing orbit , the researchers concluded .
And if current greenhouse emissions hold steady , the climate could skyrocket back to levels not seen since the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum .
The transition from icehouse to hothouse wo n't take millions of years , Zachos said — it will take hundreds .
`` We now know more accurately when it was warmer or colder on the planet and have a better understanding of the underlying dynamics and the processes that drive them , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Director of the University of Bremen Center for Marine Environmental Sciences in Germany , said in the statement .
`` The time from 66 [ million ] to 34 million years ago , when the planet was significantly warmer than it is today , is of particular interest , as it represents a parallel in the past to what future anthropogenic change could lead to . ''

A climate map showing the last 66 million years of Earth's history. The next 300 could be unlike anything we've ever seen.
Sixty-six million years ago, after a massive asteroid hit Earth with the explosive energy of roughly 1 billion nuclear bombs , a shroud of ash, dust and vaporized rock covered the sky and slowly rained down on the planet. As plant and animal species died en masse, tiny undersea amoebas called forams continued to reproduce, building sturdy shells out of calcium and other deep-sea minerals, just as they had for hundreds of millions of years. When each foram inevitably died — pulverized into seabed sediment — they kept a little piece of Earth's ancient history alive in their fossilized shells.
For decades, scientists have studied those shells, finding clues about the ancient Earth's ocean temperatures, its carbon budget and the composition of minerals spilling through the air and seas. Now, in a new study published today (Sept. 10) in the journal Science , researchers have analyzed the chemical elements in thousands of foram samples to build the most detailed climate record of Earth ever — and it reveals just how dire our current climate situation is.
The new paper, which comprises decades of deep-ocean drilling missions into a single record, details Earth's climate swings across the entire Cenozoic era — the 66 million-year period that began with the death of the dinosaurs and extends to the present epoch of human-induced climate change . The results show how Earth transitioned through four distinct climate states — dubbed the Warmhouse, Hothouse, Coolhouse and Icehouse states — in response to changes in the planet's orbit, greenhouse gas levels and the extent of polar ice sheets.
Related: 10 Signs Earth's climate is off the rails
The zig-zagging chart (shown above) ends with a sobering peak. According to the researchers, the current pace of anthropogenic global warming far exceeds the natural climate fluctuations seen at any other point in the Cenozoic era, and has the potential to hyper-drive our planet out of a long icehouse phase into a searing hothouse state.
"Now that we have succeeded in capturing the natural climate variability, we can see that the projected anthropogenic warming will be much greater than that," study co-author James Zachos, professor of Earth and planetary sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said in a statement . "The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projections for 2300 in the 'business-as-usual' scenario will potentially bring global temperature to a level the planet has not seen in 50 million years." (The IPCC is a United Nations group that assesses the science, risks and impacts of climate change on the planet.)
The JOIDES Resolution Drillship gathered ocean sediment cores for the new study. (Image credit: Adam Kurtz)
Into the hothouse
To compile their new era-long climate map, the study authors examined fossil foram shells in deep-sea sediment cores — long tubes of rock, sediment and microbes — drilled from the world's oceans over the past several decades. Forams (short for foraminifera) are microscopic plankton whose oldest relatives appeared in the ocean close to a billion years ago; the deeper scientists dig into the seabed, the older the foram specimens they uncover.
The ratios of carbon and oxygen isotopes (versions of elements) in foram shells hold critical climate information. The ratio between the oxygen isotopes oxygen-18 and oxygen-16, for example, can reveal how warm the surrounding water was when a foram constructed its shell; the higher the ratio, the colder the water. The ratio between carbon-13 and carbon-12 shows how much organic carbon was available for the microbes to eat; here, a higher ratio correlates with more greenhouse gases (like carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere.
Because the team's climate record covers such an incredibly long time period, the researchers also had to consider astronomic impacts on the planet's climate — that is, how Earth's slowly changing orbit and tilt toward the sun impact the amount of sunlight reaching different parts of the planet at different times, also known as Milankovitch cycles . When the team overlaid orbital data with their isotopic climate data, they saw that orbital variations created distinct but relatively small-scale changes to the global climate. Crucially, each big jump between climate states was tied to a massive shift in greenhouse gas levels, the researchers said.
A climate map showing the last 66 million years of Earth's history (and the next 300). (Image credit: Westerhold et al., CENOGRID)
For example, about 10 million years after the dinosaur extinction, Earth jumped from a warmhouse state to a hothouse state. This event, known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, saw temperatures up to 29 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius) above modern levels, Zachos said, and was driven by a massive release of carbon into the atmosphere, thought to be the result of huge volcanic eruptions in the North Atlantic. Similarly, as carbon dioxide disappeared from the atmosphere over the next 20 million years, ice sheets started to form in Antarctica and the planet entered a coolhouse phase, with surface temperatures averaging about 7 F (4 C) above modern levels.
Related: 10 ways the Earth changed forever in 2019
About 3 million years ago, Earth entered an icehouse phase, driven by waxing and waning ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere. Now, human greenhouse gas emissions are causing temperatures to rise to an extent not seen in tens of millions of years. This rise is well beyond the natural variations triggered by Earth's changing orbit, the researchers concluded. And if current greenhouse emissions hold steady, the climate could skyrocket back to levels not seen since the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. The transition from icehouse to hothouse won't take millions of years, Zachos said — it will take hundreds.
"We now know more accurately when it was warmer or colder on the planet and have a better understanding of the underlying dynamics and the processes that drive them," lead study author Thomas Westerhold, Director of the University of Bremen Center for Marine Environmental Sciences in Germany, said in the statement. "The time from 66 [million] to 34 million years ago, when the planet was significantly warmer than it is today, is of particular interest, as it represents a parallel in the past to what future anthropogenic change could lead to."
Editor's Note: This story was updated on Sept. 11 to fix two Celsius and Fahrenheit conversions.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-10--Flu Shot Facts & Side Effects

Flu Shot Facts & Side Effects

The seasonal flu shot is a yearly vaccine administered to protect against the flu , or influenza .
In the United States , flu shots are recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
The flu can be a very serious illness , especially in young children , adults ages 65 and over , those with underlying health conditions , and pregnant women .
The flu shot is the best way to protect yourself and family from the flu , the CDC says .
Strains of the flu virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flu vaccine is made each year .
Scientists make the vaccine before the flu season starts by predicting which flu strains are likely to be the most common during the upcoming season .
`` Since the flu virus frequently drifts in its genetic composition , you have to reformulate the vaccine , and this is one of the reasons that people have to [ get a flu shot ] on an annual basis , '' said Dr. William Schaffner , a preventive medicine and infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the COVID-19 pandemic ?
Yes .
The CDC says that getting a flu shot during the 2020-2021 season is `` more important than ever '' in light of the COVID-19 pandemic .
It 's likely that both flu and COVID-19 will be circulating this fall and winter , and so getting a flu shot is important not only to reduce your risk of flu , but also to reduce the burden on the healthcare system responding to COVID-19 .
No , flu shots do not protect against SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are currently in clinical trials . )
But they do protect against strains of seasonal flu viruses and can reduce your risk of getting sick from the flu , as well as the risk of hospitalization and death from flu , the CDC says .
Can you get the flu and COVID-19 at the same time ?
Yes , you can have the flu and COVID-19 — or another respiratory illness — at the same time .
And there have been reports of this happening — for example , the first death of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man in the Philippines who was also infected with influenza and Streptococcus pneumoniae , according to the .
Scientists are still studying how common dual infections with flu and COVID-19 are , the CDC says .
Because flu and COVID-19 have similar symptoms , symptoms on their own ca n't differentiate the two illnesses .
Testing can determine if a person has flu or COVID-19 ( or both ) .
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has already issued emergency use authorizations to several tests that can detect flu and COVID-19 at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
How can I safely get a flu vaccine when COVID-19 is spreading in my area ?
The CDC has issued for giving vaccinations during a pandemic , and you can ask your doctor , pharmacist or health department if they are following this guidance before you get a shot .
The guidance , which is geared towards those giving flu shots , includes recommendations such as screening people for symptoms of COVID-19 before they get their shot ; providing appointment times to avoid crowding ; ensuring staff wear medical face masks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and gloves ; requiring face masks for those getting flu shots and using markers to help with physical distancing for those waiting for shots .
What kinds of flu shots are there ?
Flu shots protect against three or four strains of flu virus .
Trivalent flu vaccines protect against two influenza A strains — H1N1 and H3N2 — and one influenza B strain .
Quadrivalent flu vaccines — offered for the first time in the 2013-2014 flu season — protect against the same strains as the trivalent vaccine , as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addition to the standard-dose flu vaccine given through a needle , flu shots are available in several different forms .
These include a high-dose version for those ages 65 and older ; a `` cell-based '' version that 's grown in animal cells rather than hen 's eggs and is approved for people ages 4 and older ; a `` recombinant '' vaccine that does not use the full influenza virus or chicken eggs in the production process and is approved for people ages 18 and older ; and a nasal spray , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 to 49 , but not for pregnant women .
There is also a needle-free flu shot , delivered by a so-called jet injector , which uses a high-pressure stream of fluid to inject the vaccine , the CDC says .
It is approved for adults ages 18 to 64 .
Two new flu vaccines have been licensed for the 2020-2021 season , both for use in adults ages 65 and older .
One of the new vaccines is a quadrivalent high-dose vaccine , which was previously available only as a trivalent vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new vaccine is a quadrivalent adjuvanted vaccine that has an additional influenza B component .
Flu vaccines for the 2020 to 2021 season The composition of the 2020-2021 flu shot will be different from last season 's flu shot .
Specifically , all three components of the trivalent flu vaccine ( H1N1 , H3N2 and influenza B ) have been updated compared with last year 's shot .
According to the CDC , the 2020-2021 trivalent egg-based flu shot will contain the following strains of the flu virus : • A/Guangdong-Maonan/SWL1536/2019 ( H1N1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ H1N1 component that is different from last year 's flu shot .
• A/Hong Kong/2671/2019 ( H3N2 ) -like virus — This is the H3N2 component that is different from last year 's flu shot .
• B/Washington/02/2019 ( B/Victoria lineage ) -like virus — This is the influenza B strain component that is different from last year 's shot .
The 2020-2021 quadrivalent vaccine will also contain a second influenza B strain called `` B/Phuket/3073/2013-like ( Yamagata lineage ) virus , '' which was also included in last season 's quadrivalent vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. , but check back here for updates as flu season continues .
When should you get a flu shot ?
Exactly when the flu season starts and ends is unpredictable , so health officials recommend that people get their flu shot in early fall , preferably by the end of October , the CDC says .
The same recommendation applies this year during the COVID-19 pandemic .
Flu activity typically peaks in January or February .
`` We 'd like to get as many people protected against influenza before influenza becomes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Schaffner said .
Most flu vaccines are given before Thanksgiving , Schaffner said , but people can still get their shot throughout the winter months .
Each season 's flu shot expires in June of that year , but Schaffner said that he would consider it `` too late '' to get a flu vaccine after March , unless a person is traveling to the Southern Hemisphere ( where the flu season will be starting ) .
After vaccination , it takes a person about two weeks to build up immunity against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CDC 's to find flu shot locations .
How effective is the flu vaccine ?
The effectiveness of the seasonal flu vaccine depends upon several factors , including how well the flu strains in the vaccine match the strains in circulation .
Some studies show that when strains in the vaccine are a good match with the ones that are circulating , vaccinated individuals are 60 percent less likely to catch the flu than people who are n't vaccinated , according to the CDC .
Flu vaccine effectiveness can also vary depending on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tends to work best in healthy adults and older children , and less well in older adults .
For instance , a 2013 study from the CDC found that the year 's flu vaccine was not very effective in adults ages 65 and over : Older people who got the vaccine were just as likely to visit the doctor for flu symptoms as those who did not get the vaccine .
But other studies suggest that individuals who do get sick develop less serve symptoms if they are vaccinated .
A 2013 study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found that people who got the flu shot were less likely to be hospitalized with the flu .
There are some studies that suggest the high-dose flu vaccine provides better protection for older adults .
The high-dose flu vaccine contains four times the dose of the standard vaccine , Schaffner said .
A 2014 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the high-dose vaccine provides 24 percent more protection against the flu than the standard dose , Schaffner said .
Yes .
Studies show flu vaccines are safe for women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CDC says .
There are several reasons why it 's important for pregnant women to get a flu shot , Schaffner said .
`` Pregnant women , when they get influenza , have a tendency to get a more severe disease , '' and are at increased risk for complications and hospitalization from the disease , Schaffner said .
In addition , flu vaccination in pregnancy helps to protect the baby against flu during the first six months of life , when the baby is too young to receive a flu shot , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that protection on to her newborn baby , '' Schaffner said .
What are the side effects ?
According to the CDC , mild side effects from the flu shot include soreness , redness or swelling at the injection site , low-grade fever and aches .
Only about 1 percent to 2 percent of people who get a flu shot will have fever as a side effect , Schaffner said .
Rare but serious side effects can occur , including allergic reactions .
Symptoms of serious side effects include difficulty breathing , swelling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , racing heart , dizziness and high fever .
If you experience serious side effects , you should seek medical care immediately , the CDC says .
For children , side effects from the flu nasal spray can include runny nose , wheezing , headache , vomiting , muscle aches and fever .
For adults , side effects include runny nose , headache , sore throat and cough .
These side effects last a short time compared to the actual flu illness , the CDC says .
Can you get the flu from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a myth that you can get flu from the flu vaccine , '' Schaffner said .
The viruses in the flu shot are killed , so people can not get the flu from a flu vaccine .
However , because it takes about two weeks for people to build up immunity after they get the flu vaccine , some people may catch the flu shortly after they 're vaccinated , if they are exposed to the flu during this time period .
Some people may also mistakenly attribute symptoms of a cold to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nasal spray vaccine contains a `` live attenuated '' flu virus , but the virus is weakened so that it can not cause the flu .
The viruses in the nasal spray ca n't replicate in the warm temperatures of the lungs and other parts in the body .
However , because temperatures in the nose are colder , the virus causes a small infection in the nose .
This infection does not cause symptoms in most people , but in some people , it causes symptoms such as runny nose and sore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infection will prompt the body to make antibodies against the flu virus , Schaffner said .
`` That provides better protection against the real flu , which is of course , is a virus that can make you seriously ill , '' Schaffner said .
Who should not get a flu vaccine ?
Children younger than 6 months can not get a flu shot .
Those who 've had a severe allergic reaction to a flu vaccine in the past should generally not be vaccinated , the CDC says .
You should not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a high fever .
( You should wait until the fever is gone . )
However , if you have minor illness , like a mild cold or a headache , you can still get a flu shot , Schaffner said .
`` The vaccine does perfectly well in those folks . ''
But people who have COVID-19 should not get a flu shot until they have met the criteria to discontinue isolation , according to the CDC .
Although people generally can get a flu shot if they have a mild illness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flu shot while they could be contagious with COVID-19 to avoid exposing health care workers and other patients to the virus , the CDC says .
This article is for informational purposes only , and is not meant to offer medical advice .

The seasonal flu shot is a yearly vaccine administered to protect against the flu, or influenza . In the United States, flu shots are recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The flu can be a very serious illness, especially in young children, adults ages 65 and over, those with underlying health conditions and pregnant women. The flu shot is the best way to protect yourself and your family from the flu, according to the CDC.
Strains of the flu virus are constantly changing, so a new flu vaccine is made each year. Scientists make the vaccine before the flu season starts by predicting which flu strains are likely to be the most common during the upcoming season.
"Since the flu virus frequently drifts in its genetic composition, you have to reformulate the vaccine, and this is one of the reasons that people have to [get a flu shot] on an annual basis," Dr. William Schaffner, a preventive medicine and infectious disease expert at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Tennessee told Live Science.
When should you get a flu shot?
(Image credit: SDI Productions/Getty Images)
Exactly when the flu season starts and ends is unpredictable, so health officials recommend that people get their flu shot in early fall, ideally by the end of October, according to the CDC. Flu activity typically peaks in February.
"We'd like to get as many people protected against influenza before influenza becomes active in communities across the country," Schaffner said.
Most flu vaccines are given before Thanksgiving, Schaffner said, but people can still get their shot throughout the winter months. Each season's flu shot expires in June of that year, but Schaffner said he would consider it "too late" to get a flu vaccine after March, unless a person is traveling to the Southern Hemisphere (where the flu season will then be starting).
After vaccination, it takes a person about two weeks to build up immunity against the flu.
People can visit the CDC's Vaccines.gov website to find flu shot locations.
Who should NOT get a flu vaccine?
Children younger than 6 months cannot get a flu shot. Those who have had a severe allergic reaction to a flu vaccine in the past should not get that type of flu shot again, and they should speak with their health care provider about whether they can receive another type of flu shot, according to the CDC .
Similarly, people who have had a life-threatening reaction to flu-vaccine ingredients besides egg proteins shouldn't get flu vaccines with those ingredients, and they should speak with their health care provider about whether there is a flu vaccine that's right for them, the CDC says. These other ingredients might include gelatin or antibiotics, which are added to some flu shots to prevent bacterial contamination during manufacturing. (Not all flu shots contain antibiotics.)
People with egg allergies can still receive any type of flu shot that's recommended for their age group, even if the flu shot is made with egg-based technology (and thus contains a small amount of egg protein), according to the CDC . Studies have found that people with egg allergies are very unlikely to experience a severe reaction to flu vaccines. People who've had a severe allergic reaction to eggs should get their flu shot under the supervision of a health care provider who can treat severe allergic reactions, the CDC says. In addition, several types of flu shots are egg-free, including recombinant flu vaccines and cell-based flu vaccines.
People with a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare, acute autoimmune disease that can cause paralysis, should talk with their doctor about whether they can get a flu vaccine. Some people with this condition cannot get a flu shot, according to the CDC. The cause of GBS is not known, but it is often linked with infections with viruses or bacteria; and in very rare cases, the condition has been linked with flu vaccination.
If you're not feeling well, you should talk to your doctor before getting a flu shot while you have symptoms. You should not get the flu vaccine if you have a high fever; you should wait until the fever is gone, according to Schaffner. However, if you have a minor illness, like a mild cold or a headache, you may still be able to get a flu shot.
Flu shot side effects
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
According to the CDC, mild side effects from the flu shot include soreness, redness or swelling at the injection site; low-grade fever; and aches. Only about 1% to 2% of people who get a flu shot will have fever as a side effect, Schaffner said. These mild effects should go away within a few days.
Rare but serious side effects can occur, including allergic reactions. Symptoms of serious side effects include difficulty breathing, swelling around the eyes or lips, hives, racing heart, dizziness and high fever, according to the CDC . If you experience serious side effects, you should seek medical care immediately. In addition, it's important to ask your health care provider to file a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System report either online or by calling VAERS at 1-800-822-7967, the CDC says.
The flu nasal spray vaccine, which is approved for healthy, non-pregnant people ages 2 to 49, can cause a slightly different set of side effects compared with other types of flu shots. For children, side effects of the flu nasal spray can include runny nose, wheezing, headache, vomiting, muscle aches and fever. For adults, side effects from the nasal spray might include runny nose, headache, sore throat and cough. These side effects last a short time compared with the actual flu illness, the CDC says.
How effective is the flu vaccine?
The effectiveness of the seasonal flu vaccine depends upon several factors, including how well the flu strains in the vaccine match the strains in circulation. Some studies show that when the strains in the vaccine are a good match with the ones that are circulating, vaccinated individuals are 40% to 60% less likely to visit the doctor for flu illness than people who aren't vaccinated, according to the CDC .
Flu vaccine effectiveness can also vary depending on the age and health status of the person being vaccinated. For example, older adults may have a weaker immune response to the H3N2 component of the flu vaccine (the component that protects against the H3N2 flu strain), according to the CDC.
Benefits of the flu vaccine
But even though flu vaccines don't offer 100% protection against illness, there are numerous benefits to vaccination. For example, several studies have found that individuals who do get sick with the flu develop less-severe symptoms if they are vaccinated. A 2021 study published in the journal Vaccine that reviewed data from multiple flu seasons found that, among adults who were hospitalized with the flu, those who were vaccinated were 26% less likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), and 31% less likely to die from flu, compared with those who were unvaccinated, according to the CDC. And according to a 2018 study, among adults admitted to the ICU for flu between 2012 and 2015, vaccinated patients spent four fewer days in the hospital, on average, than those who were not vaccinated.
Related: Why is the flu shot less effective than other vaccines?
What kinds of flu shots are there?
(Image credit: Helder Faria/Getty Images)
Flu shots known as "quadrivalent vaccines" protect against four strains of flu virus. These include two influenza A strains H1N1 and H3N2 — and two influenza B strains — the lineages B/Yamagata and B/Victoria. All flu shots for the 2022-2023 flu season are quadrivalent, according to the CDC .
In addition to the standard-dose flu vaccine given through a needle, flu shots are available in several other forms. These include a high-dose version for people ages 65 and older; an "adjuvanted" version that contains an ingredient that helps boost the immune response to the vaccine for ages 65 and older; a "cell-based" version that's grown in animal cells rather than in hens' eggs and is approved for people ages 6 months and older; a "recombinant" vaccine that does not use the full influenza virus or chicken eggs in the production process and is approved for people ages 18 and older; and a nasal spray, which is approved for healthy people ages 2 to 49 but not for pregnant women or those with weakened immune systems.
There is also a needle-free flu shot, delivered by a so-called jet injector, which uses a high-pressure stream of fluid to inject the vaccine, the CDC says. It is approved for adults ages 18 to 64.
Starting in the 2022-2023 flu season, the CDC recommends that people ages 65 and older preferably get vaccinated with one of the three following flu vaccines: the high-dose flu vaccine, called Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent vaccine; the adjuvanted flu vaccine, called Fluad Quadrivalent adjuvanted flu vaccine; or the recombinant flu vaccine, called the Flublok Quadrivalent recombinant flu vaccine. This recommendation was made because recent studies suggest that these vaccines are potentially more effective for older adults compared with other versions of the flu shot, according to the CDC. Among these three vaccines, the CDC does not recommend one over the other, as they were all linked with increased protection for older adults. But if the recommended shots aren't available, older adults shouldn't wait to get vaccinated and should receive a standard-dose version of the shot instead.
What's in this year's flu vaccines?
The composition of the 2022-2023 flu shot is different from last season's flu shot. Specifically, one influenza A component of the flu shot (H3N2) and one influenza B component of the shot (Victoria lineage) were updated for the 2022-2023 season.
According to the CDC , the 2022-2023 quadrivalent egg-based flu shot contains the following strains of the flu virus:
A/Victoria/2570/2019 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus
A/Darwin/9/2021 (H3N2)-like virus (updated from last year's shot)
B/Austria/1359417/2021-like virus (B/Victoria lineage) (updated from last year's shot)
B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus (B/Yamagata lineage)
Then, there are the two types of flu vaccines that don't involve eggs: cell-based and recombinant-based flu vaccines. In cell-based flu vaccines, the inactivated flu virus is grown in cultured cells from mammals rather than in hens' eggs. Recombinant flu vaccines are created synthetically: To make this type of vaccine, scientists combine a lab-made antigen specific to the flu virus with a baculovirus (this type infects only invertebrates, not humans).
For the 2022-2023 season, these two types of flu vaccines contain the same components as the egg-based vaccine except the H1N1 component, which in the cell- or recombinant-based flu vaccines will be A/Wisconsin/588/2019 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus, according to the CDC.
What's flu activity like this season?
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
As of mid-September, flu activity in most of the U.S. was low or minimal. But activity is already increasing in Texas, New Mexico and Georgia, which are currently reporting moderate levels of flu activity, and the District of Columbia, which is reporting high flu activity, according to the CDC .
Even if flu activity is currently low in your community, you shouldn't wait to get your flu shot. Flu activity could begin to increase at any time, and it takes people about two weeks after receiving their shot to develop antibodies against flu viruses, the CDC says.
Some health experts are warning that flu season could be bad this year, based on what was seen in the Southern Hemisphere, which experiences its flu season during the summer months.
"I do think it's going to be a worse year [for flu] than we've seen in the last few years," Dr. Bessey Geevarghese, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Illinois, told The New York Times . The end of most COVID-19 restrictions has opened the door for the return of flu. What's more, people are likely more susceptible to flu this year because they've had less exposure to the virus over the past two years during the pandemic, Geevarghese told the Times.
Flu shot and COVID-19: Your questions answered
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
How do I know if I have the flu or COVID-19?
Symptoms of COVID-19 and the flu can be similar, but your doctor can order a test to determine if you have COVID-19 or the flu. There are even tests that check for both flu viruses and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, at the same time.
Should I get a flu shot during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Yes, getting a flu shot every year is the best way to protect yourself and others from the flu. You can take precautions to protect yourself from COVID-19 while getting a flu shot, such as getting vaccinated against the coronavirus and wearing a mask.
Will a flu vaccine protect against COVID-19?
No, flu shots do not protect against SARS-CoV-2. (Separate vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have been approved or authorized for emergency use in the U.S.) But flu shots do protect against strains of seasonal flu viruses and can reduce your risk of getting sick from the flu, as well as the risk of hospitalization and death from flu, according to the CDC.
Can I get a COVID-19 shot and flu shot at the same time?
Yes, people can get a flu vaccine and a COVID-19 vaccine — including the new COVID-19 bivalent booster shot — at the same time, according to the CDC. People tend to experience a similar set of side effects, and receive the same protection from diseases, whether vaccines are given alone or with other vaccines, according to the CDC. However, people may be slightly more likely to experience systemic side effects, such as fatigue and muscle aches, if they receive both shots at the same time. A study published July 15, 2022, in the journal JAMA found that people who got a flu shot and a COVID-19 booster shot at the same time were 8% to 11% more likely to have systemic side effects, compared with people who received just a COVID-19 booster shot. But these side effects tended to be mild and resolve quickly, according to the CDC .
If you haven't been vaccinated against COVID-19, you should get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect yourself from the disease and stay up to date with COVID-19 booster shots , and you should aim to get a flu shot by the end of October.
Myth #1: You get the flu from the flu shot.
"It's a myth that you can get flu from the flu vaccine," Schaffner said.
The viruses in the flu shot are killed, so people cannot get the flu from a flu vaccine. However, because it takes about two weeks for people to build up immunity after they get the flu vaccine, some people may catch the flu shortly after they've been vaccinated if they are exposed to the flu during this time period. Some people may also mistakenly attribute symptoms of a cold to the vaccine, Schaffner said.
The nasal spray vaccine contains a "live attenuated" flu virus, but the virus is weakened so that it cannot cause the flu. The viruses in the nasal spray can't replicate in the warm temperatures of the lungs and other parts in the body. However, because temperatures in the nose are colder, the virus causes a small infection in the nose. This infection does not cause symptoms in most people, but in some people, it causes symptoms such as runny nose and sore throat, Schaffner said. These symptoms are typically short-lived, the CDC says.
This local infection will prompt the body to make antibodies against the flu virus, Schaffner said. "That provides better protection against the real flu, which is, of course, a virus that can make you seriously ill," Schaffner said.
Myth #2: The flu vaccine isn't safe for pregnant women.
Studies show flu vaccines are safe for women in any stage of pregnancy, the CDC says. There are several reasons why it's important for pregnant women to get a flu shot, Schaffner said.
"Pregnant women, when they get influenza, have a tendency to get a more severe disease" and are at increased risk for complications and hospitalization from the disease, Schaffner said.
In addition, flu vaccination in pregnancy helps to protect the baby against flu during the first six months of life, when the baby is too young to receive a flu shot, Schaffner said. The mother "passes that protection on to her newborn baby," Schaffner said.
Related: Am I pregnant? 12 early signs of pregnancy
Myth #3: Antibiotics can fight the flu if you get it.
Antibiotics only kill bacteria , but the flu is caused by a virus. Therefore, antibiotics do not help people recover from the flu.
There are antiviral drugs that can fight flu infections, but they've only been shown to work when they're given within 48 hours of the start of symptoms. "Most people, by the time they go to the doctor, they're past the 48-hour mark," said Dr. Dennis Cunningham, system medical director of infection prevention at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.
For patients hospitalized with severe flu, the drugs may help, he said. But they aren't a cure, and for most people who aren't hospitalized, these drugs may only cut down on the duration of the flu by a day or two.
Myth #4: You don't need to get the flu vaccine every year.
There are two reasons doctors recommend that people get the flu vaccine every year, Cunningham told Live Science.
For one, the strains of the flu virus that are circulating change from year to year. "It's like the common cold — there's more than one type of virus that causes the flu," and, in fact, there are hundreds of influenza viruses, he said. Each year, health officials identify the virus strains that are the most likely to cause illness during the upcoming flu season, according to the CDC.
Second, the immunity you develop after getting the shot wanes by the following year. "If you get your shot in August, you'll be safe through March, but those antibodies won't be for the next flu season," Cunningham said.
Myth #5: It contains thimerosal, which may be harmful.
Thimerosal, a preservative that contains mercury, has never been shown to be harmful, Cunningham said. The type of mercury linked with nervous system damage is called methyl mercury, he said. Concerns over levels of methyl mercury have led to recommendations that pregnant women avoid eating large amounts of certain types of fish, such as swordfish.
In contrast, thimerosal is an ethyl mercury compound that has antimicrobial properties. Still, because the preservative raised controversy, especially over a now-disproven link to autism, it was taken out of almost all U.S. vaccines starting in 2001, Cunningham said.
The injectable form of the flu vaccine is available to health care providers as large, multidose bottles and small vials carrying individual doses. A tiny amount of thimerosal is added to the multidose bottles to ensure that no bacteria will grow in the vaccine, Cunningham said. The individual-dose bottles contain no thimerosal.
The nasal spray form of the flu vaccine also contains no thimerosal, he noted.
Myth #6: The flu isn't serious.
"The flu is certainly a very serious disease," Cunningham said.
Every year, between 15 million and 60 million cases of the flu are reported in the U.S., Cunningham said. More than 200,000 people with the flu are admitted to hospitals yearly, and between 3,000 and 50,000 people in the U.S. die of the flu annually. During the 2019-2020 flu season (the last flu season with data available before the COVID-19 pandemic), the CDC estimated that 38 million Americans were infected with the flu and 22,000 people died from it.
One reason people may not perceive the flu as being serious is that cases of the "stomach flu" are mistaken for influenza virus infections. "True influenza is an infection of the lungs and respiratory tract," Cunningham said. Infected people may develop a high fever, body aches and nasal congestion, he said.
People with the stomach flu — which is commonly caused by a type of virus called a norovirus — have diarrhea, cramping and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Influenza does not typically cause such symptoms.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.
Editor's note: This article was last updated on Sept. 22, 2022. Live Science staff writer Nicoletta Lanese and contributor Rachael Rettner contributed to this report.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-10--Dark matter hunter who found unexpected, giant 'Fermi bubbles' wins $100,000 physics prize

Editor 's Note : This story was corrected at 12:30 p.m. E.D.T .
to note that Slatyer received $ 100,000 , not $ 50,000 , for her work .
Tracy Slatyer , known for hunting in our galaxy and discovering evidence of an ancient Milky Way explosion , has won a $ 100,000 New Horizons Prize in Physics .
Slatyer , an MIT physicist originally from Australia , is most famous as a co-discoverer of the `` Fermi Bubbles . ''
While looking for hints of dark matter 's signature in the emanating from the center of the Milky Way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ structures extending far above and below the galactic disk — aftershocks of a black hole outburst from millions of years ago that came to be known as `` Fermi bubbles '' after the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope .
But Slatyer is still hunting dark matter and has found promising ( though still tentative ) hints of the stuff at the galactic center .
The New Horizons award , given by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation each year , goes to `` early career '' researchers like Slatyer , who got her Ph.D. in 2010 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
New Horizons prizes are smaller than the $ 3 million prizes Breakthrough hands out each year , typically to older and more established scientists .
Slatyer was the only solo winner of a 2021 New Horizons prize in Physics , with the other two awards going to research teams of four members each .
The prize money is donated by a group of tech billionaires ( Sergey Brin , Anne Wojcicki , Mark Zuckerberg , Priscilla Chan , Yuri Milner , Julia Milner , Jack Ma and Pony Ma ) .
Breakthrough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contributions to particle astrophysics , from models of dark matter to the discovery of the “ Fermi Bubbles.
” Slatyer spends a lot of her time refining models of dark matter — working out precisely how its particles might behave and the implications of those different possibilities .
And the rest of her time is spent hunting them down .
Related : The 12 strangest objects in the universe '' It was a complete surprise , '' Slatyer told Live Science .
`` The prize was n't even on my radar . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the universe is dark matter , which emits no light but exerts gravitational pull .
Scientists do n't know what that dark matter is or where it came from .
But physicists can see indirect evidence for dark matter through its gravitational effects on luminous matter ( the stuff we can see ) .
The movements and arrangements of galaxies , the behavior of light across vast regions of space and the structure of the universe all suggest the presence of something out there that we ca n't directly detect — much of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big galaxies like the Milky Way .
Right now , directly detecting dark matter is one of the biggest goals in physics .
That 's a large part of what Slatyer has spent her career trying to do .
But so far , dark matter has been very good at hiding.. '' If it interacts with the other forces we know about '' — like , or the and in atomic nuclei — `` it does so pretty weakly , '' Slatyer said .
But there 's reason to think it does interact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The clue is in that number , 84 % .
Physicists tend to think about numbers in terms of `` orders of magnitude . ''
Meaning : Are they very small , small , medium , big , very big , very very big , or what ?
The precise number matters , but so does the general category it falls into .
And 84 % , from a physicist 's perspective , is a medium-sized number .
It 's not clear why dark matter 's portion of the universe should be medium-sized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the same ballpark as 50 % ? ''
Slatyer said .
`` Why is n't it 99.999 % ?
Or 0.0001 % percent of the matter in the universe ? ''
One possible explanation : Dark matter does periodically interact with other matter particles , but only faintly .
There are other particles like this : Neutrinos are all around us , but they rarely interact and are only possible to detect with very sensitive equipment .
In the early days of the universe , when everything was hotter and denser and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the time .
The tight squeeze would have dramatically raised the odds of a dark matter particle running into another particle .
But over time , the universe spread out and those interactions became less common .
There 's a particular hypothetical interaction that does a good job of producing an 84 % -dark matter universe in astrophysical models : If dark matter particles that collide with each other were to form particles of ordinary matter , that would lower the amount of dark matter in the universe over time .
However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ direction can also happen in the other , so luminous particles would sometimes collide to form dark matter .
Over time , Slatyer said , these two interactions would drive dark matter to an equilibrium , Slatyer said .
Once you accept that general picture , you can calculate the properties of dark matter that would have led to our 84 % -dark matter universe .
`` If you do this calculation you find that it 's pretty consistent with [ what would happen ] if dark matter were of a similar mass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ... and interacting with a strength comparable to the weak nuclear force , '' she said .
When particles physicists do know about that mass range crash together , they produce photons ( light particles ) with tens or hundreds of gigaelectronvolts ( GeV ) of energy .
`` And photons with tens or hundreds of GeV of energy we call , '' she said .
If WIMPs are out there , occasionally bumping into each other , they should produce a faint gamma-ray glow that researchers might theoretically detect .
Searching for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Slatyer 's dark matter hunt relies heavily on data from NASA 's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope .
One area where she hunts for gamma rays is in the nearest cluster of dark matter we know about : the densest part of the Milky Way 's halo , right near its center .
The problem is , the center of the Milky Way has lots of other gamma-ray sources , some of which we do n't know about .
To identify the gamma rays coming from dark matter , researchers need to first model @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dark matter should look like .
Then they need a `` background model '' — a detailed picture of all the other known gamma-ray sources coming from that part of the sky .
That 's all the stuff they have to ignore .
If Slatyer and her colleagues ever take a photo of the Milky Way 's dark matter , they 'll do it by studying huge numbers of gamma-ray photons detected from that part of space and subtracting out all the photons that can be explained without dark matter .
Models @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small remnant — measured in a few dozen individual gamma-ray particles over a decade of Fermi observations of the Milky Way — coming from dark matter interactions .
In the early 2010s , Slatyer and her collaborators thought they 'd found that tiny excess .
Careful study of Fermi data from the Milky Way center suggested a vague , bulbous shape in the gamma-ray spectrum .
`` It looked almost like a fuzzy egg , '' she said .
That closely matched the expected picture of the Milky Way 's halo .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of that excess , like a camera slowly coming into focus .
Eventually , they saw that the shape had sharp edges and a pinched waist , more like an hourglass than the expected fuzzy blob .
The explanation : an outflow of luminous matter from the region around the black hole at the center of our galaxy , the trace of a blast in the last several tens of millions of years .
They named these never-before-seen structures the `` Fermi bubbles . ''
Related : 9 facts about black holes that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , she and her colleagues are focused on a newfound excess of gamma rays discovered in Fermi data .
It 's faint , but does seem to closely match that fuzzy ball picture .
Again , however , researchers are n't sure whether they 've stumbled onto a signal of dark matter or another never-before-seen background source .
The excess does match the signal expected to come from colliding WIMPs , but it could also be explained by an unknown population of millisecond pulsars — tiny neutron stars whirling at incredible speeds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Milky Way , but this would require many more of them than expected , distributed around the galactic center .
Now , Slatyer said , the hunt is on for these pulsars .
`` Hot spots '' in the gamma ray or pictures of the sky , or any evidence of pulsing in the slim data , would suggest that once again the researchers accidentally discovered a new galactic object that is n't dark matter .
`` If you showed me a dense population of pulsars in this region , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the excess is from pulsars , '' she said .
If that discovery is coming , it might come in the next few years , thanks to MeerKAT , a radio telescope array in South Africa that should be able to find individual pulsars in that part of space .
But proving instead that the excess is dark matter would be harder and take much longer .
`` Obviously as a particle physicist I would be happy if it was dark matter , '' she said .
But it 's possible , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next one and the one after that turn out to be other features of the universe that no one had been looking for .
That may not be dark matter , but it 's still pretty great .
`` That 's one of the things I really like about this field , '' she said .
`` It 's a little ungrateful to be like 'No , universe !
You did n't give me the discovery I wanted ! '
''

Tracy Slatyer was searching for dark matter when she helped discover the Fermi bubbles, pictured here in an image combining visible light, X-rays and gamma rays.
Editor's Note: This story was corrected at 12:30 p.m. E.D.T. to note that Slatyer received $100,000, not $50,000, for her work.
Tracy Slatyer, known for hunting dark matter in our galaxy and discovering evidence of an ancient Milky Way explosion, has won a $100,000 New Horizons Prize in Physics.
Slatyer, an MIT physicist originally from Australia, is most famous as a co-discoverer of the "Fermi Bubbles." While looking for hints of dark matter's signature in the gamma rays emanating from the center of the Milky Way, she and her colleagues found never-before-seen structures extending far above and below the galactic disk — aftershocks of a black hole outburst from millions of years ago that came to be known as "Fermi bubbles" after the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. But Slatyer is still hunting dark matter and has found promising (though still tentative) hints of the stuff at the galactic center.
The New Horizons award, given by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation each year, goes to "early career" researchers like Slatyer, who got her Ph.D. in 2010 and was hired at MIT in 2013. New Horizons prizes are smaller than the $3 million prizes Breakthrough hands out each year, typically to older and more established scientists. Slatyer was the only solo winner of a 2021 New Horizons prize in Physics, with the other two awards going to research teams of four members each. The prize money is donated by a group of tech billionaires (Sergey Brin, Anne Wojcicki, Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan, Yuri Milner, Julia Milner, Jack Ma and Pony Ma).
Breakthrough awarded Slatyer the prize "For major contributions to particle astrophysics, from models of dark matter to the discovery of the “Fermi Bubbles.”
Slatyer spends a lot of her time refining models of dark matter — working out precisely how its particles might behave and the implications of those different possibilities. And the rest of her time is spent hunting them down.
Related: The 12 strangest objects in the universe
"It was a complete surprise," Slatyer told Live Science. "The prize wasn't even on my radar."
Gamma-ray traces of dark matter
About 84% of the mass in the universe is dark matter, which emits no light but exerts gravitational pull. Scientists don't know what that dark matter is or where it came from. But physicists can see indirect evidence for dark matter through its gravitational effects on luminous matter (the stuff we can see). The movements and arrangements of galaxies, the behavior of light across vast regions of space and the structure of the universe all suggest the presence of something out there that we can't directly detect — much of it clustered in "halos" around big galaxies like the Milky Way.
Tracy Slatyer (Image credit: Breakthrough/Courtesy Tracy Slatyer)
Right now, directly detecting dark matter is one of the biggest goals in physics. That's a large part of what Slatyer has spent her career trying to do. But so far, dark matter has been very good at hiding..
"If it interacts with the other forces we know about" — like electromagnetism , or the weak force and strong force in atomic nuclei — "it does so pretty weakly," Slatyer said.
But there's reason to think it does interact with other matter a little bit. The clue is in that number, 84%. Physicists tend to think about numbers in terms of "orders of magnitude." Meaning: Are they very small, small, medium, big, very big, very very big, or what? The precise number matters, but so does the general category it falls into. And 84%, from a physicist's perspective, is a medium-sized number. It's not clear why dark matter's portion of the universe should be medium-sized.
"Why is it kind of in the same ballpark as 50%?" Slatyer said. "Why isn't it 99.999%? Or 0.0001% percent of the matter in the universe?"
One possible explanation: Dark matter does periodically interact with other matter particles, but only faintly. There are other particles like this: Neutrinos are all around us, but they rarely interact and are only possible to detect with very sensitive equipment. In the early days of the universe, when everything was hotter and denser and closer together, those interactions happened all the time. The tight squeeze would have dramatically raised the odds of a dark matter particle running into another particle. But over time, the universe spread out and those interactions became less common.
There's a particular hypothetical interaction that does a good job of producing an 84%-dark matter universe in astrophysical models: If dark matter particles that collide with each other were to form particles of ordinary matter, that would lower the amount of dark matter in the universe over time. However, an interaction that can happen in one direction can also happen in the other, so luminous particles would sometimes collide to form dark matter.
Over time, Slatyer said, these two interactions would drive dark matter to an equilibrium, Slatyer said. Once you accept that general picture, you can calculate the properties of dark matter that would have led to our 84%-dark matter universe.
"If you do this calculation you find that it's pretty consistent with [what would happen] if dark matter were of a similar mass to the heaviest [luminous] particles ... and interacting with a strength comparable to the weak nuclear force," she said.
(In this framework, it probably interacts with the weak nuclear force. But physicists leave open the possibility that it interacts with an unknown force that's very similar to the weak force.)
When particles physicists do know about that mass range crash together, they produce photons (light particles) with tens or hundreds of gigaelectronvolts (GeV) of energy.
"And photons with tens or hundreds of GeV of energy we call gamma rays ," she said.
If WIMPs are out there, occasionally bumping into each other, they should produce a faint gamma-ray glow that researchers might theoretically detect. Searching for those traces
That's why much of Slatyer's dark matter hunt relies heavily on data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. One area where she hunts for gamma rays is in the nearest cluster of dark matter we know about: the densest part of the Milky Way's halo, right near its center.
The problem is, the center of the Milky Way has lots of other gamma-ray sources, some of which we don't know about. To identify the gamma rays coming from dark matter, researchers need to first model exactly what the gamma ray signal from the dark matter should look like. Then they need a "background model" — a detailed picture of all the other known gamma-ray sources coming from that part of the sky. That's all the stuff they have to ignore.
If Slatyer and her colleagues ever take a photo of the Milky Way's dark matter, they'll do it by studying huge numbers of gamma-ray photons detected from that part of space and subtracting out all the photons that can be explained without dark matter. Models suggest that solution should leave just a small remnant — measured in a few dozen individual gamma-ray particles over a decade of Fermi observations of the Milky Way — coming from dark matter interactions.
In the early 2010s, Slatyer and her collaborators thought they'd found that tiny excess. Careful study of Fermi data from the Milky Way center suggested a vague, bulbous shape in the gamma-ray spectrum.
"It looked almost like a fuzzy egg," she said.
That closely matched the expected picture of the Milky Way's halo.
But over time, they refined their image of that excess, like a camera slowly coming into focus. Eventually, they saw that the shape had sharp edges and a pinched waist, more like an hourglass than the expected fuzzy blob. The explanation: an outflow of luminous matter from the region around the black hole at the center of our galaxy, the trace of a blast in the last several tens of millions of years. They named these never-before-seen structures the "Fermi bubbles."
Related: 9 facts about black holes that will blow your mind
Now, Slatyer said, she and her colleagues are focused on a newfound excess of gamma rays discovered in Fermi data. It's faint, but does seem to closely match that fuzzy ball picture.
Again, however, researchers aren't sure whether they've stumbled onto a signal of dark matter or another never-before-seen background source. The excess does match the signal expected to come from colliding WIMPs, but it could also be explained by an unknown population of millisecond pulsars — tiny neutron stars whirling at incredible speeds. There are plenty of millisecond pulsars in the Milky Way, but this would require many more of them than expected, distributed around the galactic center.
Now, Slatyer said, the hunt is on for these pulsars. "Hot spots" in the gamma ray or radio-wave pictures of the sky, or any evidence of pulsing in the slim data, would suggest that once again the researchers accidentally discovered a new galactic object that isn't dark matter.
"If you showed me a dense population of pulsars in this region, then I'd be very happy in saying that the excess is from pulsars," she said.
If that discovery is coming, it might come in the next few years, thanks to MeerKAT, a radio telescope array in South Africa that should be able to find individual pulsars in that part of space. But proving instead that the excess is dark matter would be harder and take much longer.
"Obviously as a particle physicist I would be happy if it was dark matter," she said.
But it's possible, she said that this excess and the next one and the one after that turn out to be other features of the universe that no one had been looking for. That may not be dark matter, but it's still pretty great.
"That's one of the things I really like about this field," she said. "It's a little ungrateful to be like 'No, universe! You didn't give me the discovery I wanted!'"
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-09--'Candyland' stone forests form using deceptively simple physics

The stunning , razor-sharp spires of stone forests can form in deceptively simple conditions , a sugary new experiment finds .
Using sticks of candy , researchers discovered that cylindrical shapes can naturally sharpen into points in still water as they dissolve — no complicated flow required .
This phenomenon could explain why sharp stone pinnacles are often found where easily-dissolvable limestone rock predominates .
Examples include the Stone Forest , or Shilin , of Kunming , China , the jagged pinnacles of Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park in Madagascar , and the Pinnacles of Gunung Mulu in Malaysia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ how to make one of these pinnacles , '' said Leif Ristroph , an experimental physicist and mathematician at New York University who led the study , published Sept. 8 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .
The recipe was simple indeed .
Ristroph and his team cooked up hard candy — like a lollipop — in the shape of a cylinder with a domed top .
They stuck the candy upright in a tank of water and simply let it dissolve .
One might imagine that the candy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or less the same shape .
But that 's not what happened .
Instead , the candy gradually sharpened into a point as it dissolved .
These points could become quite sharp , Ristroph told Live Science — at least 10 times thinner than a human hair .
`` These are very fine structures that come out , and they kind of make themselves , '' Ristroph said .
The next step was to do the math to figure out why this sharpening effect occurred .
As the candy dissolves , Ristroph said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sugar column becomes laden with sugar .
This makes it heavier than the surrounding water .
This sugar-laden water thus sinks downward , almost like a skin sloughing off the candy .
This sinking means that the dissolving candy essentially creates its own flow .
Fresh water flows in from the sides , only to become laden with sugar itself and sink .
This flow is what sharpens the candy into a point .
Limestone and other dissolvable rock is more complex than simple sugar , Ristroph said , and there are likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forests found around the world .
Rock chemistry , loose sediment and winds likely play a role .
But the stone forests largely form while submerged under water , and the simplicity of the candy experiment helps explain the basic process , Ristroph said .
`` Our choice of materials here , as pure water and pure candy , it is purposefully clean so we can understand it in terms of the fundamentals , '' Ristroph said .
The experiment can be done at home , Ristroph said .
He and his team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when spheres of candy dissolve , and the results are often complex , he said .
`` This is really a beautiful kitchen experiment , '' he said .
Understanding shapes in nature is important because shapes reveal the history of an object , Ristroph added .
A spacecraft flying over an unexplored planet , for example , might send back images of landforms as the only clue to the history of the planet 's surface .
River-like features on Mars were the first hint that the Red Planet once hosted water , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you something about the events that are behind it , the environmental conditions , the fluid flows , '' Ristroph said .
`` It 's all written onto that shape . ''

Stone pinnacles jut out of the forest in Mulu National Park in Malaysia. These stone spires may form thanks to surprisingly simple physics.
The stunning, razor-sharp spires of stone forests can form in deceptively simple conditions, a sugary new experiment finds.
Using sticks of candy, researchers discovered that cylindrical shapes can naturally sharpen into points in still water as they dissolve — no complicated flow required. This phenomenon could explain why sharp stone pinnacles are often found where easily-dissolvable limestone rock predominates. Examples include the Stone Forest, or Shilin, of Kunming, China, the jagged pinnacles of Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park in Madagascar, and the Pinnacles of Gunung Mulu in Malaysia.
"We found the simplest recipe for how to make one of these pinnacles," said Leif Ristroph, an experimental physicist and mathematician at New York University who led the study, published Sept. 8 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .
Related: The mysterious physics of 7 everyday things
Simple sugars
The recipe was simple indeed. Ristroph and his team cooked up hard candy — like a lollipop — in the shape of a cylinder with a domed top. They stuck the candy upright in a tank of water and simply let it dissolve.
One might imagine that the candy would simply shrink away, staying more or less the same shape. But that's not what happened. Instead, the candy gradually sharpened into a point as it dissolved. These points could become quite sharp, Ristroph told Live Science — at least 10 times thinner than a human hair.
"These are very fine structures that come out, and they kind of make themselves," Ristroph said.
The next step was to do the math to figure out why this sharpening effect occurred. As the candy dissolves, Ristroph said, the water directly next to the sugar column becomes laden with sugar. This makes it heavier than the surrounding water. This sugar-laden water thus sinks downward, almost like a skin sloughing off the candy.
This sinking means that the dissolving candy essentially creates its own flow. Fresh water flows in from the sides, only to become laden with sugar itself and sink. This flow is what sharpens the candy into a point.
Sugar to stone
Limestone and other dissolvable rock is more complex than simple sugar, Ristroph said, and there are likely other factors that help shape the stone forests found around the world. Rock chemistry, loose sediment and winds likely play a role. But the stone forests largely form while submerged under water, and the simplicity of the candy experiment helps explain the basic process, Ristroph said.
"Our choice of materials here, as pure water and pure candy, it is purposefully clean so we can understand it in terms of the fundamentals," Ristroph said.
Related: Photos: The world's weirdest geological formations
The experiment can be done at home, Ristroph said. He and his team have also explored the shapes that appear when spheres of candy dissolve, and the results are often complex, he said. "This is really a beautiful kitchen experiment," he said.
Understanding shapes in nature is important because shapes reveal the history of an object, Ristroph added. A spacecraft flying over an unexplored planet, for example, might send back images of landforms as the only clue to the history of the planet's surface. River-like features on Mars were the first hint that the Red Planet once hosted water, he said.
"That shape tells you something about the events that are behind it, the environmental conditions, the fluid flows," Ristroph said. "It's all written onto that shape."
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-11--Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates

Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates

Refresh
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--2020-09-11--Alien-hunting telescope suffered 'no damage to electronics' during mysterious midnight disaster

On Aug. 10 , 2020 , the Arecibo Observatory — a massive telescope in Puerto Rico famous for tracking asteroids and advancing the search for extraterrestrial intelligence ( ) — was after a metal cable above the telescope came loose in the dead of night and crashed through the radar dish below .
One month later , facility officials still do n't know what caused the mysterious midnight malfunction .
But the recovery effort is underway , and officials plan to launch a full `` forensic investigation '' into the disaster as soon as the facility 's safety can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Florida ( UCF ) , which helps manage the telescope .
`` We know the process is taking a long time and we are eager to begin repairs , '' Arecibo Observatory Director Francisco Cordova said in the statement .
But before they can remove the broken pieces and get to work , they need to make sure it 's safe to put people on the telescope , Cordova said .
Related : 9 strange , scientific excuses for why humans have n't found aliens yet When Arecibo began operating from the bottom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it became the world 's largest single-dish telescope , stretching 1,000 feet ( 305 meters ) in diameter .
( You might recognize it from its appearances in the films `` Contact '' and `` Goldeneye '' ) .
But last month 's cable collapse left a 100-foot-long ( 30 m ) hole in the radar dish , immediately suspending operations , according to UCF .
The cable also smashed through several other cables and platforms that support the dish , raining debris onto the ground and making access to the site even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and its partners , including NASA and the National Science Foundation , have begun assessing the damage by building a detailed computer model of the telescope .
Engineers will then study the model carefully before sending humans into the site .
Initial tests of the telescope 's receivers showed no signs of damage to the underlying electronics .
However , the team has yet to test the telescope 's critical S-band radar , which detects microwave signals from distant stars , galaxies and nebulas , the UCF statement added .
When the site @ @ @ @ @ @ @ team will extract the broken cable and its socket to begin their forensic investigation .
In the meantime , two projects not connected to the main dish — Arecibo 's Light Detection and Ranging ( LIDAR ) program and the Remote Optical Facility ( ROF ) — continue to operate , UCF said .

We could be 16 years into a methane-fueled 'termination' event significant enough to end an ice age
Methane emissions from tropical wetlands have been soaring since 2006 and accelerating at the same breakneck speed as when Earth's climate has flipped from a glacial to an interglacial period.


livescience--2020-09-11--Eating out may be riskier than riding a bus during COVID-19 pandemic

Eating out may come with a higher risk of catching COVID-19 than riding public transportation or at a salon , a new study suggests .
The findings , from the , highlight the risk of activities in which people ca n't always and practice social distancing , such as eating and drinking while at a restaurant .
For the study , the researchers analyzed information from 314 adults who were tested for COVID-19 at one of 11 health care facilities across the U.S. All of the participants had experienced that led them to be tested .
About half of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while the other half received a negative test .
Participants were interviewed about activities they engaged in during the 14 days before their symptoms started , including going to a store , gym , office , salon , bar or coffee shop ; attending religious services , using or dining at restaurants .
Overall , people who tested positive for COVID-19 were twice as likely to report dining at a restaurant in the 14 days prior to becoming sick than people who tested negative .
And when the researchers excluded people who had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found that those who tested positive were nearly three times more likely to report dining at a restaurant , and nearly four times more likely to report going to a bar or coffee shop , than those who tested negative .
No other activities from the survey were linked with an increased risk of COVID-19 .
The authors note that one limitation of their study is that it did not distinguish between indoor and outdoor dining .
`` Exposures and activities where mask use and are difficult to maintain , including going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , might be important risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection , '' the authors concluded .
The CDC does ways to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 while dining at restaurants , including wearing a mask as much as possible when not eating and maintaining a 6-foot ( 1.8 meters ) distance from people you do n't live with ; sitting outside when possible , and calling ahead to ask whether all staff at the restaurant are wearing masks at work .

Eating out may come with a higher risk of catching COVID-19 than riding public transportation or getting a haircut at a salon, a new study suggests.
The findings, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , highlight the risk of activities in which people can't always wear a mask and practice social distancing, such as eating and drinking while at a restaurant.
For the study, the researchers analyzed information from 314 adults who were tested for COVID-19 at one of 11 health care facilities across the U.S. All of the participants had experienced some symptoms that led them to be tested. About half of the participants had received a positive test, while the other half received a negative test.
Participants were interviewed about activities they engaged in during the 14 days before their symptoms started, including going to a store, gym, office, salon, bar or coffee shop; attending religious services, using public transportation or dining at restaurants.
Related: 14 coronavirus myths busted by science
Overall, people who tested positive for COVID-19 were twice as likely to report dining at a restaurant in the 14 days prior to becoming sick than people who tested negative. And when the researchers excluded people who had a known contact with COVID-19, they found that those who tested positive were nearly three times more likely to report dining at a restaurant, and nearly four times more likely to report going to a bar or coffee shop, than those who tested negative.
No other activities from the survey were linked with an increased risk of COVID-19.
The authors note that one limitation of their study is that it did not distinguish between indoor and outdoor dining.
"Exposures and activities where mask use and social distancing are difficult to maintain, including going to locations that offer on-site eating and drinking, might be important risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection," the authors concluded.
The CDC does recommend ways to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 while dining at restaurants, including wearing a mask as much as possible when not eating and maintaining a 6-foot (1.8 meters) distance from people you don't live with; sitting outside when possible, and calling ahead to ask whether all staff at the restaurant are wearing masks at work.
Originally published on Live Science.