What are stingrays?

Stingrays are an instantly recognizable fish , with their pancake-like bodies that glide gracefully through the water .
Around 200 species of stingrays inhabit the world 's oceans , as well as some freshwater rivers and lakes .
Stingrays around the world face threats to their continued survival .
Like sharks , stingrays belong to a class of animals called elasmobranchs , which are characterized by their boneless skeletons made of cartilage — the same semi-flexible protein that gives shape to human ears .
The stingray 's flat body allows it to sit on the bottom of the ocean , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ predators swimming above as it hunts its prey on the floor .
Its eyes sit on the top of its body , while its mouth is on the bottom .
Stingrays have tails which often have a .
If a stingray feels threatened , it can lift its barbed tail upward and injure potential predators .
Most stingrays live in coastal saltwater environments rather than the open ocean , said Stephen Kajiura , professor of biology at Florida Atlantic University .
However , there is one species of stingray that lives in open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Pteroplatytrygon violacea ) , he said .
Stingrays range in size from about as small as a dinner plate to as big as 16.5 feet ( 5 meters ) long including the tail , according to National Geographic .
The largest species is the giant freshwater stingray ( Himantura chaophraya ) , found in rivers in southeast Asia .
Some specimens of freshwater stingray have been known to weigh up to 1,300 lbs ( 590 kg ) .
Most species of stingrays sport dull colors that help with camouflage , though some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the blue-spotted stingray ( Taeniura lymma ) , Kajiura said .
Are stingrays the same as manta rays or eagle rays ?
Stingrays , manta rays and eagle rays are all related and belong to the same order , Myliobatiformes , but each are in different families and differ from one another in several ways .
For example , the manta ray 's mouth is located on the front of their bodies rather than on the bottom , according to the ( NOAA ) .
Also , manta rays are n't hunters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , swimming with their mouth open to sift out small animals living in the water column , Kajiura said .
Manta rays also have two small appendages that stick out on either side of their mouth called cephalic fins , according to NOAA , which stingrays do n't have .
And while there are over 200 species of stingrays , there are just 2 species of manta rays .
Eagle rays , such as the spotted eagle ray ( Aetobatus narinari ) , have angular wing flaps and a distinct snout that manta @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to the .
Eagle rays also have rounded pelvic fins near their tail , and the tail itself is much longer than either a manta ray or stingray .
Sometimes , eagle rays travel in schools and will leap completely out of the water to avoid predators , according to the Florida Museum .
Stingrays eat bottom-dwelling prey , such as worms , clams and shrimp , according to .
Freshwater stingrays eat insects as well .
As those creatures ( and any others ) move through the water , they generate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sorts , said Kyle Newton , a biologist at Washington University in St. Louis , Missouri .
Stingrays are able to detect the bioelectric fields of the animals around them using a network of special sensory organs called ampullae of Lorenzini .
These organs are small , fluid-filled electrical receptors that are located near the stingray 's mouth and look like tiny black holes in the animal 's skin , according to .
All sharks and rays have ampullae of Lorenzini , and a few other species of fish have been reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including lungfish and sturgeon .
Once they 've located and captured their prey with the help of their ampullae of Lorenzini , stingrays use their hard teeth to break the shells of their victims , and can even chew their meal , rather than gulping it down .
Stingrays go through a lot of teeth , shedding a complete set every 10 to 30 days , Kajiura said .
Most of the time , stingrays have rounded , flat molars , but during mating season , the male stingray 's teeth become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or as large ) as shark teeth .
The stingray `` is the only vertebrate we 've documented that has seasonal changes in tooth shape , '' Kajiura said .
The male stingray uses its sharper teeth to secure himself to a mate during reproduction , as stingrays are rather slippery .
Females are often left with scars from mating .
However , in at least one species of stingray , the female 's skin is 50 % thicker than the males , providing her a bit of protection from the male 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ season lasts a few months ( which months depends on the species of stingray ) , and teeth that grow afterward resume the regular flat shape in males .
Female stingrays often have long gestation periods , ranging from 6 months to 2 years , Newton said .
They tend to give birth once a year to between two and six live young , according to .
Newborn stingrays `` come out as fully functional miniatures of the adult , '' Newton said .
Baby stingrays are often small enough to fit in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` squatty '' and `` pudgy , '' he said .
How long stingrays live varies greatly by species , Kajiura said .
Many live much shorter lives , closer to 6-8 years .
Some larger freshwater species , like the giant freshwater stingrays of Southeast Asia , may live 25 years or longer , but scientists do n't know for sure , he said .
In general , scientists are most familiar with the life cycles of commercially important fish , but because stingrays are n't heavily fished , the lifespan of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In 2006 , Australian television personality Steve Irwin died when a stingray 's barbed tail pierced his heart .
Irwin , widely known for his popular show , `` The Crocodile Hunter , '' was being filmed for another show , called `` Ocean 's Deadliest , '' when he swam too close to a stingray .
However , death from stingrays is rare , according to the .
A stingray 's poison is generally only deadly when its barb pierces a vulnerable part of the body , as it did for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , abdomen or chest .
Otherwise , contact with a stingray 's barb anywhere else on the body causes pain similar to a jellyfish sting , and thousands of people the world over survive stingray stings each year , according to .
In addition to being able to sense the bioelectric fields of the animals around them , scientists believe that stingrays and other elasmobranchs have the ability to sense the polarity of the , Newton said .
This ability is called magnetoreception .
Salmon may be most famous for this .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ magnetic metals embedded in their cells , which scientists think help them navigate to the streams they were born in to spawn , Kajiura said .
But researchers have yet to find similar crystal structures in stingrays and other elasmobranchs .
Some scientists suspect that stingrays may use their ampullae of Lorenzini not only for hunting prey , but also for detecting the strength and angle of the Earth 's magnetic field and the orientation of electric currents generated by objects in the water .
The stingray could then use that information to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to other animals with magnetoreception abilities .
In their study published in 2020 in the journal , Newton and Kajiura described how wild-caught yellow stingrays ( Urobatis jamaicensis ) used magnetoreception to navigate through a simple maze to receive a food reward .
Other elasmobranchs may similarly detect magnetic fields , the researchers said .
The stingray 's magnetoreception abilities could potentially cause problems for the animals as offshore energy technologies like wind and wave energy become more popular , Kajiura said .
That 's because those technologies require a network of cables @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generated to where people live onshore , and the electric current generated by those cables could interfere with the stingray 's ability to accurately detect their surroundings .
This could disrupt the stingray 's feeding and migration patterns or cause stingrays to avoid certain areas altogether , Newton said .
Alternatives like burying the cables in the seafloor would likely be prohibitively costly .
But it 's still unclear how each species of stingray in a given area would be affected by the presence of cables , he said .
While the long-term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet to be seen , the fish already face a variety of other threats to their survival .
A study published by the ( IUCN ) in 2014 found that one quarter of the planet 's stingrays and sharks are at risk of extinction , with more stingrays facing extinction than sharks .
The main risk comes from overfishing , according to the study .
Stingrays are n't often targeted commercially , but get caught as bycatch by fishers who use large trawling nets to fish the ocean from the surface to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were no sharks ?
Some species of stingrays also face overharvesting for the aquarium trade , Newton said .
While some fish species are easy to raise in captivity , stingrays ' long gestation period means it 's preferable for many sellers to harvest them straight from the ocean to sell , Newton said .
Freshwater stingrays might be vulnerable to from humans , while marine species like the yellow stingray are also suffering habitat loss from coastal development , according to research by the .
In Florida , some species of stingrays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whose roots are submerged in seawater — as birthing grounds because of the protection offered to young from the trees and their roots , Newton said .
But Florida has lost much of its original mangrove habitat , rendering young without sufficient shelter and leaving them vulnerable to predation .
• Watch stingrays sense electricity in this video from PBS Digital Studios .
• Read more about the yellow stingray , from the .
• Learn more about the freshwater stingray , from the .

Stingrays are an instantly recognizable fish, with their pancake-like bodies that glide gracefully through the water. Around 200 species of stingrays inhabit the world's oceans, as well as some freshwater rivers and lakes. Stingrays around the world face threats to their continued survival.
What are stingrays?
Like sharks, stingrays belong to a class of animals called elasmobranchs, which are characterized by their boneless skeletons made of cartilage — the same semi-flexible protein that gives shape to human ears. The stingray's flat body allows it to sit on the bottom of the ocean, river or lake, camouflaging itself to predators swimming above as it hunts its prey on the floor. Its eyes sit on the top of its body, while its mouth is on the bottom. Stingrays have tails which often have a serrated, toxin-filled barb . If a stingray feels threatened, it can lift its barbed tail upward and injure potential predators.
Related: Stingrays' weird swimming may inspire new submarine design
Most stingrays live in coastal saltwater environments rather than the open ocean, said Stephen Kajiura, professor of biology at Florida Atlantic University. However, there is one species of stingray that lives in open ocean waters, called the pelagic stingray (Pteroplatytrygon violacea), he said.
Stingrays range in size from about as small as a dinner plate to as big as 16.5 feet (5 meters) long including the tail, according to National Geographic. The largest species is the giant freshwater stingray (Himantura chaophraya), found in rivers in southeast Asia. Some specimens of freshwater stingray have been known to weigh up to 1,300 lbs (590 kg).
Related: Giant stingray could be world's largest freshwater fish
Most species of stingrays sport dull colors that help with camouflage, though some do have more lively colors, such as the blue-spotted stingray (Taeniura lymma), Kajiura said.
Are stingrays the same as manta rays or eagle rays?
Stingrays, manta rays and eagle rays are all related and belong to the same order, Myliobatiformes, but each are in different families and differ from one another in several ways.
For example, the manta ray's mouth is located on the front of their bodies rather than on the bottom, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Also, manta rays aren't hunters like stingrays, but are filter feeders, swimming with their mouth open to sift out small animals living in the water column, Kajiura said. Manta rays also have two small appendages that stick out on either side of their mouth called cephalic fins, according to NOAA, which stingrays don't have. And while there are over 200 species of stingrays, there are just 2 species of manta rays.
Related: Rare pink manta ray caught courting lady friend down under
Eagle rays, such as the spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari), have angular wing flaps and a distinct snout that manta rays and stingrays don't have, according to the Florida Museum . Eagle rays also have rounded pelvic fins near their tail, and the tail itself is much longer than either a manta ray or stingray. Sometimes, eagle rays travel in schools and will leap completely out of the water to avoid predators, according to the Florida Museum.
Manta rays are related to stingrays but are in a separate family. An easy way to tell manta rays from stingrays is that manta rays have two small fins on either side of their mouths, while stingrays don't have fins around their mouths. (These are manta rays.) (Image credit: Shutterstock)
What do stingrays eat?
Stingrays eat bottom-dwelling prey, such as worms, clams and shrimp, according to SeaWorld Orlando . Freshwater stingrays eat insects as well.
As those creatures (and any others) move through the water, they generate a bioelectric field, or electrical signature of sorts, said Kyle Newton, a biologist at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Stingrays are able to detect the bioelectric fields of the animals around them using a network of special sensory organs called ampullae of Lorenzini. These organs are small, fluid-filled electrical receptors that are located near the stingray's mouth and look like tiny black holes in the animal's skin, according to National Geographic . All sharks and rays have ampullae of Lorenzini, and a few other species of fish have been reported to have the unique organs as well, including lungfish and sturgeon.
Related: Clever cuttlefish 'freeze' bioelectric fields to avoid predators
Once they've located and captured their prey with the help of their ampullae of Lorenzini, stingrays use their hard teeth to break the shells of their victims, and can even chew their meal, rather than gulping it down. Stingrays go through a lot of teeth, shedding a complete set every 10 to 30 days, Kajiura said.
Most of the time, stingrays have rounded, flat molars, but during mating season, the male stingray's teeth become pointed, though not as pointed (or as large) as shark teeth. The stingray "is the only vertebrate we've documented that has seasonal changes in tooth shape," Kajiura said. The male stingray uses its sharper teeth to secure himself to a mate during reproduction, as stingrays are rather slippery. Females are often left with scars from mating. However, in at least one species of stingray, the female's skin is 50% thicker than the males, providing her a bit of protection from the male's sharp teeth, Kajiura said.
Related: This stingray chews its food
Stingrays have a network of tiny sensory organs called ampullae of Lorenzini surrounding their mouths. The organs allow the stingray to detect the bioelectric fields created by other animals in the water. (Image credit: Shutterstock)
When do stingrays mate?
Mating season lasts a few months (which months depends on the species of stingray), and teeth that grow afterward resume the regular flat shape in males.
Female stingrays often have long gestation periods, ranging from 6 months to 2 years, Newton said. They tend to give birth once a year to between two and six live young, according to National Geographic Kids .
Newborn stingrays "come out as fully functional miniatures of the adult," Newton said. Baby stingrays are often small enough to fit in a human palm, and sometimes look "squatty" and "pudgy," he said.
How long stingrays live varies greatly by species, Kajiura said. Many live much shorter lives, closer to 6-8 years. Some larger freshwater species, like the giant freshwater stingrays of Southeast Asia, may live 25 years or longer, but scientists don't know for sure, he said. In general, scientists are most familiar with the life cycles of commercially important fish, but because stingrays aren't heavily fished, the lifespan of many species remains unknown, he said.
Are stingrays dangerous?
In 2006, Australian television personality Steve Irwin died when a stingray's barbed tail pierced his heart. Irwin, widely known for his popular show, "The Crocodile Hunter," was being filmed for another show, called "Ocean's Deadliest," when he swam too close to a stingray.
Related: Stingray kills 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin
However, death from stingrays is rare, according to the US National Library of Medicine . A stingray's poison is generally only deadly when its barb pierces a vulnerable part of the body, as it did for Irwin. These areas include the neck, abdomen or chest. Otherwise, contact with a stingray's barb anywhere else on the body causes pain similar to a jellyfish sting, and thousands of people the world over survive stingray stings each year, according to NPR .
Stingrays have a barb on their tail that releases a harmful poison when it comes in contact with other animals. A sting from a stingray barb feels similar to a jellyfish sting and rarely causes severe injury or death in humans. (Image credit: Shutterstock)
Stingrays can detect magnetic fields
In addition to being able to sense the bioelectric fields of the animals around them, scientists believe that stingrays and other elasmobranchs have the ability to sense the polarity of the Earth's magnetic field , Newton said. This ability is called magnetoreception.
Salmon may be most famous for this. The migratory fish have crystals of iron or other magnetic metals embedded in their cells, which scientists think help them navigate to the streams they were born in to spawn, Kajiura said. But researchers have yet to find similar crystal structures in stingrays and other elasmobranchs.
Some scientists suspect that stingrays may use their ampullae of Lorenzini not only for hunting prey, but also for detecting the strength and angle of the Earth's magnetic field and the orientation of electric currents generated by objects in the water. The stingray could then use that information to navigate in the open ocean, similar to other animals with magnetoreception abilities.
In their study published in 2020 in the journal Marine Biology , Newton and Kajiura described how wild-caught yellow stingrays (Urobatis jamaicensis) used magnetoreception to navigate through a simple maze to receive a food reward. Other elasmobranchs may similarly detect magnetic fields, the researchers said.
Related: What if Earth's magnetic field disappeared?
The stingray's magnetoreception abilities could potentially cause problems for the animals as offshore energy technologies like wind and wave energy become more popular, Kajiura said. That's because those technologies require a network of cables to transport electricity from where it is generated to where people live onshore, and the electric current generated by those cables could interfere with the stingray's ability to accurately detect their surroundings. This could disrupt the stingray's feeding and migration patterns or cause stingrays to avoid certain areas altogether, Newton said. Alternatives like burying the cables in the seafloor would likely be prohibitively costly. But it's still unclear how each species of stingray in a given area would be affected by the presence of cables, he said.
Are stingrays endangered?
While the long-term effects of offshore technologies on stingrays has yet to be seen, the fish already face a variety of other threats to their survival. A study published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2014 found that one quarter of the planet's stingrays and sharks are at risk of extinction, with more stingrays facing extinction than sharks.
The main risk comes from overfishing, according to the study. Stingrays aren't often targeted commercially, but get caught as bycatch by fishers who use large trawling nets to fish the ocean from the surface to the seafloor.
Related: What if there were no sharks?
Some species of stingrays also face overharvesting for the aquarium trade, Newton said. While some fish species are easy to raise in captivity, stingrays' long gestation period means it's preferable for many sellers to harvest them straight from the ocean to sell, Newton said.
Freshwater stingrays might be vulnerable to pollution from humans, while marine species like the yellow stingray are also suffering habitat loss from coastal development, according to research by the Save Our Seas Foundation .
In Florida, some species of stingrays prefer using mangrove forests — coastal trees whose roots are submerged in seawater — as birthing grounds because of the protection offered to young from the trees and their roots, Newton said. But Florida has lost much of its original mangrove habitat, rendering young without sufficient shelter and leaving them vulnerable to predation.
Additional resources:


livescience--2020-09-03--Rarest planet in the universe may be lurking in Orion's nose

Perched on the tip of Orion 's nose , there spins a solar system that could give — Luke Skywalker 's twin-sunned homeworld — a run for its money .
Known as GW Orionis ( or GW Ori ) and located about 1,300 from Earth , the system is a rare example of a triple-star , with two suns orbiting one another at the center , and a third star swirling around its siblings from several hundred million miles away .
Scientists previously identified the system by its three bright rings of planet-forming dust , nested inside one another like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Now , a closer analysis reveals that the rings may hold more than just dust ; according to two recent studies , published today ( Sept. 3 ) in the journal and May 21 in , there could be a young planet , or the makings of one , bulging up inside the rings and throwing off the whole system 's gravitational balance .
The presence of such a planet would not only help explain why the system 's inner ring appears to be wobbling around wildly like a broken gyroscope — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world would also become the first known example of a single planet orbiting three suns at once , the researchers said .
Related : The 12 strangest objects in the universe '' Our simulations show that the gravitational pull from the triple stars alone can not explain the observed large misalignment [ in the rings ] , '' Nienke van der Marel , an astrophysicist at the University of Victoria in Canada and co-author of the May 21 study , .
`` We think that the presence of a planet … has likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disk [ where the inner and outer rings meet ] . ''
Most solar systems in the universe are made of binary pairs — two stars that orbit each other around a common center of gravity .
( Even Earth 's sun may have a long-lost twin lurking somewhere beyond Neptune , ) .
Triple-star systems , like GW Orionis , are much less common , as the combined gravitational pull of three suns can be hard to reconcile ; if the third star 's mass and distance from the other pair are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easily get booted out of the system and into interstellar space , a 1994 study in the found .
Even when three stars align , their combined gravity can have some strange effects .
In our solar system , every planet sits within a single disk of gas and dust , and each orbits in a relatively flat plane that 's aligned with our sun .
In GW Ori , three different rings of dust orbit around the solar system 's center , and none of them is aligned with the orbit of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the system 's innermost ring is totally misaligned with the two larger , outer rings , jutting diagonally out of the plane like a sinking ship .
Van der Marel and her colleagues discovered this misalignment using observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array ( ALMA ) telescope in Chile .
They also found that the outermost ring , which sits 338 astronomical units ( or 338 times the average distance between and the sun ) from the system 's center , contains enough dust mass to build 245 Earth-like planets — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in any known solar system .
Related : 10 interesting places in the solar system we 'd like to visit In the new Science study , a second team of astronomers examined Ori 's wonky rings , this time using both the ALMA and the European Southern Observatory 's Very Large Telescope ( VLT ) .
These observations revealed the shadow of the system 's inner ring draped against the outer rings , allowing the researchers to measure the small ring 's precise shape and size .
The team also mapped the orbits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11 years , covering one complete orbital period .
`` This proved crucial to understand how the stars shape the disk , '' study co-author John Monnier , a professor of astronomy at the University of Michigan , said in the statement .
Together , the two studies show how the misaligned movements of GW Ori 's stars may have warped the solar system 's dusty disk through a process called `` disk-tearing effect , '' in which the gravitational pull of different stars causes the disk to rip into distinctly separate rings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a misaligned disk has been conclusively linked to the effect — however , the researchers added , the pull of the stars alone does not completely explain the system 's strange behavior .
The missing piece of the puzzle may be an undiscovered planet , lurking right at the breaking point between the inner and outer rings of the disk , the researchers said .
`` The inner ring contains enough dust to build 30 Earths , which is sufficient for a planet to form in the ring , '' Stefan Kraus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Exeter in the U.K. and lead author of the Science study , said in the statement .
Unlike any other known planet , the world would simultaneously orbit all three suns at its solar system 's center — setting it apart from other oddball exoplanets like , which orbits a single star in a triple-star system 22 light-years from Earth .
There 's little concrete evidence for the planet 's existence right now , but the mere hint of its presence suggests that planets may be able to form in even the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the researchers said .
Alas , even if the hypothetical planet does exist , there will be no at the three-sunned horizon ; according to the team 's models , this world would have to sit roughly 46 AU from its host stars — considerably farther afield than Neptune sits from our sun ( 30 AU ) .
It would be an inhospitable world , slave to a wild gravitational pull that looks nothing like scientists have ever seen .
May the Force be with it .

Perched on the tip of Orion's nose, there spins a solar system that could give Tatooine — Luke Skywalker's twin-sunned homeworld — a run for its money.
Known as GW Orionis (or GW Ori) and located about 1,300 light-years from Earth, the system is a rare example of a triple-star solar system , with two suns orbiting one another at the center, and a third star swirling around its siblings from several hundred million miles away. Scientists previously identified the system by its three bright rings of planet-forming dust, nested inside one another like a massive orange bullseye in the sky.
Now, a closer analysis reveals that the rings may hold more than just dust; according to two recent studies, published today (Sept. 3) in the journal Science and May 21 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters , there could be a young planet, or the makings of one, bulging up inside the rings and throwing off the whole system's gravitational balance. The presence of such a planet would not only help explain why the system's inner ring appears to be wobbling around wildly like a broken gyroscope — but, if confirmed, the distant world would also become the first known example of a single planet orbiting three suns at once, the researchers said.
Related: The 12 strangest objects in the universe
"Our simulations show that the gravitational pull from the triple stars alone cannot explain the observed large misalignment [in the rings]," Nienke van der Marel, an astrophysicist at the University of Victoria in Canada and co-author of the May 21 study, said in a statement . "We think that the presence of a planet … has likely carved a dust gap and broken the disk [where the inner and outer rings meet]."
A wobble in the rings
Most solar systems in the universe are made of binary pairs — two stars that orbit each other around a common center of gravity. (Even Earth's sun may have a long-lost twin lurking somewhere beyond Neptune, a recent study claimed ). Triple-star systems, like GW Orionis, are much less common, as the combined gravitational pull of three suns can be hard to reconcile; if the third star's mass and distance from the other pair aren't just right, that star can easily get booted out of the system and into interstellar space, a 1994 study in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society found.
Even when three stars align, their combined gravity can have some strange effects. In our solar system, every planet sits within a single disk of gas and dust, and each orbits in a relatively flat plane that's aligned with our sun. In GW Ori, three different rings of dust orbit around the solar system's center, and none of them is aligned with the orbit of the three stars. Added to this, the system's innermost ring is totally misaligned with the two larger, outer rings, jutting diagonally out of the plane like a sinking ship.
A representation of the three misaligned rings (orange) of GW Orionis. The inner ring juts out of the other two like a sinking ship, and none of the rings are aligned with the system's three stars. (Image credit: Kraus et al., 2020; NRAO/AUI/NSF)
Van der Marel and her colleagues discovered this misalignment using observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) telescope in Chile. They also found that the outermost ring, which sits 338 astronomical units (or 338 times the average distance between Earth and the sun) from the system's center, contains enough dust mass to build 245 Earth-like planets — making it the single largest protoplanetary disk in any known solar system.
Related: 10 interesting places in the solar system we'd like to visit
In the new Science study, a second team of astronomers examined Ori's wonky rings, this time using both the ALMA and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT). These observations revealed the shadow of the system's inner ring draped against the outer rings, allowing the researchers to measure the small ring's precise shape and size. The team also mapped the orbits of the system's three stars over 11 years, covering one complete orbital period.
"This proved crucial to understand how the stars shape the disk," study co-author John Monnier, a professor of astronomy at the University of Michigan, said in the statement.
Together, the two studies show how the misaligned movements of GW Ori's stars may have warped the solar system's dusty disk through a process called "disk-tearing effect," in which the gravitational pull of different stars causes the disk to rip into distinctly separate rings. This is the first time that a misaligned disk has been conclusively linked to the effect — however, the researchers added, the pull of the stars alone does not completely explain the system's strange behavior.
Snapshots of a simulation of GW Orionis, showing how its rings formed. The competing gravitational pulls of the three stars (and possibly a young planet) caused the dusty disk to tear into three distinct rings. (Image credit: Kraus et al., 2020)
The missing piece of the puzzle may be an undiscovered planet, lurking right at the breaking point between the inner and outer rings of the disk, the researchers said.
"The inner ring contains enough dust to build 30 Earths, which is sufficient for a planet to form in the ring," Stefan Kraus, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Exeter in the U.K. and lead author of the Science study, said in the statement.
Unlike any other known planet, the world would simultaneously orbit all three suns at its solar system's center — setting it apart from other oddball exoplanets like LTT 1445Ab , which orbits a single star in a triple-star system 22 light-years from Earth. There's little concrete evidence for the planet's existence right now, but the mere hint of its presence suggests that planets may be able to form in even the most eccentric, misshapen solar systems, the researchers said.
Alas, even if the hypothetical planet does exist, there will be no Skywalkers gazing wistfully out at the three-sunned horizon; according to the team's models, this world would have to sit roughly 46 AU from its host stars — considerably farther afield than Neptune sits from our sun (30 AU). It would be an inhospitable world, slave to a wild gravitational pull that looks nothing like scientists have ever seen. May the Force be with it.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-03--Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates

Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates

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


livescience--2020-09-03--Doctors chase treatment for kids threatened by dangerous COVID-19 syndrome

On a warm , mid-June afternoon a concerned mother brought her 11-year-old daughter , who had a high fever and a severe bellyache , to the emergency room at Hasbro Children ’ s Hospital in Providence , R.I. After doctors ruled out the usual suspects for the symptoms , such as bacterial infections and appendicitis , they started to seriously consider a diagnosis that would have been inconceivable two months prior : an emergent and potentially fatal inflammatory condition that occurs in children about four weeks after they are exposed to the new coronavirus .
The rare disease—called multisystem inflammatory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. or pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome in the U.K. , where it was first defined this past spring—is a hyperimmune response to SARS-CoV-2 .
It disproportionately affects Black , Hispanic and Latino children .
In some cases of MIS-C resembling the bacterial overloads of toxic shock syndrome , youngsters arrive at the hospital with shock symptoms and organ failure .
In others , they experience a high fever and inflammatory symptoms resembling those of Kawasaki disease , which strikes children ’ s blood vessels .
Or the illness can look like neither @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids still have a high fever and widespread inflammation .
Nearly all of the children treated for MIS-C survive and appear to be healthy afterward .
But when it is undiagnosed or untreated , the condition can permanently damage the heart or cause death .
The disease is so new that there is no consensus on several of its fundamental features or on how to treat it .
But insights from doctors who have been confronting MIS-C this summer , along with new research about its victims , are starting to reveal important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study published on August 18 in Nature Medicine concluded that the condition is distinct from Kawasaki disease , as many doctors suspected .
And several large research efforts that have recently been launched could soon clarify how to diagnose MIS-C and identify trends in treatments that seem to work best .
As of August 20 , 694 MIS-C cases and 11 deaths had been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
About 1,000 cases had been documented worldwide by late July .
Children are hospitalized for COVID-19 more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ various reports , but doctors say the latter is more dangerous .
Although most youngsters recover , they often do so after severe illness .
According to three recent studies , between 64 percent and 80 percent of those hospitalized for the condition required intensive care treatment , compared with about 33 percent of children hospitalized for COVID-19 .
With so few cases and descriptive studies , no diagnostic tests and no randomized controlled experimental results to guide treatment , hospital pediatricians have had to dig deep to figure out how to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Brown University pediatric infectious disease ( ID ) specialist , and her colleague Sabina Holland managed the case at Hasbro .
Keen for insight , Chiang followed evaluation guidelines developed by the Children ’ s Hospital of Philadelphia to the point where they read , “ Consult ID ” —in other words , she should consult herself .
“ I thought , ‘ Ha ha .
Okay .
So now what do I do ?
’ ” she recalls .
Because there are no doctors who have any depth of experience with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in-house with colleagues in specialties such as cardiology , hematology and rheumatology .
Some of them are consulting far-flung colleagues with experience in treating the inflammatory Kawasaki disease , which has unknown causes , affects a few thousand young children annually in the U.S. and is more common in Japan .
As Chiang pursued clues for how to treat her patient , she came across limited CDC guidelines , as well as a Webinar for clinicians hosted by the agency .
The latter featured a doctor affiliated with Imperial College London and St. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who described dozens of area children who came down with MIS-C ’ s characteristic high fever and severe inflammation , which seemed to arise about a month after exposure to the new coronavirus .
Chiang learned that four weeks before coming to the hospital , two of the Hasbro patient ’ s family members had recovered at home from relatively mild cases of COVID-19 .
The girl tested positive at the hospital for the coronavirus and for antibodies to it .
Along with imaging scans , blood-work results and the CDC ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MIS-C—the first reported case in Rhode Island .
Rapid , accurate diagnosis of MIS-C is crucial for treating children before the illness damages their heart or causes other life-threatening complications.
“ Kids come in kind of irritable and feverish and then , hours later , they just suddenly tank , ” says Russell McCulloh , a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Children ’ s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha .
In some cases , hospitalized children quickly developed coronary artery inflammation , cardiac dysfunction such as a weakly pumping heart or even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ placed on a so-called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine to do the work of the heart or lungs or on a mechanical ventilator to do the work of the latter .
U.S. children ’ s hospitals , the American College of Rheumatology and the American Academy of Pediatrics have recently published guidance for physicians on how to evaluate , diagnose and treat MIS-C , such as the material Chiang consulted .
But that information is preliminary .
As more cases advance doctors ’ understanding , the guidelines will likely evolve , McCulloh says .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a dozen cases now .
Guidelines , however , are not as useful as diagnostic criteria , which have yet to be developed , according to pediatric rheumatologist Grant Schulert .
He works with teams at Cincinnati Children ’ s Hospital that have treated several youngsters diagnosed with MIS-C. For now , case definitions are written so broadly , they could muddy diagnoses , Schulert says .
Another problem , he notes , is that MIS-C case definitions often specify using antibody tests for the virus , which indicate that patients have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past .
Those results are a useful marker in regions currently experiencing a peak in infections , Schulert says , but not in places in which the virus has been slowly creeping among people for many months—such as much of the Midwest , where he works .
“ In the winter , if we see a patient with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 who is antibody-positive , we can not necessarily assume that they were infected in the past four weeks , ” he says .
“ This highlights the need to understand the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ biologically based classification and diagnostic criteria can be constructed.
” The common thread across all cases , says Michael Levin , the pediatric infectious disease specialist who appeared in the CDC Webinar , is severe inflammation of multiple organ systems , as evidenced by blood markers , along with exposure to SARS-CoV-2 .
Levin ’ s team was the first to define MIS-C when it did so for the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health .
The CDC and World Health Organization soon followed .
To avoid misdiagnosis , doctors have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions , ranging from tick-borne illnesses to sepsis .
But the fear of missing a potential MIS-C patient can lead hospital physicians to perform excessive and unnecessary testing in patients with fevers , says pediatric infectious disease specialist Jocelyn Ang .
She and her colleagues have treated at least three dozen MIS-C patients at Children ’ s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit .
Figuring out how to treat MIS-C is even more fraught than diagnosing it , some doctors say .
“ Right now we ’ re using really blunt treatment based off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have better information , ” McCulloh says .
Given that some MIS-C symptoms overlap with those for Kawasaki disease and other inflammatory illnesses , physicians have , with some success , relied on treatments for those conditions to tamp down the inflammation and the overactive immune system that brought it on .
Treatments include intravenous immunoglobulin—an anti-inflammatory blood product—as well as steroids and monoclonal antibodies .
In mild cases , some patients recover with minimal intervention that stabilizes their blood pressure or breathing while their immune system settles down .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demonstrate which drugs , if any , are effective or the best course of action .
As a stopgap move until randomized controlled treatment studies are funded , researchers have launched case-registry efforts in the U.S. and U.K .
In one led by Imperial College London , health care workers representing 90 different hospitals in 39 countries , including Brazil , Norway , and Pakistan , have entered their lengthy MIS-C case and treatment details in an anonymized online database .
With statistical corrections for bias in treatments based on disease severity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worked for patients across many places .
With enough entries , helpful guidance could come by the end of the year , Levin says .
Similarly , the CDC has funded a study led by Boston Children ’ s Hospital that is collecting data at more than 70 U.S. hospitals and analyzing risk factors and outcomes among 2,000 children and young adults hospitalized with COVID-19 and MIS-C .
The group reported the features and treatment of 186 patients with MIS-C in 26 U.S. states , and its analysis is ongoing , says Adrienne @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care at Boston Children ’ s and the project ’ s principal investigator .
And a multinational study , funded by the European Commission and led by Imperial College London , is collecting blood samples from patients with COVID-19 , MIS-C and other infections .
The researchers are looking for telltale compounds in blood in order to classify conditions by their molecular signature for use in diagnosis , Levin says .
Initial results could come this fall .
As for Chiang ’ s challenging case in June , her patient recovered well and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few weeks ago the girl ’ s mother told Chiang that her daughter was anxious , probably from the experience with MIS-C , which included two hospitalizations and multiple drug treatments .
Chiang empathizes and sees the big picture .
“ I can imagine being a young adult like her , ” she says .
“ You have this illness that is brand new , so doctors have very little experience in treating it .
And you hear all these things in the media about how scary the disease is .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard.
” Read more about the coronavirus outbreak from Scientific American here .
And read coverage from our international network of magazines here .
This article was first published at ScientificAmerican.com .
© ScientificAmerican.com .
All rights reserved Follow Scientific American on Twitter @ SciAm and @ SciamBlogs .
Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science , health and technology news .

On a warm, mid-June afternoon a concerned mother brought her 11-year-old daughter, who had a high fever and a severe bellyache, to the emergency room at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, R.I. After doctors ruled out the usual suspects for the symptoms, such as bacterial infections and appendicitis, they started to seriously consider a diagnosis that would have been inconceivable two months prior: an emergent and potentially fatal inflammatory condition that occurs in children about four weeks after they are exposed to the new coronavirus.
The rare disease—called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) in the U.S. or pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome in the U.K., where it was first defined this past spring—is a hyperimmune response to SARS-CoV-2. It disproportionately affects Black, Hispanic and Latino children. In some cases of MIS-C resembling the bacterial overloads of toxic shock syndrome, youngsters arrive at the hospital with shock symptoms and organ failure. In others, they experience a high fever and inflammatory symptoms resembling those of Kawasaki disease, which strikes children’s blood vessels. Or the illness can look like neither of those threats, even though affected kids still have a high fever and widespread inflammation. Nearly all of the children treated for MIS-C survive and appear to be healthy afterward. But when it is undiagnosed or untreated, the condition can permanently damage the heart or cause death.
The disease is so new that there is no consensus on several of its fundamental features or on how to treat it. But insights from doctors who have been confronting MIS-C this summer, along with new research about its victims, are starting to reveal important clues. For instance, a small study published on August 18 in Nature Medicine concluded that the condition is distinct from Kawasaki disease, as many doctors suspected. And several large research efforts that have recently been launched could soon clarify how to diagnose MIS-C and identify trends in treatments that seem to work best.
As of August 20, 694 MIS-C cases and 11 deaths had been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 1,000 cases had been documented worldwide by late July. Children are hospitalized for COVID-19 more than they are for MIS-C, according to various reports, but doctors say the latter is more dangerous. Although most youngsters recover, they often do so after severe illness. According to three recent studies, between 64 percent and 80 percent of those hospitalized for the condition required intensive care treatment, compared with about 33 percent of children hospitalized for COVID-19.
With so few cases and descriptive studies, no diagnostic tests and no randomized controlled experimental results to guide treatment, hospital pediatricians have had to dig deep to figure out how to help the young victims. Silvia Chiang, a Brown University pediatric infectious disease (ID) specialist, and her colleague Sabina Holland managed the case at Hasbro. Keen for insight, Chiang followed evaluation guidelines developed by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to the point where they read, “Consult ID”—in other words, she should consult herself. “I thought, ‘Ha ha. Okay. So now what do I do?’” she recalls.
Because there are no doctors who have any depth of experience with MIS-C, infectious disease physicians are huddling in-house with colleagues in specialties such as cardiology, hematology and rheumatology. Some of them are consulting far-flung colleagues with experience in treating the inflammatory Kawasaki disease, which has unknown causes, affects a few thousand young children annually in the U.S. and is more common in Japan.
As Chiang pursued clues for how to treat her patient, she came across limited CDC guidelines, as well as a Webinar for clinicians hosted by the agency. The latter featured a doctor affiliated with Imperial College London and St. Mary’s Hospital in London, who described dozens of area children who came down with MIS-C’s characteristic high fever and severe inflammation, which seemed to arise about a month after exposure to the new coronavirus. Chiang learned that four weeks before coming to the hospital, two of the Hasbro patient’s family members had recovered at home from relatively mild cases of COVID-19. The girl tested positive at the hospital for the coronavirus and for antibodies to it. Along with imaging scans, blood-work results and the CDC’s description, the evidence added up to MIS-C—the first reported case in Rhode Island.
Rapid, accurate diagnosis of MIS-C is crucial for treating children before the illness damages their heart or causes other life-threatening complications.“Kids come in kind of irritable and feverish and then, hours later, they just suddenly tank,” says Russell McCulloh, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha. In some cases, hospitalized children quickly developed coronary artery inflammation, cardiac dysfunction such as a weakly pumping heart or even heart failure so severe that patients are placed on a so-called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine to do the work of the heart or lungs or on a mechanical ventilator to do the work of the latter.
U.S. children’s hospitals, the American College of Rheumatology and the American Academy of Pediatrics have recently published guidance for physicians on how to evaluate, diagnose and treat MIS-C, such as the material Chiang consulted. But that information is preliminary. As more cases advance doctors’ understanding, the guidelines will likely evolve, McCulloh says. He and his colleagues have treated about a dozen cases now. Guidelines, however, are not as useful as diagnostic criteria, which have yet to be developed, according to pediatric rheumatologist Grant Schulert. He works with teams at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital that have treated several youngsters diagnosed with MIS-C. For now, case definitions are written so broadly, they could muddy diagnoses, Schulert says.
Another problem, he notes, is that MIS-C case definitions often specify using antibody tests for the virus, which indicate that patients have been infected at some point in the recent past. Those results are a useful marker in regions currently experiencing a peak in infections, Schulert says, but not in places in which the virus has been slowly creeping among people for many months—such as much of the Midwest, where he works. “In the winter, if we see a patient with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 who is antibody-positive, we cannot necessarily assume that they were infected in the past four weeks,” he says. “This highlights the need to understand the biology of MIS-C, so a more biologically based classification and diagnostic criteria can be constructed.”
The common thread across all cases, says Michael Levin, the pediatric infectious disease specialist who appeared in the CDC Webinar, is severe inflammation of multiple organ systems, as evidenced by blood markers, along with exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Levin’s team was the first to define MIS-C when it did so for the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health. The CDC and World Health Organization soon followed.
To avoid misdiagnosis, doctors have to also consider a laundry list of other conditions, ranging from tick-borne illnesses to sepsis. But the fear of missing a potential MIS-C patient can lead hospital physicians to perform excessive and unnecessary testing in patients with fevers, says pediatric infectious disease specialist Jocelyn Ang. She and her colleagues have treated at least three dozen MIS-C patients at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit.
Figuring out how to treat MIS-C is even more fraught than diagnosing it, some doctors say. “Right now we’re using really blunt treatment based off of other diseases, because we don’t have better information,” McCulloh says. Given that some MIS-C symptoms overlap with those for Kawasaki disease and other inflammatory illnesses, physicians have, with some success, relied on treatments for those conditions to tamp down the inflammation and the overactive immune system that brought it on. Treatments include intravenous immunoglobulin—an anti-inflammatory blood product—as well as steroids and monoclonal antibodies. In mild cases, some patients recover with minimal intervention that stabilizes their blood pressure or breathing while their immune system settles down. But there are no data so far to demonstrate which drugs, if any, are effective or the best course of action.
As a stopgap move until randomized controlled treatment studies are funded, researchers have launched case-registry efforts in the U.S. and U.K. In one led by Imperial College London, health care workers representing 90 different hospitals in 39 countries, including Brazil, Norway, and Pakistan, have entered their lengthy MIS-C case and treatment details in an anonymized online database. With statistical corrections for bias in treatments based on disease severity, analysts could compare how well specific approaches worked for patients across many places. With enough entries, helpful guidance could come by the end of the year, Levin says.
Similarly, the CDC has funded a study led by Boston Children’s Hospital that is collecting data at more than 70 U.S. hospitals and analyzing risk factors and outcomes among 2,000 children and young adults hospitalized with COVID-19 and MIS-C. The group reported the features and treatment of 186 patients with MIS-C in 26 U.S. states, and its analysis is ongoing, says Adrienne Randolph, a senior associate in critical care at Boston Children’s and the project’s principal investigator. And a multinational study, funded by the European Commission and led by Imperial College London, is collecting blood samples from patients with COVID-19, MIS-C and other infections. The researchers are looking for telltale compounds in blood in order to classify conditions by their molecular signature for use in diagnosis, Levin says. Initial results could come this fall.
As for Chiang’s challenging case in June, her patient recovered well and has shown no lasting problems. But a few weeks ago the girl’s mother told Chiang that her daughter was anxious, probably from the experience with MIS-C, which included two hospitalizations and multiple drug treatments. Chiang empathizes and sees the big picture. “I can imagine being a young adult like her,” she says. “You have this illness that is brand new, so doctors have very little experience in treating it. And you hear all these things in the media about how scary the disease is. I can imagine that would be a bit hard.”
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livescience--2020-09-04--Stunning new sun images show our star's popcorn-like magnetic field structure

Need a little more in your life ?
German scientists have just finished upgrading a solar telescope called GREGOR at the Teide Observatory in the Canary Islands , and the result is a spectacular new set of images of our star .
`` This was a very exciting , but also extremely challenging project , '' Lucia Kleint , a scientist at the Leibniz Institute for Solar Physics in Freiburg , Germany and lead researcher on the project , .
`` In only one year we completely redesigned the optics , mechanics and electronics to achieve the best possible image @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2012 as Europe 's largest and the upgrade project began in 2018 .
The upgrades included work on the telescope 's optics and control systems , repainting the observatory to reflect less light and interfere less with observations , and implementing new scheduling policies to improve the scientific output of observations .
All told , the telescope now allows scientists to capture features on the sun that are only 30 miles ( 50 kilometers ) across , according to the statement .
And since solar activity is currently on an upswing as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solar cycle ends , there will be plenty for GREGOR to study .
`` The project was rather risky because such telescope upgrades usually take years , but the great team work and meticulous planning have led to this success , '' Svetlana Berdyugina , an astrophysicist at the Albert-Ludwig University of Freiburg in Germany and director of the Leibniz Institute for Solar Physics , said in the same statement .
`` Now we have a powerful instrument to solve puzzles on the sun . ''
The upgrades are described in published Sept. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels @ space.com or follow her on Twitter @ meghanbartels .
Follow us on Twitter @ Spacedotcom and on Facebook .

Need a little more sun in your life?
German scientists have just finished upgrading a solar telescope called GREGOR at the Teide Observatory in the Canary Islands, and the result is a spectacular new set of images of our star.
"This was a very exciting, but also extremely challenging project," Lucia Kleint, a scientist at the Leibniz Institute for Solar Physics in Freiburg, Germany and lead researcher on the project, said in a statement . "In only one year we completely redesigned the optics, mechanics and electronics to achieve the best possible image quality."
Related: World's largest solar telescope produces never-before-seen image of our star
GREGOR began its observations in 2012 as Europe's largest solar telescope and the upgrade project began in 2018. The upgrades included work on the telescope's optics and control systems, repainting the observatory to reflect less light and interfere less with observations, and implementing new scheduling policies to improve the scientific output of observations.
All told, the telescope now allows scientists to capture features on the sun that are only 30 miles (50 kilometers) across, according to the statement. And since solar activity is currently on an upswing as the minimum point of the current 11-year solar cycle ends, there will be plenty for GREGOR to study.
A new image from GREGOR shows magnetic structures on the sun. (Image credit: KIS)
"The project was rather risky because such telescope upgrades usually take years, but the great team work and meticulous planning have led to this success," Svetlana Berdyugina, an astrophysicist at the Albert-Ludwig University of Freiburg in Germany and director of the Leibniz Institute for Solar Physics, said in the same statement. "Now we have a powerful instrument to solve puzzles on the sun."
The upgrades are described in a paper published Sept. 1 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her on Twitter @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.


livescience--2020-09-04--Viking sword placed on warrior's left side likely prepared him for 'mirror afterlife'

Archaeologists in Norway have unearthed the 1,100-year-old grave of a warrior , whose steel sword was placed in an unusual spot : on his left side .
Though the sword 's sinistral position is still somewhat perplexing , one theory is that the Vikings perceived the afterlife to be a mirror image of the real world , so whoever buried this warrior may have been accounting for that , said Raymond Sauvage , the excavation 's project manager and an archaeologist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology ( NTNU ) University Museum .
According to that theory , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worn the sword at his right hip , so the 2.6-foot-long ( 80 centimeters ) sword was simply buried on what would have been his `` mirror '' side , Sauvage said .
`` Usually , the swords in Viking graves are placed on the right-hand side , '' Sauvage told Live Science in an email .
`` Normally , a warrior would [ fasten ] his sword on the left side '' so that it could be pulled out by the right hand .
This discrepancy — that is , that Vikings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the body from where weapons were typically worn — has led some to think that the Vikings believed in a `` mirror world '' afterlife .
`` The idea is that this placement must reflect some beliefs that were important in the mortuary rites , '' Sauvage said , adding that `` other [ Viking ] items are often found to be placed mirrored of what is normal .
Several archaeologists therefore believe that this may reflect a belief that they understood the afterlife to be mirrored of the normal world .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this mirror-afterlife belief .
`` This is a notion that exists in several beliefs and religions , across time and space , '' Sauvage said .
Archaeologists found this Viking grave and others ahead of a road construction project in the village of Vinjeøra , in central Norway .
So far , excavation teams have found about 10 burial mounds that contain roughly 20 graves , including those of and , which were excavated in 2019 .
The new excavation revealed that one of the mounds held three graves : the warrior buried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a spear , axe and shield boss ( the round material , usually made of heavy metal , at the center of the shield ) ; a grave with a broad axe ; and a cremation burial with artifacts usually associated with female burials , including an oval brooch , scissors and beads .
`` We do not know their exact relation and chronology yet , but we will figure this out during our study of the find , '' Sauvage noted .
However , these three buried individuals are likely related @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we see that burials were often reused , and it was important to lie close to ancestors . ''
In Norse society , ancestral worship was an important part of everyday life , `` and we believe this may be reflected in this way of reusing graves across centuries , and situating them close together , '' he said .
The team has already gathered a few details from the sword burial .
`` The fact that he was buried with a full set of weapons tells us that this was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the early Middle Ages , most warriors were free men who owned their own farms , ” Sauvage said in an NTNU statement .
This interpretation fits with the site , which was a farm during Viking times , which lasted from the late eighth to early 11th century .
`` The law in the Middle Ages dictated that a farmer had to procure weaponry , '' Sauvage continued .
`` First , you were required to get an axe and a shield , and eventually you could also have a spear and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cremated remains is ongoing , but will hopefully reveal the individual 's age , sex and any physical signs of maladies .
The cremated remains are heavy , at least several pounds , which is unusual in Viking culture .
`` A study done several years ago showed that cremation graves from the Iron Age , on average , contain only about 250 grams [ 0.5 lbs . ]
of bone , '' Sauvage said .
`` A dead human body that is cremated , on the other hand , burns down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ]
of bones . ''
In the old Viking sagas , ancestral bones were viewed as having magical properties , such as giving people strength and curing illness , Sauvage said .
Perhaps these `` missing '' bones were used for those purposes , he said .
In this case , all of the woman 's remains appear to be present , based on the cremation 's weight , although the archaeologists also found some bird bones in the burial .
The team plans to finish the excavations , which are being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , this fall .

Archaeologist Astrid Kviseth is the first person to lift this Viking sword in about 1,100 years. It was buried with a warrior who lived in what is now Trøndelag, Norway.
Archaeologists in Norway have unearthed the 1,100-year-old grave of a Viking warrior, whose steel sword was placed in an unusual spot: on his left side.
Though the sword's sinistral position is still somewhat perplexing, one theory is that the Vikings perceived the afterlife to be a mirror image of the real world, so whoever buried this warrior may have been accounting for that, said Raymond Sauvage, the excavation's project manager and an archaeologist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) University Museum. According to that theory, the warrior would have been left-handed and worn the sword at his right hip, so the 2.6-foot-long (80 centimeters) sword was simply buried on what would have been his "mirror" side, Sauvage said.
"Usually, the swords in Viking graves are placed on the right-hand side," Sauvage told Live Science in an email. "Normally, a warrior would [fasten] his sword on the left side" so that it could be pulled out by the right hand. This discrepancy — that is, that Vikings buried their swords on the opposite side of the body from where weapons were typically worn — has led some archaeologists to think that the Vikings believed in a "mirror world" afterlife.
Related: Photos: 10th-century Viking tomb unearthed in Denmark
"The idea is that this placement must reflect some beliefs that were important in the mortuary rites," Sauvage said, adding that "other [Viking] items are often found to be placed mirrored of what is normal. Several archaeologists therefore believe that this may reflect a belief that they understood the afterlife to be mirrored of the normal world."
The Vikings weren't alone in this mirror-afterlife belief. "This is a notion that exists in several beliefs and religions, across time and space," Sauvage said.
Buried together
Archaeologists found this Viking grave and others ahead of a road construction project in the village of Vinjeøra, in central Norway. So far, excavation teams have found about 10 burial mounds that contain roughly 20 graves, including those of two mortuary houses and three boat graves , which were excavated in 2019. The new excavation revealed that one of the mounds held three graves: the warrior buried with the left-placed sword, as well as a spear, axe and shield boss (the round material, usually made of heavy metal, at the center of the shield); a grave with a broad axe; and a cremation burial with artifacts usually associated with female burials, including an oval brooch, scissors and beads.
"We do not know their exact relation and chronology yet, but we will figure this out during our study of the find," Sauvage noted. However, these three buried individuals are likely related, he said. "At Vinjeøra, we see that burials were often reused, and it was important to lie close to ancestors." In Norse society, ancestral worship was an important part of everyday life, "and we believe this may be reflected in this way of reusing graves across centuries, and situating them close together," he said.
Researchers plan to X-ray the Viking sword, which will show what’s hiding under the corrosion, such as ornamentation or pattern welding on the blade. (Image credit: Ellen Grav Ellingsen/NTNU University Museum; CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
The team has already gathered a few details from the sword burial. "The fact that he was buried with a full set of weapons tells us that this was a warrior, and in Viking times and the early Middle Ages, most warriors were free men who owned their own farms,” Sauvage said in an NTNU statement.
Related: Images: Viking-age jewelry revealed in sparkling photos
This interpretation fits with the site, which was a farm during Viking times, which lasted from the late eighth to early 11th century. "The law in the Middle Ages dictated that a farmer had to procure weaponry," Sauvage continued. "First, you were required to get an axe and a shield, and eventually you could also have a spear and a sword."
A study of the cremated remains is ongoing, but will hopefully reveal the individual's age, sex and any physical signs of maladies.
The cremated remains are heavy, at least several pounds, which is unusual in Viking culture. "A study done several years ago showed that cremation graves from the Iron Age, on average, contain only about 250 grams [0.5 lbs.] of bone," Sauvage said. "A dead human body that is cremated, on the other hand, burns down to about 2 kilos [4.4 lbs.] of bones."
In the old Viking sagas, ancestral bones were viewed as having magical properties, such as giving people strength and curing illness, Sauvage said. Perhaps these "missing" bones were used for those purposes, he said. In this case, all of the woman's remains appear to be present, based on the cremation's weight, although the archaeologists also found some bird bones in the burial.
The team plans to finish the excavations, which are being financed by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, this fall.
Originally published on Live Science.