livescience--2020-10-05--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--2020-10-05--CDC finally acknowledges airborne COVID-19 spread, for real this time

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) has to acknowledge that the virus can sometimes spread via `` airborne transmission , '' or small droplet particles that linger in the air for long periods .
The revised guidance follows the CDC 's blunder last month , in which the agency seemingly acknowledged airborne spread only to delete the information from its website two days later , .
At the time , the CDC said that a draft version of the guidance had been posted in error , and that it was still working on its updated recommendations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appears finalized .
On Monday ( Oct. 5 ) , the agency officially announced it had updated the information on its `` `` website to address airborne spread .
The website states that `` some infections [ of COVID-19 ] can be spread by exposure to virus in small droplets and particles that can linger in the air for minutes to hours .
These viruses may be able to infect people who are further than 6 feet [ 1.8 meters ] away from the person who is infected or after that person has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this type of spread can happen under certain conditions , specifically `` enclosed spaces that had inadequate ventilation , '' the website says .
Still , the new guidance seems to deemphasize aerosol spread as compared with the earlier draft guidance that was mistakenly posted .
That draft guidance said that COVID-19 could spread through `` respiratory droplets or small particles , such as those in aerosols , '' and noted that `` this is thought to be the main way the virus spreads . ''
The agency 's new guidelines stress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that COVID-19 spreads .
`` Available data indicate that it is much more common for the virus that causes COVID-19 to spread through close contact with a person who has COVID-19 than through airborne transmission . ''
Overall , the CDC said it 's guidance on how to protect yourself from COVID-19 has n't changed , according to a from the agency .
`` People can protect themselves from the virus that causes COVID-19 by staying at least 6 feet away from others , wearing a mask that covers their nose and mouth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ touched surfaces often and staying home when sick , '' the statement said .
The agency 's website includes an additional recommendation to `` avoid crowded indoor spaces and ensure indoor spaces are properly ventilated by bringing in outdoor air as much as possible . ''

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its COVID-19 guidance to acknowledge that the virus can sometimes spread via "airborne transmission," or small droplet particles that linger in the air for long periods.
The revised guidance follows the CDC's blunder last month, in which the agency seemingly acknowledged airborne spread only to delete the information from its website two days later, Live Science previously reported . At the time, the CDC said that a draft version of the guidance had been posted in error, and that it was still working on its updated recommendations.
But now, the new guidance appears finalized. On Monday (Oct. 5), the agency officially announced it had updated the information on its " How COVID-19 Spreads " website to address airborne spread.
The website states that "some infections [of COVID-19] can be spread by exposure to virus in small droplets and particles that can linger in the air for minutes to hours. These viruses may be able to infect people who are further than 6 feet [1.8 meters] away from the person who is infected or after that person has left the space."
Related: 14 coronavirus myths busted by science
Studies show that this type of spread can happen under certain conditions, specifically "enclosed spaces that had inadequate ventilation," the website says.
Still, the new guidance seems to deemphasize aerosol spread as compared with the earlier draft guidance that was mistakenly posted. That draft guidance said that COVID-19 could spread through "respiratory droplets or small particles, such as those in aerosols," and noted that "this is thought to be the main way the virus spreads."
The agency's new guidelines stress that aerosols are not the main way that COVID-19 spreads. "Available data indicate that it is much more common for the virus that causes COVID-19 to spread through close contact with a person who has COVID-19 than through airborne transmission."
Overall, the CDC said it's guidance on how to protect yourself from COVID-19 hasn't changed, according to a statement from the agency. "People can protect themselves from the virus that causes COVID-19 by staying at least 6 feet away from others, wearing a mask that covers their nose and mouth, washing their hands frequently, cleaning touched surfaces often and staying home when sick," the statement said.
The agency's website includes an additional recommendation to "avoid crowded indoor spaces and ensure indoor spaces are properly ventilated by bringing in outdoor air as much as possible."
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-10-05--Megalodon's hugeness was 'off-the-scale' — even for a shark

was the most massive shark that ever lived , and its gargantuan girth was highly unusual even among sharks , scientists recently discovered .
In fact , Megalodon 's gigantism — it 's estimated to have measured up to 50 feet ( 15 meters ) in length , about as long as a bowling lane — was `` off-the-scale , '' researchers wrote in a new study .
Evidence from extinct and living sharks in the order Lamniformes , the group that includes Megalodon , revealed that not only was the king of sharks an extreme outlier when compared with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bigger than the next-biggest extinct shark in the Lamniformes order by at least 23 feet ( 7 m ) , the scientists reported .
Modern sharks are certainly pipsqueaks when compared with Megalodon ( Otodus megalodon ) .
The biggest known predatory species , the ( Carcharodon carcharias ) , grows to only about 20 feet ( 6 m ) long , and the filter-feeding ( Rhincodon typus ) , the biggest fish species alive today , measures about 18 to 33 feet ( 6 to 10 m ) from nose to tail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13 species of lamniform sharks alive today ; these include mako sharks ( the Isurus genus ) , deep-sea goblin sharks ( Mitsukurina ) , and thresher sharks ( Alopias ) , as well as great whites .
Most Megalodon fossils date to around 15 million years ago , and lamniforms were plentiful from the end of the ( 252 million to about 66 million years ago ) into the early , ( 65 million years ago to the present ) .
However , little is known about the anatomy of extinct lamniforms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cartilage rather than bone , they are extremely scarce in the fossil record , save for their plentiful fossilized teeth , said lead study author Kenshu Shimada , a professor of paleobiology at DePaul University in Chicago and a research associate at the Sternberg Museum in Kansas .
Tooth size can be used to estimate a shark ’ s body size because as sharks grow they continuously replace their teeth , getting new and bigger ones over time .
In the new study , Shimada and his colleagues generated a new tool for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the actual quantitative relationship between body length and tooth size in lamniforms .
They based it on the teeth and known body lengths from 32 specimens of living , predatory lamniform sharks , representing all 13 species that are not plankton-eaters , Shimada told Live Science in an email .
They then applied their equation to extinct predatory lamniforms .
The scientists found that many extinct lamniform sharks were quite large , with four Mesozoic genera ( Cretodus , Cretoxyrhina , Hispidaspis and Scapanorhynchus ) and four Cenozoic genera ( Alopias , Carcharodon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least one shark species that grew to more than 20 feet ( 6 m ) in length .
Why does this group have so many supersize sharks ?
Their gigantism may be fueled by a reproductive strategy : Bearing live young `` with a unique cannibalistic egg-eating behavior '' that nourishes early-hatching embryos , enabling them to grow large while still inside their mothers by feeding on their siblings , Shimada said in the email .
But even though the researchers found that gigantism was common in multiple lamniform lineages , Megalodon dwarfed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected Megalodon to be large , '' Shimada said .
What they did not predict was that there would be a gap of 23 feet ( 7 m ) between Megalodon and the next-largest predatory lamniform shark in the fossil record , he said .
According to their calculations , all other lamniforms that did not eat plankton grew no bigger than 23 feet in length , the authors reported .
While the Megalodon picture is now a little clearer than it was before , many fundamental questions about the size of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the particulars of its body structure and what caused Megalodon ’ s over-the-top gigantism , Shimada said .
`` Why Megalodon became extinct is another big fundamental question that remains unsettled , '' he added .
The findings were published online today ( Oct. 5 ) in the journal .

Gigantism was common in extinct lamniform sharks — the group that includes Megalodon — but Megalodon was the biggest by far.
Megalodon was the most massive shark that ever lived, and its gargantuan girth was highly unusual even among sharks, scientists recently discovered.
In fact, Megalodon's gigantism — it's estimated to have measured up to 50 feet (15 meters) in length, about as long as a bowling lane — was "off-the-scale," researchers wrote in a new study.
Evidence from extinct and living sharks in the order Lamniformes, the group that includes Megalodon, revealed that not only was the king of sharks an extreme outlier when compared with modern species; it was also substantially bigger than the next-biggest extinct shark in the Lamniformes order by at least 23 feet (7 m), the scientists reported.
Related: 7 unanswered questions about sharks
Modern sharks are comparative pipsqueaks next to Megalodon (Otodus megalodon). The biggest known predatory species, the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), grows to only about 20 feet (6 m) long, and the filter-feeding whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the biggest fish species alive today, measures about 18 to 33 feet (6 to 10 m) from nose to tail tip, on average. (However, the biggest known whale shark measured a whopping 62 feet (19 m) long, researchers reported in 2015 in the journal PeerJ.)
There are 13 species of lamniform sharks alive today; these include mako sharks (the Isurus genus), deep-sea goblin sharks (Mitsukurina), and thresher sharks (Alopias), as well as great whites.
Most Megalodon fossils date to around 15 million years ago, and lamniforms were plentiful from the end of the Mesozoic era (252 million to about 66 million years ago) into the early Cenozoic era , (65 million years ago to the present). However, little is known about the anatomy of extinct lamniforms; since shark skeletons are made of cartilage rather than bone, they are extremely scarce in the fossil record, save for their plentiful fossilized teeth, said lead study author Kenshu Shimada, a professor of paleobiology at DePaul University in Chicago and a research associate at the Sternberg Museum in Kansas.
Tooth size can be used to estimate a shark’s body size because as sharks grow they continuously replace their teeth, getting new and bigger ones over time. In the new study, Shimada and his colleagues generated a new tool for calculating body length: an equation representing the actual quantitative relationship between body length and tooth size in lamniforms. They based it on the teeth and known body lengths from 32 specimens of living, predatory lamniform sharks, representing all 13 species that are not plankton-eaters, Shimada told Live Science in an email. They then applied their equation to extinct predatory lamniforms.
Schematic drawing showing the distribution of maximum possible sizes of all known non-planktivorous genera in the shark order Lamniformes, comprising modern (in gray) and extinct (in black; with hypothetical silhouettes) members and in comparison with an average adult human (in red) for scale. (Image credit: Image by Kenshu Shimada, DePaul University)
The scientists found that many extinct lamniform sharks were quite large, with four Mesozoic genera (Cretodus, Cretoxyrhina, Hispidaspis and Scapanorhynchus) and four Cenozoic genera (Alopias, Carcharodon, Isurus and Otodus) holding at least one shark species that grew to more than 20 feet (6 m) in length.
Why does this group have so many supersize sharks? Their gigantism may be fueled by a reproductive strategy: Bearing live young "with a unique cannibalistic egg-eating behavior" that nourishes early-hatching embryos, enabling them to grow large while still inside their mothers by feeding on their siblings, Shimada said in the email.
But even though the researchers found that gigantism was common in multiple lamniform lineages, Megalodon dwarfed extinct sharks, too.
"We expected Megalodon to be large," Shimada said. What they did not predict was that there would be a gap of 23 feet (7 m) between Megalodon and the next-largest predatory lamniform shark in the fossil record, he said. According to their calculations, all other lamniforms that did not eat plankton grew no bigger than 23 feet in length, the authors reported.
While the Megalodon picture is now a little clearer than it was before, many fundamental questions about the size of the massive super-shark are still unanswered, such as the particulars of its body structure and what caused Megalodon’s over-the-top gigantism, Shimada said.
"Why Megalodon became extinct is another big fundamental question that remains unsettled," he added.
The findings were published online today (Oct. 5) in the journal Historical Biology .
EDITOR'S NOTE: The article was updated on Oct. 7 to include the length of the biggest confirmed whale shark.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-10-05--Nobel Prize in Medicine goes to discoverers of hepatitis C

Three scientists won the 2020 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their discovery of hepatitis C , a blood-borne virus that can cause chronic inflammation of the liver , leading to severe scarring and cancer .
The researchers Harvey Alter , Michael Houghton and Charles Rice `` made seminal discoveries that led to the identification of a novel virus , C virus , '' the Nobel Committee .
Two other forms of viral hepatitis — hepatitis A and B — had already been discovered at the time , but most cases of chronic hepatitis remained unexplained , they noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus revealed the cause of the remaining cases of chronic hepatitis and made possible blood tests and new medicines that have saved millions of lives , '' the committee wrote .
The scientists ' award-winning work took place between the 1970s and 1990s , and enabled doctors to screen patients ' blood for the virus and cure many of the disease , .
The word `` hepatitis '' derives from the Greek words for `` `` and `` , '' and in addition to hepatitis viruses , the condition can arise from alcohol @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parasites and autoimmune disorders where the attacks the liver , .
Hepatitis A and E typically cause short-term illness and are transmitted through food or water contaminated with fecal matter .
Hepatitis B and C , on the other hand , can lead to chronic infections and are transmitted through blood and other bodily fluids .
Physician and geneticist Baruch Blumberg won the 1976 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for first identifying hepatitis B , a discovery that led to both diagnostic tests for the virus and a successful vaccine , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this discovery , many cases of chronic hepatitis continued to crop up in patients who received transfusions , hinting that a second blood-borne virus might also cause the disease .
Alter found that the illness , which he called `` non-A , non-B '' hepatitis , could be transmitted from humans to chimpanzees through blood and had the characteristics of a virus .
Houghton later led work to clone the virus and named it hepatitis C. Rice examined the virus 's genetic material , known as , and performed genetic engineering experiments to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chimps and humans .
These experiments revealed that some forms of the virus do not cause disease , but an `` active '' form with specific genetic characteristics does .
Collectively , the three scientists ' discoveries led to the development of highly sensitive blood tests and antiviral drugs for hepatitis C ; the new treatments can cure about 95 % of hepatitis C patients , Science Magazine reported .
`` For the first time in history , the disease can now be cured , raising hopes of eradicating hepatitis C virus from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Committee wrote .
That said , about 71 million people still live with chronic hepatitis C infections , worldwide , and the World Health Organization estimates that 400,000 people died of the disease in 2016 , according to Science Magazine .
A big problem is `` getting drugs to people and places where they desperately need them , '' John McLauchlan , a professor of viral hepatitis at the University of Glasgow , told , noting that the disease primarily affects poor populations and people who use drugs .

Three scientists won the 2020 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their discovery of hepatitis C, a blood-borne virus that can cause chronic inflammation of the liver, leading to severe scarring and cancer.
The researchers Harvey Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles Rice "made seminal discoveries that led to the identification of a novel virus, hepatitis C virus," the Nobel Committee wrote in a statement . Two other forms of viral hepatitis — hepatitis A and B — had already been discovered at the time, but most cases of chronic hepatitis remained unexplained, they noted.
"The discovery of hepatitis C virus revealed the cause of the remaining cases of chronic hepatitis and made possible blood tests and new medicines that have saved millions of lives," the committee wrote. The scientists' award-winning work took place between the 1970s and 1990s, and enabled doctors to screen patients' blood for the virus and cure many of the disease, Science Magazine reported .
Related: 7 revolutionary Nobel Prizes in medicine
The word "hepatitis" derives from the Greek words for " liver " and " inflammation ," and in addition to hepatitis viruses, the condition can arise from alcohol and drug use, bacterial infections, parasites and autoimmune disorders where the immune system attacks the liver, Live Science previously reported . Hepatitis A and E typically cause short-term illness and are transmitted through food or water contaminated with fecal matter. Hepatitis B and C, on the other hand, can lead to chronic infections and are transmitted through blood and other bodily fluids.
Physician and geneticist Baruch Blumberg won the 1976 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for first identifying hepatitis B, a discovery that led to both diagnostic tests for the virus and a successful vaccine, the committee wrote. However, even after this discovery, many cases of chronic hepatitis continued to crop up in patients who received blood transfusions, hinting that a second blood-borne virus might also cause the disease.
Alter found that the illness, which he called "non-A, non-B" hepatitis, could be transmitted from humans to chimpanzees through blood and had the characteristics of a virus. Houghton later led work to clone the virus and named it hepatitis C. Rice examined the virus's genetic material, known as RNA , and performed genetic engineering experiments to learn how the pathogen causes hepatitis in chimps and humans. These experiments revealed that some forms of the virus do not cause disease, but an "active" form with specific genetic characteristics does.
Collectively, the three scientists' discoveries led to the development of highly sensitive blood tests and antiviral drugs for hepatitis C; the new treatments can cure about 95% of hepatitis C patients, Science Magazine reported. "For the first time in history, the disease can now be cured, raising hopes of eradicating hepatitis C virus from the world population," the Nobel Committee wrote.
That said, about 71 million people still live with chronic hepatitis C infections, worldwide, and the World Health Organization estimates that 400,000 people died of the disease in 2016, according to Science Magazine.
A big problem is "getting drugs to people and places where they desperately need them," John McLauchlan, a professor of viral hepatitis at the University of Glasgow, told The Associated Press , noting that the disease primarily affects poor populations and people who use drugs.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-10-06--Dozens of ancient penguin 'mummies' discovered at lost nesting site in Antarctica

On a dry , windy cape in southern , the ground is strewn with dead , mummified .
The rocks around them are littered with bones , pebbles and guano stains — the telltale marks of a freshly abandoned Adélie penguin colony .
Scenes like this are common around Antarctica 's Ross Sea , which is home to millions of Adélies and other thriving penguin populations .
Still , the sight at Cape Irizar puzzled biologist Steve Emslie , a professor at the University of North Carolina , Wilmington , when he visited in January 2016 ; he knew that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in hundreds of years .
Where had the remains of this ghostly colony suddenly materialized from ?
Now , in a study published Sept. 18 in the journal , Emslie offers an answer .
A radiocarbon analysis of bones , eggshells and mummified skin samples collected at the site reveals that the seemingly fresh penguin remains at Cape Irizar are actually hundreds to thousands of years old .
According to Emslie , the site has been occupied by breeding penguin colonies at least three times over the past 5,000 years , but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came to light , thanks to increasingly rapid snowmelt during Antarctica 's .
Related : In photos : The emperor penguin 's beautiful and extreme breeding season '' In all the years I 've been working in the Antarctic , I 've never seen a site like this before , '' Emslie told Live Science .
`` Mummies wo n't last on the surface in this windy area unless they 've just been exposed . ''
Antarctica — and especially the Antarctic Peninsula , on the northern tip of the continent — is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When Emslie visited King George Island , just north of the peninsula , 10 years ago , he was astonished by the melt he saw .
`` Just millions and millions of gallons of freshwater pouring into the ocean every day , just from one ice cap , '' Emslie said .
`` It 's sad what 's happening there . ''
Cape Irizar , deep in southern Antarctica along the frigid Ross Sea , is different .
Average temperatures are much colder there , Emslie said , and in the region has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decade , however , `` streamlets '' of meltwater have begun flowing from nearby glaciers , flushing away snow cover and exposing the rocky ground beneath , Emslie said .
That recent melting is what exposed the long-lost Adélie penguin nests , Emslie wrote in his study .
During his 2016 trip to the cape , he saw several penguin chicks — withered and preserved by the dry air — sitting plainly on the ground at Cape Irizar .
Mummies like these are a common sight at nesting sites in the area , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last long in the windy air before collapsing .
The mummies at Cape Irizar looked fresh , as did guano stains ( penguin poop ) scattered around the area .
Nearby , large collections of pebbles had formed mounds — a common Adélie nesting behavior .
`` The fresh remains on the surface looked like a modern colony .
But no penguins have been recorded breeding there in historic times , '' Emslie said .
On a subsequent trip , Emslie and his colleagues excavated three of those newly-exposed pebble mounds , revealing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The researchers determined the age of these nests by analyzing the radioactive decay of an isotope , or version , of within seven of those bones , plus a handful of eggshells , feathers and skin samples .
That radiocarbon dating confirmed what Emslie had expected : The seemingly fresh penguin remains were actually ancient , ranging from 800 to 5,000 years old .
The samples showed evidence of at least three different penguin `` occupations '' at the Cape Irizar site , the last one ending nearly a millennium ago .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the surface , '' Emslie said .
The remains of this colony were likely `` covered by snow and ice , beginning during the Little Ice Age about 800 years ago , '' before finally being exposed by recent summer melt .
According to Emslie , the past penguin occupations were likely tied to warm periods when nearby `` fast ice '' — or slabs of sea ice attached to the land — melted early in the summer , opening water access to the cape during Adélie breeding season .
Penguins could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and built nests on the beaches , Emslie said .
Today , fast ice around Cape Irizar melts too late in the season to make the area a viable nesting site .
But that will probably change in the near future , Emslie said .
As fast ice melts earlier each year in response to global warming , penguins will have more and more time to colonize the cape and start their breeding cycles .
That 's a good thing for the Adélie penguins of southern Antarctica ; — but their northern cousins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ habitats , will not fare so well .
`` We talk about climate change 'winners and losers , ' '' Emslie said , referring to species that will either expand their populations because of ( winners ) or be pushed toward extinction ( losers ) .
`` Adélie penguins have the unique position of being both .
While we see them declining in the Antarctic Peninsula , they 're expanding or staying stable in East Antarctica and the Ross Sea . ''
The discovery of these ancient colonies is a reminder that penguins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Emslie said , migrating from cape to cape as sea ice ebbs and flows .
But now , their habitat is changing more rapidly than ever before .
As warming escalates , the millions of penguins living in the northern Antarctic Peninsula in the next 20 years , he said , and Cape Irizar may once again become prime penguin property .
Digging deeper into the cape and studying more remains of the ancient colonies that once lived there could provide a better clue of what 's in store for the Adélies @

On a dry, windy cape in southern Antarctica , the ground is strewn with dead, mummified penguins . The rocks around them are littered with bones, pebbles and guano stains — the telltale marks of a freshly abandoned Adélie penguin colony.
Scenes like this are common around Antarctica's Ross Sea, which is home to millions of Adélies and other thriving penguin populations. Still, the sight at Cape Irizar puzzled biologist Steve Emslie, a professor at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, when he visited in January 2016; he knew that Adélie penguins hadn't been spotted there in hundreds of years. Where had the remains of this ghostly colony suddenly materialized from?
Now, in a study published Sept. 18 in the journal Geology , Emslie offers an answer. A radiocarbon analysis of bones, eggshells and mummified skin samples collected at the site reveals that the seemingly fresh penguin remains at Cape Irizar are actually hundreds to thousands of years old. According to Emslie, the site has been occupied by breeding penguin colonies at least three times over the past 5,000 years, but the dessicated evidence of those occupations only just came to light, thanks to increasingly rapid snowmelt during Antarctica's ever-hotter summers .
Related: In photos: The emperor penguin's beautiful and extreme breeding season
"In all the years I've been working in the Antarctic, I've never seen a site like this before," Emslie told Live Science. "Mummies won't last on the surface in this windy area unless they've just been exposed."
The surface of Cape Irizar was strewn with newly-exposed penguin bones, feathers and mummies, some dating to 5,000 years ago. (Image credit: Steve Emslie)
Melting away the past
Antarctica — and especially the Antarctic Peninsula, on the northern tip of the continent — is one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth . When Emslie visited King George Island, just north of the peninsula, 10 years ago, he was astonished by the melt he saw.
"Just millions and millions of gallons of freshwater pouring into the ocean every day, just from one ice cap," Emslie said. "It's sad what's happening there."
Cape Irizar, deep in southern Antarctica along the frigid Ross Sea, is different. Average temperatures are much colder there, Emslie said, and global warming in the region has been less severe. Within the last decade, however, "streamlets" of meltwater have begun flowing from nearby glaciers, flushing away snow cover and exposing the rocky ground beneath, Emslie said.
That recent melting is what exposed the long-lost Adélie penguin nests, Emslie wrote in his study. During his 2016 trip to the cape, he saw several mummified penguin chicks — withered and preserved by the dry air — sitting plainly on the ground at Cape Irizar. Mummies like these are a common sight at nesting sites in the area, Emslie said, but they don't last long in the windy air before collapsing. The mummies at Cape Irizar looked fresh, as did guano stains (penguin poop) scattered around the area. Nearby, large collections of pebbles had formed mounds — a common Adélie nesting behavior.
"The fresh remains on the surface looked like a modern colony. But no penguins have been recorded breeding there in historic times," Emslie said.
A penguin photo-bombing a modern nest site in southern Antarctica. The exposed bones and mummies here look exactly like the ancient specimens at Cape Irizar. (Image credit: Steve Emslie)
On a subsequent trip, Emslie and his colleagues excavated three of those newly-exposed pebble mounds, revealing dozens of chick bones and other remains. The researchers determined the age of these nests by analyzing the radioactive decay of an isotope, or version, of carbon within seven of those bones, plus a handful of eggshells, feathers and skin samples.
That radiocarbon dating confirmed what Emslie had expected: The seemingly fresh penguin remains were actually ancient, ranging from 800 to 5,000 years old. The samples showed evidence of at least three different penguin "occupations" at the Cape Irizar site, the last one ending nearly a millennium ago.
"The latest occupation was the one on the surface," Emslie said. The remains of this colony were likely "covered by snow and ice, beginning during the Little Ice Age about 800 years ago," before finally being exposed by recent summer melt.
'Winners and losers'
According to Emslie, the past penguin occupations were likely tied to warm periods when nearby "fast ice" — or slabs of sea ice attached to the land — melted early in the summer, opening water access to the cape during Adélie breeding season. Penguins could have simply swam up to the cape and built nests on the beaches, Emslie said.
Today, fast ice around Cape Irizar melts too late in the season to make the area a viable nesting site. But that will probably change in the near future, Emslie said. As fast ice melts earlier each year in response to global warming, penguins will have more and more time to colonize the cape and start their breeding cycles. That's a good thing for the Adélie penguins of southern Antarctica; — but their northern cousins, which are rapidly losing their sea-ice habitats, will not fare so well.
"We talk about climate change 'winners and losers,'" Emslie said, referring to species that will either expand their populations because of climate change (winners) or be pushed toward extinction (losers). "Adélie penguins have the unique position of being both. While we see them declining in the Antarctic Peninsula, they're expanding or staying stable in East Antarctica and the Ross Sea."
The discovery of these ancient colonies is a reminder that penguins have been moving around Antarctica for millennia, Emslie said, migrating from cape to cape as sea ice ebbs and flows. But now, their habitat is changing more rapidly than ever before.
As warming escalates, the millions of penguins living in the northern Antarctic Peninsula may disappear in the next 20 years, he said, and Cape Irizar may once again become prime penguin property. Digging deeper into the cape and studying more remains of the ancient colonies that once lived there could provide a better clue of what's in store for the Adélies.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-10-06--Louisiana braces for its 3rd dangerous hurricane in only 6 weeks

Delta is whirling toward the Gulf Coast and is forecast to approach Mexico 's Yucatan Peninsula tonight ( Oct. 6 ) as a Category 4 storm before threatening Louisiana and Mississippi Friday ( Oct. 9 ) .
This 25th-named storm is yet one more sign that climate change is brewing more active hurricane seasons .
Delta is the fourth tropical cyclone to form since the National Hurricane Center ( NHC ) and began using letters from the Greek alphabet .
Delta strengthened rapidly between yesterday ( Oct. 5 ) and today , reaching maximum wind speed of 115 mph ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this morning , making it a Category 3 storm on the .
The hurricane is expected to strengthen further , reaching 140 mph ( 225 km/h ) by 11 p.m. EDT tonight , or Category 4 status .
When it makes landfall in the United States , the NHC peak wind speeds of 125 mph ( 200 km/h ) , again in the Category 3 range .
Wind is only part of the story though .
As with most hurricanes , Delta will be most dangerous as a source of flooding .
An @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely along the Yucatan Peninsula , where heavy rains will cause further flooding until midweek , according to the NHC .
People in the area should watch out for `` significant '' flash flooding and mudslides .
A `` life-threatening '' storm surge is also likely along the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts when Delta arrives , the NHC warned .
And driving rain could cause flash floods as far inland as Tennessee and as far afield as the Cayman Islands and Cuba .
Right now , the hurricane is not expected to seriously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` ridge '' over the state will likely steer Delta northwest and off its current track , the NHC said .
The details of how this turn happens will be important , and will probably determine where exactly the hurricane makes landfall .
Delta will be the second tropical cyclone and first hurricane named with a Greek letter to impact the mainland United States .
The NHC ran out of names only once before , in 2005 — previously the most busy storm year on record .
No Greek-letter-named storms reached the mainland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Storm Beta made landfall in Texas as a relatively weak storm that killed one person and created an emergency in an area stretching from Texas to Louisiana , which was still reeling from the more devastating Hurricanes and .
As of last week , some people in the worst-hit Lake Charles region of western Louisiana were still living in tents as a result of those hurricanes , according to .
It has been 40 days since Hurricane Laura caused a 6-foot ( 1.8 meter ) storm surge in the state , widespread flooding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 77 people Laura killed died in Louisiana .
is making hurricanes stronger than they were even decades ago , .
And if current trends continue , 2020 ’ s hurricane season will blow 2005 out of the water .
In 2005 , the 25th named storm of the year was Gamma .
( It was n't named Delta because meteorologists missed a cyclone beforehand and thought Gamma was the 24th storm . )
The 2005 Tropical Storm Gamma did n't form until Nov. 15 — 41 days later in the season than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which formed on Oct. 5 .
By the time Zeta formed on Dec. 30 , 2005 — the final storm of that season — 2005 had seen 28 storms .
With nearly three months to go before that date , the 2020 season has already seen 25 .

A graphic shows where at least tropical-storm-force winds are expected in the Gulf of Mexico this week.
Hurricane Delta is whirling toward the Gulf Coast and is forecast to approach Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula tonight (Oct. 6) as a Category 4 storm before threatening Louisiana and Mississippi Friday (Oct. 9). This 25th-named storm is yet one more sign that climate change is brewing more active hurricane seasons.
Delta is the fourth tropical cyclone to form since the National Hurricane Center (NHC) exhausted its prepared list of 21 names and began using letters from the Greek alphabet. Delta strengthened rapidly between yesterday (Oct. 5) and today, reaching maximum wind speed of 115 mph (185 km/h) by 11 a.m. EDT this morning, making it a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale . The hurricane is expected to strengthen further, reaching 140 mph (225 km/h) by 11 p.m. EDT tonight, or Category 4 status. When it makes landfall in the United States, the NHC predicts peak wind speeds of 125 mph (200 km/h), again in the Category 3 range.
Wind is only part of the story though. As with most hurricanes, Delta will be most dangerous as a source of flooding.
Related: A history of destruction: 8 great hurricanes
An "extremely dangerous" storm surge is likely along the Yucatan Peninsula, where heavy rains will cause further flooding until midweek, according to the NHC. People in the area should watch out for "significant" flash flooding and mudslides.
A graphic shows the range of possible paths Hurricane Delta is forecast to take over the course of the week. (Image credit: NHC/NOAA)
A "life-threatening" storm surge is also likely along the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts when Delta arrives, the NHC warned. And driving rain could cause flash floods as far inland as Tennessee and as far afield as the Cayman Islands and Cuba.
Right now, the hurricane is not expected to seriously impact Florida, because a high pressure "ridge" over the state will likely steer Delta northwest and off its current track, the NHC said. The details of how this turn happens will be important, and will probably determine where exactly the hurricane makes landfall.
Delta will be the second tropical cyclone and first hurricane named with a Greek letter to impact the mainland United States. The NHC ran out of names only once before, in 2005 — previously the most busy storm year on record. No Greek-letter-named storms reached the mainland that year. This year, Tropical Storm Beta made landfall in Texas as a relatively weak storm that killed one person and created an emergency in an area stretching from Texas to Louisiana, which was still reeling from the more devastating Hurricanes Laura and Sally .
As of last week, some people in the worst-hit Lake Charles region of western Louisiana were still living in tents as a result of those hurricanes, according to WTVY . It has been 40 days since Hurricane Laura caused a 6-foot (1.8 meter) storm surge in the state, widespread flooding and power outages. Thirty-two out of the 77 people Laura killed died in Louisiana.
Climate change is making hurricanes stronger than they were even decades ago, as Live Science previously reported . And if current trends continue, 2020’s hurricane season will blow 2005 out of the water.
In 2005, the 25th named storm of the year was Gamma. (It wasn't named Delta because meteorologists missed a cyclone beforehand and thought Gamma was the 24th storm.) The 2005 Tropical Storm Gamma didn't form until Nov. 15 — 41 days later in the season than this year’s Hurricane Delta, which formed on Oct. 5.
By the time Zeta formed on Dec. 30, 2005 — the final storm of that season — 2005 had seen 28 storms. With nearly three months to go before that date, the 2020 season has already seen 25.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-10-06--Glassified brain cells found in victim of Vesuvius eruption

Preserved brain cells have been found in the remains of a young man who died in the eruption of in A.D. 79 .
The brain cells ' structure is still visible in a black , glassy material found in the man 's skull .
The new discovery of this structure , described today ( Oct. 2 ) in the journal , adds to the accumulating evidence that this glassy material is indeed part of the man 's .
The transformation to glass occurred as a result of extreme heating and rapid cooling .
`` The results of our study show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , unique of its kind , has frozen the neuronal structures of this victim , preserving them intact until today , '' study lead author Pier Paolo Petrone , a forensic anthropologist at University Federico II of Naples in Italy , said in a statement .
Herculaneum was an ancient town at the foot of Mount Vesuvius , which blew its top in a spectacular eruption nearly 2,000 years ago .
A cloud of hot ash and gases , known as pyroclastic flow , buried Herculaneum as well as its famous neighbor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and buried the town , rapidly heating organic materials .
Strangely , though , the rapid burial meant that even though materials like wood and flesh were carbonized , or essentially turned to charcoal , they were also preserved as they were in the moments after being suddenly heated to 932 degrees Fahrenheit ( 500 degrees Celsius ) .
In rare cases , this preserved organic material seems to have included brains .
Petrone and his colleagues examined a glassy black material found within the cracked and charred skull of a 20-something-year-old man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Herculaneum 's Collegium Augustalium , or the College of the Augustales .
This building , near Herculaneum 's main street , was the headquarters of the cult of the Emperor Augustus , an organization that worshiped the emperor as a deity ( a common Roman religious tradition at the time ) .
Petrone and his team have previously analyzed the remains of Herculaneum victims , suggesting that their body tissues in the cloud of hot ash ; earlier this year , they reported in the ( JAMA ) that they had found the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ body of the 20-year-old from the Collegium Augustalium .
Now , using scanning electron microscopy to see the most miniscule details of the sample , the researchers have discovered tiny spherical structures and long tubular structures that look just like neurons and their projections , called axons .
At just 550 to 830 nanometers in diameter , these projections are too tiny to be capillaries .
The spherical structures appear to retain cell membranes as well as internal filaments , or structural proteins inside the cell , and tiny vesicles , or internal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cell surface .
The researchers also used a method called energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy , which uses to determine the chemical makeup of a material .
They found that the sample was rich in and , indicating that it was organic .
Building on the previous research published in JAMA , which detected a number of protein structures in the sample , the researchers compared these ancient proteins to a database of proteins found in the .
They found that all of the proteins they had discovered are present in brain tissue .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ known to be involved in the transmission of chemicals known as neurotransmitters through synapses , the gaps between axons .
Based on the concentrations of these proteins and the position of the sample in the back of the skull , Petrone and his colleagues suspect they may have discovered part of the man 's spinal cord and cerebellum , a brain structure at the base of the skull that is involved in movement and coordination .
Finding preserved brain tissue is rare in archaeology .
But on occasion , brain tissue can survive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For example , one 2,600-year-old skull found in a pit in Northern England contains the with some proteins still intact .
Acidic chemicals from the surrounding clay may have halted decomposition in that case .
have also been found preserved in permafrost , thanks to extreme cold temperatures .

A neuron, along with its axons, is visible in this vitrified segment of brain tissue, which was covered by ash when Mount Vesuvius exploded in A.D. 79.
Preserved brain cells have been found in the remains of a young man who died in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79.
The brain cells' structure is still visible in a black, glassy material found in the man's skull. The new discovery of this structure, described today (Oct. 2) in the journal PLOS ONE , adds to the accumulating evidence that this glassy material is indeed part of the man's brain . The transformation to glass occurred as a result of extreme heating and rapid cooling.
"The results of our study show that the vitrification process occurred at Herculaneum, unique of its kind, has frozen the neuronal structures of this victim, preserving them intact until today," study lead author Pier Paolo Petrone, a forensic anthropologist at University Federico II of Naples in Italy, said in a statement.
Related: Photos: The bones of Mount Vesuvius
Herculaneum was an ancient town at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, which blew its top in a spectacular eruption nearly 2,000 years ago. A cloud of hot ash and gases, known as pyroclastic flow, buried Herculaneum as well as its famous neighbor, Pompeii.
This hot ash simultaneously destroyed and buried the town, rapidly heating organic materials. Strangely, though, the rapid burial meant that even though materials like wood and flesh were carbonized, or essentially turned to charcoal, they were also preserved as they were in the moments after being suddenly heated to 932 degrees Fahrenheit (500 degrees Celsius).
In rare cases, this preserved organic material seems to have included brains. Petrone and his colleagues examined a glassy black material found within the cracked and charred skull of a 20-something-year-old man found lying facedown on a bed in Herculaneum's Collegium Augustalium, or the College of the Augustales. This building, near Herculaneum's main street, was the headquarters of the cult of the Emperor Augustus, an organization that worshiped the emperor as a deity (a common Roman religious tradition at the time).
Petrone and his team have previously analyzed the remains of Herculaneum victims, suggesting that their body tissues may have vaporized in the cloud of hot ash; earlier this year, they reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that they had found the glassy remains of a brain in the body of the 20-year-old from the Collegium Augustalium.
Now, using scanning electron microscopy to see the most miniscule details of the sample, the researchers have discovered tiny spherical structures and long tubular structures that look just like neurons and their projections, called axons.
At just 550 to 830 nanometers in diameter, these projections are too tiny to be capillaries. The spherical structures appear to retain cell membranes as well as internal filaments, or structural proteins inside the cell, and tiny vesicles, or internal sacs that help transport proteins to the cell surface.
The researchers also used a method called energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, which uses X-rays to determine the chemical makeup of a material. They found that the sample was rich in carbon and oxygen , indicating that it was organic. Building on the previous research published in JAMA, which detected a number of protein structures in the sample, the researchers compared these ancient proteins to a database of proteins found in the human brain . They found that all of the proteins they had discovered are present in brain tissue. For example, a protein called ATP6VIF is known to be involved in the transmission of chemicals known as neurotransmitters through synapses, the gaps between axons.
Image 1 of 4 (Image credit: Pier Paolo Petrone, University Federico II of Naples, Italy) (Image credit: Pier Paolo Petrone, University Federico II of Naples, Italy) The brain tissue was found in the body of a man uncovered in the Collegium Augustales, a site devoted to the worship of Emperor Augustus. (Image credit: Pier Paolo Petrone, University Federico II of Naples, Italy) A view of the vitrified spinal cord, as seen under a microscope. (Image credit: Pier Paolo Petrone, University Federico II of Naples, Italy)
Based on the concentrations of these proteins and the position of the sample in the back of the skull, Petrone and his colleagues suspect they may have discovered part of the man's spinal cord and cerebellum, a brain structure at the base of the skull that is involved in movement and coordination.
Finding preserved brain tissue is rare in archaeology. But on occasion, brain tissue can survive for hundreds or thousands of years. For example, one 2,600-year-old skull found in a pit in Northern England contains the shrunken remains of a brain with some proteins still intact. Acidic chemicals from the surrounding clay may have halted decomposition in that case. Mammoth brains have also been found preserved in permafrost, thanks to extreme cold temperatures.
Originally published in Live Science.


livescience--2020-10-06--SpaceX launches 60 Starlink satellites and lands rocket at sea

CAPE CANAVERAL , Fla. — SpaceX delivered its 13th batch of satellites to orbit Tuesday ( Oct.6 ) , following a two-week delay due to bad weather .
The two-stage blasted off from Pad 39A at NASA 's Kennedy Space Center at 7:29 a.m. EDT ( 1129 GMT ) , hauling a full stack of 60 Starlink satellites .
Approximately 9 minutes later , the booster 's first stage came back to Earth , landing on one of SpaceX 's drone ships in the Atlantic Ocean .
The launch marks SpaceX 's 17th mission so far in 2020 , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The company 's fleet of flight-proven boosters has been busy this year , with the California-based rocket builder reaching a few new milestones , including launching and landing the same first-stage booster six times .
The launch also came amid World Space Week 2020 , which is celebrating the impact satellites have on everyday life .
Poor weather conditions at Falcon 9 's ocean recovery site forced SpaceX to stand down from its first attempt to launch this particular Starlink mission on Sept. 17 .
Weather concerns also thwarted a launch attempt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while ground systems issues prevented the rocket from flying on another attempt on Oct. 1 .
But the fifth time was the charm today , with Mother Nature finally cooperating for a smooth launch .
`` A happy end to Scrub-tober , '' SpaceX integration and test engineer Siva Bharadvaj said during live commentary after the Starlink satellites were successfully deployed .
The weather was iffy this morning as a brief rain shower and patch of cumulus clouds rolled in , but the skies cleared as the minutes ticked away .
Onlookers cheered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , signaling an end to the series of launch aborts and weather scrubs that have recently plagued the Space Coast .
The booster powering today 's launch is a previously flown Falcon 9 first stage that the company has identified as B1058.3 .
This booster , now with three flights under its belt , previously carried two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station on May 30 as part of SpaceX 's historic first crewed mission .
The rocket then lofted a communications satellite for South Korea 's military in July .
Emblazoned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still visible underneath the booster 's scorched appearance from its two trips to space and back , B1058 is one of the newest additions to SpaceX 's fleet of frequent fliers .
Approximately nine minutes after liftoff , the first stage made another landing , touching down on the deck of the SpaceX drone ship Of Course I Still Love You , which was waiting out in the Atlantic Ocean .
The massive drone ship is one of two used by SpaceX to catch its returning boosters .
Of Course I Still Love @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , alternating duty with its counterpart , Just Read the Instructions .
That ship was originally deployed in the Pacific Ocean , but switched coasts earlier this year , and has received a host of new upgrades .
The landing today marked the 61st recovery of a Falcon first stage since SpaceX recovered its first booster in 2015 .
SpaceX 's is designed to provide global broadband coverage for high-speed internet access , particularly for people in rural and remote areas .
Each of the flat-panel Starlink satellites weighs roughly a quarter-ton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facility in Redmond , Washington .
( The company also manufactures its own own user terminals and ground stations . )
While SpaceX expects its initial set of Starlink satellites to be 1,440 strong , the company has plans to launch thousands more .
Company founder and CEO Elon Musk has said SpaceX needs between 500 and 800 satellites in orbit before service can begin to roll out .
SpaceX is inching closer and closer to that goal , as it has delivered nearly 800 into orbit so far .
The Federal Communications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as many as 12,000 of the flat-panel broadband satellites , but SpaceX may not stop there .
The company has indicated it will see approval to launch as many as 30,000 of its internet-beaming satellites to beam down high-speed , low-latency Internet signals .
SpaceX 's Starlink system is currently going through a , with employees testing out the download speeds .
That initial testing will extend to the public later this year .
So far , data has shown that the system can support multiple high-definition streams at the same time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ground will connect to the burgeoning satellite service via a small terminal ( roughly the size of a laptop ) for users on the ground .
Musk has said he wanted the terminals to be easy to use , and that they resemble a UFO on a stick .
SpaceX has also started testing inter-satellite laser links that would allow data to flow through the network without having to route through ground stations — a feature the initial batch of Starlink satellites ( launched in May 2019 ) did not have .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Federal Communications Commission if it could add user terminals to its fleet of ships , in particular its two drone ships .
`` In order to expand its assessment of the end-to-end capabilities of its satellite system , SpaceX seeks authority to test these user terminals on seagoing platforms for a period of up to two years .
Specifically , SpaceX proposes to deploy a total of ten earth stations across up to ten vessels , including two autonomous spaceport drone ships used to land rocket boosters at sea , '' the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of these terminals will allow SpaceX to test its satellite network in the field as well as bolster recovery efforts by equipping its vessels with better communication tools .
Remote and rural users as well as those on airliners and ships ( such as cruise ships , etc . )
are its prime targets , so this would enable SpaceX to really test out its system .
Despite the promise of high-speed , low-latency broadband internet , SpaceX has taken some criticism for its Starlink satellites due to of the night sky .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year , astronomers expressed concern that the bright train of satellites marching across the sky will hinder their observations .
SpaceX has tried to come up with solutions to help mitigate this issue .
To that end , this is the third batch of Starlink satellites now that are outfitted with a — a special visor — that the company hopes will reduce the satellite 's apparent brightness by reducing the amount of sunlight reflected that ’ s reflected .
SpaceX will attempt to recover the Falcon 9 's payload fairing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flight .
In fact , one of the fairing halves has already supported two previous Starlink missions — one in May 2019 and one in March 2020 .
Each piece of the clamshell-like hardware is outfitted with software that navigates it to the recovery zone , and a parachute system that lets them gently land , either in the ocean or the of one of two recovery vessels .
GO Ms. Tree and GO Ms. Chief are both equipped with giant nets that allow them to act as a mobile catcher ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accounts for 10 % of Falcon 9 's price tag so recovery efforts allow SpaceX to reduce launch costs and reuse more of its hardware .
The duo is able to scoop the fairing pieces out of the ocean and haul them back to port or catch them as they fall back to Earth .
All recovery efforts ( either a catch or a scoop ) typically occur approximately 40 minutes after liftoff .
Simply having a giant net does not guarantee that one ( or both of the boats ) will actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example , weather also plays a role .
The 60 Starlink satellites are scheduled to separate from the rocket approximately 61 minutes after launch .
Up next for SpaceX is the launch of an upgraded GPS satellite for the U.S. Space Force .
That launch is scheduled to blast off from Space Launch Complex 40 sometime in the near future .
Teams are investigating an anomaly that occurred on Friday ( Oct. 2 ) , which caused an abort just before launch .
Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @ astrogingersnap .
Follow us @ @ @ @ @ @ @

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX delivered its 13th batch of Starlink satellites to orbit Tuesday (Oct.6), following a two-week delay due to bad weather.
The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 7:29 a.m. EDT (1129 GMT), hauling a full stack of 60 Starlink satellites. Approximately 9 minutes later, the booster's first stage came back to Earth, landing on one of SpaceX's drone ships in the Atlantic Ocean.
The launch marks SpaceX's 17th mission so far in 2020, and its 94th Falcon 9 flight to date. The company's fleet of flight-proven boosters has been busy this year, with the California-based rocket builder reaching a few new milestones, including launching and landing the same first-stage booster six times .
The launch also came amid World Space Week 2020, which is celebrating the impact satellites have on everyday life.
Related: SpaceX's Starlink satellite megaconstellation launches in photos
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 60 Starlink internet satellites into space from Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Oct. 6, 2020. It was the third flight for the Falcon 9 booster. (Image credit: SpaceX)
Poor weather conditions at Falcon 9's ocean recovery site forced SpaceX to stand down from its first attempt to launch this particular Starlink mission on Sept. 17. Weather concerns also thwarted a launch attempt on Sept. 28 and Oct. 5; while ground systems issues prevented the rocket from flying on another attempt on Oct. 1. But the fifth time was the charm today, with Mother Nature finally cooperating for a smooth launch.
"A happy end to Scrub-tober," SpaceX integration and test engineer Siva Bharadvaj said during live commentary after the Starlink satellites were successfully deployed.
The weather was iffy this morning as a brief rain shower and patch of cumulus clouds rolled in, but the skies cleared as the minutes ticked away. Onlookers cheered as the Falcon leapt off the pad, signaling an end to the series of launch aborts and weather scrubs that have recently plagued the Space Coast.
Related: Why SpaceX's Starlink satellites caught astronomers off guard
A veteran booster
The booster powering today's launch is a previously flown Falcon 9 first stage that the company has identified as B1058.3. This booster, now with three flights under its belt, previously carried two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station on May 30 as part of SpaceX's historic first crewed mission. The rocket then lofted a communications satellite for South Korea's military in July.
Emblazoned with NASA's iconic worm logo, still visible underneath the booster's scorched appearance from its two trips to space and back, B1058 is one of the newest additions to SpaceX's fleet of frequent fliers. Approximately nine minutes after liftoff, the first stage made another landing, touching down on the deck of the SpaceX drone ship Of Course I Still Love You, which was waiting out in the Atlantic Ocean.
The first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket is seen just after its third landing on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Atlantic Ocean after launching 60 Starlink satellites into orbit on Oct. 6, 2020. (Image credit: SpaceX)
The massive drone ship is one of two used by SpaceX to catch its returning boosters. Of Course I Still Love You has been busy catching boosters this year, alternating duty with its counterpart, Just Read the Instructions. That ship was originally deployed in the Pacific Ocean, but switched coasts earlier this year, and has received a host of new upgrades.
The landing today marked the 61st recovery of a Falcon first stage since SpaceX recovered its first booster in 2015 .
Starlink expansion
The 60 Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX on Oct. 6, 2020 are seen stacked like a giant tower on their trip to orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket. (Image credit: SpaceX)
SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation is designed to provide global broadband coverage for high-speed internet access, particularly for people in rural and remote areas. Each of the flat-panel Starlink satellites weighs roughly a quarter-ton and are built in-house at a SpaceX facility in Redmond, Washington. (The company also manufactures its own own user terminals and ground stations.)
While SpaceX expects its initial set of Starlink satellites to be 1,440 strong, the company has plans to launch thousands more. Company founder and CEO Elon Musk has said SpaceX needs between 500 and 800 satellites in orbit before service can begin to roll out. SpaceX is inching closer and closer to that goal, as it has delivered nearly 800 into orbit so far.
The Federal Communications Commission has granted SpaceX permission to launch as many as 12,000 of the flat-panel broadband satellites, but SpaceX may not stop there. The company has indicated it will see approval to launch as many as 30,000 of its internet-beaming satellites to beam down high-speed, low-latency Internet signals.
Falcon sunrise.📷: Me for @SuperclusterHQ pic.twitter.com/oUlwfOF8A9October 6, 2020 See more
SpaceX's Starlink system is currently going through a private beta-testing phase , with employees testing out the download speeds. That initial testing will extend to the public later this year. So far, data has shown that the system can support multiple high-definition streams at the same time, company officials have said.
Users on the ground will connect to the burgeoning satellite service via a small terminal (roughly the size of a laptop) for users on the ground. Musk has said he wanted the terminals to be easy to use, and that they resemble a UFO on a stick.
SpaceX has also started testing inter-satellite laser links that would allow data to flow through the network without having to route through ground stations — a feature the initial batch of Starlink satellites (launched in May 2019) did not have. The company has also SpaceX recently asked the Federal Communications Commission if it could add user terminals to its fleet of ships, in particular its two drone ships.
"In order to expand its assessment of the end-to-end capabilities of its satellite system, SpaceX seeks authority to test these user terminals on seagoing platforms for a period of up to two years. Specifically, SpaceX proposes to deploy a total of ten earth stations across up to ten vessels, including two autonomous spaceport drone ships used to land rocket boosters at sea," the company wrote in the FCC filing posted Sept. 15 .
The addition of these terminals will allow SpaceX to test its satellite network in the field as well as bolster recovery efforts by equipping its vessels with better communication tools. Remote and rural users as well as those on airliners and ships (such as cruise ships, etc.) are its prime targets, so this would enable SpaceX to really test out its system.
Despite the promise of high-speed, low-latency broadband internet, SpaceX has taken some criticism for its Starlink satellites due to their potential to disrupt astronomical observations of the night sky. Shortly after the first batch's launch last year, astronomers expressed concern that the bright train of satellites marching across the sky will hinder their observations. SpaceX has tried to come up with solutions to help mitigate this issue.
To that end, this is the third batch of Starlink satellites now that are outfitted with a sunshade — a special visor — that the company hopes will reduce the satellite's apparent brightness by reducing the amount of sunlight reflected that’s reflected.
Reusable fairings
SpaceX will attempt to recover the Falcon 9's payload fairing, or nose cone, on today's flight. In fact, one of the fairing halves has already supported two previous Starlink missions — one in May 2019 and one in March 2020.
Each piece of the clamshell-like hardware is outfitted with software that navigates it to the recovery zone, and a parachute system that lets them gently land, either in the ocean or the outstretched net of one of two recovery vessels.
GO Ms. Tree and GO Ms. Chief are both equipped with giant nets that allow them to act as a mobile catcher’s mitt. This massive piece of hardware accounts for 10% of Falcon 9's price tag so recovery efforts allow SpaceX to reduce launch costs and reuse more of its hardware.
The duo is able to scoop the fairing pieces out of the ocean and haul them back to port or catch them as they fall back to Earth. All recovery efforts (either a catch or a scoop) typically occur approximately 40 minutes after liftoff.
Simply having a giant net does not guarantee that one (or both of the boats) will actually be able to make a catch , however; for example, weather also plays a role.
The 60 Starlink satellites are scheduled to separate from the rocket approximately 61 minutes after launch.
Up next for SpaceX is the launch of an upgraded GPS satellite for the U.S. Space Force. That launch is scheduled to blast off from Space Launch Complex 40 sometime in the near future. Teams are investigating an anomaly that occurred on Friday (Oct. 2), which caused an abort just before launch .
Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.


livescience--2020-10-06--Scientists discover great white shark 'queen of the ocean'

Marine biologists have discovered an enormous they 're calling the `` queen of the ocean '' off the coast of Nova Scotia .
The battle-scarred shark ( Carcharodon carcharias ) is 17 feet ( 5 meters ) long and weighs in at 3,541 pounds ( 1,606 kilograms ) .
She 's likely 50 years old , said scientists with the marine animal tracking nonprofit OCEARCH .
`` When you look at all the healed-over scars and blotches and things that are on her skin , you 're really looking at the story of her life , and it makes you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leader Chris Fischer said in a Saturday ( Oct. 3 ) .
The researchers nicknamed the shark Nukumi ( pronounced `` noo-goo-mee '' ) , after a legendary wise grandmother figure from the Native American Mi'kmaq people , whose ancestral lands include Nova Scotia .
Expedition scientists also posted a brief video of the shark being fitted with tracking tags and submitting to a blood draw aboard the research vessel M/V OCEARCH .
The researchers are on a month-long expedition near the Nova Scotia coast to tag great whites and take biological samples @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health and migrations through the North Atlantic .
As of Monday ( Oct. 2 ) , the expedition had tagged nine female great white sharks , .
Great white sharks can live .
Nukumi probably had her first litter 30 years ago , Fischer said , making her at least a grandmother by now .
She has likely reproduced around 15 times in her life , he said in another ; that means she could have had as many as 100 offspring in her lifetime .
( Great white shark reproduction is still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as many as 14 pups have been recorded . )
`` She would be a proper , true matriarch of the ocean , a grandmother of sharks , '' Fischer said .
Marine biologists will compare Nukumi 's blood chemistry to samples from juvenile and smaller adults , Fischer said .
They also had the chance to use a portable ultrasound to get imagery of the shark matriarch 's organs .
It 's rare to get an opportunity to study such an old and large shark , Fischer said .
Nukumi 's size @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on record .
Most female great whites are about 15 to 16 feet ( 4.6 to 4.9 m ) long , according to , but individuals such as the famous `` Deep Blue '' can reach almost 20 feet ( 6 m ) .

This huge great white shark, named Nukumi, is probably about 50 years old. She was discovered off the coast of Nova Scotia.
Marine biologists have discovered an enormous great white shark they're calling the "queen of the ocean" off the coast of Nova Scotia.
The battle-scarred shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is 17 feet (5 meters) long and weighs in at 3,541 pounds (1,606 kilograms). She's likely 50 years old, said scientists with the marine animal tracking nonprofit OCEARCH.
"When you look at all the healed-over scars and blotches and things that are on her skin, you're really looking at the story of her life, and it makes you feel really insignificant," OCEARCH expedition leader Chris Fischer said in a video posted on Facebook Saturday (Oct. 3).
Related: Image gallery: Mysterious lives of whale sharks
The researchers nicknamed the shark Nukumi (pronounced "noo-goo-mee"), after a legendary wise grandmother figure from the Native American Mi'kmaq people, whose ancestral lands include Nova Scotia.
Expedition scientists also posted a brief video of the shark being fitted with tracking tags and submitting to a blood draw aboard the research vessel M/V OCEARCH. The researchers are on a month-long expedition near the Nova Scotia coast to tag great whites and take biological samples to better understand the shark population's health and migrations through the North Atlantic. As of Monday (Oct. 2), the expedition had tagged nine female great white sharks, NBC News reported .
Great white sharks can live up to 70 years . Nukumi probably had her first litter 30 years ago, Fischer said, making her at least a grandmother by now. She has likely reproduced around 15 times in her life, he said in another video posted on OCEARCH's Facebook page ; that means she could have had as many as 100 offspring in her lifetime. (Great white shark reproduction is still very mysterious, but females pregnant with as many as 14 pups have been recorded.)
"She would be a proper, true matriarch of the ocean, a grandmother of sharks," Fischer said.
Marine biologists will compare Nukumi's blood chemistry to samples from juvenile and smaller adults, Fischer said. They also had the chance to use a portable ultrasound to get imagery of the shark matriarch's organs. It's rare to get an opportunity to study such an old and large shark, Fischer said.
Nukumi's size puts her among the largest great whites on record. Most female great whites are about 15 to 16 feet (4.6 to 4.9 m) long, according to National Geographic , but individuals such as the famous "Deep Blue" can reach almost 20 feet (6 m).
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-10-06--Trump is 1 of 10 people to get antibody drug outside of clinical trial

President Donald Trump received an unapproved antibody cocktail as part of his coronavirus treatment , making him one of fewer than 10 people to get the drug outside of a clinical trial , .
The cocktail , developed by the biotechnology company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals , contains two monoclonal — molecules that latch onto the and stop it from infecting cells , .
The drug entered late-stage trials in July and is being tested both as a therapy for sick patients and as a preventative treatment for healthy people .
Outside these formal clinical trials , patients can access the antibody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use program , '' Stat News reported .
A doctor must apply on behalf of their patient , citing that the patient 's condition could be life-threatening , and this application process can take a week or more to process .
Hospital pharmacies do not keep the antibody cocktail on site , so following approval , the drug then takes one to two days to reach the patient .
That is , when that patient is n't the President of the United States .
Trump gained access to the cocktail in record time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ epidemics and pandemics in history '' If you think you have a patient that 's going to need the antibody cocktail , by the time the process is complete , it 's possible that you 've missed your window , '' Dr. Josh Barocas , an infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center , told Stat News .
`` And that 's likely why only 10 people have gotten it the way the president did , '' outside of a clinical trial .
In addition to the experimental antibody treatment , Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ average person in a number of ways : He 's had access to frequent diagnostic testing , can easily check into the hospital as a precautionary measure and check himself out into a fully-staffed medical wing in his own home .
He has also received the antiviral remdesivir and steroid dexamethasone on top of the antibody drug .
You can read more about Trump ’ s medical treatment at Stat News .

President Donald Trump received an unapproved antibody cocktail as part of his coronavirus treatment, making him one of fewer than 10 people to get the drug outside of a clinical trial, Stat News reported .
The cocktail, developed by the biotechnology company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, contains two monoclonal antibodies — molecules that latch onto the virus and stop it from infecting cells, Live Science previously reported . The drug entered late-stage trials in July and is being tested both as a therapy for sick patients and as a preventative treatment for healthy people.
Outside these formal clinical trials, patients can access the antibody cocktail by applying for a "compassionate use program," Stat News reported. A doctor must apply on behalf of their patient, citing that the patient's condition could be life-threatening, and this application process can take a week or more to process. Hospital pharmacies do not keep the antibody cocktail on site, so following approval, the drug then takes one to two days to reach the patient.
That is, when that patient isn't the President of the United States. Trump gained access to the cocktail in record time.
Related: 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history
"If you think you have a patient that's going to need the antibody cocktail, by the time the process is complete, it's possible that you've missed your window," Dr. Josh Barocas, an infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center, told Stat News. "And that's likely why only 10 people have gotten it the way the president did," outside of a clinical trial.
In addition to the experimental antibody treatment, Trump's medical care differs from that of an average person in a number of ways: He's had access to frequent diagnostic testing, can easily check into the hospital as a precautionary measure and check himself out into a fully-staffed medical wing in his own home. He has also received the antiviral remdesivir and steroid dexamethasone on top of the antibody drug.
You can read more about Trump’s medical treatment at Stat News.
Originally published on Live Science.