livescience--2020-11-30--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--2020-11-30--Pandemic board game is 44% off this Cyber Monday

The world has ( understandably ) become increasingly interested in epidemiology and the history of pandemics this year .
With a lot of us stuck inside more than usual , it 's also no surprise that households are spending their time with board games .
This has all led to the popularity of board games like Pandemic , which right now on Walmart you can buy for just $ 19.97 , saving you over 60 % !
Meanwhile , Pandemic : Legacy ( Season One ) the board game is available for just $ 49.43 from Walmart saving you 38 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ game players combat a global outbreak , competing or cooperating to save the world — or even lead it to doom .
So if you 've ever wanted to save the world , or perhaps you have the curiosity to create your very own maleficent virus ( Plague Inc : The Board Game is now 22 % off at Amazon ) , this Black Friday period is the perfect time to sweep up some great deals on board games that are going viral .
If you 've always yearned to join the fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Season One ) the board game puts you at the frontline of a deadly virus , with players working together to discover countermeasures and cures .
Two to four players cooperate with different characters ( such as scientists , medics or researchers ) who each gain new skills and attributes as the game progresses , and the disease alters and spreads across the globe .
Each decision has permanent consequences as this legacy game unravels players ' own unique narrative — no two play-throughs are the same and each move could spell global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and even by destroying playing cards , your game is permanently recorded and ready to continue in the next installment of Pandemic : Legacy ( Season Two ) , as the epic story of the pandemic continues .
If you ca n't get enough of viral board games , there are a host of other titles to consider .
If you want to explore the darker side of a pandemic , Plague Inc : The Board Game sees players plot the end of the world by developing and adapting their very own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to develop the most deadly disease , starting from patient zero before spreading from city to city and even mutating or developing new symptoms to overcome vaccines and countermeasures .
The original award-winning Pandemic board game ( now 44 % off on Walmart ! )
is a shorter affair , with two to four players co-operating to take on the global crisis in a single relaxed sitting .
Expect the same intricate mechanics of the other Pandemic games , but none of the legacy elements or epic narrative arc , as players move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a comfortable 45 minutes .
For an even more-simplified version of Z-Man Games ' Pandemic series , you can also grab a great deal on Pandemic : The Cure dice game .
This standalone version features the same great turn-based strategy gameplay , as players take on different guises to fight a deadly virus , rolling dice to determine random world events that may help or hinder their progress .
Take a look below for some of the top deals available now on these board games .

We could be 16 years into a methane-fueled 'termination' event significant enough to end an ice age
Methane emissions from tropical wetlands have been soaring since 2006 and accelerating at the same breakneck speed as when Earth's climate has flipped from a glacial to an interglacial period.


livescience--2020-11-30--Alligators can regrow their tails, surprising scientists

Cornered by a dangerous predator , a gecko can self-amputate its still twitching tail , creating a fleeting moment of distraction - a chance for the lizard to flee with its life .
Small reptiles such as geckos and skinks are well known for this remarkable ability to sacrifice and then rapidly regrow their tails .
Now , to scientists ' surprise , it turns out that much larger alligators can regrow theirs too .
But only while they 're young .
Juvenile American alligators ( Alligator mississippiensis ) can regrow up to 18 percent of their total body length @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or 9 inches of length .
What 's really cool is this regrowth appears to occur via a mechanism we 've not seen before .
By imaging and dissecting the tail regrowth , researchers from Arizona State University ( ASU ) found alligators do this quite differently from the other animals we know that can regenerate their appendages .
As far as regrowing body parts goes , amphibious axolotls are the champions of regeneration amongst land animals with internal skeletons .
If injured , they can reform a segmented skeleton , complete with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distinguishing top from bottom .
Regrown lizard tails do not have a segmented skeleton , but lizards do reform muscles - although they look uniformly the same , with no variation in topside structure compared to the bottom .
This may be because regenerating appendages is physiologically expensive , and in smaller lizards has been shown to reduce overall growth rate .
Alligators , it seems , do n't even bother re-growing muscles at all .
`` Clearly there is a high cost to producing new muscle , '' said ASU animal physiologist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even a muscle-less extra bit of tail must give these dangerous predators an edge in their murkily watered homes .
Unlike lizards , they ca n't self-amputate - their tail loss usually results from trauma inflicted by territorial aggression , or cannibalism from larger individuals .
Damage from human interactions , like motor blade damage have also been recorded .
The connective-tissue alligators replace skeletal muscle with is more like the wound repair you would see in the tuatara or in mammal wound healing , the team explains .
`` The regrown alligator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tube rather than bone ... lacked skeletal muscle and featured scar-like connective tissue populated with nerves and blood vessels , '' ASU cellular biologist and first author of the research Cindy Xu explained on Twitter .
`` Regrown tails from juvenile American alligators exhibit features of both regeneration and wound repair . ''
But regrowth of cartilage , blood vessels , nerves and scales is similar to what is seen in lizards .
`` Future comparative studies will be important to understand why regenerative capacity is variable among different reptile and animal groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may take them considerably longer to regrow their missing bits .
While skinks can do it in as little as six months , a related crocodilian , the black caiman ( Melanosuchus niger ) takes up to 18 months to reform their tails .
Alligators are an ancient lineage of reptiles , who shared a common ancestor with birds around 245 million years ago , back when non-avian dinosaurs dominated the Earth .
There 's fossil evidence of an ancient crocodilian from the Jurassic period that also had a regenerated tail .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evolution this ability was lost .
Are there fossils out there of dinosaurs , whose lineage led to modern birds , with regrown tails ? ''
ASU biomedical scientist Kenro Kusumi questions .
`` We have n't found any evidence of that so far in the published literature . ''
The team notes so far they 've only been able to observe the end product of tail regenerations in alligators .
Given that they are a threatened species , further studies on how this process works may be challenging , but could provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand how different animals are able to repair and regenerate tissues , this knowledge can then be leveraged to develop medical therapies , '' said ASU anatomist Rebecca Fisher .
This research was published in Scientific Reports .
This article was originally published by ScienceAlert .
Read the original article here .

Cornered by a dangerous predator, a gecko can self-amputate its still twitching tail, creating a fleeting moment of distraction - a chance for the lizard to flee with its life.
Small reptiles such as geckos and skinks are well known for this remarkable ability to sacrifice and then rapidly regrow their tails. Now, to scientists' surprise, it turns out that much larger alligators can regrow theirs too. But only while they're young.
Juvenile American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) can regrow up to 18 percent of their total body length back. This is about 23 cm or 9 inches of length.
What's really cool is this regrowth appears to occur via a mechanism we've not seen before.
By imaging and dissecting the tail regrowth, researchers from Arizona State University (ASU) found alligators do this quite differently from the other animals we know that can regenerate their appendages.
Regrown tails are visibly identified by scale coloration, dense scale patterning, and lack of dorsal scutes. pic.twitter.com/adFdXs6rIYNovember 19, 2020 See more
As far as regrowing body parts goes, amphibious axolotls are the champions of regeneration amongst land animals with internal skeletons.
If injured, they can reform a segmented skeleton, complete with muscles that differ along their height - distinguishing top from bottom.
Regrown lizard tails do not have a segmented skeleton, but lizards do reform muscles - although they look uniformly the same, with no variation in topside structure compared to the bottom.
This may be because regenerating appendages is physiologically expensive, and in smaller lizards has been shown to reduce overall growth rate.
Alligators, it seems, don't even bother re-growing muscles at all.
"Clearly there is a high cost to producing new muscle," said ASU animal physiologist Jeanne Wilson-Rawls.
The team believes that even a muscle-less extra bit of tail must give these dangerous predators an edge in their murkily watered homes.
Unlike lizards, they can't self-amputate - their tail loss usually results from trauma inflicted by territorial aggression, or cannibalism from larger individuals.
Damage from human interactions, like motor blade damage have also been recorded.
The connective-tissue alligators replace skeletal muscle with is more like the wound repair you would see in the tuatara or in mammal wound healing, the team explains.
"The regrown alligator tail is supported by an unsegmented cartilage tube rather than bone... lacked skeletal muscle and featured scar-like connective tissue populated with nerves and blood vessels," ASU cellular biologist and first author of the research Cindy Xu explained on Twitter.
"Regrown tails from juvenile American alligators exhibit features of both regeneration and wound repair."
But regrowth of cartilage, blood vessels, nerves and scales is similar to what is seen in lizards.
"Future comparative studies will be important to understand why regenerative capacity is variable among different reptile and animal groups," said Xu.
It also may take them considerably longer to regrow their missing bits. While skinks can do it in as little as six months, a related crocodilian, the black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) takes up to 18 months to reform their tails.
Alligators are an ancient lineage of reptiles, who shared a common ancestor with birds around 245 million years ago, back when non-avian dinosaurs dominated the Earth.
There's fossil evidence of an ancient crocodilian from the Jurassic period that also had a regenerated tail.
This "raises the question of when during evolution this ability was lost. Are there fossils out there of dinosaurs, whose lineage led to modern birds, with regrown tails?" ASU biomedical scientist Kenro Kusumi questions.
"We haven't found any evidence of that so far in the published literature."
The team notes so far they've only been able to observe the end product of tail regenerations in alligators.
Given that they are a threatened species, further studies on how this process works may be challenging, but could provide some useful information.
"If we understand how different animals are able to repair and regenerate tissues, this knowledge can then be leveraged to develop medical therapies," said ASU anatomist Rebecca Fisher.
This research was published in Scientific Reports.
This article was originally published by ScienceAlert. Read the original article here.


livescience--2020-11-30--Is the Boeing 737 Max safe enough to fly?

The Boeing 737 Max began flying commercially in May 2017 but has been grounded for over a year and a half following two crashes within five months .
On October 29 2018 , Lion Air Flight 610 took off from Jakarta .
It quickly experienced problems in maintaining altitude , entered into an uncontrollable dive and crashed into the Java Sea about 13 minutes after takeoff .
Then on March 10 2019 , Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 from Nairobi suffered similar problems , crashing into the desert around six minutes after leaving the runway .
In total , 346 people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crash , US regulator the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) decided to ground all 737 Max planes , of which around 350 had been delivered at the time , while they investigated the causes of the accidents .
Now , 20 months later , the FAA has announced that it is rescinding this order and has set out steps for the return of the aircraft to commercial service .
Brazil has responded quickly , also approving the 737 Max .
So , what went wrong – and can we be confident that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the two accidents were complex , but link mainly to the 737 ’ s manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system ( MCAS ) , which was introduced to the 737 Max to manage changes in behaviour created by the plane having much larger engines than its predecessors .
There are some important points about the MCAS which we must consider when reviewing the “ fixes ” .
The MCAS prevented stall ( a sudden loss of lift due to the angle of the wing ) by “ pushing ” the nose down .
Stall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( AoA ) sensor – the 737 Max is fitted with two , but MCAS only used one .
If that AoA sensor failed , then the MCAS could activate when it shouldn ’ t , unnecessarily pushing the nose down .
The design meant that there was no automatic switch to the other AoA sensor , and MCAS kept working with the erroneous sensor values .
This is what happened in both crashes .
The design of the MCAS meant that it was repeatedly activated if it determined that there was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the nose was continually pushed down , making it hard for pilots to keep altitude or climb .
The system was also hard to override .
In both cases , the flight crews were unable to override the MCAS , although other crews had successfully managed to do so in similar situation , and this contributed to the two accidents .
Have these things been fixed ?
The FAA has published an extensive summary explaining its decision .
The MCAS software has been modified and now uses both AoA sensors , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activates once , rather than multiple times , when a potential stall is signalled by both the AoA sensors .
Pilots are provided with an “ AoA disagree warning ” which indicates that there might be an erroneous activation of MCAS .
This warning was not standard equipment at the time of the two accidents – it had to be purchased by airlines as an option .
Importantly , pilots will now be trained on the operation of the MCAS and management of its problems .
Pilots claimed that initially they were not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ training will have to be approved by the FAA .
So , is all well ?
Probably .
As the 737 Max accidents put Boeing and the FAA under such intense scrutiny , it is likely that the design and safety activities have been carried out and checked to the maximum extent possible .
There is no such thing as perfection in such complex engineering processes , but it is clear that this has been an extremely intensive effort and that Boeing found and corrected a few other potential safety problems that were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we are not there yet .
The more than 300 aircraft already delivered have to be modified , and the 450-or-so built but not delivered also need to be updated and checked by the FAA .
Then the pilots need to be trained .
And the airlines need passengers – but will they get them ?
That is an issue of trust .
The US Congressional Enquiry was scathing about the culture at both Boeing and the FAA and the difficulty of the FAA in overseeing Boeing ’ s work .
Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of psychological safety : “ The assurance that one can speak up , offer ideas , point out problems , or deliver bad news without fear of retribution.
” We have evidence that the engineering problems have been fixed , but safety culture is more nebulous and slow to change .
How would we know if trust has been restored ?
There are several possible indicators .
Due to the effects of COVID-19 , airlines are running a reduced flight schedule , so they may not need to use the 737 Max .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , despite its reduced operating costs compared to earlier 737 models , that will be telling .
Certainly , all eyes will be on the first airline to return the aircraft to the skies .
Some US airlines have said they will advise people which model of aircraft they will be flying .
If passengers opt to avoid the 737 Max , that will speak volumes about public trust and confidence .
The FAA press release also says there has been an “ unprecedented level of collaborative and independent reviews by aviation authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the international authorities ask for further checks or delay the reintroduction of the aircraft in their jurisdictions , that will be particularly significant as it reflects the view of the FAA ’ s professional peers .
Brazil ’ s rapid response is a positive sign for this international engagement .
Hopefully , the first few years will prove uneventful and trust can be rebuilt .
But only time will tell .
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .
Follow all of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become part of the discussion — on Facebook and Twitter .
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher .
This version of the article was originally published on Live Science .

The Boeing 737 Max began flying commercially in May 2017 but has been grounded for over a year and a half following two crashes within five months. On October 29 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 took off from Jakarta. It quickly experienced problems in maintaining altitude, entered into an uncontrollable dive and crashed into the Java Sea about 13 minutes after takeoff. Then on March 10 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 from Nairobi suffered similar problems, crashing into the desert around six minutes after leaving the runway.
In total, 346 people lost their lives. After the second crash, US regulator the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) decided to ground all 737 Max planes, of which around 350 had been delivered at the time, while they investigated the causes of the accidents.
Now, 20 months later, the FAA has announced that it is rescinding this order and has set out steps for the return of the aircraft to commercial service. Brazil has responded quickly, also approving the 737 Max. So, what went wrong – and can we be confident that it has been fixed?
The causes of the two accidents were complex, but link mainly to the 737’s manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system (MCAS), which was introduced to the 737 Max to manage changes in behaviour created by the plane having much larger engines than its predecessors.
There are some important points about the MCAS which we must consider when reviewing the “fixes”. The MCAS prevented stall (a sudden loss of lift due to the angle of the wing) by “pushing” the nose down. Stall is indicated through an angle of attack (AoA) sensor – the 737 Max is fitted with two, but MCAS only used one. If that AoA sensor failed, then the MCAS could activate when it shouldn’t, unnecessarily pushing the nose down. The design meant that there was no automatic switch to the other AoA sensor, and MCAS kept working with the erroneous sensor values. This is what happened in both crashes.
The design of the MCAS meant that it was repeatedly activated if it determined that there was a risk of a stall. This meant that the nose was continually pushed down, making it hard for pilots to keep altitude or climb. The system was also hard to override. In both cases, the flight crews were unable to override the MCAS, although other crews had successfully managed to do so in similar situation, and this contributed to the two accidents.
The fixes
Have these things been fixed? The FAA has published an extensive summary explaining its decision. The MCAS software has been modified and now uses both AoA sensors, not one. The MCAS also now only activates once, rather than multiple times, when a potential stall is signalled by both the AoA sensors. Pilots are provided with an “AoA disagree warning” which indicates that there might be an erroneous activation of MCAS. This warning was not standard equipment at the time of the two accidents – it had to be purchased by airlines as an option.
Importantly, pilots will now be trained on the operation of the MCAS and management of its problems. Pilots claimed that initially they were not even told that MCAS existed. This training will have to be approved by the FAA.
So, is all well? Probably. As the 737 Max accidents put Boeing and the FAA under such intense scrutiny, it is likely that the design and safety activities have been carried out and checked to the maximum extent possible. There is no such thing as perfection in such complex engineering processes, but it is clear that this has been an extremely intensive effort and that Boeing found and corrected a few other potential safety problems that were unrelated to the accidents.
Of course, we are not there yet. The more than 300 aircraft already delivered have to be modified, and the 450-or-so built but not delivered also need to be updated and checked by the FAA. Then the pilots need to be trained. And the airlines need passengers – but will they get them? That is an issue of trust.
Safety culture and trust
The US Congressional Enquiry was scathing about the culture at both Boeing and the FAA and the difficulty of the FAA in overseeing Boeing’s work. Some commentators have also referred to an absence of psychological safety: “The assurance that one can speak up, offer ideas, point out problems, or deliver bad news without fear of retribution.” We have evidence that the engineering problems have been fixed, but safety culture is more nebulous and slow to change.
How would we know if trust has been restored? There are several possible indicators.
Due to the effects of COVID-19, airlines are running a reduced flight schedule, so they may not need to use the 737 Max. If they choose not to do so, despite its reduced operating costs compared to earlier 737 models, that will be telling. Certainly, all eyes will be on the first airline to return the aircraft to the skies.
Some US airlines have said they will advise people which model of aircraft they will be flying. If passengers opt to avoid the 737 Max, that will speak volumes about public trust and confidence.
The FAA press release also says there has been an “unprecedented level of collaborative and independent reviews by aviation authorities around the world”. But if the international authorities ask for further checks or delay the reintroduction of the aircraft in their jurisdictions, that will be particularly significant as it reflects the view of the FAA’s professional peers. Brazil’s rapid response is a positive sign for this international engagement.
Hopefully, the first few years will prove uneventful and trust can be rebuilt. But only time will tell.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates — and become part of the discussion — on Facebook and Twitter. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-11-30--Our solar system will disintegrate sooner than we thought

Although the ground beneath our feet feels solid and reassuring ( most of the time ) , nothing in this Universe lasts forever .
One day , our sun will die , ejecting a large proportion of its mass before its core shrinks down into a white dwarf , gradually leaking heat until it 's nothing more than a cold , dark , dead lump of rock , a thousand trillion years later .
But the rest of the solar system will be long gone by then .
According to new simulations , it will take just 100 billion years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the galaxy , leaving the dying sun far behind .
Astronomers and physicists have been trying to puzzle out the ultimate fate of the Solar System for at least hundreds of years .
`` Understanding the long-term dynamical stability of the solar system constitutes one of the oldest pursuits of astrophysics , tracing back to Newton himself , who speculated that mutual interactions between planets would eventually drive the system unstable , '' wrote astronomers Jon Zink of the University of California , Los Angeles , Konstantin Batygin of Caltech and Fred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their new paper .
But that 's a lot trickier than it might seem .
The greater the number of bodies that are involved in a dynamical system , interacting with each other , the more complicated that system grows and the harder it is to predict .
This is called the N-body problem .
Because of this complexity , it 's impossible to make deterministic predictions of the orbits of solar system objects past certain timescales .
Beyond about five to 10 million years , certainty flies right out the window .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ what 's going to happen to our solar system , that will tell us something about how the Universe might evolve , on timescales far longer than its current age of 13.8 billion years .
In 1999 , astronomers predicted that the solar system would slowly fall apart over a period of at least a billion billion - that 's 10^18 , or a quintillion - years .
That 's how long it would take , they calculated , for orbital resonances from Jupiter and Saturn to decouple Uranus .
According to Zink @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left out some important influences that could disrupt the solar system sooner .
In about 5 billion years , as it dies , the Sun will swell up into a red giant , engulfing Mercury , Venus and Earth .
Then it will eject nearly half its mass , blown away into space on stellar winds ; the remaining white dwarf will be around just 54 percent of the current solar mass .
This mass loss will loosen the sun 's gravitational grip on the remaining planets , Mars and the outer gas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Uranus , and Neptune .
Secondly , as the solar system orbits the galactic centre , other stars ought to come close enough to perturb the planets ' orbits , around once every 23 million years .
`` By accounting for stellar mass loss and the inflation of the outer planet orbits , these encounters will become more influential , '' the researchers wrote .
`` Given enough time , some of these flybys will come close enough to disassociate - or destabilize - the remaining planets . ''
With these additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the team ran 10 N-body simulations for the outer planets ( leaving out Mars to save on computation costs , since its influence should be negligible ) , using the powerful Shared Hoffman2 Cluster .
These simulations were split into two phases : up to the end of the Sun 's mass loss , and the phase that comes after .
Although 10 simulations is n't a strong statistical sample , the team found that a similar scenario played out each time .
After the Sun completes its evolution into a white dwarf @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orbit , but still remain relatively stable .
Jupiter and Saturn , however , become captured in a stable 5:2 resonance - for every five times Jupiter orbits the Sun , Saturn orbits twice ( that eventual resonance has been proposed many times , not least by Isaac Newton himself ) .
These expanded orbits , as well as characteristics of the planetary resonance , makes the system more susceptible to perturbations by passing stars .
After 30 billion years , such stellar perturbations jangle those stable orbits into chaotic ones , resulting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one planet escape their orbits , fleeing off into the galaxy as rogue planets .
That last , lonely planet sticks around for another 50 billion years , but its fate is sealed .
Eventually , it , too , is knocked loose by the gravitational influence of passing stars .
Ultimately , by 100 billion years after the Sun turns into a white dwarf , the Solar System is no more .
That 's a significantly shorter timeframe than that proposed in 1999 .
And , the researchers carefully note , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local galactic environment , and stellar flyby estimates , both of which may change .
So it 's by no means engraved in stone .
Even if estimates of the timeline of the Solar System 's demise do change , however , it 's still many billions of years away .
The likelihood of humanity surviving long enough to see it is slim .
The research has been published in The Astronomical Journal .
This article was originally published by ScienceAlert .
Read the original article here .

Although the ground beneath our feet feels solid and reassuring (most of the time), nothing in this Universe lasts forever.
One day, our sun will die, ejecting a large proportion of its mass before its core shrinks down into a white dwarf, gradually leaking heat until it's nothing more than a cold, dark, dead lump of rock, a thousand trillion years later.
But the rest of the solar system will be long gone by then. According to new simulations, it will take just 100 billion years for any remaining planets to skedaddle off across the galaxy, leaving the dying sun far behind.
Astronomers and physicists have been trying to puzzle out the ultimate fate of the Solar System for at least hundreds of years.
"Understanding the long-term dynamical stability of the solar system constitutes one of the oldest pursuits of astrophysics, tracing back to Newton himself, who speculated that mutual interactions between planets would eventually drive the system unstable," wrote astronomers Jon Zink of the University of California, Los Angeles, Konstantin Batygin of Caltech and Fred Adams of the University of Michigan in their new paper.
But that's a lot trickier than it might seem. The greater the number of bodies that are involved in a dynamical system, interacting with each other, the more complicated that system grows and the harder it is to predict. This is called the N-body problem.
Because of this complexity, it's impossible to make deterministic predictions of the orbits of solar system objects past certain timescales. Beyond about five to 10 million years, certainty flies right out the window.
But, if we can figure out what's going to happen to our solar system, that will tell us something about how the Universe might evolve, on timescales far longer than its current age of 13.8 billion years.
In 1999, astronomers predicted that the solar system would slowly fall apart over a period of at least a billion billion - that's 10^18, or a quintillion - years. That's how long it would take, they calculated, for orbital resonances from Jupiter and Saturn to decouple Uranus.
According to Zink's team, though, this calculation left out some important influences that could disrupt the solar system sooner.
Firstly, there's the sun.
In about 5 billion years, as it dies, the Sun will swell up into a red giant, engulfing Mercury, Venus and Earth. Then it will eject nearly half its mass, blown away into space on stellar winds; the remaining white dwarf will be around just 54 percent of the current solar mass.
This mass loss will loosen the sun's gravitational grip on the remaining planets, Mars and the outer gas and ice giants, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Secondly, as the solar system orbits the galactic centre, other stars ought to come close enough to perturb the planets' orbits, around once every 23 million years.
"By accounting for stellar mass loss and the inflation of the outer planet orbits, these encounters will become more influential," the researchers wrote.
"Given enough time, some of these flybys will come close enough to disassociate - or destabilize - the remaining planets."
With these additional influences accounted for in their calculations, the team ran 10 N-body simulations for the outer planets (leaving out Mars to save on computation costs, since its influence should be negligible), using the powerful Shared Hoffman2 Cluster. These simulations were split into two phases: up to the end of the Sun's mass loss, and the phase that comes after.
Although 10 simulations isn't a strong statistical sample, the team found that a similar scenario played out each time.
After the Sun completes its evolution into a white dwarf, the outer planets have a larger orbit, but still remain relatively stable. Jupiter and Saturn, however, become captured in a stable 5:2 resonance - for every five times Jupiter orbits the Sun, Saturn orbits twice (that eventual resonance has been proposed many times, not least by Isaac Newton himself).
These expanded orbits, as well as characteristics of the planetary resonance, makes the system more susceptible to perturbations by passing stars.
After 30 billion years, such stellar perturbations jangle those stable orbits into chaotic ones, resulting in rapid planet loss. All but one planet escape their orbits, fleeing off into the galaxy as rogue planets.
That last, lonely planet sticks around for another 50 billion years, but its fate is sealed. Eventually, it, too, is knocked loose by the gravitational influence of passing stars. Ultimately, by 100 billion years after the Sun turns into a white dwarf, the Solar System is no more.
That's a significantly shorter timeframe than that proposed in 1999. And, the researchers carefully note, it's contingent on current observations of the local galactic environment, and stellar flyby estimates, both of which may change. So it's by no means engraved in stone.
Even if estimates of the timeline of the Solar System's demise do change, however, it's still many billions of years away. The likelihood of humanity surviving long enough to see it is slim.
Sleep tight!
The research has been published in The Astronomical Journal.
This article was originally published by ScienceAlert. Read the original article here.


livescience--2020-11-30--Dangerous 'naked' black holes could be hiding in the universe

Black holes are regions of infinite density , known as a singularity .
And according to mainstream physics , each of these cosmic matter munchers is fringed by an event horizon –- a boundary where once you fall in , you never come out .
But what if some black holes are naked — completely lacking such frontiers ?
As far as we can tell , singularities are always wrapped in event horizons , but a more detailed look at the math of general relativity suggests that does n't have to be the case .
If such naked black holes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how we might be able to detect one : by looking at the ring of light surrounding it .
'The Emperor Has No Clothes' Black holes are a consequence of the of Einstein 's theory of general .
Those equations tell us that if a clump of matter collapses on itself into too small of a volume , the of that will just keep shrinking it ever smaller until it crushes into an infinitely tiny point .
That point is called a singularity , and it 's a signal that the math we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ breaking down .
The gravitational pull of a singularity is infinitely strong .
Objects can be pulled toward the singularity faster than the speed of light .
Near a singularity , the physics of general relativity can no longer predict the future trajectory of particles — which is one of the main points of physics .
Without the power to make predictions , physics falls apart .
Related : 8 ways you can see Einstein 's theory of relativity in real life Thankfully , as far as we know , all singularities are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event horizon is the distance away from the singularity where the gravitational attraction is strong enough to pull in anything –- the point where you would have to travel faster than the speed of light to escape .
That 's what makes a black hole black — even light ca n't escape them .
Ever since we first discovered the existence of black holes , we 've wondered if it 's possible to form a singularity without the associated event horizon — a so-called `` naked '' singularity .
This would be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be a location where the laws of physics break down that is fully accessible to the rest of the universe .
At least with a traditional black hole , the singularity is safely wrapped beneath an event horizon , so even though it 's a place of extreme and unknown physics , at least whatever happens there is locked away from the rest of the cosmos .
If naked singularities exist , they certainly are n't common .
We know of only one confirmed way of forming singularities , and that 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fuel and collapses in on itself .
When that happens , the singularity naturally gets an event horizon .
The presence of a naked singularity is so troubling to physicists that they 've conjectured that perhaps nature does n't allow them to exist at all –- but so far we do n't have any proof of that idea .
It might be possible to form naked singularities , although only under the most extreme conditions .
If a black hole is spinning , it can form a second event horizon , nestled inside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hole spins , the closer these event horizons get to each other .
If it spins fast enough , the predicts that the event horizons can `` cancel out '' ( the actual physics is of course much more complicated , but you get the idea ) and reveal a naked singularity .
Related : The 12 strangest objects in the universe So far , we have not identified any black holes spinning fast enough to possibly expose their singularities , but otherwise we usually have no way of determining if a random @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or a naked singularity .
The image provided by the Event Horizon Telescope is an exception , of course , but we do n't have a lot of pictures like that one .
A theoretical physicist took this challenge head-on by studying if a naked singularity could reveal itself in other ways , especially if it 's surrounded by a ring of material , as reported in a paper published Nov. 12 on the preprint journal server .
This ring , called an accretion disk , is a common feature around black holes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When gas and dust fall onto a dense , compact object , that material flattens into a disk before funneling all the way down .
This disk can be incredibly bright , betraying the existence of a black hole ( in fact , this is how we know of the existence of the vast majority of the black holes in the universe ) .
Most theoretical studies of naked singularities have assumed that the object exists in isolation , which is n't true in the real universe .
In the new work , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation , and found a surprising result .
The accretion disk is not completely separate from the black hole ( or naked singularity ) .
The disk itself has its own gravitational pull , and it can twist and distort the compact object at the center .
This distortion in turn affects the gravitational environment around the object , subtly altering the path of the material swirling inward .
The theorist found that a naked singularity does behave a little bit differently than a normal black hole –- the accretion disk around a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brighter than around a black hole .
So far our telescopes do n't have the sensitivity to tell the difference , future instruments could ; perhaps an updated version of the Event Horizon Telescope would do the trick .
Finding a naked singularity out in the wild would be a major revelation in physics .
We would be able to point to a location on the sky where we know that our knowledge breaks down .
More detailed studies of the environment around a confirmed naked singularity would divulge some of the deepest @ @ @ @ @

Black holes are regions of infinite density, known as a singularity. And according to mainstream physics, each of these cosmic matter munchers is fringed by an event horizon –- a boundary where once you fall in, you never come out.
But what if some black holes are naked — completely lacking such frontiers? As far as we can tell, singularities are always wrapped in event horizons, but a more detailed look at the math of general relativity suggests that doesn't have to be the case.
If such naked black holes dot the universe, new research reveals how we might be able to detect one: by looking at the ring of light surrounding it.
Related: What's inside a black hole?
'The Emperor Has No Clothes'
Black holes are a consequence of the mathematics of Einstein's theory of general relativity . Those equations tell us that if a clump of matter collapses on itself into too small of a volume, the gravity of that matter will just keep shrinking it ever smaller until it crushes into an infinitely tiny point. That point is called a singularity, and it's a signal that the math we're using to describe spacetime is completely breaking down.
The gravitational pull of a singularity is infinitely strong. Objects can be pulled toward the singularity faster than the speed of light. Near a singularity, the physics of general relativity can no longer predict the future trajectory of particles — which is one of the main points of physics. Without the power to make predictions, physics falls apart.
Related: 8 ways you can see Einstein's theory of relativity in real life
Thankfully, as far as we know, all singularities are wrapped in an event horizon. The event horizon is the distance away from the singularity where the gravitational attraction is strong enough to pull in anything –- the point where you would have to travel faster than the speed of light to escape. That's what makes a black hole black — even light can't escape them.
Ever since we first discovered the existence of black holes, we've wondered if it's possible to form a singularity without the associated event horizon — a so-called "naked" singularity. This would be a very dangerous place indeed, because it would be a location where the laws of physics break down that is fully accessible to the rest of the universe. At least with a traditional black hole, the singularity is safely wrapped beneath an event horizon, so even though it's a place of extreme and unknown physics, at least whatever happens there is locked away from the rest of the cosmos.
Twisting a point
If naked singularities exist, they certainly aren't common. We know of only one confirmed way of forming singularities, and that's when a giant star runs out of fuel and collapses in on itself. When that happens, the singularity naturally gets an event horizon.
The presence of a naked singularity is so troubling to physicists that they've conjectured that perhaps nature doesn't allow them to exist at all –- but so far we don't have any proof of that idea.
It might be possible to form naked singularities, although only under the most extreme conditions. If a black hole is spinning, it can form a second event horizon, nestled inside the first. The faster a black hole spins, the closer these event horizons get to each other. If it spins fast enough, the mathematics predicts that the event horizons can "cancel out" (the actual physics is of course much more complicated, but you get the idea) and reveal a naked singularity.
Related: The 12 strangest objects in the universe
So far, we have not identified any black holes spinning fast enough to possibly expose their singularities, but otherwise we usually have no way of determining if a random astrophysical object is a regular black hole or a naked singularity. The image provided by the Event Horizon Telescope is an exception, of course, but we don't have a lot of pictures like that one.
Making a difference
A theoretical physicist took this challenge head-on by studying if a naked singularity could reveal itself in other ways, especially if it's surrounded by a ring of material, as reported in a paper published Nov. 12 on the preprint journal server arXiv . This ring, called an accretion disk, is a common feature around black holes (and potentially naked singularities). When gas and dust fall onto a dense, compact object, that material flattens into a disk before funneling all the way down. This disk can be incredibly bright, betraying the existence of a black hole (in fact, this is how we know of the existence of the vast majority of the black holes in the universe).
Most theoretical studies of naked singularities have assumed that the object exists in isolation, which isn't true in the real universe. In the new work, the theorist examined the whole, complex situation, and found a surprising result.
The accretion disk is not completely separate from the black hole (or naked singularity). The disk itself has its own gravitational pull, and it can twist and distort the compact object at the center. This distortion in turn affects the gravitational environment around the object, subtly altering the path of the material swirling inward.
The theorist found that a naked singularity does behave a little bit differently than a normal black hole –- the accretion disk around a naked singularity can be much, much brighter than around a black hole. So far our telescopes don't have the sensitivity to tell the difference, future instruments could; perhaps an updated version of the Event Horizon Telescope would do the trick.
Finding a naked singularity out in the wild would be a major revelation in physics. We would be able to point to a location on the sky where we know that our knowledge breaks down. More detailed studies of the environment around a confirmed naked singularity would divulge some of the deepest mysteries of the universe.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-11-30--The best Cyber Monday deals on binoculars for travel, skywatching and nature

There 's nothing quite like getting up close to Earth 's incredible wildlife and this Cyber Monday we 've scanned the retailers to help you find the very best deal on your next ( or first ! )
binocular — whether you 're wanting to observe birds up close or scour the surface of the moon , you can get a great discount today .
With unbeatable offers on Celestron 's Outland X 10x50 and Celestron 's range of SkyMaster Binocular — both of which offer a mix of stunning terrestrial views — we 've rounded up the very best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high quality .
And for a fraction of the cost .
Some binoculars in our Cyber Monday deals come with accessories , including lens caps and a handy carry case to ensure that the optics are always protected during tours of land and sky .
What 's more , all binoculars are robust and can withstand bumps and knocks , making them the perfect choice for young observers and the most adventurous members of the family .
The all-arounder Celestron Nature DX 8x42 binocular is our editor 's choice and comes at 19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lightweight design , you can switch from observing the local wildlife to the surface of the moon within moments : thanks to a combination of coated lenses , BaK-4 prisms and nitrogen purging , views are spectacularly clear for unbelievable observations .
More great Cyber Monday deals on binoculars from top brands Celestron , Nikon , Vixen and Bushnell Great for those on the go , you can now snap up the UpClose G2 8x21 at Amazon and at 16 % off the retail price .
Water resistant and supplied with a carry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it 's the ideal piece of kit for birdwatching and hiking.View Deal Be sure to check out Live Science 's best binoculars for kids 2020 as well as Space.com 's best binoculars 2020 .

These Black Friday binoculars deals are a fantastic way to observe nature up close without disturbing the peace. With these amazing binoculars deals, you can get the right pair of binoculars for much less, whether you're looking for birds, whales, planets, or stars.
At a casual glance, binoculars look all the same and in essence do the same thing. But every pair is unique, with particular features that suit them to one type of sightseeing.
Some models, such as Nikon's 10x42 ProStaff 3S or ACULON A211 8x42 , have wide fields of view, making them ideal for sightseeing trips in nature. Bushnell's Powerview 20x50 model has larger lenses that can achieve much higher magnifications; this makes them perfect for astronomy. Sometimes you might want less magnification too, such as those on the Celestron 8x42 Outland X , which are perfect for viewing wildlife from afar or on bumpy boat rides.
Even the best of us can feel a little confused with all of the technical details involved in describing binocular lenses. To help you find the ideal pair at the best price, Live Science has compiled the top binoculars bargains.
If you want to nature-watch with your kids, then check out our list of the best binoculars for kids as well. Or, you can alternatively keep them entertained with these deals on educational science kits for kids .
Best binoculars deals
Hexeum Night Vision Binoculars: was $298 now $139.98 at Amazon These night vision binoculars from Hexeum are now a whopping 53% off at Amazon. These would be perfect outdoor activities, night hunting, patrol detection, security and surveilla, search & rescue, camping, watching wildlife and scenery.
Celestron - SkyMaster Giant 15x70 Binoculars: was $99.99 now $68.00 at Amazon These skywatching binoculars made by the trusted Celestron brand are now $31.99 off at Amazon. They boast a large aperture (70 mm), which make them perfect for low light-conditions and stargazing. You can also use them for terrestrial use, particularly over long distances. The BaK-4 prisms and multi-coated optics should deliver high-contrast, brilliantly colored views. Binoculars are water-resistant, have foldable eyecups and have a tripod adaptor.
Celestron 20x80 SkyMaster Pro: was $414.95 now $244.95 at Adorama If you’re serious about skywatching and in need of a set of binoculars, this could be the perfect deal. This set of Skymaster pros has all the bells and whistles: The large 80 mm objective lenses make for excellent stargazing at night, while the detachable RSR rail means you can add a red dot finderscope. Also, the nitrogen-purging mechanism prevents any fogging. And the “pro" label indicates all lenses are multi-coated with what Celestron calls its "proprietary XLT coating technology.” Those coatings and the BaK-4 prisms increase light transmission to deliver super-clear, high-contrast views.
Celestron SkyMaster 18-40x80 Zoom Binocular: was $258.95 , now $174.95 at B&H Photo
These incredible Celestron binoculars provide 8x magnification with 40 mm diameter lenses; the large objective diameter means you get a comfortable viewing aperture even at higher magnification levels. A Tripod adaptor is included and long eye relief makes viewing more comfortable for glasses-wearers.
Celestron Outland X 8x42 Binocular: was $99.95 , now $62.94 at Amazon
You can now get over $30 off the Outland X 8x42 Binoculars at Amazon. Multi-coated optics deliver high-contrast views and BaK-4 glass will enhance the color of your view. Waterproof and fog proof, with protective rubber covering.
Celestron Outland X 10x42 Binocular: was $104.95 , now $69.42 at Amazon
You can now get $35 off the Outland X 10x42 Binoculars at Amazon. Twist-up eyecups allow for quick eye relief adjustment for a comfortable observing experience, while multicoated optics offer excellent contrast and clarity.
Nikon 10x42 ProStaff 3S Binoculars: $129.95 now $99.99 at Amazon
Snag this high-powered set of binoculars for $30 off. The binoculars boast silver-alloy-coated roof prisms (those internal prisms that magnify and transmit light) and anti-reflection multicoated optics for clear, high-contrast and brightly colored views. Compared with the 7S series, this 3S Prostaff series has a wider field of view, meaning you can more easily watch moving objects like birds or anything else you're interested in.
SkyGenius 10 x 50 Binoculars: was $58.99 , now $39.99 at Amazon
The SkyGenius binoculars are great for both entry-level skywatching and nature exploration. The rubber armor means the binoculars are shock-resistant; and the twistable eyepieces can be adjusted for a perfect fit. Right now, the binoculars are 32% off at Amazon.
Note: Marked as inactive as not included in Black Friday deals anywhere
Nikon - ACULON A211 8x42 Binoculars: was $89.99 , now $69.99 at Best Buy
A great buy for an outdoor enthusiast who is interested in both getting a little closer to nature and perhaps spying some craters on the moon. With a 420-foot field of view, you can view wide vistas. And the company boasts the lenses are arsenic- and lead-free. Plus, the rubber armor means they can get jostled without breaking.
Celestron TrailSeeker 8x32 Binocular: was $279.95 , now $159 at Amazon
The Celestron TrailSeeker 8x32 binocular has a huge 43% discount on Amazon for Black Friday. The binoculars are weatherproof if you get caught in the rain and are good for close and mid-range observations.
Celestron TrailSeeker ED 8x42 Binoculars: was $379.95 now $325.13 at Amazon Amazon have already knocked over $50 off the Celestron TrailSeeker ED 8x42 binoculars, but they are also offering a further $30 discount when you apply a coupon. These binoculars feature premium ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) objective lenses, virtually eliminating chromatic aberration or color fringing.
Celestron TrailSeeker 8x42 Binoculars: was $299.95 now $274.95 on Amazon The Celestron TrailSeeker binocular features 8x magnification and a wide field, and with a sturdy magnesium alloy frame that is lightweight and completely waterproof, it can be used in any weather.
Celestron SkyMaster 25x100 Binocular: was $499.95 , now $400.52 at Amazon
Now 20% off, the SkyMaster 25x100 Binocular offers superb views of the night sky. Offering maximum brightness even in low-light conditions and at a long range, this binocular is great for terrestrial and astronomical sights. Comes with a carrying case.
Vortex Optics Diamondback HD Binoculars - was $259.99 , now $209.99 at Adorama
Save $50 off these Vortex HD binoculars with 8x magnification and 32mm objective lenses. They're optimized with select glass elements to deliver exceptional resolution, and are waterproof and fog proof.
Bushnell Powerview 20x50 Binoculars - was $94.99 , now $64.06 at Amazon Amazon offers great optics for a competitive price and the Powerview 20x50 is no exception. Now at an even more competitive price with a further $10 off, the InstaFocus system inside the binocular's body offers a great view when locking onto wildlife subjects.
Celestron 18-40x80 SkyMaster Zoom Binoculars: $174.95 at B&H Photo Currently the lowest price we've seen, the Celestron 18-40x80 SkyMaster Zoom Binoculars are a great choice for long-duration astronomical or long-distance terrestrial land use with its oversized aperture and powerful zoom range.
Celestron Outland X 10x50 Binocular: was $149.95 now £113 at Amazon Save 25% on these waterproof and fog proof Celestron binoculars with 10x magnification, designed to meet the needs of every outdoor enthusiast. Amazon are also offering a further $15 off with a coupon, but no word on how long this will last.
Celestron Nature DX 8x42 Binoculars: was $169.95 now $112.28 at Amazon Save 34% on these Celestron Nature DX 8x42 binoculars with 8x magnification and 42mm objective lenses. They feature a rubber-armored, polycarbonate housing and are waterproof and fog proof.
Celestron Nature DX ED 8x42 Binoculars: was $209.95 now $141.08 at Amazon For just $20 more than the regular Celestron Nature DX binoculars, these include extra-low dispersion (ED) objective lenses providing high resolution, High contrast images that are virtually free of optical defects like chromatic aberration and color fringing.
Canon 10x32 IS Image Stabilized Binoculars: was $1099 now $899 at B&H Photo While they may seem pricey, Canon have adapted the IS system from their line of EF lenses that detect and counter the appearance of hand-shake, so if excellent, steady image quality is what you're looking for, you can't go wrong here.
Encalife Extra Low Dispersion Binoculars: was $329.97 now $289.97 at Encalife These durable binoculars from Encalife are now $40 off, featuring extra-low dispersion glass which prevents color fringing while providing high-resolution, high contrast images. These binoculars are a great choice for concerts, birdwatching and outdoor activities.
How to choose your binoculars
Haven’t decided which pair of binoculars is right for you? Here are some things to consider: How do you plan to use the binoculars: bird and nature watching, or skywatching? Some binoculars are made for being out in nature when the sun is bright, for instance, or perhaps a rugged, shock-resistant coating is in order for a heavy-duty adventure. After you have that figured out, as well as your budget, here’s what to look for when scanning the stores for the best binoculars deals:
Magnification and lens size: The two numbers that describe binoculars refer to the magnification (first number) and lens diameter. For instance, a set of 10 x 52 binoculars are equipped with 10x magnification and 52 millimeter lenses. Both 8x and 10x magnification are considered optimal to prevent shaking and show a stable image nearby and far away. Lens size determines the amount of light let in. In low-light settings, you might want binoculars with lenses that are larger than 42 mm.
Field of view: The FOV indicates how wide an image can be seen through a binoculars' lenses. The wider the FOV, the easier it will be to find what you’re looking for. However, there are trade-offs. The higher the magnification, the lower the FOV. According to Bushnell, companies measure FOV in feet at 1,000 yards, or the field of view you’d have if you were to measure it from 1,000 yards away.
Size/shape: Depending on where you plan to lug your binoculars, the physical size and weight can matter. Big and bulky might be fine for one adventurer, while another is interested in pocket-friendly binoculars that still feature powerful optics.
If you're ready for an outdoor adventure, keep checking back for more deals on binoculars for 2021.


livescience--2020-11-30--Chinese submarine reaches the deepest place on Earth

The Chinese submersible Fendouzhe just reached one of the deepest spots on the planet , reaching a dizzying ( and dark ) depth of 35,791 feet ( 10,909 meters ) , according to a state-run news agency .
During a months-long expedition , Fendouzhe completed 13 dives into the — which boasts the deepest region on Earth — in the western Pacific Ocean over the course of the mission , which began Oct. 10 , according to .
Eight of those dives exceeded 32,808 feet ( 10,000 m ) , and the crewed submersible reached its own record depth on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exceeding the height of Mount Everest .
The depth world record is still held by Victor Vescovo , a private equity investor who dived to 35,873 feet ( 10,934 m ) on June 26 in his vessel Limiting Factor , according to .
The Fendouzhe 's maximum depth reached by Fendouzhe ( which means `` Striver '' in Chinese ) exceeds film director James Cameron 's solo 2012 dive to 35,787 feet ( 10,908 m ) in the trench , and falls short of the 35,800 feet ( 10,912 m ) attained by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 1960 .
According to China Daily , the vessel and its pilots spent their time aboard the research ship Tansuo-1 between dives , and they `` overcame difficulties such as typhoons , rain and high temperatures . ''
Reaching the bottom of the Mariana Trench was a point of national pride for China , which has devoted resources to ultradeep crewed diving for more than a decade .
As China Daily highlighted , the first Chinese deep-sea submersible , Jiaolong , reached 12,332 feet ( 3,759 m ) in 2010 -- putting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a handful of countries ( including the United States , France , Russia and Japan ) with vessels capable of crewed sub-11,483 foot ( 3,500 m ) dives .
To mark the achievement , a `` deep-sea video lander '' joined Fendouzhe for one of its dives .
The researchers collected sediment , rock and biological samples from the bottom of the trench , according to China Daily .
The project , according to China Daily , `` overcame difficulties such as typhoons , rain and high temperatures . ''
The Tansuo-1 returned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on board Saturday ( Nov. 28 ) .

A still from a video shows the submersible returning to port and its pilots disembarking after the weeks-long expidition.
The Chinese submersible Fendouzhe just reached one of the deepest spots on the planet, reaching a dizzying (and dark) depth of 35,791 feet (10,909 meters), according to a state-run news agency.
During a months-long expedition, Fendouzhe completed 13 dives into the Mariana Trench — which boasts the deepest region on Earth — in the western Pacific Ocean over the course of the mission, which began Oct. 10, according to China Daily . Eight of those dives exceeded 32,808 feet (10,000 m), and the crewed submersible reached its own record depth on Nov. 10 — plunging to a depth exceeding the height of Mount Everest. The depth world record is still held by Victor Vescovo, a private equity investor who dived to 35,873 feet (10,934 m) on June 26 in his vessel Limiting Factor, according to Guinness World Records . The Fendouzhe's maximum depth reached by Fendouzhe (which means "Striver" in Chinese) exceeds film director James Cameron's solo 2012 dive to 35,787 feet (10,908 m) in the trench, and falls short of the 35,800 feet (10,912 m) attained by the Swiss-Italian-American vessel Trieste on Jan. 23, 1960.
Related: Sea science: 7 bizarre facts about the ocean
According to China Daily, the vessel and its pilots spent their time aboard the research ship Tansuo-1 between dives, and they "overcame difficulties such as typhoons, rain and high temperatures."
Reaching the bottom of the Mariana Trench was a point of national pride for China, which has devoted resources to ultradeep crewed diving for more than a decade. As China Daily highlighted, the first Chinese deep-sea submersible, Jiaolong, reached 12,332 feet (3,759 m) in 2010 -- putting the country in a club of just a handful of countries (including the United States, France, Russia and Japan) with vessels capable of crewed sub-11,483 foot (3,500 m) dives. To mark the achievement, a "deep-sea video lander" joined Fendouzhe for one of its dives.
The researchers collected sediment, rock and biological samples from the bottom of the trench, according to China Daily. The project, according to China Daily, "overcame difficulties such as typhoons, rain and high temperatures."
The Tansuo-1 returned to port in Hainan province with Fendouzhe on board Saturday (Nov. 28).
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-11-30--Moderna's coronavirus vaccine is highly effective, final analysis shows

Moderna 's coronavirus vaccine is 94.1 % effective in preventing COVID-19 and 100 % effective in preventing severe illness , according to final results announced by the company on Monday ( Nov. 30 ) .
Moderna is also planning to file for an emergency use authorization ( EUA ) from the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) on Monday .
The final analysis was based on 196 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among participants in the trial , both those who received the placebo and those who received the vaccine .
Of those cases , 185 were among those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among those given the vaccine .
These findings further confirm that Moderna 's COVID-19 vaccine has a high efficacy rate ; initial phase 3 analysis conducted on 95 participants had found that the vaccine was 94.5 % effective , Live Science previously reported .
In the final analysis , 30 of the participants developed severe disease ( one of whom died ) but all 30 of them were in the placebo group , suggesting that the vaccine is highly protective against severe disease .
Moderna did n't report any significant safety concerns .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board ( DSMB ) , appointed by the National Institutes of Health , will continue to gather safety data from the participants , according to the statement .
After seeing these results , `` I allowed myself to cry for the first time , '' Dr. Tal Zaks , Moderna 's chief medical officer , told The Associated Press .
`` We have already , just in the trial , have already saved lives .
Just imagine the impact then multiplied to the people who can get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will likely meet on Dec. 17 to discuss the safety and efficacy data from the trial , according to the statement .
On Dec. 10 , the committee will meet to discuss data from Pfizer and BioNTech 's phase 3 clinical trial of its coronavirus vaccine , according to a statement from the FDA .
Moderna would be the second company to file for an EUA for their COVID-19 vaccine , following closely on the heels of Pfizer and BioNTech , who filed on Nov. 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a similar emergency approval called a `` conditional marketing authorization '' from the European Medicines Agency ( EMA ) on Monday .
Both Pfizer and Moderna 's vaccines are based on a genetic messenger called mRNA that instructs the body to develop spike proteins ( the molecules the coronavirus uses to invade human cells ) .
The immune system then learns to recognize the spike protein and builds up immune cells to fight the virus if the body is ever exposed .
Both vaccines have now proved highly effective in preventing COVID-19 .

Moderna's coronavirus vaccine is 94.1% effective in preventing COVID-19 and 100% effective in preventing severe illness, according to final results announced by the company on Monday (Nov. 30).
Moderna is also planning to file for an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday.
The final analysis was based on 196 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among participants in the trial, both those who received the placebo and those who received the vaccine. Of those cases, 185 were among those who were given a placebo and 11 were among those given the vaccine. These findings further confirm that Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine has a high efficacy rate; initial phase 3 analysis conducted on 95 participants had found that the vaccine was 94.5% effective, Live Science previously reported.
Related: Coronavirus live updates
In the final analysis, 30 of the participants developed severe disease (one of whom died) but all 30 of them were in the placebo group, suggesting that the vaccine is highly protective against severe disease. Moderna didn't report any significant safety concerns.
But the phase 3 trial is continuing and an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB), appointed by the National Institutes of Health, will continue to gather safety data from the participants, according to the statement.
After seeing these results, "I allowed myself to cry for the first time," Dr. Tal Zaks, Moderna's chief medical officer, told The Associated Press. "We have already, just in the trial, have already saved lives. Just imagine the impact then multiplied to the people who can get this vaccine."
The FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will likely meet on Dec. 17 to discuss the safety and efficacy data from the trial, according to the statement. On Dec. 10, the committee will meet to discuss data from Pfizer and BioNTech's phase 3 clinical trial of its coronavirus vaccine, according to a statement from the FDA.
Moderna would be the second company to file for an EUA for their COVID-19 vaccine, following closely on the heels of Pfizer and BioNTech, who filed on Nov. 20. Moderna is planning to file for a similar emergency approval called a "conditional marketing authorization" from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Monday.
Both Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines are based on a genetic messenger called mRNA that instructs the body to develop spike proteins (the molecules the coronavirus uses to invade human cells). The immune system then learns to recognize the spike protein and builds up immune cells to fight the virus if the body is ever exposed. Both vaccines have now proved highly effective in preventing COVID-19.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-11-30--Escaped mink could spread the coronavirus to wild animals

More than 100 SARS-CoV-2 infected mink may have escaped from Danish fur farms , raising the risk that these escapees could spread the novel coronavirus to wild animals , creating a new reservoir for the virus , .
`` Every year , a few thousand mink escape , '' and this year , an estimated 5 % of these escaped animals may have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 , Sten Mortensen , veterinary research manager at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration , told The Guardian .
These mink may be spreading the coronavirus to wild animals , even as millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ culled to prevent spread of the virus .
After several hundred farms reported SAR-CoV-2 infections among their , the Danish government ordered that all mink in the country should be culled , to prevent further spread of the disease , .
While circulating in mink , the virus had picked up , health authorities found , and this mutant virus spread from the mink to a small number of humans .
The authorities were worried that if the mutant virus spread to more people , it could potentially make less effective .
about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough evidence that the mutated virus would be resistant to .
In addition , the Danish government can not legally order farmers to cull healthy animals , ; however , despite the questionable legality of the order , more than 10 million of Denmark 's roughly 17 million mink have already been culled .
No new cases of the mutant mink have cropped up in the past two weeks — but now , authorities warn that the virus may still be spreading , unnoticed , in the wild .
Related : 20 of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In general , mink are `` very solitary creatures , '' so the risk of them spreading the virus to other animals may be low , Mortensen noted .
Susceptible animals , such as free-roaming cats and members of the weasel family , would be most likely to catch the virus by eating infected mink or coming into contact with their feces , he said .
For example , wild populations of European polecat ( Mustela putorius ) , a close relative to ferrets and minks , can be found in Denmark , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If allowed to spread unchecked in wild animals , SARS-CoV-2 could continue to circulate in different species and pose a `` permanent pandemic threat to humans and animals , '' Marion Koopmans , head of viroscience at Rotterdam 's Erasmus University in the Netherlands , told The Guardian .
It 's also possible that , as the virus circulated , it could mutate to infect a wider range of animal species than it currently does , Joanne Santini , a microbiologist at University College London , told The Guardian .
The Netherlands , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have all reported SARS-CoV-2 infections among farmed mink and have culled thousands of the animals as a result .
vaccines for mink are currently being developed in the U.S. , in an attempt to protect the animals and the mink farming industry , according to The Guardian .
But representatives of Humane Society International that all the animals should be culled and the industry dissolved , both to prevent avoidable suffering of the mink and to lower the .
Read more about the infected mink at .

More than 100 SARS-CoV-2 infected mink may have escaped from Danish fur farms, raising the risk that these escapees could spread the novel coronavirus to wild animals, creating a new reservoir for the virus, The Guardian reported .
"Every year, a few thousand mink escape," and this year, an estimated 5% of these escaped animals may have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, Sten Mortensen, veterinary research manager at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, told The Guardian. These mink may be spreading the coronavirus to wild animals, even as millions of mink still on farms are being culled to prevent spread of the virus.
After several hundred farms reported SAR-CoV-2 infections among their mink , the Danish government ordered that all mink in the country should be culled, to prevent further spread of the disease, Live Science previously reported . While circulating in mink, the virus had picked up genetic mutations , health authorities found, and this mutant virus spread from the mink to a small number of humans. The authorities were worried that if the mutant virus spread to more people, it could potentially make COVID-19 vaccines less effective.
Experts had doubts
about this claim, noting there's not enough evidence that the mutated virus would be resistant to vaccines . In addition, the Danish government cannot legally order farmers to cull healthy animals, The Associated Press reported ; however, despite the questionable legality of the order, more than 10 million of Denmark's roughly 17 million mink have already been culled.
No new cases of the mutant mink virus have cropped up in the past two weeks — but now, authorities warn that the virus may still be spreading, unnoticed, in the wild.
Related: 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history
In general, mink are "very solitary creatures," so the risk of them spreading the virus to other animals may be low, Mortensen noted. Susceptible animals, such as free-roaming cats and members of the weasel family, would be most likely to catch the virus by eating infected mink or coming into contact with their feces, he said. For example, wild populations of European polecat (Mustela putorius), a close relative to ferrets and minks, can be found in Denmark, according to a report in the Journal of Zoology .
If allowed to spread unchecked in wild animals, SARS-CoV-2 could continue to circulate in different species and pose a "permanent pandemic threat to humans and animals," Marion Koopmans, head of viroscience at Rotterdam's Erasmus University in the Netherlands, told The Guardian. It's also possible that, as the virus circulated, it could mutate to infect a wider range of animal species than it currently does, Joanne Santini, a microbiologist at University College London, told The Guardian.
The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United States have all reported SARS-CoV-2 infections among farmed mink and have culled thousands of the animals as a result. Coronavirus vaccines for mink are currently being developed in the U.S., in an attempt to protect the animals and the mink farming industry, according to The Guardian. But representatives of Humane Society International have argued that all the animals should be culled and the industry dissolved, both to prevent avoidable suffering of the mink and to lower the risk of future pandemics .
Read more about the infected mink at The Guardian .
Originally published on Live Science.