livescience--2020-12-22--Coronavirus outbreak: Live Updates

Coronavirus outbreak: Live Updates

The first COVID-19 cases have been reported in , 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 .
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 .
Antarctica had been COVID-19 free up until the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ permanent residents , but about 1,000 people , including scientists and other workers , stayed there this past winter , The Guardian reported .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 , .
`` We 're experiencing an explosive and very deadly surge , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 .
California becomes new epicenter of COVID-19 in U.S. California , once praised for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
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 .
An FDA advisory panel will meet today to vote on whether to recommend Moderna 's coronavirus vaccine for emergency approval On Thursday ( Dec. 17 ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) has authorized the first over-the-counter COVID-19 test , which can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a prescription .
The test , made by the Australia-based company Ellume , provides results in as little as 20 minutes , according to a .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 , .
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 .
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 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 . ''
An Australian COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 .
But some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
Vaccine approval could come this weekend , as U.S. continues to record high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 ) , the U.S. recorded another 2,902 COVID-19 deaths , a day after the country set a record of 3,253 deaths , .
“ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
Daily COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. reaches record-high , surpassed 9/11 On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. recorded 3,124 new COVID-19 deaths , the highest daily death toll to date , .
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 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's stringent safety , efficacy and quality requirements for use in Canada , '' according to .
`` We expect vaccines to arrive maybe as early as Monday [ Dec. 14 ] .
It takes time to prepare the vaccine , '' said Maj.-Gen. Dany 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United Kingdom and Bahrain .
The country should receive up to 249,000 doses of the vaccine by the end of December , and has purchased 20 million doses total , with the option to purchase more , CTV News reported .
The U.K. 's Regulatory 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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.
” Pfizer 's COVID-19 vaccine starts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dose Pfizer 's new COVID-19 vaccine starts to protect people from the novel coronavirus just 10 days after the first dose , according to from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) .
The documents were released on Tuesday ( Dec. 8 ) , 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 , .
The FDA analyzed data from Pfizer 's phase 3 clinical trial , which included some 44,000 people in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 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 do n't know how long the protection from a single dose will last , so it will still be important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to .
Overall , the vaccine was 52 % effective after the first dose and 95 % effective after the second dose , the report said .
90-year-old woman in the UK receives first dose of Pfizer vaccine , FDA review confirms vaccine is 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .

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


livescience--2020-12-22--Antarctica has its 1st COVID-19 outbreak

The first COVID-19 cases have been reported in , meaning the disease has now spread to every continent in the @ @ @ @ @ Dec. 22 ) , Chilean officials reported an outbreak of 36 COVID-19 cases at the @ @ @ @ @ O'Higgins Riquelme on the Antarctic Peninsula , according to the .
Of these , 26 @ @ @ @ @ 10 were maintenance workers , the BBC reported .
All of these cases have been @ @ @ @ @ Arenas , Chile , according to .
Antarctica had been free of COVID-19 until now @ @ @ @ @ permanent residents , but about 1,000 people , including scientists and other workers , stayed @ @ @ @ @ The Guardian reported .
Just a few days before the Antarctic outbreak emerged , three @ @ @ @ @ on a Chilean navy ship that had brought supplies to the research base , according @ @ @ @

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 .
Related: 50 amazing facts about Antarctica
Antarctica had been free of COVID-19 until now. The continent has no permanent residents, but about 1,000 people, including scientists and other workers, stayed there this past winter, The Guardian reported.
Just a few days before the Antarctic outbreak emerged, three cases of COVID-19 were reported on a Chilean navy ship that had brought supplies to the research base, according to the BBC.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-22--Is it safe to get the COVID-19 vaccine if you're pregnant?

So , you 're pregnant in the middle of a pandemic .
Is it safe to get a COVID-19 vaccine ?
Though the shots have not been tested in pregnant or breastfeeding individuals yet , experts told Live Science there 's little reason to think that the would be harmful to people who are or breastfeeding , or that the vaccines would pose a risk to developing fetuses or breastfed babies .
`` The major risk is that there is no data , although scientifically , we think it 's very unlikely to have any harmful effects , '' said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of obstetrics , gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of California , San Francisco .
That 's because the two authorized — developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna — do n't contain the itself , but instead contain a molecule called that can not cause infection and breaks down quickly in the body , she said .
In general , many vaccines given in pregnancy did not undergo formal clinical trials in pregnant people before being recommended for them , according to a from the World Health Organization ( WHO ) .
Instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gathered through other means , such as animal and observational studies , and these studies are used to weigh the risks and benefits of each inoculation .
The risks of catching COVID-19 while pregnant likely outweigh the potential risks of a vaccine , said Dr. Denise Jamieson , the chair of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine in Georgia .
Research suggests that may increase the risk of severe COVID-19 , ICU admission , need for ventilation and death from the , according to the ( ACOG @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may amplify that risk even more .
( Type 1 diabetes may also raise the risk for severe COVID-19 , but the link has n't been confirmed . )
People should speak with a health care provider to weigh the pros and cons of vaccination during pregnancy and ultimately decide whether to get the shot soon or to wait for more data , Jamieson said .
For those at a high risk of exposure , such as health care workers caring for COVID-19 patients , Jamieson said that she would highly recommend getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thankfully , for those who want more data , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) will be surveying pregnant people who receive the shots and should have more safety information available in the coming months , she added .
The CDC and Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) will collect this information using both existing surveillance systems and .
So if you are pregnant , breastfeeding or planning to get pregnant , what should you know about COVID-19 vaccines ?
First off , `` we know that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccinations are safe in pregnancy , '' Jamieson told Live Science .
For instance , inactivated influenza vaccines have been recommended for pregnant people since the 1960s , and the Tdap vaccine , which protects against tetanus , diphtheria and pertussis , is encouraged in pregnancy because it establishes immunity in the fetus , she said .
Influenza vaccines were not formally tested in pregnant people before being recommended , she said ; similarly , the safety and efficacy of tetanus vaccines in pregnancy has been established through decades of animal studies and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as surveillance for side effects after vaccination , according to the WHO report .
More recently , both observational studies and true clinical trials have demonstrated the safety of giving Tdap during pregnancy , according to the CDC .
That said , certain vaccines are n't safe to take during pregnancy , including the vaccine and MMR vaccine , which guards against , and rubella , Jamieson said .
These vaccines contain live but weakened viruses , so if the vaccine were to cross the placenta , there 's some risk that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But the COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use do n't contain any viruses , Jamieson said .
Instead they contain mRNA , a molecule that contains instructions for building specific proteins .
Related : 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history '' mRNA is just a snippet of genetic information that gets delivered into your own cells , '' in this case , muscle cells in the arm , Gaw told Live Science .
Once inside the body , the mRNA vaccines instruct cells to build part of the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out from the surface of the virus .
While not infectious on their own , the bits of spike protein trigger an immune response that trains the body to recognize the coronavirus if the body encounters it in the future .
Once used to build spike protein pieces , the mRNA quickly gets broken down by the cells .
In other words , it does n't travel far from the site of injection .
`` Because it acts locally , it 's likely of no consequence to the fetus , '' Jamieson said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the lymphatic system , which transports immune cells throughout the body , but it 's less likely that any mRNA enters the bloodstream — though this still needs to be confirmed , she added .
Even if some mRNA does reach the placenta , `` it 's so unlikely that anything meaningful would be able to cross , '' though again , this still needs to be confirmed , Gaw said .
In any case , the mRNA ca n't cause infection .
Similarly , based on how the vaccine works and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` we [ also ] do n't anticipate that it would affect fertility in any way or affect the beginning of pregnancy , '' she said .
Animal studies conducted by Moderna also hint that the vaccine is safe before and during pregnancy , at least in rats .
showed that giving the vaccine to rats before mating or during gestation did not alter their reproductive systems , affect embryonic or fetal development , or disrupt the development of infant rats after birth .
For humans , the vaccines do carry some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as soreness at the sight of infection , swelling or fever .
One symptom to be on the lookout for during pregnancy in particular is fever following vaccination , since high fevers can raise the risk of miscarriage , Gaw said .
If fever does occur , the fever-reducing medicine acetaminophen is safe to take during pregnancy , .
In general , if a person has any known allergies to one of the vaccine ingredients , they should n't receive that vaccine , Jamieson said .
One possible benefit of getting a COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fetus may pick up some immunity to the virus , too .
Antibodies generated by vaccines can potentially cross the placenta ; this is why Tdap vaccinations are recommended in the third trimester , for example .
However , we do n't yet know if antibodies produced by COVID-19 vaccination will cross the placenta , Jamieson said .
Maternal antibodies also pass through the colostrum — a nutrient-dense breast milk produced soon after birth — and normal breast milk , so it 's possible that newborn babies could gain some passive immunity through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study suggested that lactating mothers who 've recovered from COVID-19 do carry antibodies in their breast milk , , but it 's unknown whether the same goes for vaccinated mothers , Gaw said .
UCSF will soon launch a study looking into this very question , she added .
Although scientists suspect that COVID-19 vaccines are safe during pregnancy , this also still needs to be confirmed .
Some clinical trials with pregnant people are expected to begin in January , , but the results of those trials wo n't be available for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CDC is collecting safety data through its , a phone-based app that asks people about any symptoms or reactions they experience after getting vaccinated for COVID-19 .
Anyone who receives a COVID-19 vaccine can register for the app , which sends daily reminders to users .
The app will ask specific questions regarding pregnancy , and this data will be made publicly available before formal clinical trials get started , Jamieson said .
Safety data will also be collected through the decades-old Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System ( VAERS ) , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , .
But only clinical trials can answer the question of whether COVID-19 vaccines are more or less effective in pregnant people as compared with the general population , Gaw said .
The immune system changes throughout pregnancy in order to prevent the body from rejecting the growing fetus , according to the Stanford University School of Medicine , but it 's unknown whether or how these changes might affect how well COVID-19 vaccines work at different stages of gestation .
Pregnant people may also need a slightly different dose than those in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While investigating these questions in clinical trials , scientists can also look for traces of vaccine in the placenta and umbilical cord blood and more closely assess potential risks for the fetus , Jamieson said .
Of course , `` as more and more vaccine gets rolled out , it 'll be harder and harder to design a trial that includes a placebo group , '' meaning a comparison group that does not receive the vaccine , Jamieson noted .
In other words , when a vaccine is widely available , it becomes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which they might not receive the real shot .

So, you're pregnant in the middle of a pandemic. Is it safe to get a COVID-19 vaccine?
Though the shots have not been tested in pregnant or breastfeeding individuals yet, experts told Live Science there's little reason to think that the available vaccines would be harmful to people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or that the vaccines would pose a risk to developing fetuses or breastfed babies.
"The major risk is that there is no data, although scientifically, we think it's very unlikely to have any harmful effects," said Dr. Stephanie Gaw, an assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. That's because the two authorized vaccines — developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna — don't contain the coronavirus itself, but instead contain a molecule called mRNA that cannot cause infection and breaks down quickly in the body, she said.
In general, many vaccines given in pregnancy did not undergo formal clinical trials in pregnant people before being recommended for them, according to a 2014 report from the World Health Organization (WHO). Instead, safety and efficacy data are often gathered through other means, such as animal and observational studies, and these studies are used to weigh the risks and benefits of each inoculation.
Related: 5 dangerous myths about vaccines
The risks of catching COVID-19 while pregnant likely outweigh the potential risks of a vaccine, said Dr. Denise Jamieson, the chair of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine in Georgia.
Research suggests that pregnancy may increase the risk of severe COVID-19, ICU admission, need for ventilation and death from the virus , according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Conditions like Type 2 diabetes may amplify that risk even more. (Type 1 diabetes may also raise the risk for severe COVID-19, but the link hasn't been confirmed.)
People should speak with a health care provider to weigh the pros and cons of vaccination during pregnancy and ultimately decide whether to get the shot soon or to wait for more data, Jamieson said. For those at a high risk of exposure, such as health care workers caring for COVID-19 patients, Jamieson said that she would highly recommend getting the vaccine sooner rather than later.
Thankfully, for those who want more data, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be surveying pregnant people who receive the shots and should have more safety information available in the coming months, she added. The CDC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will collect this information using both existing surveillance systems and a new app .
Weighing the risks and benefits
So if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning to get pregnant, what should you know about COVID-19 vaccines?
First off, "we know that, in general, the vast majority of vaccinations are safe in pregnancy," Jamieson told Live Science. For instance, inactivated influenza vaccines have been recommended for pregnant people since the 1960s, and the Tdap vaccine, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, is encouraged in pregnancy because it establishes immunity in the fetus, she said.
Influenza vaccines were not formally tested in pregnant people before being recommended, she said; similarly, the safety and efficacy of tetanus vaccines in pregnancy has been established through decades of animal studies and observational studies of vaccinated people, as well as surveillance for side effects after vaccination, according to the WHO report. More recently, both observational studies and true clinical trials have demonstrated the safety of giving Tdap during pregnancy, according to the CDC .
That said, certain vaccines aren't safe to take during pregnancy, including the smallpox vaccine and MMR vaccine, which guards against measles , mumps and rubella, Jamieson said. These vaccines contain live but weakened viruses, so if the vaccine were to cross the placenta, there's some risk that the live virus would infect the fetus.
But the COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use don't contain any viruses, Jamieson said. Instead they contain mRNA, a molecule that contains instructions for building specific proteins.
Related: 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history
"mRNA is just a snippet of genetic information that gets delivered into your own cells," in this case, muscle cells in the arm, Gaw told Live Science. Once inside the body, the mRNA vaccines instruct cells to build part of the coronavirus spike protein, a structure that sticks out from the surface of the virus. While not infectious on their own, the bits of spike protein trigger an immune response that trains the body to recognize the coronavirus if the body encounters it in the future.
Once used to build spike protein pieces, the mRNA quickly gets broken down by the cells. In other words, it doesn't travel far from the site of injection.
"Because it acts locally, it's likely of no consequence to the fetus," Jamieson said. Some mRNA does get taken up by the lymphatic system, which transports immune cells throughout the body, but it's less likely that any mRNA enters the bloodstream — though this still needs to be confirmed, she added.
Even if some mRNA does reach the placenta, "it's so unlikely that anything meaningful would be able to cross," though again, this still needs to be confirmed, Gaw said. In any case, the mRNA can't cause infection. Similarly, based on how the vaccine works and the speed at which the mRNA degrades, "we [also] don't anticipate that it would affect fertility in any way or affect the beginning of pregnancy," she said.
Animal studies conducted by Moderna also hint that the vaccine is safe before and during pregnancy, at least in rats. Data submitted to the FDA showed that giving the vaccine to rats before mating or during gestation did not alter their reproductive systems, affect embryonic or fetal development, or disrupt the development of infant rats after birth.
For humans, the vaccines do carry some risk of mild side effects, such as soreness at the sight of infection, swelling or fever. One symptom to be on the lookout for during pregnancy in particular is fever following vaccination, since high fevers can raise the risk of miscarriage, Gaw said. If fever does occur, the fever-reducing medicine acetaminophen is safe to take during pregnancy, NPR reported . In general, if a person has any known allergies to one of the vaccine ingredients, they shouldn't receive that vaccine, Jamieson said.
Remaining questions
One possible benefit of getting a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy would be that the fetus may pick up some immunity to the virus, too. Antibodies generated by vaccines can potentially cross the placenta; this is why Tdap vaccinations are recommended in the third trimester, for example. However, we don't yet know if antibodies produced by COVID-19 vaccination will cross the placenta, Jamieson said.
Maternal antibodies also pass through the colostrum — a nutrient-dense breast milk produced soon after birth — and normal breast milk, so it's possible that newborn babies could gain some passive immunity through breastfeeding, Gaw said. A small study suggested that lactating mothers who've recovered from COVID-19 do carry antibodies in their breast milk, The Scientist Magazine reported , but it's unknown whether the same goes for vaccinated mothers, Gaw said. UCSF will soon launch a study looking into this very question, she added.
Although scientists suspect that COVID-19 vaccines are safe during pregnancy, this also still needs to be confirmed. Some clinical trials with pregnant people are expected to begin in January, The New York Times reported , but the results of those trials won't be available for many months.
Related: 14 coronavirus myths busted by science
In the meantime, the CDC is collecting safety data through its v-safe surveillance system , a phone-based app that asks people about any symptoms or reactions they experience after getting vaccinated for COVID-19. Anyone who receives a COVID-19 vaccine can register for the app, which sends daily reminders to users. The app will ask specific questions regarding pregnancy, and this data will be made publicly available before formal clinical trials get started, Jamieson said.
Safety data will also be collected through the decades-old Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which doctors and patients can send reports to, The Verge reported .
But only clinical trials can answer the question of whether COVID-19 vaccines are more or less effective in pregnant people as compared with the general population, Gaw said. The immune system changes throughout pregnancy in order to prevent the body from rejecting the growing fetus, according to the Stanford University School of Medicine , but it's unknown whether or how these changes might affect how well COVID-19 vaccines work at different stages of gestation.
Pregnant people may also need a slightly different dose than those in the general population, Gaw said. While investigating these questions in clinical trials, scientists can also look for traces of vaccine in the placenta and umbilical cord blood and more closely assess potential risks for the fetus, Jamieson said.
Of course, "as more and more vaccine gets rolled out, it'll be harder and harder to design a trial that includes a placebo group," meaning a comparison group that does not receive the vaccine, Jamieson noted. In other words, when a vaccine is widely available, it becomes harder to recruit people for trials in which they might not receive the real shot.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-22--Stunning telescope image of Jupiter and Saturn's Great Conjunction will amaze you

An amateur astro-photographer captured a stunning image of the “ Great Conjunction '' of Jupiter and Saturn Monday night ( Dec. 21 ) , revealing the solar system ’ s giant and its moons just a fingernail-width away ( from our perspective ) from Saturn , whose rings are shockingly clear in the night sky .
Though the image was captured with a camera attached to a telescope , to the naked eye the planet duo appeared almost like a single bright star in the sky , also known as the Christmas Star .
But the conjunction , which brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's night sky than they had appeared in 800 years , did n't actually involve the two planets overlapping .
At their nearest , they appeared just 0.1 degrees apart in the sky .
That 's close , but still far enough apart to resolve the two planets through a telescope , as the below image by South Carolina meteorologist Ed Piotrowski demonstrates .
That 's Saturn visible with rings on the right side of the image , and Jupiter on the left .
Jupiter 's four largest moons form a line passing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bottom , Ganymede next up the line , then Io and Callisto .
Saturn 's moon Titan is even visible .
All these features are visible with a consumer telescope — Piotrowski used a Nexstar Celestron 6SE with a Nikon D750 attached — but no human being saw Jupiter and Saturn as anything but points of light until the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei turned his telescope to the sky in 1609 and spotted those four moons and a year later Saturn 's rings .
Titan was n't seen until 1655 , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through his scope .
Related : The 12 strangest objects in the universe Saturn and Jupiter were n't actually especially close together during the conjunction .
As Piotrowski pointed out , Jupiter is currently about 550 million miles ( 890 million kilometers ) from Earth , or about 5.9 times Earth 's distance to the sun .
Saturn is about 1 billion miles ( 1.6 billion km ) from Earth , or about 10.8 times Earth 's distance from the sun .
Relative to each other , the planets were a whopping 450 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apart .
They appeared close together from Earth because of a coincidence : Jupiter 's orbit took it almost exactly onto the line between Earth and Saturn .
From Jupiter 's perspective , there would n't have been any conjunction .
And an observer on Saturn would have seen a great conjunction of Earth and Jupiter .

An image taken from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles shows Jupiter and Saturn in the sky on Dec. 21 during the "Great Conjunction" event.
An amateur astro-photographer captured a stunning image of the “Great Conjunction" of Jupiter and Saturn Monday night (Dec. 21), revealing the solar system’s giant and its moons just a fingernail-width away (from our perspective) from Saturn, whose rings are shockingly clear in the night sky.
Though the image was captured with a camera attached to a telescope, to the naked eye the planet duo appeared almost like a single bright star in the sky, also known as the Christmas Star.
But the conjunction, which brought the giant planets closer together in Earth's night sky than they had appeared in 800 years, didn't actually involve the two planets overlapping. At their nearest, they appeared just 0.1 degrees apart in the sky. That's close, but still far enough apart to resolve the two planets through a telescope, as the below image by South Carolina meteorologist Ed Piotrowski demonstrates.
The #GreatConjunction of #Jupiter and #Saturn thru my telescope just after 6pm. 4 of Jupiter's moons; Europa, Ganymede, Io & Callisto, and Saturn's Titan moon visible. Stacked many images for more clarity and color. Nexstar Celestron 6SE with Nikon D750 attached. #scwx #ncwx pic.twitter.com/vzP2IAuFnSDecember 22, 2020 See more
That's Saturn visible with rings on the right side of the image, and Jupiter on the left. Jupiter's four largest moons form a line passing through the planet, with Europa at the bottom, Ganymede next up the line, then Io and Callisto. Saturn's moon Titan is even visible.
All these features are visible with a consumer telescope — Piotrowski used a Nexstar Celestron 6SE with a Nikon D750 attached — but no human being saw Jupiter and Saturn as anything but points of light until the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei turned his telescope to the sky in 1609 and spotted those four moons and a year later Saturn's rings. Titan wasn't seen until 1655, when the Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens noticed it through his scope.
Related: The 12 strangest objects in the universe
Saturn and Jupiter weren't actually especially close together during the conjunction. As Piotrowski pointed out, Jupiter is currently about 550 million miles (890 million kilometers) from Earth, or about 5.9 times Earth's distance to the sun. Saturn is about 1 billion miles (1.6 billion km) from Earth, or about 10.8 times Earth's distance from the sun. Relative to each other, the planets were a whopping 450 million miles (724 million km) apart.
They appeared close together from Earth because of a coincidence: Jupiter's orbit took it almost exactly onto the line between Earth and Saturn. From Jupiter's perspective, there wouldn't have been any conjunction. And an observer on Saturn would have seen a great conjunction of Earth and Jupiter.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-22--Moon has way (way) more craters than we thought

The moon has many more craters than we thought , a new study finds .
More than 109,000 new craters were discovered in the low- and mid-latitude regions of using ( AI ) that was fed data collected by Chinese lunar orbiters .
The number of craters recorded on the moon 's surface is now more than a dozen times larger than it was before .
The findings were published Dec. 22 in the journal .
`` It is the largest lunar crater database with automatic extraction for the mid- and low-latitude regions of the moon , '' study lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Earth sciences at Jilin University in China , told Live Science in an email .
Related : China on the moon !
A history of Chinese lunar missions in pictures Impact craters , formed during strikes , cover most of the moon 's surface .
Impact craters can be considered the lunar equivalent of `` fossils , '' that `` record the history of the solar system , '' Yang said .
Yet these `` fossils '' can vary dramatically in size and shape , and they can overlap and erode over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them extremely difficult and time-consuming .
The process is also subjective , leading to inconsistencies among existing databases .
Yang and her team approached these issues with machine learning .
They trained a deep neural network ( where a computer uses layers of mathematical calculations that feed into each other ) with data from thousands of previously identified craters and taught the algorithm to find new ones .
The network was then applied to data collected by the Chang ' e-1 and Chang ' e-2 lunar orbiters , revealing 109,956 additional craters on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of the craters identified in this study are classed as being `` small '' to `` medium '' in size , though from an Earthling 's perspective , they are still quite large , ranging from 0.6 miles to 60 miles ( 1 to 100 kilometers ) in diameter .
The craters ' relatively small size is likely why they were n't detected before .
But the AI program also spotted much larger , irregularly-shaped craters that had eroded — some of those were up to 341 miles ( 550 km ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when almost 19,000 of the craters were formed based on their features , such as size and depth , and by assigning each to a geological time period .
These craters spanned all five of the moon 's lunar geological periods , and some go back approximately 4 billion years .
The team hopes to improve their crater-spotting algorithm by feeding it data from the recently launched Chang ' e 5 lander , which recently carried lunar samples back to .
The researchers also want to adapt and apply their machine-learning approach to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as Mars .
`` This prediction will generally take minutes followed by a few hours of post-processing on standard computation hardware , '' the researchers wrote in the study .

Locations of just some of the new moon craters
The moon has many more craters than we thought, a new study finds.
More than 109,000 new craters were discovered in the low- and mid-latitude regions of the moon using artificial intelligence (AI) that was fed data collected by Chinese lunar orbiters.
The number of craters recorded on the moon's surface is now more than a dozen times larger than it was before. The findings were published Dec. 22 in the journal Nature Communications .
"It is the largest lunar crater database with automatic extraction for the mid- and low-latitude regions of the moon," study lead author Chen Yang, an associate professor of Earth sciences at Jilin University in China, told Live Science in an email.
Related: China on the moon! A history of Chinese lunar missions in pictures
Impact craters, formed during meteor strikes, cover most of the moon's surface.
Impact craters can be considered the lunar equivalent of "fossils," that "record the history of the solar system," Yang said.
Yet these "fossils" can vary dramatically in size and shape, and they can overlap and erode over time. This makes identifying and dating them extremely difficult and time-consuming. The process is also subjective, leading to inconsistencies among existing databases.
Yang and her team approached these issues with machine learning. They trained a deep neural network (where a computer uses layers of mathematical calculations that feed into each other) with data from thousands of previously identified craters and taught the algorithm to find new ones. The network was then applied to data collected by the Chang'e-1 and Chang'e-2 lunar orbiters, revealing 109,956 additional craters on the moon's surface.
Image 1 of 5 New craters found from the pre-Nectarian System which are over 3.92 billion years old (Image credit: Chen Yang et al. /doi:10.1038/s41467-020-20215-y.) New craters found from the Nectarian System, 3.92 - 3.85 billion years old (Image credit: Chen Yang et al. /doi:10.1038/s41467-020-20215-y.) New craters found from from the Imbrian System, 3.85 - 3.2 billion years old (Image credit: Chen Yang et al. /doi:10.1038/s41467-020-20215-y.) New craters found from the Eratosthenian System, 3.2 - 1.1 billion years old (Image credit: Chen Yang et al. /doi:10.1038/s41467-020-20215-y.) New craters discovered from the Copernican System, younger than 1.1 billion years old (Image credit: Chen Yang et al. /doi:10.1038/s41467-020-20215-y.)
A substantial number of the craters identified in this study are classed as being "small" to "medium" in size, though from an Earthling's perspective, they are still quite large, ranging from 0.6 miles to 60 miles (1 to 100 kilometers) in diameter. The craters' relatively small size is likely why they weren't detected before.
But the AI program also spotted much larger, irregularly-shaped craters that had eroded — some of those were up to 341 miles (550 km) in diameter.
The algorithm also estimated when almost 19,000 of the craters were formed based on their features, such as size and depth, and by assigning each to a geological time period. These craters spanned all five of the moon's lunar geological periods, and some go back approximately 4 billion years.
A map of all the new moon craters according to their geological period. (Image credit: Chen Yang et al. /doi:10.1038/s41467-020-20215-y.)
The team hopes to improve their crater-spotting algorithm by feeding it data from the recently launched Chang'e 5 lander, which recently carried lunar samples back to Earth .
The researchers also want to adapt and apply their machine-learning approach to other bodies in the solar system , including planets such as Mars.
"This prediction will generally take minutes followed by a few hours of post-processing on standard computation hardware," the researchers wrote in the study.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-22--World's ugliest orchid looks like a soul-sucking, eyeless worm

Orchids are usually prized for their grace and loveliness , but a newly described species from Madagascar probably wo n't be winning any beauty contests .
Its small flowers are a mottled brown , and it resembles a moldy paper bag ( or maybe an eyeless , wormlike head with a mouth gaping in a silent scream or to consume your soul ) .
It 's no wonder that the newfound species has been called `` the ugliest orchid in the world '' by the Royal Botanical Gardens , Kew ( RBG Kew ) in the United Kingdom , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top of a list highlighting species discovered in 2020 , representatives said .
The leafless orchid , named Gastrodia agnicellus , grows underground in decaying leaf litter for most of its life cycle , and is nourished by fungus .
In addition to the `` small , brown and rather ugly '' orchid , researchers and collaborators with RBG Kew described more than 150 plants and fungi this year , according to the statement .
In 2019 , British botanist Johan Hermans , an RBG Kew honorary research associate , found a number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ litter in a humid Madagascar forest .
Their lumpy , oblong shapes hinted that the flower belonged to a group known as potato orchids , and the blooms , which measure about 0.4 inches ( 1.1 centimeters ) in length , emit a `` noticeable musk rose-like scent '' that intensifies when air temperatures are warmer , Hermans wrote in a study published Nov. 5 in the journal .
Other newly described species on the list include a scaly , heat-resistant shrub that thrives in Namibian salt pans ( Tiganophyton karasense ) ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be a new food crop ( Ipomoea noemana ) ; and a vibrant , colorful bromeliad — a family of tropical , flowering plants that includes the pineapple — from Brazil ( Acanthostachys calcicola ) that grows on limestone cliffs and may be pollinated by hummingbirds , according to the statement .
`` In a challenging and difficult year , it 's so thrilling to see botanical and mycological science continue , with a bumper list of incredible newly named species being documented with our collaborators across the world , '' said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and senior scientist within the Identification and Naming department .
`` However , the bleak reality facing us can not be underplayed : With two in five plants threatened with extinction , it is a race against time to find , identify , name and conserve plants before they disappear , '' Cheek said .

Orchids are usually prized for their grace and loveliness, but a newly described species from Madagascar probably won't be winning any beauty contests. Its small flowers are a mottled brown, and it resembles a moldy paper bag (or maybe an eyeless, wormlike head with a mouth gaping in a silent scream or to consume your soul).
It's no wonder that the newfound species has been called "the ugliest orchid in the world" by the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) in the United Kingdom, which recently placed the homely newcomer at the top of a list highlighting species discovered in 2020, representatives said in a statement .
The leafless orchid, named Gastrodia agnicellus, grows underground in decaying leaf litter for most of its life cycle, and is nourished by fungus. In addition to the "small, brown and rather ugly" orchid, researchers and collaborators with RBG Kew described more than 150 plants and fungi this year, according to the statement.
Related: 5 surprising facts about orchids
In 2019, British botanist Johan Hermans, an RBG Kew honorary research associate, found a number of G. agnicellus orchids hiding under leaf litter in a humid Madagascar forest. Their lumpy, oblong shapes hinted that the flower belonged to a group known as potato orchids, and the blooms, which measure about 0.4 inches (1.1 centimeters) in length, emit a "noticeable musk rose-like scent" that intensifies when air temperatures are warmer, Hermans wrote in a study published Nov. 5 in the journal Curtis's Botanical Magazine .
Other newly described species on the list include a scaly, heat-resistant shrub that thrives in Namibian salt pans (Tiganophyton karasense); a Peruvian plant with purple tubers that could be a new food crop (Ipomoea noemana); and a vibrant, colorful bromeliad — a family of tropical, flowering plants that includes the pineapple — from Brazil (Acanthostachys calcicola) that grows on limestone cliffs and may be pollinated by hummingbirds, according to the statement.
A flower found on a limestone cliff in Brazil was named Acanthostachys calcicola, which means "growing on limestone." (Image credit: Gabriel Mendes Marcusso)
"In a challenging and difficult year, it's so thrilling to see botanical and mycological science continue, with a bumper list of incredible newly named species being documented with our collaborators across the world," said Martin Cheek, an RBG Kew botanist and senior scientist within the Identification and Naming department.
"However, the bleak reality facing us cannot be underplayed: With two in five plants threatened with extinction, it is a race against time to find, identify, name and conserve plants before they disappear," Cheek said.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-23--Coronavirus outbreak: Live Updates

Coronavirus outbreak: Live Updates


livescience--2020-12-23--Jupiter and Saturn descend on world's tallest building in epic 'Great Conjunction' video

On Monday ( Dec. 21 ) , Jupiter and Saturn appeared closer together in the night sky than they had in 800 years .
To the naked eye , this `` Great Conjunction '' looked like a single , massive celestial object shining over the Earth .
— and consumer cameras equipped with telescopic lenses — the planets showed their individual faces in stunning detail as they promenaded across the sky .
Florian Kriechbaumer , a photographer in the United Arab Emirates , caught the celestial spectacle from one of Earth 's most sky-scraping locations : Near Burj Khalifa , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a large parking area across from the skyscraper ( which stands 2,720 feet , or 830 meters , tall ) , Kriechbaumer filmed the conjunction for 45 minutes , capturing the moment that the two planets made their closest approach to one another ( from his vantage point ) .
You can see his results in the time-lapse video below , which condensed the whole shoot into roughly 20 seconds .
Related : The 12 strangest objects in the universe '' When I shot these there were a few clouds , so I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , '' Kriechbaumer told Live Science in an email .
`` Luckily , they opened up at the right moment .
Seeing Saturn 's rings and Jupiter with some of its moons appear next to each other in your viewfinder is just such an incredible moment . ''
`` Everyone should go out and experience looking at the planets and night sky once in their life , '' he added .
Stunning as it appears from Earth , Saturn and Jupiter were n't especially close together during the conjunction , .
Jupiter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 890 million kilometers ) from Earth , or about 5.9 times Earth 's distance to the sun , while Saturn is about 1 billion miles ( 1.6 billion km ) from Earth , or about 10.8 times Earth 's distance from the sun .
Relative to each other , the planets were still 450 million miles ( 724 million km ) apart .
They look close to us simply because Jupiter 's orbit brought it into the line between Earth and Saturn .

The rings of Saturn glide above Jupiter as the two planets pass near Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.
On Monday (Dec. 21), Jupiter and Saturn appeared closer together in the night sky than they had in 800 years. To the naked eye, this "Great Conjunction" looked like a single, massive celestial object shining over the Earth. But to telescopes — and consumer cameras equipped with telescopic lenses — the planets showed their individual faces in stunning detail as they promenaded across the sky.
Florian Kriechbaumer, a photographer in the United Arab Emirates, caught the celestial spectacle from one of Earth's most sky-scraping locations: Near Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. In a large parking area across from the skyscraper (which stands 2,720 feet, or 830 meters, tall), Kriechbaumer filmed the conjunction for 45 minutes, capturing the moment that the two planets made their closest approach to one another (from his vantage point).
You can see his results in the time-lapse video below, which condensed the whole shoot into roughly 20 seconds.
Related: The 12 strangest objects in the universe
"When I shot these there were a few clouds, so I was anxious if I could even capture it," Kriechbaumer told Live Science in an email. "Luckily, they opened up at the right moment. Seeing Saturn's rings and Jupiter with some of its moons appear next to each other in your viewfinder is just such an incredible moment."
"Everyone should go out and experience looking at the planets and night sky once in their life," he added.
Stunning as it appears from Earth, Saturn and Jupiter weren't especially close together during the conjunction, Live Science previously reported . Jupiter is currently about 550 million miles (890 million kilometers) from Earth, or about 5.9 times Earth's distance to the sun, while Saturn is about 1 billion miles (1.6 billion km) from Earth, or about 10.8 times Earth's distance from the sun. Relative to each other, the planets were still 450 million miles (724 million km) apart. They look close to us simply because Jupiter's orbit brought it into the line between Earth and Saturn.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-23--Octopus punches fish in the head (just because it can)

Why do have eight arms ?
The better to punch fish with , new research reveals .
These brainy cephalopods sometimes team up with fish to find food ; hunting collaboratively like this allows them to cover more area , and it increases their chances of catching prey .
However , when big blue octopuses ( Octopus cyanea ) , also known as day octopuses , are displeased with their fish partners , they demonstrate their ire by suddenly punching the fish in the head .
The octopus lashes out using `` a swift , explosive motion with one arm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we refer to as punching , '' scientists wrote in a new study .
Temporary hunting alliances between octopuses and coral reef fish have been documented for decades and can involve multiple participants of various species , the study authors reported Dec. 18 in the journal .
Sometimes , fish and octopuses will work together for more than an hour , with different species scouting different locations .
Octopuses pursue prey that dart around rocks and into tight spaces in the reef , while bottom-feeding fish such as the yellow-saddle goatfish ( Parupeneus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other fish species patrol the water column , according to the study .
But those collaborations do n't always work out so well for the fish , the new study shows .
Between 2018 and 2019 , researchers observed eight incidents while diving in Eilat , Israel , and in El Quseir , Egypt , in which octopuses suddenly punched out their supposed partners .
`` I laughed out loud , and almost choked on my own regulator , '' said lead study author Eduardo Sampaio , a Ph.D. student at the University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Animal Behavior .
His later reactions were more subdued , `` but I still marveled at it every time I saw it , '' he told Live Science in an email .
`` The fish would get pushed to the edge of the group , or would actually leave the group .
Sometimes after a while it would return , other times it would not return at all .
The octopus would leave the fish alone after displacing it , '' he said .
Though octopuses were previously known to throw defensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighting over food , this is the first time their punching has been scientifically described and linked to collaborative hunting , Sampaio said in the email .
But why were the octopuses lashing out ?
While partnerships between species can be mutually beneficial , that does n't mean that the participants are actually looking out for each other 's best interests , Sampaio explained .
If opportunity knocks , alliances may be discarded , and the octopus will look out for itself .
`` Despite collaborating , each partner will always try to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` In the cases where prey is readily available , the octopus seems to use 'punching ' as a way to control the partner 's behavior in a self-serving way , '' literally knocking aside the competition to steal a tempting meal .
The scientists also recorded events where it was n't immediately clear how the octopus benefited by smacking the fish .
One possibility could be that these negative acts , while harmful to the fish , in the end cost the octopus less energy than cooperation would .
Punching could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fish would then be a better partner in future collaborations , Samapio said .
But these explanations are speculative , and Sampaio will need to watch many more octopus-vs.-fish knockouts to unravel what motivates an octopus to throw the first punch .
`` We want to understand how the prior interactions between the two animals , in the context of the whole group , can lead to a fish getting punched — and also what changes after that event , '' he said .
`` We suspect that the main reason is related @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because that is also the reason why these groups naturally form in the first place , given the complementary hunting strategies of the partners . ''

Why do octopuses have eight arms? The better to punch fish with, new research reveals.
These brainy cephalopods sometimes team up with fish to find food; hunting collaboratively like this allows them to cover more area, and it increases their chances of catching prey. However, when big blue octopuses (Octopus cyanea), also known as day octopuses, are displeased with their fish partners, they demonstrate their ire by suddenly punching the fish in the head.
The octopus lashes out using "a swift, explosive motion with one arm," in an attack "which we refer to as punching," scientists wrote in a new study.
Related: Photos: Deep-sea expedition discovers metropolis of octopuses
Temporary hunting alliances between octopuses and coral reef fish have been documented for decades and can involve multiple participants of various species, the study authors reported Dec. 18 in the journal Ecology .
Sometimes, fish and octopuses will work together for more than an hour, with different species scouting different locations. Octopuses pursue prey that dart around rocks and into tight spaces in the reef, while bottom-feeding fish such as the yellow-saddle goatfish (Parupeneus cyclostomus) scour the seafloor, and other fish species patrol the water column, according to the study.
But those collaborations don't always work out so well for the fish, the new study shows. Between 2018 and 2019, researchers observed eight incidents while diving in Eilat, Israel, and in El Quseir, Egypt, in which octopuses suddenly punched out their supposed partners.
"I laughed out loud, and almost choked on my own regulator," said lead study author Eduardo Sampaio, a Ph.D. student at the University of Lisbon and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior. His later reactions were more subdued, "but I still marveled at it every time I saw it," he told Live Science in an email.
"The fish would get pushed to the edge of the group, or would actually leave the group. Sometimes after a while it would return, other times it would not return at all. The octopus would leave the fish alone after displacing it," he said. Though octopuses were previously known to throw defensive punches when attacked by damselfishes or while fighting over food, this is the first time their punching has been scientifically described and linked to collaborative hunting, Sampaio said in the email.
A day octopus socks a goldsaddle goatfish in waters near Eilat, Israel, on Oct. 17, 2018. Octopuses may punch a fish ally out of the way to capture prey ... but sometimes it's not clear why they do it. (Image credit: Sampaio, E., M.C. Seco, R. Rosa, and S. Gingins. 2021. Ecology. doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3266)
Partners, but not friends
But why were the octopuses lashing out? While partnerships between species can be mutually beneficial, that doesn't mean that the participants are actually looking out for each other's best interests, Sampaio explained. If opportunity knocks, alliances may be discarded, and the octopus will look out for itself.
"Despite collaborating, each partner will always try to maximize its benefits," he said. "In the cases where prey is readily available, the octopus seems to use 'punching' as a way to control the partner's behavior in a self-serving way," literally knocking aside the competition to steal a tempting meal.
The scientists also recorded events where it wasn't immediately clear how the octopus benefited by smacking the fish. One possibility could be that these negative acts, while harmful to the fish, in the end cost the octopus less energy than cooperation would. Punching could also be punishment, so that the fish would then be a better partner in future collaborations, Samapio said. But these explanations are speculative, and Sampaio will need to watch many more octopus-vs.-fish knockouts to unravel what motivates an octopus to throw the first punch.
"We want to understand how the prior interactions between the two animals, in the context of the whole group, can lead to a fish getting punched — and also what changes after that event," he said. "We suspect that the main reason is related to prey opportunities, of course, because that is also the reason why these groups naturally form in the first place, given the complementary hunting strategies of the partners."
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-23--'Zombie' greenhouse gas lurks in permafrost beneath the Arctic Ocean

Editor 's note : This article was updated at 8:00 PM , Dec. 23 to correct the dates of the Paleolithic ice age .
Millions of tons of organic carbon and methane beneath the Arctic Ocean thaw out and ooze to the surface each year .
And climate change could speed up this release of , new research suggests .
The tied up in organic matter and methane ( a carbon atom bound to four hydrogen atoms ) are currently trapped in subsea permafrost , which is frozen sediment that became covered by 390 feet ( 120 meters ) of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ice age about 18,000 to 14,000 years ago , according to the U. S. Geological Survey ( USGS ) .
Most subsea permafrost sits on the continental shelf under the Arctic Ocean , said study author Sayedeh Sara Sayedi , a doctoral student in the department of plant and wildlife science at Brigham Young University in Salt Lake City .
Because that sediment is in such an inaccessible spot , there 's only a little bit of patchy data on how much carbon and methane lie buried there and how quickly those gases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ above , Sayedi added .
consider this greenhouse gas reservoir to be a ticking time bomb , one that could suddenly spew into the atmosphere and trigger a climate catastrophe .
But Sayedi and her colleagues propose a different scenario : Rather than a sudden release , these gases have been slowly and steadily oozing from the permafrost for centuries .
Human-caused could still make the situation worse by accelerating the rate of release , but this acceleration would occur over the course of several centuries , not decades or years .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will make a difference in how it 's going to be affected , '' Sayedi told Live Science .
In their new study , published Dec. 22 in the journal , the team attempted to assemble a comprehensive picture of the subsea permafrost using all the piecemeal data currently available ; they also asked 25 permafrost scientists to use their expertise to estimate how much organic carbon is hidden in each specific layer of subsea permafrost .
By compiling their perspectives , the team captured a more detailed picture of the ecosystem as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the permafrost currently holds about 60 billion tons ( 544 metric tons ) of methane and 560 billion tons ( 508 metric tons ) of organic carbon .
Each year , about 140 million tons ( 128 metric tons ) of carbon dioxide and 5.3 million tons ( 4.8 metric tons ) of methane escape from the permafrost into the atmosphere , they estimated .
That 's roughly equivalent to the carbon footprint of Spain , .
That said , due to the paucity of data , these emissions estimates remain highly uncertain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also concluded that , rather than being driven primarily by recent human activity , much of these greenhouse gas emissions began after the Last Glacial Maximum , when ice sheets were at their greatest extent .
However , human-driven changes may still drive up these emissions `` several hundreds or thousands of years from now , '' they wrote .
In fact , over the next 300 years , the experts expect the rate of greenhouse gas emission from subsea permafrost to increase substantially if carbon emissions from human activity continue as usual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ century , the permafrost would release four times more greenhouse gas than if emissions started declining by the end of this year and reached net-zero by 2100 .
In the business-as-usual scenario , the increase in emissions would ramp up over the next several centuries , but still not enough to create a so-called `` methane bomb . ''
By overlooking subsea permafrost in models of climate change , scientists run the risk of miscalculating the amount of greenhouse gas being emitted into the atmosphere , which may skew where we set our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the next five to 10 years , Sayedi said that she hopes additional research into subsea permafrost can help fill the gaps in our knowledge and provide more certainty about how much carbon is actually down there — and how much is getting out .
Other factors , such as the extent of sea-ice cover , may also affect how much gas leaks into the atmosphere , since the ice can act as a ceiling trapping the gas underneath , she said .

The coastline of the Bykovsky Peninsula in the central Laptev Sea, Siberia retreats during summer, when ice-rich blocks of permafrost fall to the beach and are eroded by waves.
Editor's note: This article was updated at 8:00 PM, Dec. 23 to correct the dates of the Paleolithic ice age.
Millions of tons of organic carbon and methane beneath the Arctic Ocean thaw out and ooze to the surface each year. And climate change could speed up this release of greenhouse gases , new research suggests.
The carbon tied up in organic matter and methane (a carbon atom bound to four hydrogen atoms) are currently trapped in subsea permafrost, which is frozen sediment that became covered by 390 feet (120 meters) of seawater toward the end of the Paleolithic ice age about 18,000 to 14,000 years ago, according to the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS). Most subsea permafrost sits on the continental shelf under the Arctic Ocean, said study author Sayedeh Sara Sayedi, a doctoral student in the department of plant and wildlife science at Brigham Young University in Salt Lake City.
Because that sediment is in such an inaccessible spot, there's only a little bit of patchy data on how much carbon and methane lie buried there and how quickly those gases are escaping into the ocean and atmosphere above, Sayedi added.
Related: 6 unexpected effects of climate change
Some scientists consider this greenhouse gas reservoir to be a ticking time bomb, one that could suddenly spew into the atmosphere and trigger a climate catastrophe. But Sayedi and her colleagues propose a different scenario: Rather than a sudden release, these gases have been slowly and steadily oozing from the permafrost for centuries. Human-caused climate change could still make the situation worse by accelerating the rate of release, but this acceleration would occur over the course of several centuries, not decades or years.
"Still, the decisions we make today will make a difference in how it's going to be affected," Sayedi told Live Science.
In their new study, published Dec. 22 in the journal Environmental Research Letters , the team attempted to assemble a comprehensive picture of the subsea permafrost using all the piecemeal data currently available; they also asked 25 permafrost scientists to use their expertise to estimate how much organic carbon is hidden in each specific layer of subsea permafrost. By compiling their perspectives, the team captured a more detailed picture of the ecosystem as a whole, and they estimated that the permafrost currently holds about 60 billion tons (544 metric tons) of methane and 560 billion tons (508 metric tons) of organic carbon.
Each year, about 140 million tons (128 metric tons) of carbon dioxide and 5.3 million tons (4.8 metric tons) of methane escape from the permafrost into the atmosphere, they estimated. That's roughly equivalent to the carbon footprint of Spain, according to a statement . That said, due to the paucity of data, these emissions estimates remain highly uncertain, the authors noted.
The authors also concluded that, rather than being driven primarily by recent human activity, much of these greenhouse gas emissions began after the Last Glacial Maximum, when ice sheets were at their greatest extent. However, human-driven changes may still drive up these emissions "several hundreds or thousands of years from now," they wrote.
In fact, over the next 300 years, the experts expect the rate of greenhouse gas emission from subsea permafrost to increase substantially if carbon emissions from human activity continue as usual. If emissions rise throughout the 21st century, the permafrost would release four times more greenhouse gas than if emissions started declining by the end of this year and reached net-zero by 2100.
In the business-as-usual scenario, the increase in emissions would ramp up over the next several centuries, but still not enough to create a so-called "methane bomb."
By overlooking subsea permafrost in models of climate change, scientists run the risk of miscalculating the amount of greenhouse gas being emitted into the atmosphere, which may skew where we set our targets for reducing emissions, Sayedi said. In the next five to 10 years, Sayedi said that she hopes additional research into subsea permafrost can help fill the gaps in our knowledge and provide more certainty about how much carbon is actually down there — and how much is getting out. Other factors, such as the extent of sea-ice cover, may also affect how much gas leaks into the atmosphere, since the ice can act as a ceiling trapping the gas underneath, she said.
Originally published on Live Science.