livescience--2020-09-09--Teensy long-necked dinosaur embryo reveals weird snout horn

A rare dinosaur embryo that was nearly lost to science shows an unprecedented view of what a wee , developing sauropod looked like before it hatched and grew into a humongous , long-necked plant-eating behemoth .
As it turns out , this unknown species of titanosaur had a tiny , horn on its snout that it lost by adulthood , a new study finds .
The nearly intact skull is all that 's left of the 80 million-year-old embryo , but reveals this wee horn in incredible detail .
It 's possible the titanosaur used this horn to peck out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , although they also had other ideas about how it broke free from its shell .
The 1.2-inch-long ( 3 centimeters ) skull also shows that unlike adult titanosaurs , this young titanosaur had binocular vision , which would have helped it find food and detect danger — `` a great advantage , especially when we take in account the fact that they could not rely on parental care , '' study lead researcher Martin Kundrát , a paleobiologist at Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in the Slovak Republic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` This is one of the nicest dinosaur skulls found preserved inside its egg , '' Darla Zelenitsky , an associate professor of dinosaur paleobiology at the University of Calgary in Canada who was n't involved in the study , told Live Science in an email .
`` Because of their small size and softer bone , the skulls of baby dinosaurs tend not to fossilize nearly as well ( as larger dinosaurs ) .
They tend to fall apart or get crushed easily . ''
Researchers almost missed the opportunity to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ egg had been smuggled out of Argentina , where it was originally found , and sold in 2001 by an Argentine dealer at an auction in Tucson , Arizona to study co-author Terry Manning , a freelance paleontology technician .
Manning prepared the egg with his self-developed , acid-etching technique — a chemical method that etched away just 10 micrometers of the rock a day .
This revealed the previously hidden skull inside ; the first recovered 3D embryonic skull of a sauropod on record .
Manning was actually planning to sell the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the journal Nature , but he agreed to repatriate the specimen , and now the fossil is part of the collection at the Carmen Funes Municipal Museum in Neuquen Province , in northwest Patagonia , Argentina , according to the new study .
`` It is good news that this important specimen , which was illegally exported from Argentina , found its way back to a museum setting where it can be properly curated and studied , '' Kristina Curry Rogers , a paleontologist at Macalester College in Minnesota who was not involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an email .
Titanosaur embryos are rare , but this specimen is n't the only one .
Some 25 years ago , flattened titanosaurian embryos discovered from age rocks at Auca Mahuevo , Patagonia , also revealed that these embryonic dinosaurs had horns .
This prompted to suggest that the horn was used as a tool to help titanosaurs hatch out of their eggs .
`` However , I have some doubts on this interpretation , '' Kundrát said .
Some modern reptiles and birds are equipped with an egg tooth made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as fingernails ) that sticks upward , like a tiny pick ax from their snouts .
The horn on the embryonic titanosaurs , however , projects forward from the snout , meaning it was parallel with the inner surface of the shell .
Given that the titanosaur was likely curled up in its egg , like modern reptile embryos develop today , `` I have difficulties imagining how it could work , '' Kundrát said .
Instead , perhaps the developing titanosaur used its powerful legs to crack the eggshell , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tooth ( that was separate from the horn ) that grew on top of its snout , the researchers wrote in the study .
Figuring out the developmental age of the tiny titanosaur was not an easy task .
However , the researchers used a high-tech scanning method at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble , France , which allowed them to reconstruct the fossil as a digital 3D image .
By comparing the development of the dinosaur 's braincase ( the part of the skull that held the brain ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and comparing this `` neurocranial incompleteness '' with the skulls of embryonic , which are distant relatives of dinosaurs , Kundrát found that the baby dinosaur had already undergone four-fifths ( 80 % ) of its embryonic development , he said .
In other words , it was nearly hatched .
This nearly-ready embryo was hard at work , preparing for life outside its egg .
In modern reptiles , for instance crocodiles , the developing creature gets for its skeleton from the egg yolk and shell .
While analyzing the titanosaur 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pits '' that merged onto the remnant of a fibrous membrane , a structure that helps embryos reabsorb calcium , Kundrát said .
This finding is the first known evidence that titanosaurian embryos used eggshell-derived calcium , the researchers said .
In addition , by analyzing the different proportions of the skull , the researchers found that the teeny dinosaur already had an elongated snout and drawn back nose openings .
Earlier studies have suggested that these features appeared when titanosaurs were juveniles , but they `` are , in fact , already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prior to hatching , '' the researchers wrote in the study .
Other aspects of the baby titanosaur may remain a mystery .
For example , it 's not clear exactly where in Patagonia the poached egg was found .
However , its eggshell is thicker and the fossil has a different geochemical signature than the known titanosaur embryos from Auca Mahuevo , so perhaps there 's `` an unknown egg locality with exceptional preservation of embryos , '' still out there , Kundrát said .
Despite this missing information , it 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as it `` shows us the smallest stages of growth of some of the largest known dinosaurs , '' Zelenitsky said .
`` These dinosaurs were pretty tiny at hatching , breaking out of an egg smaller than a volleyball and eventually growing into adults that weighed dozens of tons .
This change in size would be similar to a born the size of a jelly bean or less . ''
The study was published online Aug. 27 in the journal .

The 1.2-inch-long baby dinosaur skull next to an illustration (insert) of what the wee babe may have looked like.
A rare dinosaur embryo that was nearly lost to science shows an unprecedented view of what a wee, developing sauropod dinosaur looked like before it hatched and grew into a humongous, long-necked plant-eating behemoth. As it turns out, this unknown species of titanosaur had a tiny, rhino-like horn on its snout that it lost by adulthood, a new study finds.
The nearly intact skull is all that's left of the 80 million-year-old embryo, but reveals this wee horn in incredible detail. It's possible the titanosaur used this horn to peck out of its egg, the researchers said, although they also had other ideas about how it broke free from its shell.
The 1.2-inch-long (3 centimeters) skull also shows that unlike adult titanosaurs, this young titanosaur had binocular vision, which would have helped it find food and detect danger — "a great advantage, especially when we take in account the fact that they could not rely on parental care," study lead researcher Martin Kundrát, a paleobiologist at Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in the Slovak Republic, told Live Science in an email.
Related: Image gallery: Dinosaur day care
"This is one of the nicest dinosaur skulls found preserved inside its egg," Darla Zelenitsky, an associate professor of dinosaur paleobiology at the University of Calgary in Canada who wasn't involved in the study, told Live Science in an email. "Because of their small size and softer bone, the skulls of baby dinosaurs tend not to fossilize nearly as well (as larger dinosaurs). They tend to fall apart or get crushed easily."
Researchers almost missed the opportunity to analyze this one-of-a-kind skull. The fossilized egg had been smuggled out of Argentina, where it was originally found, and sold in 2001 by an Argentine dealer at an auction in Tucson, Arizona to study co-author Terry Manning, a freelance paleontology technician. Manning prepared the egg with his self-developed, acid-etching technique — a chemical method that etched away just 10 micrometers of the rock a day. This revealed the previously hidden skull inside; the first recovered 3D embryonic skull of a sauropod on record.
Manning was actually planning to sell the embryo at another auction, according to the journal Nature , but he agreed to repatriate the specimen, and now the fossil is part of the collection at the Carmen Funes Municipal Museum in Neuquen Province, in northwest Patagonia, Argentina, according to the new study.
"It is good news that this important specimen, which was illegally exported from Argentina, found its way back to a museum setting where it can be properly curated and studied," Kristina Curry Rogers, a paleontologist at Macalester College in Minnesota who was not involved in the research, told Live Science in an email.
Image 1 of 5 A mirror view of the dinosaur embryo (in reality, only the left side of the skull was revealed), after it underwent an acid preparation. (Image credit: Martin Kundrat/Evolutionary Biodiversity Research Group, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University) The digitally recreated titanosaur skull, googly eyes and all. (Image credit: Martin Kundrat/Evolutionary Biodiversity Research Group, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University) A 3D digital reconstruction of the titanosaur skull (top left); an illustration of the titanosaur's horned head, by Vladimir Rimbala (top right); a photo showing mirror-images of the skull (bottom left); and the tiny horn (bottom right). (Image credit: Kundrát M et al, Current Biology (2020)) The skull of the titanosaur (top) and the digitally recreated skull (below) (Image credit: Martin Kundrat/Evolutionary Biodiversity Research Group, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University) A view of the dinosaur embryo, after it underwent an acid preparation. (Image credit: Martin Kundrat/Evolutionary Biodiversity Research Group, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University)
Egg-ceptional specimen
Titanosaur embryos are rare, but this specimen isn't the only one. Some 25 years ago, flattened titanosaurian embryos discovered from Cretaceous age rocks at Auca Mahuevo, Patagonia, also revealed that these embryonic dinosaurs had horns. This prompted some scientists to suggest that the horn was used as a tool to help titanosaurs hatch out of their eggs.
"However, I have some doubts on this interpretation," Kundrát said. Some modern reptiles and birds are equipped with an egg tooth made out of keratin (the same substance as fingernails) that sticks upward, like a tiny pick ax from their snouts. The horn on the embryonic titanosaurs, however, projects forward from the snout, meaning it was parallel with the inner surface of the shell. Given that the titanosaur was likely curled up in its egg, like modern reptile embryos develop today, "I have difficulties imagining how it could work," Kundrát said.
Instead, perhaps the developing titanosaur used its powerful legs to crack the eggshell, he said. Or maybe it had an egg tooth (that was separate from the horn) that grew on top of its snout, the researchers wrote in the study.
Related: Album: Discovering a duck-billed dino baby
Nearly hatched?
Figuring out the developmental age of the tiny titanosaur was not an easy task. However, the researchers used a high-tech scanning method at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France, which allowed them to reconstruct the fossil as a digital 3D image.
By comparing the development of the dinosaur's braincase (the part of the skull that held the brain), with the rest of the skull, and comparing this "neurocranial incompleteness" with the skulls of embryonic crocodiles , which are distant relatives of dinosaurs, Kundrát found that the baby dinosaur had already undergone four-fifths (80%) of its embryonic development, he said.
In other words, it was nearly hatched.
This nearly-ready embryo was hard at work, preparing for life outside its egg. In modern reptiles, for instance crocodiles, the developing creature gets calcium for its skeleton from the egg yolk and shell. While analyzing the titanosaur's eggshell, the scientists found "large pits" that merged onto the remnant of a fibrous membrane, a structure that helps embryos reabsorb calcium, Kundrát said.
This finding is the first known evidence that titanosaurian embryos used eggshell-derived calcium, the researchers said.
In addition, by analyzing the different proportions of the skull, the researchers found that the teeny dinosaur already had an elongated snout and drawn back nose openings. Earlier studies have suggested that these features appeared when titanosaurs were juveniles, but they "are, in fact, already present in the [newfound] embryo prior to hatching," the researchers wrote in the study.
Other aspects of the baby titanosaur may remain a mystery. For example, it's not clear exactly where in Patagonia the poached egg was found. However, its eggshell is thicker and the fossil has a different geochemical signature than the known titanosaur embryos from Auca Mahuevo, so perhaps there's "an unknown egg locality with exceptional preservation of embryos," still out there, Kundrát said.
Despite this missing information, it's remarkable how much data this fossil revealed, as it "shows us the smallest stages of growth of some of the largest known dinosaurs," Zelenitsky said. "These dinosaurs were pretty tiny at hatching, breaking out of an egg smaller than a volleyball and eventually growing into adults that weighed dozens of tons. This change in size would be similar to a human being born the size of a jelly bean or less."
The study was published online Aug. 27 in the journal Current Biology .
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-09--13 mummy coffins stacked in a well unearthed in ancient Egyptian necropolis

Archaeologists have discovered more than 13 coffins piled one on top of the other within a burial well at the desert necropolis of Saqqara , according to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities .
The 2,500-year-old wooden coffins are so well preserved that the intricate designs on them , painted in blue , gold , white , black and red , are still visible .
The identity of the deceased who were buried within the coffins remains a mystery ; archaeologists have yet to look inside the sealed coffins , which have n't been opened since the bodies were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tourism and Antiquities reported in a Sept. 6 .
Archaeologists found the coffins in a well measuring nearly 40 feet ( 11 meters ) deep .
It 's likely that more of these coffins will be found within the niches located along the sides of the well , the ministry noted .
`` [ It 's ] an indescribable feeling when you witness a new archeological discovery , '' Khaled Al-Anani , the minister of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities , wrote on Twitter when he a teaser of the discovery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are the largest finding at Saqqara since were discovered in a cache at Al-Asasif cemetery within the necropolis in October 2019 , the ministry said .
The newly discovered stacked coffins , and even the cache at Al-Asasif , are just a few of the vast number of human and discovered at Saqqara , a gigantic necropolis and pyramid complex at Memphis , the first capital of Egypt , according to the American Research Center in Egypt ( ARCE ) , which was n't involved in the new find .
Located about 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cairo , Saqqara was also the final resting place of the kings who ruled during the first and second dynasties , including , the first king of the third dynasty , who had the famous step pyramid at Saqqara constructed to house his remains , ARCE reported .
Egypt faced tumultuous political change when the recently discovered deceased were alive in about 500 B.C .
In 525 B.C.
, the king of Persia , known as Cambyses II , conquered Egypt and incorporated it into the Persian Empire , .
During this period @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 27 , the Persians exercised their power through a resident governor , known as a satrap , according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City .
During this time , some Persian rulers invested in Egypt .
For instance , when the Persian king Darius I ( 521-486 B.C . )
held power , Egypt thrived as the Persians ordered the construction of temples and public works , redid the legal system and strengthened the economy , the Met reported .
Persian rule ended in 404 B.C.
, when local @ @ @ @ @ @

Archaeologists have discovered more than 13 ancient Egyptian coffins piled one on top of the other within a burial well at the desert necropolis of Saqqara, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
The 2,500-year-old wooden coffins are so well preserved that the intricate designs on them, painted in blue, gold, white, black and red, are still visible.
The identity of the deceased who were buried within the coffins remains a mystery; archaeologists have yet to look inside the sealed coffins, which haven't been opened since the bodies were interred within, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reported in a Sept. 6 Facebook post .
Related: Image gallery: Mummy evisceration techniques
Archaeologists found the coffins in a well measuring nearly 40 feet (11 meters) deep. It's likely that more of these coffins will be found within the niches located along the sides of the well, the ministry noted.
"[It's] an indescribable feeling when you witness a new archeological discovery," Khaled Al-Anani, the minister of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, wrote on Twitter when he tweeted a teaser of the discovery on Sept. 6.
شعور لا يقارن كلما تشهد كشف اثري جديد،انتظروا الاعلان عن كشف اثري جديد بسقارة، شكرا لزملائي بالوزارة.An indescribable feeling when you witness a new archeological discovery.Stay tuned for the announcement of a new discovery in SaqqaraThank you to my colleagues in the ministry pic.twitter.com/RpgK6TmREoSeptember 6, 2020 See more
These newfound coffins are the largest finding at Saqqara since 30 wooden coffins were discovered in a cache at Al-Assasif cemetery within the necropolis in October 2019, the ministry said.
Image 1 of 6 Two of 2,500-year-old Egyptian coffins found at Saqqara. (Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) The newly discovered well at Saqqara may have even more coffins and artifacts within it. (Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) The excavation team assesses one of the wooden coffins. (Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) The coffins had intricately painted designs on them. (Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) The excavation team (Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) The excavation team had to carefully lower themselves into the burial well. (Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)
The newly discovered stacked coffins, and even the cache at Al-Asasif, are just a few of the vast number of human and animal remains discovered at Saqqara, a gigantic necropolis and pyramid complex at Memphis, the first capital of Egypt, according to the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), which wasn't involved in the new find. Located about 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of Cairo, Saqqara was also the final resting place of the kings who ruled during the first and second dynasties, including Djoser , the first king of the third dynasty, who had the famous step pyramid at Saqqara constructed to house his remains, ARCE reported.
Egypt faced tumultuous political change when the recently discovered deceased were alive in about 500 B.C. In 525 B.C., the king of Persia, known as Cambyses II, conquered Egypt and incorporated it into the Persian Empire, according to Encyclopedia Britannica . During this period of Persian rule, recognized as Dynasty 27, the Persians exercised their power through a resident governor, known as a satrap, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
During this time, some Persian rulers invested in Egypt. For instance, when the Persian king Darius I (ruled from 522-486 B.C.) held power, Egypt thrived as the Persians ordered the construction of temples and public works, redid the legal system and strengthened the economy, the Met reported. Persian rule ended in 404 B.C., when local Egyptians took back the throne.
Originally published on Live Science.


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

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

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


livescience--2020-09-09--Coronavirus may dice heart muscle fibers into tiny snippets, remove cells' DNA

The new coronavirus seems to slice heart muscle fibers into small , precisely sized fragments — at least when it infects heart cells in a lab dish , a new study reveals .
This snipping of muscle fibers , which could permanently damage heart cells , is scary enough in a lab dish ; but the researchers found evidence that a similar process could be happening in the as well .
However , the new finding , which was published to the preprint database on Aug. 25 , has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal , or proven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is unlike anything researchers have seen before — no other disease is known to affect heart cells in this way .
`` What we were seeing was completely abnormal , '' study co-author Todd McDevitt , a senior investigator at Gladstone Institutes , a nonprofit research organization in San Francisco , .
The new finding may explain how COVID-19 inflicts damage to the heart .
Previous studies have found signs of , including inflammation of the heart muscle , even in relatively mild cases .
For the new study , the researchers used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of heart cells , known as cardiomyocytes , cardiac fibroblasts and endothelial cells .
In lab dishes , these cells were then exposed to SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19 .
Of the three types of cells , SARS-CoV-2 could infect and make copies of itself only inside cardiomyocytes , or heart muscle cells .
Cardiomyocytes contain muscle fibers that are made up of units called sarcomeres , which are critical to the muscle contractions that produce a .
These sarcomeres usually line up in the same direction to form long filaments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something bizarre — the sarcomere filaments were chopped up into small fragments .
`` The sarcomere disruptions we discovered [ in lab dishes ] would make it impossible for the heart muscle cells to beat properly , '' study co-author Dr. Bruce Conklin , also a senior investigator at Gladstone Institutes , said in the statement .
But findings in lab dishes do n't always translate to real life .
So the researchers analyzed autopsy samples of heart tissue from three COVID-19 patients .
They saw that the sarcomere filaments were disordered and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to , but not exactly the same as , what was seen in the lab dish experiments .
More studies are needed to see if the sarcomere changes seen in heart cells are permanent .
The authors note that scientists need to perform a special process to see the sarcomeres , which is n't usually done , explaining why this finding in autopsies may have been overlooked until now .
`` I hope our work motivates doctors to review their patients ' samples to start looking for these features , '' McDevitt said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finding in both the lab dish experiments and the heart tissue from COVID-19 patients .
They saw that , for some heart cells , the inside the cells ' nucleus seemed to be missing .
This would render these cells essentially `` brain dead '' and unable to perform normal functions , the authors said .
Once scientists understand how SARS-CoV-2 damages heart cells , they could screen for drugs to mitigate these effects .
For example , if the virus uses an enzyme to chop up sarcomeres , it may be possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enzyme .
( However , the authors note that it 's still unclear whether the virus directly cuts the sarcomeres , or if the virus triggers cells to cut the fibers through another mechanism . )
`` It will be important to identify a protective therapy , one that safeguards the heart from the damage we 're seeing in our models , '' McDevitt said .
`` Even if you ca n't prevent the virus from infecting cells , you could put a patient on a drug to prevent these negative consequences from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ''

When scientists mixed the new coronavirus with heart cells in a lab dish, the virus appeared to carve heart muscle fibers into small fragments. On the left, an image of healthy heart muscle cells, which have long fibers that allow them to contract. On the right, an image of heart muscle cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 in which the long fibers appeared to be diced into small pieces.
The new coronavirus seems to slice heart muscle fibers into small, precisely sized fragments — at least when it infects heart cells in a lab dish, a new study reveals.
This snipping of muscle fibers, which could permanently damage heart cells, is scary enough in a lab dish; but the researchers found evidence that a similar process could be happening in the hearts of COVID-19 patients as well. However, the new finding, which was published to the preprint database bioRXiv on Aug. 25, has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, or proven to happen in people.
The finding is unlike anything researchers have seen before — no other disease is known to affect heart cells in this way. "What we were seeing was completely abnormal," study co-author Todd McDevitt, a senior investigator at Gladstone Institutes, a nonprofit research organization in San Francisco, said in a statement .
The new finding may explain how COVID-19 inflicts damage to the heart. Previous studies have found signs of heart abnormalities in COVID-19 patients , including inflammation of the heart muscle, even in relatively mild cases.
Related: Top 10 amazing facts about your heart
For the new study, the researchers used special stem cells to create three types of heart cells, known as cardiomyocytes, cardiac fibroblasts and endothelial cells. In lab dishes, these cells were then exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Of the three types of cells, SARS-CoV-2 could infect and make copies of itself only inside cardiomyocytes, or heart muscle cells.
Cardiomyocytes contain muscle fibers that are made up of units called sarcomeres, which are critical to the muscle contractions that produce a heartbeat . These sarcomeres usually line up in the same direction to form long filaments. But the lab dish studies revealed something bizarre — the sarcomere filaments were chopped up into small fragments.
"The sarcomere disruptions we discovered [in lab dishes] would make it impossible for the heart muscle cells to beat properly," study co-author Dr. Bruce Conklin, also a senior investigator at Gladstone Institutes, said in the statement.
But findings in lab dishes don't always translate to real life. So the researchers analyzed autopsy samples of heart tissue from three COVID-19 patients. They saw that the sarcomere filaments were disordered and rearranged — a pattern that was similar to, but not exactly the same as, what was seen in the lab dish experiments.
More studies are needed to see if the sarcomere changes seen in heart cells are permanent. The authors note that scientists need to perform a special process to see the sarcomeres, which isn't usually done, explaining why this finding in autopsies may have been overlooked until now.
"I hope our work motivates doctors to review their patients' samples to start looking for these features," McDevitt said.
The researchers also observed another strange finding in both the lab dish experiments and the heart tissue from COVID-19 patients. They saw that, for some heart cells, the DNA inside the cells' nucleus seemed to be missing. This would render these cells essentially "brain dead" and unable to perform normal functions, the authors said.
Once scientists understand how SARS-CoV-2 damages heart cells, they could screen for drugs to mitigate these effects. For example, if the virus uses an enzyme to chop up sarcomeres, it may be possible to find a drug that blocks this enzyme. (However, the authors note that it's still unclear whether the virus directly cuts the sarcomeres, or if the virus triggers cells to cut the fibers through another mechanism.)
"It will be important to identify a protective therapy, one that safeguards the heart from the damage we're seeing in our models," McDevitt said. "Even if you can't prevent the virus from infecting cells, you could put a patient on a drug to prevent these negative consequences from occurring while the disease is present."
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-09--Half a million cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in US children

More than half a million children in the U.S. have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since the start of the pandemic , according to a new report .
Though children rarely develop serious illness from the virus , they are n't immune to it .
A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics ( AAP ) finds that children represent about 9.8 % of all COVID-19 cases in states that have recorded demographic data .
This data was available from 49 states , New York City , the District of Columbia , Puerto Rico and Guam .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 cases in children increased by 16 % as 70,630 new cases were reported in children .
But it 's rarer that a child will develop serious illness or die from COVID-19 .
A smaller number of states reported hospitalizations and mortality data based on age .
In 23 states and NYC , children made up 0.7 % to 3.7 % of total reported hospitalizations .
Between 0.3 % and 8.3 % of children who had COVID-19 ended up hospitalized , according to the report .
In 42 states , children made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all COVID-19 deaths ; in 18 of those states , there were no deaths in children .
Of the child COVID-19 cases , 0 % to 0.2 % resulted in death , according to the report .
`` These numbers are a chilling reminder of why we need to take this virus seriously , '' AAP President Dr. Sara `` Sally '' Goza said in a statement .
`` While much remains unknown about COVID-19 , we do know that the spread among children reflects what is happening in the broader communities .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ whole , there were stark disparities in which children were likeliest to be diagnosed .
`` A disproportionate number of cases are reported in Black and Hispanic children and in places where there is high poverty , '' she added .
`` We must work harder to address societal inequities that contribute to these disparities.
” Previous studies have suggested that children can also transmit the virus to others , raising fears that reopening schools might increase the risk of transmission to adults in their households .
One study conducted in South Korea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ journal Emerging Infectious Diseases found that older children were just as likely as adults to transmit the disease .

More than half a million children in the U.S. have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, according to a new report.
Though children rarely develop serious illness from the virus, they aren't immune to it. A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) finds that children represent about 9.8% of all COVID-19 cases in states that have recorded demographic data.
This data was available from 49 states, New York City, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. In the past two weeks, the number of COVID-19 cases in children increased by 16% as 70,630 new cases were reported in children.
Related: Coronavirus live updates
But it's rarer that a child will develop serious illness or die from COVID-19.
A smaller number of states reported hospitalizations and mortality data based on age. In 23 states and NYC , children made up 0.7% to 3.7% of total reported hospitalizations. Between 0.3% and 8.3% of children who had COVID-19 ended up hospitalized, according to the report.
In 42 states, children made up 0% to 0.3% of all COVID-19 deaths; in 18 of those states, there were no deaths in children. Of the child COVID-19 cases, 0% to 0.2% resulted in death, according to the report.
"These numbers are a chilling reminder of why we need to take this virus seriously," AAP President Dr. Sara "Sally" Goza said in a statement. "While much remains unknown about COVID-19, we do know that the spread among children reflects what is happening in the broader communities."
As in the pandemic as a whole, there were stark disparities in which children were likeliest to be diagnosed.
"A disproportionate number of cases are reported in Black and Hispanic children and in places where there is high poverty," she added. "We must work harder to address societal inequities that contribute to these disparities.”
Previous studies have suggested that children can also transmit the virus to others, raising fears that reopening schools might increase the risk of transmission to adults in their households. One study conducted in South Korea and published on July 16 in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases found that older children were just as likely as adults to transmit the disease.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-10--Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates

Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates

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


livescience--2020-09-10--How does cannabis get you high?

How does cannabis get you high?

Have you ever looked at your hands ?
I mean really looked at your hands ?
You might think you have , but as the above classic implies , people who are high on may perceive mundane objects to be far more fascinating than usual .
How is it that a that first emerged on what 's now the Tibetan Plateau can change humans ' perception of reality ?
The secret lies in a class of compounds called cannabinoids .
While cannabis plants are known to produce at least types of cannabinoids , there 's one that 's largely responsible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high .
It 's called .
Related : Why does alcohol make you sleepy , then alert ?
When a person smokes or inhales cannabis , THC `` goes into your lungs and gets absorbed … into the blood , '' according to Daniele Piomelli , a professor of anatomy & neurobiology , biological chemistry , and pharmacology at the University of California , Irvine School of Medicine .
Edibles take slightly longer trip through the liver , where enzymes transform THC into a different compound that takes a bit longer to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reality .
THC that 's inhaled `` reaches pretty high levels fairly quickly , '' Piomelli told Live Science .
Within 20 minutes , the circulatory system is carrying molecules of THC to every tissue in the body , including the brain , where it can alter neural chemistry .
`` From the lungs , it 's a pretty straight shot to the brain , '' according to Kelly Drew , a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Alaska Fairbanks .
The THC molecules that pass the blood-brain barrier will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ordinarily receive compounds called endocannabinoids , which the body produces itself .
These receptors are part of the endocannabinoid system , which is involved in several functions , including stress , food intake , metabolism and pain , according to Piomelli , who also directs the Center for the Study of Cannabis at UC Irvine .
`` The endocannabinoid system is the most pervasive , diffused and important modulatory system in the brain because it controls the release of pretty much every neurotransmitter , '' Piomelli said .
Neurotransmitters are molecules that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to communicate with each other .
One neuron sends a message to the next by releasing neurotransmitters , such as dopamine or serotonin , into an infinitesimal gap that separates one neuron from the next .
The gap is called the synapse .
The neuron on the receiving end of the synapse is called the postsynaptic neuron , and it `` decides whether to fire based on the input it receives , '' Drew told Live Science .
These neural signals cascade through intricate circuits of neural connections that function on a tremendous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the brain and as many as among them .
The presynaptic neuron sends neurotransmitters across the synapse to the postsynaptic neuron , Piomelli said .
But the presynaptic neuron can also receive information .
When a postsynaptic neuron has fired , it can send a message across the synapse that says , `` the neuron I come from has been activated , '' stop sending neurotransmitters , Piomelli said .
It sends this `` stop '' message in the form of endocannabinoids that bind to a receptor called cannabinoid 1 ( CB1 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your brain — alcohol or marijuana ?
When THC enters the brain , the molecules diffuse into the synapses where they `` activate CB1 receptors , '' Drew said .
THC does n't cause the most extreme possible response such as K2 or spice , but it does `` turn up the volume '' and increase the likelihood that the presynaptic neuron it affects will temporarily stop sending neurotransmitters , she said .
`` The high is a very simple phenomenon , Piomelli said .
`` THC comes in like a sledgehammer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the postsynaptic neurons did n't send .
When presynaptic neurons across the brain get the memo to stop sending neurotransmitters , this alters the normal flow of information among neurons and results in a high .
Scientists have yet to decipher exactly what happens during this euphoria , however .
That 's because , in part , U.S. legal restrictions make it difficult to study cannabis .
But from what researchers have gathered so far , THC appears to temporarily `` unplug '' the default mode network .
This is the brain network @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the past and future .
When our brains are focused on a specific task , we quiet this network to let our executive function take control .
There 's evidence that THC has a significant effect on the network , but researchers are n't quite sure how it happens .
There are cannabinoid receptors all over the brain , including in `` areas that constitute the key nodes of the [ default mode network ] , '' Piomelli said .
It could be `` that THC deactivates the [ default mode network @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' but it 's also possible that THC quiets the network through an `` indirect effect that involves cannabinoid receptors in other brain regions . ''
Scientists are still working to find the mechanisms that result in a person feeling high , but there 's some reason to think this effect on the default mode network is a significant piece of the puzzle .
Unplugging the default mode network `` takes us into a mental place where the function of the things we experience is less important than the things themselves : our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use for touching or grabbing , but something with inner existence and intrinsic value , '' Piomelli said .
Psychedelics , such as LSD or dried psilocybin-containing mushrooms , do the same thing .
However , people can experience highs differently .
`` The feeling of becoming fascinated by and 'connected ' with ordinary things , things we see and use every day , is not universal but does happen , especially when high doses of THC-containing cannabis are used , '' Piomelli said .
THC does n't just affect the default mode @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the short-term , flood the brain with dopamine , the brain 's reward signal , according to a 2017 study in the journal Nature .
( Long-term , it may blunt dopamine 's effects , the study found . )
That , in part , may explain some of the euphoria associated with a high , and places cannabis in the company of other drugs that people use to feel pleasure .
`` Every drug that has rewarding properties affects that system , '' Drew said .
The effects of a high from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last for a few hours , though it can take edibles almost that long to start affecting users .
And while cannabis is n't the dangerous substance it was made out to be in the 20th century , using it comes with some risk .
For one , while cannabis is legal for recreational and medical use in some states , it 's still illegal in many parts of the country .
It 's also important to bear in mind that cannabis is a potent pharmacological substance .
Cannabis can cross the placenta @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the teenage years can be problematic , '' Piomelli said .
For instance , cannabis — and especially synthetic cannabinoids like spice — can .
`` People who are at risk for that should not smoke it , '' Drew said .
Finally , cannabis does affect the ability to drive , particularly in occasional users .
Drew cautioned that people should for three hours after smoking .
Eventually , the THC will leave the brain ; the profusion of blood that brought THC into the brain will carry it to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and expelled in urine .
And you 're not gon na believe this , but your hands — they were the same the whole time .

Have you ever looked at your hands? I mean really looked at your hands?
You might think you have, but as the above classic Doonesbury cartoon implies, people who are high on cannabis may perceive mundane objects to be far more fascinating than usual.
How is it that a plant that first emerged on what's now the Tibetan Plateau can change humans' perception of reality? The secret lies in a class of compounds called cannabinoids. While cannabis plants are known to produce at least 140 types of cannabinoids, there's one that's largely responsible for many of the effects of feeling high. It's called tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC .
Related: Why does alcohol make you sleepy, then alert?
When a person smokes or inhales cannabis, THC "goes into your lungs and gets absorbed … into the blood," according to Daniele Piomelli, a professor of anatomy & neurobiology, biological chemistry, and pharmacology at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. Edibles take slightly longer trip through the liver, where enzymes transform THC into a different compound that takes a bit longer to have an effect on people's perception of reality.
THC that's inhaled "reaches pretty high levels fairly quickly," Piomelli told Live Science. Within 20 minutes, the circulatory system is carrying molecules of THC to every tissue in the body, including the brain, where it can alter neural chemistry.
"From the lungs, it's a pretty straight shot to the brain," according to Kelly Drew, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
The THC molecules that pass the blood-brain barrier will find that they fit snugly into receptors that ordinarily receive compounds called endocannabinoids, which the body produces itself. These receptors are part of the endocannabinoid system, which is involved in several functions, including stress, food intake, metabolism and pain, according to Piomelli, who also directs the Center for the Study of Cannabis at UC Irvine.
"The endocannabinoid system is the most pervasive, diffused and important modulatory system in the brain because it controls the release of pretty much every neurotransmitter," Piomelli said. Neurotransmitters are molecules that brain cells, or neurons, use to communicate with each other. One neuron sends a message to the next by releasing neurotransmitters, such as dopamine or serotonin, into an infinitesimal gap that separates one neuron from the next. The gap is called the synapse.
In this 3D illustration of a brain cell, you can see the presynaptic neuron (top), the postsynaptic neuron (bottom) and the gap known as the synapse that exists between them. (Image credit: Shutterstock)
The neuron on the receiving end of the synapse is called the postsynaptic neuron, and it "decides whether to fire based on the input it receives," Drew told Live Science. These neural signals cascade through intricate circuits of neural connections that function on a tremendous scale; there are about 85 billion neurons in the brain and as many as 100 trillion connections among them.
The presynaptic neuron sends neurotransmitters across the synapse to the postsynaptic neuron, Piomelli said. But the presynaptic neuron can also receive information. When a postsynaptic neuron has fired, it can send a message across the synapse that says, "the neuron I come from has been activated," stop sending neurotransmitters, Piomelli said. It sends this "stop" message in the form of endocannabinoids that bind to a receptor called cannabinoid 1 (CB1).
Related: What's worse for your brain — alcohol or marijuana?
"Like a sledgehammer"
When THC enters the brain, the molecules diffuse into the synapses where they "activate CB1 receptors," Drew said. THC doesn't cause the most extreme possible response like some synthetic cannabinoids such as K2 or spice, but it does "turn up the volume" and increase the likelihood that the presynaptic neuron it affects will temporarily stop sending neurotransmitters, she said.
"The high is a very simple phenomenon, Piomelli said. "THC comes in like a sledgehammer," flooding the endocannabinoid system with signals the postsynaptic neurons didn't send. When presynaptic neurons across the brain get the memo to stop sending neurotransmitters, this alters the normal flow of information among neurons and results in a high.
Scientists have yet to decipher exactly what happens during this euphoria, however.
That's because, in part, U.S. legal restrictions make it difficult to study cannabis. But from what researchers have gathered so far, THC appears to temporarily "unplug" the default mode network. This is the brain network that allows us to daydream and think about the past and future. When our brains are focused on a specific task, we quiet this network to let our executive function take control.
There's evidence that THC has a significant effect on the network, but researchers aren't quite sure how it happens. There are cannabinoid receptors all over the brain, including in "areas that constitute the key nodes of the [default mode network]," Piomelli said. It could be "that THC deactivates the [default mode network] by combining with those receptors," but it's also possible that THC quiets the network through an "indirect effect that involves cannabinoid receptors in other brain regions."
Scientists are still working to find the mechanisms that result in a person feeling high, but there's some reason to think this effect on the default mode network is a significant piece of the puzzle.
Unplugging the default mode network "takes us into a mental place where the function of the things we experience is less important than the things themselves: our hands are no longer just something we use for touching or grabbing, but something with inner existence and intrinsic value," Piomelli said. Psychedelics, such as LSD or dried psilocybin-containing mushrooms, do the same thing.
However, people can experience highs differently. "The feeling of becoming fascinated by and 'connected' with ordinary things, things we see and use every day, is not universal but does happen, especially when high doses of THC-containing cannabis are used," Piomelli said.
Related: 25 odd facts about marijuana
THC doesn't just affect the default mode network. It may also, in the short-term, flood the brain with dopamine, the brain's reward signal, according to a 2017 study in the journal Nature. (Long-term, it may blunt dopamine's effects, the study found.) That, in part, may explain some of the euphoria associated with a high, and places cannabis in the company of other drugs that people use to feel pleasure.
"Every drug that has rewarding properties affects that system," Drew said.
Aftereffects
The effects of a high from cannabis that's smoked or inhaled typically last for a few hours, though it can take edibles almost that long to start affecting users. And while cannabis isn't the dangerous substance it was made out to be in the 20th century , using it comes with some risk. For one, while cannabis is legal for recreational and medical use in some states, it's still illegal in many parts of the country.
It's also important to bear in mind that cannabis is a potent pharmacological substance. Cannabis can cross the placenta, so pregnant people should avoid it . And "heavy use in the teenage years can be problematic," Piomelli said. For instance, cannabis — and especially synthetic cannabinoids like spice — can exacerbate psychosis . "People who are at risk for that should not smoke it," Drew said.
Finally, cannabis does affect the ability to drive, particularly in occasional users. Drew cautioned that people should not drive for three hours after smoking.
Eventually, the THC will leave the brain; the profusion of blood that brought THC into the brain will carry it to the liver, where it will be destroyed and expelled in urine.
And you're not gonna believe this, but your hands — they were the same the whole time.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-10--Stark new imagery reveals the scary extent of West Coast wildfires

Disturbing new satellite imagery shows the vast scope of the wildfires burning in Washington , Oregon and California .
Dozens of fires have turned skies orange , rained ash on cities and towns , destroyed several million acres of land and killed at least seven people .
The Sept. 8 imagery comes courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere ( CIRA ) at Colorado State University .
The GIF , posted on Twitter by meteorologist Dakota Smith , combines two types of imagery from the GOES-West Satellite : GeoColor , which shows the smoke clouds and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which uses infrared cameras to pinpoint the fires themselves .
Smoke pours and swirls from the fires .
Updated imagery from Wednesday ( Sept. 9 ) shows the still enveloping the coast from the northern end of Oregon down .
This smoke turned skies in the Bay Area and elsewhere along the coast an eerie , apocalyptic orange .
The severe fires this year are a result of heat and dry weather , and are exacerbated by climate change , according to .
Related : 10 signs that Earth ’ s climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have evacuated their homes due to the fires , and hundreds have had to be rescued from approaching flames .
California 's Creek Fire , which started on Sept. 4 in the Sierra National Forest and which spawned a more than 8.5 miles ( 14,000 meters ) tall , required California 's Air National Guard to rescue 200 people trapped by the fires .
At least 2.5 million acres ( 1 million hectares ) have been destroyed in California alone , .
Oregon Gov .
Kate Brown told reporters on Wednesday that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vida , Phoenix and Talent have been `` . ''
Combined , those communities are home to approximately 13,350 people .
Brown said that about 300,000 acres ( about 121,000 hectares ) in Oregon were burning , or about 470 square miles ( 1,217 square kilometers ) .
According to , California has lost 3.1 million acres , or about 4,844 square miles ( 12,546 square km ) , to wildfires since the beginning of this year .
There are currently 29 major fires burning in the Golden State .
In Washington , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one that killed a 1-year-old boy as his family fled their home in Cold Springs — more than 32,460 acres ( 50.7 square miles or 131 square km ) have burned since the beginning of the year , the vast majority in July and August .

Disturbing new satellite imagery shows the vast scope of the wildfires burning in Washington, Oregon and California. Dozens of fires have turned skies orange, rained ash on cities and towns, destroyed several million acres of land and killed at least seven people. The Sept. 8 imagery comes courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at Colorado State University. The GIF, posted on Twitter by meteorologist Dakota Smith, combines two types of imagery from the GOES-West Satellite: GeoColor, which shows the smoke clouds and the topography below; and Fire Temperature imagery, which uses infrared cameras to pinpoint the fires themselves.
Smoke pours and swirls from the fires. Updated imagery from Wednesday (Sept. 9) shows the blanket of smoke still enveloping the coast from the northern end of Oregon down. This smoke turned skies in the Bay Area and elsewhere along the coast an eerie, apocalyptic orange.
The severe fires this year are a result of heat and dry weather, and are exacerbated by climate change, according to climate researchers .
Related: 10 signs that Earth’s climate is off the rails
Thousands of people have evacuated their homes due to the fires, and hundreds have had to be rescued from approaching flames. California's Creek Fire, which started on Sept. 4 in the Sierra National Forest and which spawned a towering pyrocumulonimubus cloud more than 8.5 miles (14,000 meters) tall, required California's Air National Guard to rescue 200 people trapped by the fires.
At least 2.5 million acres (1 million hectares) have been destroyed in California alone, according to CNBC . Oregon Gov. Kate Brown told reporters on Wednesday that the towns of Detroit, Blue River, Vida, Phoenix and Talent have been " substantially destroyed ." Combined, those communities are home to approximately 13,350 people.
Brown said that about 300,000 acres (about 121,000 hectares) in Oregon were burning, or about 470 square miles (1,217 square kilometers). According to CalFire , California has lost 3.1 million acres, or about 4,844 square miles (12,546 square km), to wildfires since the beginning of this year. There are currently 29 major fires burning in the Golden State. In Washington, where 10 fires are currently raging — one that killed a 1-year-old boy as his family fled their home in Cold Springs — more than 32,460 acres (50.7 square miles or 131 square km) have burned since the beginning of the year, the vast majority in July and August.
Originally published in Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-10--Interstellar visitor 'Oumuamua could actually be a cosmic dust bunny

Ever since it floated through our cosmic neck of the woods , the interstellar visitor has intrigued and perplexed scientists .
Now , a new theory has emerged that the cigar-shaped space rock might actually be a dust bunny .
Here on Earth , `` dust bunnies '' are clumps of accumulated dust and debris held together by static electricity that float around under furniture , pushed by passing breezes .
But , the scientists behind a new study suggest that 'Oumuamua , the first interstellar object ever spotted in our , could be ( basically ) a scaled-up dust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jane Luu , an astronomer at the University of Oslo in Norway , suggests that the interstellar space rock could have formed from dust blown off the nucleus of a comet outside of our solar system .
This rock , an accumulation of rock and dust from the comet , would be pushed through space by solar radiation and eventually take a short tour of our solar system .
After scientists discovered 'Oumuamua in 2017 , they formulated a myriad of theories about what the object might be , how it could have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fast through space .
Theories surrounding the object had to take into account 'Oumuamua 's strange , cigar-like shape and its high speed , at around 57,000 mph ( 92,000 kph ) .
Researchers have proposed that perhaps the object is solid hydrogen that , as the rock nears a star , turns to gas and propels 'Oumuamua onward .
Some scientists suggested that perhaps the object , which appeared to be cigar-shaped , was actually more disk-like in reality .
Still others wondered whether the rock could be an built by an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research , Luu and her team suggested that a large chunk of rock may have once broken off the comet 's nucleus and , as dust and gas particles flowed away from the nucleus , they would attach themselves to the rocky fragment , eventually forming 'Oumuamua .
Over time as the fragment grew larger , the gas flowing away from the comet would eventually push the dusty rock out into space .
The scientists suspect the original comet was a `` long-period '' comet , which take a long time to circle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from them .
Because of the comet 's weak gravity the pressure of radiation , the researchers think that the object separated from its parent comet on a trajectory into interstellar space , eventually leading it on a brief detour through our solar system .
Luu thinks that with sky survey technologies like the telescope Pan-STARRS 1 ( Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System ) , which first spotted 'Oumuamua in 2017 , we will start to see more and more interstellar interlopers like 'Oumuamua , The in Hawaii , nestled high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ volcano , is a space-rock hunting powerhouse that can see extremely faint objects like 'Oumuamua .
Observing new interstellar travelers is vital , as the fast pace of 'Oumuamua means scientists were only able to observe it in our solar system for a few weeks .
By spotting new objects , scientists could also see whether they formed in the way that Luu 's team proposed in the new research on 'Oumuamua .
This work was in the Astrophysical Journal Letters .
Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd @ space.com or follow her on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter @ Spacedotcom and on Facebook .

Ever since it floated through our cosmic neck of the woods, the interstellar visitor 'Oumuamua has intrigued and perplexed scientists. Now, a new theory has emerged that the cigar-shaped space rock might actually be a dust bunny.
Here on Earth, "dust bunnies" are clumps of accumulated dust and debris held together by static electricity that float around under furniture, pushed by passing breezes. But, the scientists behind a new study suggest that 'Oumuamua, the first interstellar object ever spotted in our solar system , could be (basically) a scaled-up dust bunny.
The study, led by Jane Luu, an astronomer at the University of Oslo in Norway, suggests that the interstellar space rock could have formed from dust blown off the nucleus of a comet outside of our solar system. This rock, an accumulation of rock and dust from the comet, would be pushed through space by solar radiation and eventually take a short tour of our solar system.
Related: 'Oumuamua: Solar system's 1st interstellar visitor explained in photos
After scientists discovered 'Oumuamua in 2017, they formulated a myriad of theories about what the object might be, how it could have formed and how it is traveling so fast through space. Theories surrounding the object had to take into account 'Oumuamua's strange, cigar-like shape and its high speed, at around 57,000 mph (92,000 kph).
Researchers have proposed that perhaps the object is solid hydrogen that, as the rock nears a star, turns to gas and propels 'Oumuamua onward. Some scientists suggested that perhaps the object, which appeared to be cigar-shaped, was actually more disk-like in reality . Still others wondered whether the rock could be an alien light sail built by an intelligent alien species.
In the new research, Luu and her team suggested that a large chunk of rock may have once broken off the comet's nucleus and, as dust and gas particles flowed away from the nucleus, they would attach themselves to the rocky fragment, eventually forming 'Oumuamua. Over time as the fragment grew larger, the gas flowing away from the comet would eventually push the dusty rock out into space.
The scientists suspect the original comet was a "long-period" comet, which take a long time to circle their stars and travel quite far away from them. Because of the comet's weak gravity the pressure of radiation, the researchers think that the object separated from its parent comet on a trajectory into interstellar space, eventually leading it on a brief detour through our solar system.
Luu thinks that with sky survey technologies like the telescope Pan-STARRS 1 (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System), which first spotted 'Oumuamua in 2017, we will start to see more and more interstellar interlopers like 'Oumuamua, according to a statement. The Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii, nestled high atop the summit of Maui's Haleakala volcano, is a space-rock hunting powerhouse that can see extremely faint objects like 'Oumuamua.
Observing new interstellar travelers is vital, as the fast pace of 'Oumuamua means scientists were only able to observe it in our solar system for a few weeks. By spotting new objects, scientists could also see whether they formed in the way that Luu's team proposed in the new research on 'Oumuamua.
This work was published on Sept. 4 in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.