Margaret Davis

China Begins to Build Its Small Modular Nuclear Reactor that Will Generate a Billion kWh Every Year

07.28.2021 07:30 AM

China has started building the world's first commercial onshore small nuclear reactor project, dubbed the Linglong One or ACP100. It is estimated to take almost five years to build in Hainan.

Candida Auris Strikes Again! CDC Reports Two Outbreaks of Deadliest Drug-Resistant Strain in the US

07.28.2021 05:00 AM

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns of the risk of a new, pan-resistant strain of Candida auris after detecting two outbreaks in the US. This could be the deadliest strain ever reported in the country.

Jupiter Moon Ganymede Has Water Vapor in Its Atmosphere! Could This Be Common on Icy Bodies in the Solar System?

07.28.2021 00:10 AM

NASA scientists analyzed new and archival data from Hubble Space Telescope and found that the auroral bands they found in Jupiter's icy moon Ganymede are water vapor in its atmosphere, contradicting previous assumptions.

Highly Effective mRNA-Based Malaria Vaccine to Undergo Clinical Trial by End of 2022, BioNTech Announces

07.27.2021 10:35 AM

BioNTech announces its plans on developing a highly effective mRNA-based malaria vaccine after the success of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine that they co-developed with Pfizer. What could the public expect from this?

Mega Sandstorm in China Momentarily Erases A Silk Road Outpost, Country Announces to Build 'Great Green Wall'

07.27.2021 09:20 AM

The Chinese government announced its plan to develop a natural barrier against sandstorms as the northwestern part of the country was engulfed by a massive sandstorm that can only be imagined in movies.

Loss of Oxygen in Oceans Detrimental to Marine Life; Scientists Show How Deoxygenation Rapidly Affects Reef Ecosystem

07.27.2021 09:10 AM

Scientists found that the lack of oxygen on the Caribbean coral reef is affecting marine life. Macro-organisms have avoided the deoxygenated water, but those who did not end up suffocated.

Earth's Interior is Absorbing More Carbon Due to Slow-Motion Tectonic Plates, What Does This Imply?

07.27.2021 05:50 AM

Slow-motion collisions of tectonic plates absorb more carbon in Earth's interior, unlike what previous studies state, says scientists from Cambridge University and NTU Singapore.

How Does Piercing Work? Scientists Uncover Mechanics Behind Puncture on Soft Solids

07.27.2021 00:20 AM

The familiarity of the feeling of a needle piercing through the skin is expected at the onset of a pandemic, especially to those vaccinated against COVID-19. But what exactly is the mechanism behind puncturing the skin or other soft solids? Scientists finally explain how this stuff works.

Sleep Talking: Causes, Symptoms, and How to Prevent It

07.26.2021 07:19 AM

Sleep talking is a type of parasomnia disorder that even experts do not exactly know why it happens. But there are some tips that could help people prevent talking while they sleep.

Sound Waves Levitate Objects From Reflective Surfaces in New Method Developed by Japanese Engineers

07.26.2021 06:06 AM

Engineers in Japan have developed a new method of levitating objects using sound waves, which could hopefully unlock the potential of picking up physical things using nothing but sound.

FAA Announced Jeff Bezos Still Not an Astronaut: Who Qualifies To Become One?

07.26.2021 04:35 AM

People who take commercial flights to space will not be called an astronaut, according to new FAA rule. That means, Jeff Bezos and his crew, and even Richard Branson do not qualify to be called one.

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Has Now Flown Over One Mile, Capturing Images to Help Perseverance Rover

07.26.2021 02:30 AM

NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter has now flown over one mile, marking its successful tenth flight on the Red Planet. It has taken photos of Raised Ridges that Perseverance rover might soon be visiting.

Marsquakes Studies Reveal Mars Have Larger Metallic Core than Previously Believed

07.25.2021 23:35 PM

Studies published in the journal Science reveal that Mars may have a massive metallic core based on the seismic waves produced by marsquakes.

Dopamine Impulses Can Be Controlled in the Brain of Mice in Anticipation of Rewards

07.24.2021 03:00 AM

Scientists from UC San Diego showed that mice can willfully control dopamine impulses, the "feel-good" brain chemical, for rewards.

Discovery Channel's Shark Week Might Be Doing More Harm than Help in Conservation of the Species

07.24.2021 02:11 AM

An analysis of Discovery Channel's Shark Week documentary programming showed that it actually harms sharks, shark science, and shark scientists instead of helping the conservation efforts of the species.

NASA's $4.25B Europa Clipper Spacecraft is Going to Jupiter's Icy Moon Aboard Falcon Heavy

07.23.2021 23:00 PM

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket will be sending NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft to the icy moon of Jupiter instead of the original plan of sending it via the Space Launch System (SLS), saving NASA $2 billion.

AI Used to Predict 3D Structures of Proteins Made by Human Genome; Critical for Advancing Medicine

07.23.2021 07:20 AM

Scientists have been using AlphaFold artificial intelligence (AI) system to accelerate scientific projects that aim to develop new drugs for diseases and enzymes that can break down plastics. It offers a large dataset that unlocks advances in medicine.

Breakthrough Infections: What You Should Know When You Get Infected Even After Getting Vaccinated

07.23.2021 06:00 AM

Breakthrough infections are rare but not impossible even after getting vaccinated. So what should fully vaccinated people do when they were exposed to infected COVID-19 patients?

Cockatoos Learned Through Social Learning to Open Trash Bins to Access Leftover Food

07.23.2021 03:00 AM

Clever cockatoos in Australia learned to open trash bins to access leftover food by copying others. This unique bin-opening behavior is an example of social learning.

Moon Exploration: SIU Engineering Students Win NASA's Competition to Design Mining Robots

07.23.2021 01:20 AM

Engineering students from Southern Illinois University Carbondale have won first place in LUNABOTS, NASA’s annual robotics mining competition, which aims to produce robots that can operate and mine on the Moon.

African Dust: How Do Its Emission and Transport Alter the Climate?

07.22.2021 22:50 PM

Scientists have long explored how African dust emissions can alter the planet's climate. Now, a recently published paper chronicles its discovery, emission, and transport that can sometimes reach the poles.

New Bacteria-Based Fiber Tougher, Stronger Than Natural Spider Silks

07.22.2021 06:45 AM

Engineers from Washington University in St. Louis have developed a polymeric amyloid fiber generated from engineered bacteria. The yielded fiber is stronger than the natural spider silk.

CBP Seizes 15 Giant Land Snails at Houston Airport, Saying These Could Cause a Rare Form of Meningitis

07.22.2021 05:40 AM

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 15 live giant land snails at Houston Airport from an airline passenger's luggage earlier this month.

Chimpanzees Involve in 'Lethal Attacks' Against Gorillas, Seen for the First Time

07.22.2021 03:30 AM

Lethal attacks by groups of chimpanzees on gorillas have been observed for the first time in the Loango National Park, Gabon. Researchers are investigating what triggered the fight between the two great ape species that killed some of the gorillas.

Immune System Could Be Fine-Tuned at the T-Cell Level to Produce Better Immune Response

07.22.2021 00:59 AM

Scientists at Cardiff University discovered a new technique to fine-tune the immune system at the level of T-cells to produce a better immune response against bacteria and viruses, like SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19.

Perseverance Rover Prepares to Collect First Martian Rock Sample, Will Be Returned to Earth by Missions in the 2030s

07.21.2021 23:30 PM

NASA's Perseverance rover is getting ready to collect Martian rock samples to determine if Mars had ever hosted life in the past The sample will be packaged in a sealed tube to be sent to Earth by missions in the 2030s.

Thousands of Dead Baby Flamingos Settle Down in Turkish Lake Bottom Due to Devastating Drought

07.21.2021 07:30 AM

A drought has been lingering in Turkey for the past two weeks, killing thousands of baby flamingos that live in the country's second-largest lake called Lake Tuz.

Plateau Pikas' Secret to Survival: Real-Life ‘Pikachus’ Have A Disgusting Way to Survive Harsh Winter Season

07.21.2021 05:50 AM

Experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences studied how plateau pikas survive the harsh weather during the winter season. They found that these real-life Pikachus eat yak excrement and slow down their metabolism to save energy.

Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Less Effective Against Delta Variant With Only 33% Efficacy Rate

07.21.2021 04:25 AM

A study claims that one dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is less effective against the Indian Delta variant compared to other vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna.

Road to Space: Jeff Bezos Reveals Masterplan After His Successful $550m per Minute Spaceflight

07.21.2021 01:13 AM

The first crewed flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard carried Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and three others to space and back on Earth on Tuesday morning, July 20.