livescience--2020-11-15--Supernova explosions may have helped shape Earth's climate history

Star explosions may have played a greater role in Earth 's climate history than scientists thought .
Nearby have left a series of possible fingerprints in the tree-ring record here on Earth over the past 40,000 years , potentially disrupting our planet 's climate multiple times over this span , a new study reports .
`` These are extreme events , and their potential effects seem to match tree-ring records , '' study author Robert Brakenridge , a senior research associate at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at the University of Colorado Boulder , .
Brakenridge compiled a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that mark the deaths of certain kinds of stars — that occurred within about 4,900 light-years of Earth .
He then compared the estimated timing of these cosmic events with spikes in carbon-14 , as observed in .
Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope of carbon that contains eight neutrons in its atomic nucleus instead of the usual six .
Carbon-14 is rare on Earth , and it does n't occur here naturally without some outside influence — namely , high-energy radiation streaming in from deep space , which can convert some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to carbon-14 ( which explains why this isotope is also known as radiocarbon ) .
`` There ’ s generally a steady amount year after year , '' Brakenridge said .
`` Trees pick up , and some of that carbon will be radiocarbon . ''
The amount of radiocarbon is not always steady , however .
Scientists have spotted spikes in the tree-ring record , which have generally been attributed to powerful flares from our own sun .
But Brakenridge suspected that supernovas could be involved , so he investigated a possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but tentative one : Eight of the closest supernovas on his list occurred around the same time as a brief radiocarbon spike .
The association was especially strong for four supernovas , including one 13,000 years ago that ended the life of a star in the Vela constellation about 815 light-years from Earth .
Shortly after that explosion , radiocarbon levels shot up briefly by about 3 % in Earth 's atmosphere , Brakenridge found .
The results are not conclusive , given the various uncertainties involved .
For example , it 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inferred timing of the Vela explosion may be off by as much as 1,500 years , Brakenridge said .
But he thinks that the new results , which were published online last week in the , show that more research into a supernova-radiocarbon link is warranted .
“ What keeps me going is when I look at the terrestrial record and I say , 'My God , the predicted and modeled effects do appear to be there , '' Brakenridge said .
He 's not the only scientist to suggest that supernovas may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Other studies have postulated that nearby star explosions have caused or contributed to some mass extinctions , by altering our planet 's atmosphere and causing climatic shifts .
Mike Wall is the author of `` `` ( Grand Central Publishing , 2018 ; illustrated by Karl Tate ) , a book about the search for alien life .
Follow him on Twitter @ michaeldwall .
Follow us on Twitter @ Spacedotcom or Facebook .

This photograph of the Tycho supernova remnant was taken by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Low-energy X-rays (red) in the image show expanding debris from the supernova explosion and high energy X-rays (blue) show the blast wave, a shell of extremely energetic electrons.
Star explosions may have played a greater role in Earth's climate history than scientists thought.
Nearby supernovas have left a series of possible fingerprints in the tree-ring record here on Earth over the past 40,000 years, potentially disrupting our planet's climate multiple times over this span, a new study reports.
"These are extreme events, and their potential effects seem to match tree-ring records," study author Robert Brakenridge, a senior research associate at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at the University of Colorado Boulder, said in a statement .
Supernova photos: Great images of star explosions
Brakenridge compiled a list of 18 supernovas — violent explosions that mark the deaths of certain kinds of stars — that occurred within about 4,900 light-years of Earth. He then compared the estimated timing of these cosmic events with spikes in carbon-14, as observed in the tree-ring record .
Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope of carbon that contains eight neutrons in its atomic nucleus instead of the usual six. Carbon-14 is rare on Earth, and it doesn't occur here naturally without some outside influence — namely, high-energy radiation streaming in from deep space, which can convert some of the "normal" carbon in our atmosphere to carbon-14 (which explains why this isotope is also known as radiocarbon).
"There’s generally a steady amount year after year," Brakenridge said. "Trees pick up carbon dioxide , and some of that carbon will be radiocarbon."
The amount of radiocarbon is not always steady, however. Scientists have spotted spikes in the tree-ring record, which have generally been attributed to powerful flares from our own sun . But Brakenridge suspected that supernovas could be involved, so he investigated a possible link.
And he found a tantalizing but tentative one: Eight of the closest supernovas on his list occurred around the same time as a brief radiocarbon spike. The association was especially strong for four supernovas, including one 13,000 years ago that ended the life of a star in the Vela constellation about 815 light-years from Earth.
Shortly after that explosion, radiocarbon levels shot up briefly by about 3% in Earth's atmosphere, Brakenridge found.
The results are not conclusive, given the various uncertainties involved. For example, it's difficult to date supernovas precisely; the inferred timing of the Vela explosion may be off by as much as 1,500 years, Brakenridge said. But he thinks that the new results, which were published online last week in the International Journal of Astrobiology , show that more research into a supernova-radiocarbon link is warranted.
“What keeps me going is when I look at the terrestrial record and I say, 'My God, the predicted and modeled effects do appear to be there," Brakenridge said.
He's not the only scientist to suggest that supernovas may have significantly affected life on Earth. Other studies have postulated that nearby star explosions have caused or contributed to some mass extinctions , by altering our planet's atmosphere and causing climatic shifts.


livescience--2020-11-15--This interactive tool figures out your COVID-19 risk of attending an event

Planning to attend an event but unsure of the COVID-19 risk , and if you should go at all ?
There 's an evidence-based interactive web tool that can help .
Developed by researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology and simple in its design , the online tool uses data updated daily to estimate the chance that one or more people at an event are COVID-19 positive .
Navigating risk can be tricky , especially when the number of COVID-19 cases is changing every day , and infection rates can be starkly different from one place to the next .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID cases in the US to quantify and visualize the expected risk for gatherings of different sizes : from a dinner party of 10 people , a wedding reception with 100 guests , to a sporting game with 100,000 spectators .
It has also recently been expanded to estimate risk in several European countries , including Italy , Switzerland , and the UK .
`` As cases have begun to rise here [ in the US ] and schools and businesses are reopening , people are asking hard questions , '' quantitative biologist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new paper on the tool , told Wired in July .
`` Can I send my child into a classroom ?
Can I safely go into a bar or a restaurant ?
Answering those questions is the core of what we are trying to do . ''
Most other interactive maps and dashboards , such as this one from the World Health Organization ( WHO ) , display COVID-19 case numbers and deaths ; by contrast , this tool links data on documented cases in each US state with risk assessments by event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , policy makers and health officials assess the daily risk in their area and plan accordingly .
The results are displayed as a heat map where users can compare US states or zoom into their local county , and toggle between events of different sizes to see how the risk escalates as numbers grow .
`` By providing a quantitative tool to convey the ongoing risk of the pandemic , we hope to supplement and bolster local public health advisories , '' the researchers said .
The tool pools real-time data from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tracking Project , a volunteer organization collecting data on COVID cases in the US , and the New York Times ' open-access dataset of coronavirus cases .
`` Our risk calculations tell you only how likely it is that at least one person at any event of a given size is infectious . ''
the researchers write in the study .
`` This is not the same as the risk of any person being exposed or infected with COVID-19 at the event . ''
The risk estimates are based on how many people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many cases have been detected in that area ( in the past ten days ) , but not their behaviour once they arrive .
The researchers did , however , adjust case numbers in their model to account for the paucity of testing in the US .
`` Cases may be under-reported due to testing shortages , asymptomatic 'silent spreaders ' and reporting lags , '' the team explains .
With the available data , the nationwide analysis shows that most US counties share an inevitably high risk with events attended by more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk when events are small ( fewer than ten guests ) .
The risk varies much more county-to-county for events with 50 to 150 people .
`` The visualized risk maps are intended to inform individuals on the need to take preventative steps to reduce new transmission , for example , by avoiding large gatherings and wearing masks when in close contact with others , '' the researchers said in their paper .
`` As a result , individuals can visualize themselves in a group and decide whether this risk is worth taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event , no matter the size , the onus is on everyone there to wear a mask , practice social distancing , and wash their hands regularly .
`` Such precautions are still needed even in small events , given the large number of circulating cases , '' the researchers write .
It should be pointed out though that the model , focusing just on the number of event attendees and recent cases , does n't take the type of venue into account .
But we know that SARS-CoV-2 spreads through the air @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should make the distinction between indoor venues that may have poor ventilation , where super-spreading events are more likely to take place , and outdoor events with plenty of space and fresh air , where the risk is generally lower .
The model also assumes that someone who is COVID-19 positive is just as likely to attend an event as someone without the disease ; in reality , the former should follow public health advice and stay at home if they know they have the virus .
Making assumptions like these is part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to be aware of them so we understand its limitations .
The biggest uncertainty in the model still remains the actual number of recorded and documented COVID-19 cases , which we can only begin to appreciate with more testing .
The research is published in Nature Human Behaviour and the interactive web tool can be accessed here .
This article was originally published by ScienceAlert .
Read the original article here .

This map shows the likelihood of a person with COVID-19 attending an event with about 50 people on Aug. 1, 2020.
Planning to attend an event but unsure of the COVID-19 risk, and if you should go at all? There's an evidence-based interactive web tool that can help.
Developed by researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology and simple in its design, the online tool uses data updated daily to estimate the chance that one or more people at an event are COVID-19 positive.
Navigating risk can be tricky, especially when the number of COVID-19 cases is changing every day, and infection rates can be starkly different from one place to the next.
This tool uses real-time data on local COVID cases in the US to quantify and visualize the expected risk for gatherings of different sizes: from a dinner party of 10 people, a wedding reception with 100 guests, to a sporting game with 100,000 spectators.
It has also recently been expanded to estimate risk in several European countries, including Italy, Switzerland, and the UK.
Maps visualizing the county-level risk of at least one COVID-19-positive person attending an event in the US with 10 (top), 100 (middle) or 1,000 people (bottom). (Image credit: Chande et al., Nature Human Behaviour, 2020)
"As cases have begun to rise here [in the US] and schools and businesses are reopening, people are asking hard questions," quantitative biologist Joshua Weitz, senior author of a new paper on the tool, told Wired in July.
"Can I send my child into a classroom? Can I safely go into a bar or a restaurant? Answering those questions is the core of what we are trying to do."
Most other interactive maps and dashboards, such as this one from the World Health Organization (WHO), display COVID-19 case numbers and deaths; by contrast, this tool links data on documented cases in each US state with risk assessments by event size. Having this info can help people, policy makers and health officials assess the daily risk in their area and plan accordingly.
The results are displayed as a heat map where users can compare US states or zoom into their local county, and toggle between events of different sizes to see how the risk escalates as numbers grow.
"By providing a quantitative tool to convey the ongoing risk of the pandemic, we hope to supplement and bolster local public health advisories," the researchers said.
The tool pools real-time data from state public health departments, the COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer organization collecting data on COVID cases in the US, and the New York Times' open-access dataset of coronavirus cases.
"Our risk calculations tell you only how likely it is that at least one person at any event of a given size is infectious." the researchers write in the study.
"This is not the same as the risk of any person being exposed or infected with COVID-19 at the event."
The risk estimates are based on how many people turn up to an event and how many cases have been detected in that area (in the past ten days), but not their behaviour once they arrive.
The researchers did, however, adjust case numbers in their model to account for the paucity of testing in the US.
"Cases may be under-reported due to testing shortages, asymptomatic 'silent spreaders' and reporting lags," the team explains.
With the available data, the nationwide analysis shows that most US counties share an inevitably high risk with events attended by more than 1,000 people, and a lower risk when events are small (fewer than ten guests). The risk varies much more county-to-county for events with 50 to 150 people.
"The visualized risk maps are intended to inform individuals on the need to take preventative steps to reduce new transmission, for example, by avoiding large gatherings and wearing masks when in close contact with others," the researchers said in their paper.
"As a result, individuals can visualize themselves in a group and decide whether this risk is worth taking."
If you are attending an event, no matter the size, the onus is on everyone there to wear a mask, practice social distancing, and wash their hands regularly.
"Such precautions are still needed even in small events, given the large number of circulating cases," the researchers write.
It should be pointed out though that the model, focusing just on the number of event attendees and recent cases, doesn't take the type of venue into account.
But we know that SARS-CoV-2 spreads through the air, so event planners and health authorities should make the distinction between indoor venues that may have poor ventilation, where super-spreading events are more likely to take place, and outdoor events with plenty of space and fresh air, where the risk is generally lower.
The model also assumes that someone who is COVID-19 positive is just as likely to attend an event as someone without the disease; in reality, the former should follow public health advice and stay at home if they know they have the virus.
Making assumptions like these is part and parcel of modeling; we just need to be aware of them so we understand its limitations.
The biggest uncertainty in the model still remains the actual number of recorded and documented COVID-19 cases, which we can only begin to appreciate with more testing.
The research is published in Nature Human Behaviour and the interactive web tool can be accessed here.
This article was originally published by ScienceAlert. Read the original article here.


livescience--2020-11-15--Why did trilobites go extinct?

Why did trilobites go extinct?

Trilobites are weird creatures — they look like giant swimming potato bugs wearing helmets , and lived on Earth for a whopping 270 million years .
These armored invertebrates , whose species once numbered in the thousands , thrived in the oceans as they scavenged and dug for food , and even managed to survive two mass extinctions .
But about 252 million years ago , trilobites disappeared from the fossil record .
What finally wiped out this class of resilient bottom dwellers ?
The trilobite 's disappearance coincided with the end-Permian extinction ( also known as the Permian-Triassic extinction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devastating mass extinction event .
Volcanic eruptions in Siberia spewed enormous amounts of lava for around 2 million years , according to Melanie Hopkins , an associate curator of paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City .
These fiery eruptions sent trillions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere , triggering , which in turn made it very difficult for marine animals to survive , according to a 2010 paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .
Up to 95 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , also known as the Great Dying , including the trilobites .
Related : How long do most species last before going extinct ?
The trilobites , however , had already started a downward spiral toward extinction by that point .
`` By the time you get to this mass extinction , there are n't that many trilobites around , '' Hopkins told Live Science .
That 's because environmental and evolutionary changes had whittled away at this class of creatures .
Hopkins studies the changes in trilobite body shape and size over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their survival .
When trilobites first emerged at the beginning of the ( 541 million to 485 million years ago ) , they were extremely diverse , potentially because there were n't that many competitors , Hopkins said .
Trilobite adaptations during the early Cambrian were mainly related to growth and development , such as variations in how many segments or limbs they had .
But during the Ordovician Period , starting around 485 million years ago , competition and predation came more into play than it had before .
At this time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adaptation is clearly related to ecology , '' Hopkins said .
Some trilobites developed different eye positioning , harder exoskeletons or the ability to roll into a ball .
These adaptations , paleontologists suspect , made trilobites more successful on the increasingly competitive ocean floor .
And in the long run , these pressures could have constrained the trilobites ' recovery from the coming mass extinctions .
Then came the world 's first mass extinction : the Ordovician-Silurian extinction around 444 million years ago , caused by a global cooling and a decrease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department of Earth Science at the University of Southern California .
The number of trilobites species , once in the thousands , dropped into the hundreds , according to the .
Although food webs and ecosystems remained intact , the trilobites `` never quite diversify or reach the numbers they achieved previously , '' Hopkins said .
Escalating competition in their ocean habitats may be what kept them from a full rebound .
The second mass extinction , the Late Devonian , hit the trilobites starting around 375 million years ago .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cause less specific than the one before and after it .
It 's harder to study because it happened over a long interval , Hopkins said , but it likely led to a slowing of evolution and diversification .
Though the direct cause is less clear , the effect of the second extinction on the trilobites was profound .
Entire orders — in biology animals are categorized into orders , families , groups and , finally , species — went extinct .
After the second extinction , there was only one family remaining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` That 's all that was left , '' Hopkins said .
It 's unclear what made Proetidae so resilient .
They were relatively simple creatures compared with some of the more that have existed .
By the third extinction , the end-Permian , the competition , predators and environmental changes had flipped the odds against the ancient Proetida .
They could n't withstand the events set in motion by the volcanic eruptions .
The specifics of what made the trilobites so resilient and so vulnerable is still very much under study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why they went extinct , Hopkins said , `` is to figure out why they never diversified again to the same extent .
But that question remains unanswered . ''

Trilobites are weird creatures — they look like giant swimming potato bugs wearing helmets, and lived on Earth for a whopping 270 million years. These armored invertebrates, whose species once numbered in the thousands, thrived in the oceans as they scavenged and dug for food, and even managed to survive two mass extinctions.
But about 252 million years ago, trilobites disappeared from the fossil record. What finally wiped out this class of resilient bottom dwellers?
The trilobite's disappearance coincided with the end-Permian extinction (also known as the Permian-Triassic extinction), the third and the most devastating mass extinction event. Volcanic eruptions in Siberia spewed enormous amounts of lava for around 2 million years, according to Melanie Hopkins, an associate curator of paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. These fiery eruptions sent trillions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, triggering ocean acidification , which in turn made it very difficult for marine animals to survive, according to a 2010 paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . Up to 95% of marine species succumbed to the end-Permian extinction, also known as the Great Dying, including the trilobites.
Related: How long do most species last before going extinct?
The trilobites, however, had already started a downward spiral toward extinction by that point. "By the time you get to this mass extinction, there aren't that many trilobites around," Hopkins told Live Science. That's because environmental and evolutionary changes had whittled away at this class of creatures.
Hopkins studies the changes in trilobite body shape and size over time, and how these factors affected their survival. When trilobites first emerged at the beginning of the Cambrian period (541 million to 485 million years ago), they were extremely diverse, potentially because there weren't that many competitors, Hopkins said. Trilobite adaptations during the early Cambrian were mainly related to growth and development, such as variations in how many segments or limbs they had.
But during the Ordovician Period, starting around 485 million years ago, competition and predation came more into play than it had before. At this time "a lot of [trilobite] adaptation is clearly related to ecology," Hopkins said. Some trilobites developed different eye positioning, harder exoskeletons or the ability to roll into a ball. These adaptations, paleontologists suspect, made trilobites more successful on the increasingly competitive ocean floor. And in the long run, these pressures could have constrained the trilobites' recovery from the coming mass extinctions.
Then came the world's first mass extinction: the Ordovician-Silurian extinction around 444 million years ago, caused by a global cooling and a decrease in sea levels, according to the Department of Earth Science at the University of Southern California. The number of trilobites species, once in the thousands, dropped into the hundreds, according to the American Museum of Natural History . Although food webs and ecosystems remained intact, the trilobites "never quite diversify or reach the numbers they achieved previously," Hopkins said. Escalating competition in their ocean habitats may be what kept them from a full rebound.
The second mass extinction, the Late Devonian, hit the trilobites starting around 375 million years ago. The Late Devonian extinction was slower and the cause less specific than the one before and after it. It's harder to study because it happened over a long interval, Hopkins said, but it likely led to a slowing of evolution and diversification. Though the direct cause is less clear, the effect of the second extinction on the trilobites was profound. Entire orders — in biology animals are categorized into orders, families, groups and, finally, species — went extinct. After the second extinction, there was only one family remaining in the class Trilobita: the Proetidae.
"That's all that was left," Hopkins said.
It's unclear what made Proetidae so resilient. They were relatively simple creatures compared with some of the more massive and monstrous trilobites that have existed. By the third extinction, the end-Permian, the competition, predators and environmental changes had flipped the odds against the ancient Proetida. They couldn't withstand the global warming events set in motion by the volcanic eruptions.
The specifics of what made the trilobites so resilient and so vulnerable is still very much under study. One way to learn more about why they went extinct, Hopkins said, "is to figure out why they never diversified again to the same extent. But that question remains unanswered."
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-11-17--Mysterious 'dark river' may flow hundreds of miles beneath Greenland

A giant underground river fed by melting ice could be running in a state of perpetual darkness far below the surface of Greenland , according to new research .
Nicknamed the 'Dark River ' , this hypothetical waterway – if it truly exists , that is – may stretch for 1,000 kilometers ( 620 miles ) , flowing from the deep interior of Greenland all the way to Petermann Fjord in the country 's northwest .
`` The results are consistent with a long subglacial river , '' says ice sheet modeler Christopher Chambers from Hokkaido University in Japan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That uncertainty largely stems from significant gaps in radar data from aerial surveys above the Greenland ice sheet , which have over the years detected fragmented glimpses of what looks like a giant , subglacial valley system extending below large parts of Greenland .
Numerous studies in the past couple of decades have suggested such trenches , valleys , or `` mega-canyons '' could lie hidden in the subglacial environment , and have also floated the idea that liquid water might flow at the bottom of the features .
However , due to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sparsity of airborne flights mapping these deep contours – it 's not known if all the valleys are connected in one long , snaking river , or merely segments of disconnected phenomena , let alone how water might behave down there .
`` We do n't know how much water , if any , is available to flow along the valley , and if it does indeed exit at Petermann Fjord or is refrozen , or escapes the valley , along the way , '' Chambers says .
In a new study , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chambers and his team explored the hypothetical possibility that the valley is n't broken up into separate pieces , but runs continuously in one long river .
Such a possibility is plausible , they say , given the segmentation seen in modeling before now might be an illusion – phantom elevations resulting from misleading modeling in data-sparse regions , rather than territorial features .
`` The rises occur where data are interpolated to fill in gaps between where radar has obtained reliable data , '' the authors write in their new paper .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ may not be real . ''
In the new modeling , the researchers assumed the Dark River is indeed a continuous feature .
Based on that scenario , the simulations suggested the waterway flows from the centre of Greenland out to the sea , with liquid water traversing the uninterrupted pathway .
`` Along its length , the path of the valley progresses gradually down an ice surface slope , causing a lowering of ice overburden pressure that could enable water flow along its path , '' the team writes .
While the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ researchers think that future aerial surveys might one day be able to confirm the simulations .
If so , it would n't just tell us the Dark River is real , but would also mean we 've reached a new level of being able to model the behavior of the Greenland ice sheet – a hugely complex and mysterious body predicted to have a vast impact on future sea level rise .
The findings are reported in The Cryosphere .
This article was originally published by ScienceAlert .
Read the original article here @

Petermann is one of Greenland's largest glaciers, lodged in a fjord that, from the height of its mountain walls down to the lowest point of the seafloor, is deeper than the Grand Canyon.
A giant underground river fed by melting ice could be running in a state of perpetual darkness far below the surface of Greenland, according to new research.
Nicknamed the 'Dark River', this hypothetical waterway – if it truly exists, that is – may stretch for 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), flowing from the deep interior of Greenland all the way to Petermann Fjord in the country's northwest.
"The results are consistent with a long subglacial river," says ice sheet modeler Christopher Chambers from Hokkaido University in Japan, "but considerable uncertainty remains."
That uncertainty largely stems from significant gaps in radar data from aerial surveys above the Greenland ice sheet, which have over the years detected fragmented glimpses of what looks like a giant, subglacial valley system extending below large parts of Greenland.
Numerous studies in the past couple of decades have suggested such trenches, valleys, or "mega-canyons" could lie hidden in the subglacial environment, and have also floated the idea that liquid water might flow at the bottom of the features.
However, due to gaps in the data – given the sparsity of airborne flights mapping these deep contours – it's not known if all the valleys are connected in one long, snaking river, or merely segments of disconnected phenomena, let alone how water might behave down there.
"We don't know how much water, if any, is available to flow along the valley, and if it does indeed exit at Petermann Fjord or is refrozen, or escapes the valley, along the way," Chambers says.
In a new study, designed as a 'thought experiment', Chambers and his team explored the hypothetical possibility that the valley isn't broken up into separate pieces, but runs continuously in one long river.
Such a possibility is plausible, they say, given the segmentation seen in modeling before now might be an illusion – phantom elevations resulting from misleading modeling in data-sparse regions, rather than territorial features.
"The rises occur where data are interpolated to fill in gaps between where radar has obtained reliable data," the authors write in their new paper. "This suggests that the valley rises may not be real."
In the new modeling, the researchers assumed the Dark River is indeed a continuous feature. Based on that scenario, the simulations suggested the waterway flows from the centre of Greenland out to the sea, with liquid water traversing the uninterrupted pathway.
"Along its length, the path of the valley progresses gradually down an ice surface slope, causing a lowering of ice overburden pressure that could enable water flow along its path," the team writes.
While the findings remain hypothetical for now, the researchers think that future aerial surveys might one day be able to confirm the simulations.
If so, it wouldn't just tell us the Dark River is real, but would also mean we've reached a new level of being able to model the behavior of the Greenland ice sheet – a hugely complex and mysterious body predicted to have a vast impact on future sea level rise.
The findings are reported in The Cryosphere.
This article was originally published by ScienceAlert. Read the original article here.


livescience--2020-11-17--Mummy count continues to grow at ancient Egypt burial site

The number of mummy-filled coffins found in a series of burial shafts at Saqqara in Egypt keeps growing , archaeologists with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities reported .
At the start of September , the team had found 13 coffins with mummies inside .
By the beginning of October , that number , and now the number is over 100 , archaeologists reported in a statement issued Saturday ( Nov. 14 ) .
People are `` asking how many coffins did we find .
The answer is I do n't know yet , '' said Mustafa Waziri , the secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Antiquities , in a video released by the ministry and the Smithsonian Channel , which is filming the excavations .
Inside the burial shafts , the team also found 40 statues depicting the deity `` Ptah-Soker , '' the ministry said .
This deity is an amalgamation of `` Ptah , '' who was the god of Memphis , and `` Soker , '' who was the god of Saqqara .
Archaeologists also found 20 wooden boxes showing depictions of Horus — an Egyptian sky god with a falcon head .
Additionally , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ name `` Phnomus , '' though the researchers are still trying to figure out who that person was in antiquity .
Numerous shabti figurines were also found .
Ancient Egyptians believed that shabtis acted as servants for the deceased in the afterlife .
The various finds date back between roughly 712 B.C .
and 30 B.C.
, according to the ministry statement .
During this time period , ancient Egypt was occupied and controlled by foreign groups such as the , Persians and Greeks .
At times , Egypt would regain its independence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power .
Excavations continue at the site , and the archaeologists expect to find more coffins filled with mummies and other artifacts , said Khaled El-Enany , Egypt 's antiquities minister .
The Smithsonian Channel is filming a documentary called `` Tomb Hunters '' and released a statement claiming that some of the artifacts date back 4,500 years — to around the time when the were being built .
The antiquities ministry statement has not confirmed this claim .

A close-up showing one of the mummy filled coffins. The colors are remarkably well preserved despite the passage of over 2,000 years of time.
The number of mummy-filled coffins found in a series of burial shafts at Saqqara in Egypt keeps growing, archaeologists with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities reported.
At the start of September, the team had found 13 coffins with mummies inside. By the beginning of October, that number had risen to 59 , and now the number is over 100, archaeologists reported in a statement issued Saturday (Nov. 14).
People are "asking how many coffins did we find. The answer is I don't know yet," said Mustafa Waziri, the secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, in a video released by the ministry and the Smithsonian Channel, which is filming the excavations.
Related: Image gallery: Mummy evisceration techniques
Inside the burial shafts, the team also found 40 statues depicting the deity "Ptah-Soker," the ministry said. This deity is an amalgamation of "Ptah," who was the god of Memphis, and "Soker," who was the god of Saqqara. Archaeologists also found 20 wooden boxes showing depictions of Horus — an Egyptian sky god with a falcon head. Additionally, two wooden statues are inscribed with the name "Phnomus," though the researchers are still trying to figure out who that person was in antiquity.
Image 1 of 6 Two wooden statues (one shown here) that inscriptions say depict a man named "Phnomus" were found at Saqqara. (Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities) Here, one of the mummy-filled coffins found within the burial shafts. In Egypt tombs were robbed in both ancient and modern times and it's rare to find so many coffins and artifacts not robbed. (Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities) More than 100 mummy-filled coffins have been discovered so far at the Saqqara site. (Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities) A close-up showing one of the mummy filled coffins. The colors are remarkably well preserved despite the passage of over 2,000 years of time. (Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities) Some of the artifacts found with the mummy-filled coffins at Saqqara are in the process of being cleaned, conserved and analyzed. (Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities) Numerous small statues have been discovered at the burial site. They include 40 statues of the god "Ptah-Soker," examples of which are seen here. (Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities)
Numerous shabti figurines were also found. Ancient Egyptians believed that shabtis acted as servants for the deceased in the afterlife.
The various finds date back between roughly 712 B.C. and 30 B.C., according to the ministry statement. During this time period, ancient Egypt was occupied and controlled by foreign groups such as the Assyrians , Persians and Greeks. At times, Egypt would regain its independence only to lose it to another foreign power. Excavations continue at the site, and the archaeologists expect to find more coffins filled with mummies and other artifacts, said Khaled El-Enany, Egypt's antiquities minister.
The Smithsonian Channel is filming a documentary called "Tomb Hunters" and released a statement claiming that some of the artifacts date back 4,500 years — to around the time when the Giza Pyramids were being built. The antiquities ministry statement has not confirmed this claim.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-11-17--Why women make way less than men do in more religious places

Why is there a persistent wage gap between men and women ?
Turns out , religion may play a big role in the disparity .
New research finds that the wage gap is 8 percentage points wider in the five than in the five most secular , with women making 18 % less than men in the least religious states and 26 % less in the most religious .
What 's more , the gender gap is projected to vanish in 28 years in the most secular states , compared with a stunning 109 years in the most religious .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ community , our children are not going to know a world in which they 're paid equitably , '' said Traci Sitzmann , an associate professor of management at the University of Colorado , Denver .
`` It 's a little bit scary . ''
Sitzmann and her colleague Elizabeth Campbell , an assistant professor of work and organizations at the University of Minnesota , were interested in exploring the impacts of religiosity on workforce issues .
They started with a global view .
Using data from 140 countries , they compared the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the question , `` Is religion important in your daily life ? ''
with the gender wage gap in those countries as of 2013 , the most recent global data available .
They found a striking association : The more religious a country , the greater the wage gap .
In nations where more than 95 % or more people said religion was important in their daily lives , such as Pakistan and the Philippines , women earned around 46 % as much as men .
In countries where fewer than 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to them in daily life , such as Sweden and Estonia , women averaged around 75 % of men 's wages .
The United States had moderately high religiosity and women in the U.S. earned 66 cents for every dollar men earned , Sitzmann told Live Science .
The effect held true for all major world religions , Sitzmann said .
It did n't matter if most believers in a country were Jewish , Christian , , Buddhist , Hindu or adherants to a folk religion .
The wage gap was still greater @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role in daily life .
The researchers then turned to Gallup survey data on religious service attendance and the importance of religion in daily life in the 50 U.S. states .
In the U.S. data , the researchers looked only at full-time wages so as not to skew the results due to women working fewer hours .
They again found that the more religious the state , the greater the wage gap .
( Mississippi , Alabama , Utah , South Dakota and South Carolina were the most religious states ; Vermont , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nevada were the least . )
The researchers found that religiosity explained 17 % of the variability in the gender wage gap between states .
To ensure that the wider economy or levels of conservatism weren ’ t responsible for the difference , the researchers then looked at year-over-year data between 2008 and 2018 and found that the association between religion and wages still held .
The is shrinking over time in the U.S. , they found , but it is shrinking faster in secular states compared with religious ones .
At current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a century for the gap to close in the most religious states .
According to the , women make 81 cents for every dollar men make as of 2020 .
This analysis compares median salaries for men and women , and does not control for factors like seniority , years experience and education , all of which can be impacted by gender discrimination and gender role expectations .
Sitzmann and Campbell found three reasons for this difference in wages between secular and religious regions .
The more religious a country or state , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of men and women .
In other words , women in more religious societies are expected to put family first .
The researchers measured this by looking at how many babies women have , how many women work at all , access to abortion and family-friendly work policies .
In more religious societies , women have more children , participate less in the workforce , have less access both to abortion and to policies that help balance work with family .
Religious societies are also more likely to sexually objectify women , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking at regional Google Trends for the search terms `` pornography '' and `` rape . ''
Both were correlated with religiosity , and both were correlated with the gender wage gap .
Finally , religious societies are also less likely to promote or accept women in leadership positions .
`` We 've got the Pope saying , 'the door is closed , women are not allowed to be leaders in the church , ' '' Sitzmann said , referring to Pope Francis ' 2013 statement on female priests in the Catholic Church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a very strong norm . ''
She and Campbell found that in more religious societies , women have less representation in politics and in organizational leadership .
They also have lower educational attainment and less legal equality .
Finally , the researchers conducted experiments to confirm that it was indeed religion , and not some closely related concept like conservatism , that explained the results .
They set up an online game in which 91 participants , about half women and half men , acted as managers who had to allocate wages to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the participants saw the same performance reviews , but in some cases the employee was named Patricia Anderson and in others was called Michael Taylor .
Before seeing the performance reviews , some participants saw a description of the mock company they were working for that described it as faith-based .
Others saw a description that focused on the company 's dedication to communication and community .
Those who were primed to believe they were working for a religious company allocated 3 % more to the male employee compared with the female @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought the organization was secular allocated 6 % more to the female employee .
But there was a way to reverse the inequality .
When the researchers told people in the mock religious company that one of the company values was that women needed to be involved , and that the company had a strict anti-sexual-harassment policy , it wiped out the gender wage gap , according to their research paper published Oct. 27 in the .
This was a heartening result , Sitzmann said , because it suggests that simply being aware @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make people behave more equitably .
The major world religions all developed after humans had settled into agricultural societies in which men and women were typically prescribed different roles , said Stephanie Coontz , a historian at The Evergreen State College in Washington and the director of research and public education for the Council on Contemporary Families .
Their edicts thus `` tend to support a division of labor and a division of authority that put women as second-class , '' said Coontz , who was not involved in the new research .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for interpretation in the major world religions ' texts , Coontz added , and many passages affirm a more modern view of equality .
`` It 's certainly not determinative , '' she said .
`` Many , many people who are religious have taken some of these things with a grain of salt . ''
National policy could help enshrine equality as a societal value , Sitzmann said .
Two years ago , that requires companies to make their wage data available for independent review .
Any company not paying men and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is fined .
( The policy is currently being implemented in stages over four years , starting with the largest companies . )
`` In the end , '' Sitzmann said , `` you want your wages to be correlated with your performance , not your gender . ''

The "Fearless Girl" statue was installed in front of the bronze "Charging Bull" in New York City for International Women's Day in March 2017, to draw attention to the gender pay gap and lack of gender diversity on corporate boards in the financial sector.
Why is there a persistent wage gap between men and women? Turns out, religion may play a big role in the disparity.
New research finds that the wage gap is 8 percentage points wider in the five most religious states than in the five most secular, with women making 18% less than men in the least religious states and 26% less in the most religious. What's more, the gender gap is projected to vanish in 28 years in the most secular states, compared with a stunning 109 years in the most religious.
"If they're in a religious community, our children are not going to know a world in which they're paid equitably," said Traci Sitzmann, an associate professor of management at the University of Colorado, Denver. "It's a little bit scary."
Related: 20 amazing women in science and math
Religion and wages
Sitzmann and her colleague Elizabeth Campbell, an assistant professor of work and organizations at the University of Minnesota, were interested in exploring the impacts of religiosity on workforce issues. They started with a global view. Using data from 140 countries, they compared the likelihood of citizens answering "yes" to the question, "Is religion important in your daily life?" with the gender wage gap in those countries as of 2013, the most recent global data available. They found a striking association: The more religious a country, the greater the wage gap. In nations where more than 95% or more people said religion was important in their daily lives, such as Pakistan and the Philippines, women earned around 46% as much as men.
In countries where fewer than 20% of people said religion was important to them in daily life, such as Sweden and Estonia, women averaged around 75% of men's wages. The United States had moderately high religiosity and women in the U.S. earned 66 cents for every dollar men earned, Sitzmann told Live Science.
The effect held true for all major world religions, Sitzmann said. It didn't matter if most believers in a country were Jewish, Christian, Muslim , Buddhist, Hindu or adherants to a folk religion. The wage gap was still greater in countries where religion played a major role in daily life.
Related: 7 sexist ideas that once plagued science
The researchers then turned to Gallup survey data on religious service attendance and the importance of religion in daily life in the 50 U.S. states. In the U.S. data, the researchers looked only at full-time wages so as not to skew the results due to women working fewer hours.
If they're in a religious community, our children are not going to know a world in which they're paid equitably. Traci Sitzmann
They again found that the more religious the state, the greater the wage gap. (Mississippi, Alabama, Utah, South Dakota and South Carolina were the most religious states; Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Nevada were the least.) The researchers found that religiosity explained 17% of the variability in the gender wage gap between states. To ensure that the wider economy or levels of conservatism weren’t responsible for the difference, the researchers then looked at year-over-year data between 2008 and 2018 and found that the association between religion and wages still held. The gender gap is shrinking over time in the U.S., they found, but it is shrinking faster in secular states compared with religious ones. At current rates, it will take more than a century for the gap to close in the most religious states.
According to the workplace data analysis company PayScale , women make 81 cents for every dollar men make as of 2020. This analysis compares median salaries for men and women, and does not control for factors like seniority, years experience and education, all of which can be impacted by gender discrimination and gender role expectations.
The pathway to a wage gap
Sitzmann and Campbell found three reasons for this difference in wages between secular and religious regions. The more religious a country or state, the more that society differentiated the roles of men and women. In other words, women in more religious societies are expected to put family first. The researchers measured this by looking at how many babies women have, how many women work at all, access to abortion and family-friendly work policies. In more religious societies, women have more children, participate less in the workforce, have less access both to abortion and to policies that help balance work with family.
Religious societies are also more likely to sexually objectify women, the researchers found. They measured this by looking at regional Google Trends for the search terms "pornography" and "rape." Both were correlated with religiosity, and both were correlated with the gender wage gap.
Related: 7 sexist ideas that once plagued science
Finally, religious societies are also less likely to promote or accept women in leadership positions. "We've got the Pope saying, 'the door is closed, women are not allowed to be leaders in the church,'" Sitzmann said, referring to Pope Francis' 2013 statement on female priests in the Catholic Church. "That sets the stage for a very strong norm."
She and Campbell found that in more religious societies, women have less representation in politics and in organizational leadership. They also have lower educational attainment and less legal equality.
Closing the gap
Finally, the researchers conducted experiments to confirm that it was indeed religion, and not some closely related concept like conservatism, that explained the results. They set up an online game in which 91 participants, about half women and half men, acted as managers who had to allocate wages to employees based on performance reviews. All of the participants saw the same performance reviews, but in some cases the employee was named Patricia Anderson and in others was called Michael Taylor.
Before seeing the performance reviews, some participants saw a description of the mock company they were working for that described it as faith-based. Others saw a description that focused on the company's dedication to communication and community.
Those who were primed to believe they were working for a religious company allocated 3% more to the male employee compared with the female employee. In contrast, those who thought the organization was secular allocated 6% more to the female employee.
But there was a way to reverse the inequality. When the researchers told people in the mock religious company that one of the company values was that women needed to be involved, and that the company had a strict anti-sexual-harassment policy, it wiped out the gender wage gap, according to their research paper published Oct. 27 in the Academy of Management Journal .
This was a heartening result, Sitzmann said, because it suggests that simply being aware of expectations for gender equality will help make people behave more equitably.
The major world religions all developed after humans had settled into agricultural societies in which men and women were typically prescribed different roles, said Stephanie Coontz, a historian at The Evergreen State College in Washington and the director of research and public education for the Council on Contemporary Families. Their edicts thus "tend to support a division of labor and a division of authority that put women as second-class," said Coontz, who was not involved in the new research.
But there is a lot of room for interpretation in the major world religions' texts, Coontz added, and many passages affirm a more modern view of equality.
"It's certainly not determinative," she said. "Many, many people who are religious have taken some of these things with a grain of salt."
National policy could help enshrine equality as a societal value, Sitzmann said. Two years ago, Iceland instituted a policy that requires companies to make their wage data available for independent review. Any company not paying men and women the same wages for equal work is fined. (The policy is currently being implemented in stages over four years, starting with the largest companies.)
"In the end," Sitzmann said, "you want your wages to be correlated with your performance, not your gender."
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-11-17--The true story behind Princess Diana's fairytale wedding in 'The Crown'

On July 29 , 1981 , Lady Diana Spencer walked down the aisle of Westminster Abbey , London , leading her wedding dress ' enormous train past 3,500 guests , including nobility , world dignitaries and royalty .
Waiting for her at the altar was Prince Charles , Prince of Wales , eldest son and heir to Queen Elizabeth II .
Diana recalled feeling like `` the luckiest girl in the world '' to be marrying a man whom she loved so much , according to her biographer , Andrew Morton , in his book `` Diana : Her True @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Simon and Schuster , 1992 ) .
However , the happy day , which according to the BBC was witnessed by more than 750 million live television viewers around the world , masked the now-infamous and tragic reality of the couple 's relationship , marred by infidelity , loneliness and unrequited love .
When Charles celebrated his 30th birthday in November 1978 , speculation about who would be his future wife quickly intensified .
In 1977 , he had been briefly involved in a relationship with Lady Sarah Spencer ( now Lady Sarah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Earl Spencer .
But that relationship lasted only a short while and fell apart when Sarah spoke to the press about Charles .
However , before their relationship ended , Charles was invited to Althorp , the Spencer family 's home , and it was there that he met Sarah 's youngest sister , Lady Diana , who was just 16 years old and still at boarding school .
Charles was intrigued by Diana 's adolescent gaiety , later commenting he found her `` very jolly and amusing . ''
The pair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when he invited her and Sarah to his 30th birthday party .
Another 18 months passed before Charles and Diana started to become romantically involved , after Charles invited her to a party in July 1980 , allegedly at the instigation of Camilla Parker Bowles , a married woman whom Charles had an on-again , off-again relationship with for several years .
Related : What 's the difference between a duchess and a princess ?
In interview tapes recorded in 1992 and later released in the 2017 documentary `` Diana : In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Charles `` leapt '' on her after she told him how it seemed to her that he needed someone to look after him .
Charles , who had come to rather the same conclusion , could not help but respond to her sympathy .
Shortly afterward , Charles invited Diana to join him on the Royal Yacht Britannia and their relationship began moving very quickly .
A month later , Charles invited Diana up to Balmoral Castle , the royal family 's Scottish home , which was taken as a strong sign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young aristocrat .
Meeting the queen and the rest of the royal family on such an intimate level would be extremely daunting for most young women , especially one as shy and awkward as Diana was at that point , but her family had been connected with the royals for most of her life .
In fact , Diana had been born in Park House on the Sandringham Estate , Queen Elizabeth II 's country home ( Diana 's family lived there before her father inherited the Spencer earldom ) .
And Diana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was one of the Queen Mother 's close friends .
The visit to Balmoral went well , with Diana charming everyone with her good nature and high spirits , and Charles took the next step of asking her to accompany him on a visit to Highgrove , his country house in Gloucestershire .
Diana , who was used to the splendours of Althorp , found it a bit unimpressive and would have been even less thrilled if she had known that its primary attraction for Charles was its close proximity to Camilla 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Diana claimed that she met Charles only 13 times before they became engaged , but in reality they saw much more of each other , with several meetings in London as well as trips to the royal homes of Balmoral , Highgrove and Sandringham .
She was also a guest at a small royal gathering for Charles 's 32nd birthday in November 1980 .
It was around that time that news of their relationship broke in the press and Diana began to be hounded by photographers , who followed her wherever she went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speculation that an engagement was imminent .
Charles ' much-expected proposal took place on Feb. 3 , 1981 at Windsor Castle , with Diana allegedly being so overwhelmed that she thought Charles was joking and burst out laughing before saying yes .
When Diana told Charles that she loved him , he replied `` Whatever love is , '' according to `` Diana : Story of a Princess '' ( Simon and Schuster , 2001 ) , by biographers Tim Clayton and Phil Craig .
News of the engagement was kept secret for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some time alone with her mother in Australia .
The royal engagement was officially announced on Feb. 24 , 1981 .
In an interview with the BBC that day , Diana looked obviously besotted with her prince , but when asked if the couple were in love Charles again replied with `` Whatever 'in love ' means . ''
In her 1992 tapes , Diana referred to the interview as `` ghastly , '' and said that Charles ' response `` threw me completely . ''
Immediately after the announcement , Diana moved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the queen , as Diana 's flat in Chelsea , which she shared with a group of close female friends , was considered no longer suitable for a soon-to-be princess .
According to Morton 's interviews , Diana said she packed her bags and left her flat with a police bodyguard , who warned her : `` This is the last night of freedom ever in the rest of your life . ''
Related : After the royal wedding , why is n't Kate Middleton a princess ?
Later , she moved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where she was given a relatively small suite of rooms on the nursery floor .
This was a depressing experience for Diana , who quickly began to feel bored , lonely and isolated , according to Morton .
She spent most of her time alone , as Charles was often away and his family paid her very little attention , assuming that she would quickly adapt to their ways and not realizing that she was in desperate need of guidance and support .
When Diana found out that Charles was planning a private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wedding , Diana became so upset that she threatened to call off the wedding .
According to Morton , Diana 's sisters pointed out that it was far too late to cancel , they told her , because `` your face is on the tea towels . ''
Morton also wrote that it was during the months before her wedding that Diana first suffered from bulimia , as she grappled with the pressures of her new position and her unease about the relationship between her fiancé and Camilla .
Beyond the Palace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was reaching fever pitch , with street parties planned all across the country .
There was also a great deal of speculation about Diana 's wedding dress , which was being made by a young designer couple , David and Elizabeth Emanuel .
According to Clayton and Craig , the dress required several fittings and adjustments due to Diana 's dramatic weight loss .
The wedding celebrations began two days before the big day with a final rehearsal in St. Paul 's Cathedral , which had been chosen as the wedding venue thanks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ location .
The rehearsal was followed by a huge ball held by the queen in Buckingham Palace , which Diana attended in a daring shocking pink , skin-tight Emanuel gown Diana spent the night before her wedding at Clarence House with her sisters and bridal attendants , all of whom had to work hard to calm her nerves as she mentally prepared for her big day .
Charles sent a gift of a signet ring across from Buckingham Palace , accompanied by a note telling her that `` I am so proud of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'll be there at the altar for you tomorrow .
Just look 'em in the eye and knock them dead , '' according to Penny Junor 's book `` The Duchess : The Untold Story '' ( William Collins , 2017 ) .
Related : Auspicious ?
Meghan and Harry to marry on date of royal beheading On the day of the wedding , Diana , accompanied by her father Earl Spencer , rode in the famous royal Glass coach to St. Paul 's Cathedral , cheered on by the vast crowds — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the route from Clarence House .
For the crowds outside , the next glimpse of the newly married royal couple occurred shortly afterward when Charles and Diana made the traditional appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony , flanked by their family and members of the wedding party .
Charles had not sealed his wedding vows with a kiss but made up for this oversight by kissing Diana on the balcony , creating an iconic image that would feature on dozens of newspapers all around the globe the following day .
The wedding party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in lobster sauce followed by chicken stuffed with lamb mousse , with strawberries and cream for pudding .
There were also no fewer than 27 wedding cakes , including the five-foot-tall ( 1.5 meter ) official cake , which the couple cut after the ceremony .
Related : The meaning of 'Archie Harrison , ' the new royal baby 's name In accordance with royal tradition , the couple did not stay for the evening party , but instead changed into their going-away outfits — in Diana 's case , a pretty peach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then bid their guests goodbye before climbing into the open landau carriage that took them to Waterloo Station .
The groom 's mischievous younger brothers , Andrew and Edward , had secretly attached balloons , tin cans and a `` Just Married '' sign to the back of the carriage .
This delighted the crowds that had gathered to watch the newlyweds leave for their honeymoon , which would involve a few days at Broadlands , Charles ' great uncle 's former country home in southeast England , followed by a Mediterranean cruise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several weeks alone on the Balmoral Estate .
Related : Princess Di and the history of mass grieving By the time they returned from their honeymoon , Diana 's position as an international celebrity , on a scale that had almost certainly never been seen before , had been assured , thanks in part to the romantic magnificence of her wedding day .
That the newly married Prince and Princess of Wales ' smiles masked her secret despair and his growing sense of unease about his marriage would not become apparent , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some time to come .
• Learn everything you wanted to know about Diana 's wedding dress from the National Constitution Center .
• Watch archived footage of the wedding on the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia 's website .
• Find out what was on the wedding playlist , from Classical Music .
This article was adapted from a previous version published in All About History magazine , a Future Ltd. publication .

On July 29, 1981, Lady Diana Spencer walked down the aisle of Westminster Abbey, London, leading her wedding dress' enormous train past 3,500 guests, including nobility, world dignitaries and royalty. Waiting for her at the altar was Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, eldest son and heir to Queen Elizabeth II.
Related: Read a FREE issue of All About History magazine
Diana recalled feeling like "the luckiest girl in the world" to be marrying a man whom she loved so much, according to her biographer, Andrew Morton, in his book "Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words" (Simon and Schuster, 1992). However, the happy day, which according to the BBC was witnessed by more than 750 million live television viewers around the world, masked the now-infamous and tragic reality of the couple's relationship, marred by infidelity, loneliness and unrequited love.
How Charles and Diana met
When Charles celebrated his 30th birthday in November 1978, speculation about who would be his future wife quickly intensified. In 1977, he had been briefly involved in a relationship with Lady Sarah Spencer (now Lady Sarah McCorquodale), the vivacious eldest daughter of Earl Spencer. But that relationship lasted only a short while and fell apart when Sarah spoke to the press about Charles. However, before their relationship ended, Charles was invited to Althorp, the Spencer family's home, and it was there that he met Sarah's youngest sister, Lady Diana, who was just 16 years old and still at boarding school.
Charles was intrigued by Diana's adolescent gaiety, later commenting he found her "very jolly and amusing." The pair didn't meet again until November 1978, when he invited her and Sarah to his 30th birthday party. Another 18 months passed before Charles and Diana started to become romantically involved, after Charles invited her to a party in July 1980, allegedly at the instigation of Camilla Parker Bowles, a married woman whom Charles had an on-again, off-again relationship with for several years.
Related: What's the difference between a duchess and a princess?
In interview tapes recorded in 1992 and later released in the 2017 documentary "Diana: In Her Own Words," Diana claimed that Charles "leapt" on her after she told him how it seemed to her that he needed someone to look after him. Charles, who had come to rather the same conclusion, could not help but respond to her sympathy.
Shortly afterward, Charles invited Diana to join him on the Royal Yacht Britannia and their relationship began moving very quickly. A month later, Charles invited Diana up to Balmoral Castle, the royal family's Scottish home, which was taken as a strong sign that Charles was seriously interested in the young aristocrat.
Meeting the queen and the rest of the royal family on such an intimate level would be extremely daunting for most young women, especially one as shy and awkward as Diana was at that point, but her family had been connected with the royals for most of her life. In fact, Diana had been born in Park House on the Sandringham Estate, Queen Elizabeth II's country home (Diana's family lived there before her father inherited the Spencer earldom). And Diana's formidable grandmother, Lady Fermoy, was one of the Queen Mother's close friends.
The visit to Balmoral went well, with Diana charming everyone with her good nature and high spirits, and Charles took the next step of asking her to accompany him on a visit to Highgrove, his country house in Gloucestershire. Diana, who was used to the splendours of Althorp, found it a bit unimpressive and would have been even less thrilled if she had known that its primary attraction for Charles was its close proximity to Camilla's house.
The engagement
In those 1992 tapes, Diana claimed that she met Charles only 13 times before they became engaged, but in reality they saw much more of each other, with several meetings in London as well as trips to the royal homes of Balmoral, Highgrove and Sandringham. She was also a guest at a small royal gathering for Charles's 32nd birthday in November 1980. It was around that time that news of their relationship broke in the press and Diana began to be hounded by photographers, who followed her wherever she went, while the newspapers were rife with speculation that an engagement was imminent.
Related: Who inherits the British throne?
Charles' much-expected proposal took place on Feb. 3, 1981 at Windsor Castle, with Diana allegedly being so overwhelmed that she thought Charles was joking and burst out laughing before saying yes. When Diana told Charles that she loved him, he replied "Whatever love is," according to "Diana: Story of a Princess" (Simon and Schuster, 2001), by biographers Tim Clayton and Phil Craig. News of the engagement was kept secret for a few more weeks while Diana spent some time alone with her mother in Australia.
Princes Diana and Prince Charles leave Buckingham Palace after publicly announcing their engagement. (Image credit: Getty Images)
The royal engagement was officially announced on Feb. 24, 1981. In an interview with the BBC that day, Diana looked obviously besotted with her prince, but when asked if the couple were in love Charles again replied with "Whatever 'in love' means." In her 1992 tapes, Diana referred to the interview as "ghastly," and said that Charles' response "threw me completely."
Immediately after the announcement, Diana moved into Clarence House, the London home of the queen, as Diana's flat in Chelsea, which she shared with a group of close female friends, was considered no longer suitable for a soon-to-be princess. According to Morton's interviews, Diana said she packed her bags and left her flat with a police bodyguard, who warned her: "This is the last night of freedom ever in the rest of your life."
Related: After the royal wedding, why isn't Kate Middleton a princess?
Later, she moved up the road to Buckingham Palace, where she was given a relatively small suite of rooms on the nursery floor. This was a depressing experience for Diana, who quickly began to feel bored, lonely and isolated, according to Morton. She spent most of her time alone, as Charles was often away and his family paid her very little attention, assuming that she would quickly adapt to their ways and not realizing that she was in desperate need of guidance and support.
When Diana found out that Charles was planning a private farewell lunch with Camilla two days before the wedding, Diana became so upset that she threatened to call off the wedding. According to Morton, Diana's sisters pointed out that it was far too late to cancel, they told her, because "your face is on the tea towels."
Related: Family ties: 8 truly dysfunctional royal families
Morton also wrote that it was during the months before her wedding that Diana first suffered from bulimia, as she grappled with the pressures of her new position and her unease about the relationship between her fiancé and Camilla.
Beyond the Palace gates, excitement about the forthcoming wedding was reaching fever pitch, with street parties planned all across the country. There was also a great deal of speculation about Diana's wedding dress, which was being made by a young designer couple, David and Elizabeth Emanuel. According to Clayton and Craig, the dress required several fittings and adjustments due to Diana's dramatic weight loss.
The wedding day
The wedding celebrations began two days before the big day with a final rehearsal in St. Paul's Cathedral, which had been chosen as the wedding venue thanks to its enormous size and central London location. The rehearsal was followed by a huge ball held by the queen in Buckingham Palace, which Diana attended in a daring shocking pink, skin-tight Emanuel gown
Diana spent the night before her wedding at Clarence House with her sisters and bridal attendants, all of whom had to work hard to calm her nerves as she mentally prepared for her big day. Charles sent a gift of a signet ring across from Buckingham Palace, accompanied by a note telling her that "I am so proud of you and when you come up I'll be there at the altar for you tomorrow. Just look 'em in the eye and knock them dead," according to Penny Junor's book "The Duchess: The Untold Story" (William Collins, 2017).
Related: Auspicious? Meghan and Harry to marry on date of royal beheading
On the day of the wedding, Diana, accompanied by her father Earl Spencer, rode in the famous royal Glass coach to St. Paul's Cathedral, cheered on by the vast crowds — an estimated 650,000 people — that lined the route from Clarence House.
For the crowds outside, the next glimpse of the newly married royal couple occurred shortly afterward when Charles and Diana made the traditional appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony, flanked by their family and members of the wedding party. Charles had not sealed his wedding vows with a kiss but made up for this oversight by kissing Diana on the balcony, creating an iconic image that would feature on dozens of newspapers all around the globe the following day.
Princess Diana and Prince Charles kissing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace immediately after their wedding ceremony. (Image credit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
The wedding party enjoyed a lavish wedding breakfast of brill in lobster sauce followed by chicken stuffed with lamb mousse, with strawberries and cream for pudding. There were also no fewer than 27 wedding cakes, including the five-foot-tall (1.5 meter) official cake, which the couple cut after the ceremony.
Related: The meaning of 'Archie Harrison,' the new royal baby's name
In accordance with royal tradition, the couple did not stay for the evening party, but instead changed into their going-away outfits — in Diana's case, a pretty peach Bellville Sassoon suit with matching hat — then bid their guests goodbye before climbing into the open landau carriage that took them to Waterloo Station. The groom's mischievous younger brothers, Andrew and Edward, had secretly attached balloons, tin cans and a "Just Married" sign to the back of the carriage. This delighted the crowds that had gathered to watch the newlyweds leave for their honeymoon, which would involve a few days at Broadlands, Charles' great uncle's former country home in southeast England, followed by a Mediterranean cruise on the Royal Yacht Britannia and then several weeks alone on the Balmoral Estate.
Related: Princess Di and the history of mass grieving
By the time they returned from their honeymoon, Diana's position as an international celebrity, on a scale that had almost certainly never been seen before, had been assured, thanks in part to the romantic magnificence of her wedding day. That the newly married Prince and Princess of Wales' smiles masked her secret despair and his growing sense of unease about his marriage would not become apparent, to the public at least, for quite some time to come.
Additional resources:
Learn everything you wanted to know about Diana's wedding dress from the National Constitution Center.
Watch archived footage of the wedding on the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's website.
Find out what was on the wedding playlist, from Classical Music.
This article was adapted from a previous version published in All About History magazine, a Future Ltd. publication.


livescience--2020-11-17--Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates

Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates

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