With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to evolve unpredictably—and out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of our community, including musicians, fans, participants, and staff—Jazz Fest 2020 will not occur this fall, as previously announced.
Coronavirus: Race To Expand Antibody Testing And Investing In Public Health (Nature Podcast)
Benjamin Thompson, Noah Baker, and Amy Maxmen discuss the role of antibody tests in controlling the pandemic, and how public-health spending could curtail an economic crisis. Also on the show, the open hardware community’s efforts to produce medical equipment.
In this episode:
02:08 Betting on antibodies
Antibody tests could play a key role in understanding how the virus has spread through populations, and in ending lockdowns. We discuss concerns over their reliability, how they could be used, and the tantalising possibility of immunity.
News: The researchers taking a gamble with antibody tests for coronavirus
10:25 Economy vs public health, a false dichotomy
Jim Yong Kim, former president of the World Bank, argues that strong investment in public health is crucial to halt the ongoing pandemic and to prevent a global financial crisis. We discuss his work with US governors to massively increase contact tracing, and his thoughts on how researchers can help steer political thinking.
News Q&A: Why the World Bank ex-chief is on a mission to end coronavirus transmission
19:00 One good thing this week
Our hosts talk about staying positive, and pick a few things that have made them smile in the last 7 days, including a tiny addition to the team, a newspaper produced by children in lockdown, and a gardening update.
Six Feet of Separation, the newspaper staffed by kids
22:51 Open hardware
Researchers are stepping up efforts to design and produce ventilators and personal protective equipment for frontline medical staff. We hear how the open hardware movement is aiding these efforts, and the regulations that teams need to consider if their designs are to make it into use.
Art History: “Was Vincent Van Gogh Lonely?” (Video)
In Van Gogh Questions, our researcher Bregje Gerritse answers the most frequently asked questions about Vincent van Gogh.
Poetry And Animation: “Singularity” Featuring Poem By Marie Howe (2020)
Directed by: Elizabeth and Matthew Boulton
Poem by Marie Howe.
Text and context: brainpickings.org/2020/04/23/singularity-marie-howe-animated
Created for The Universe in Verse: brainpickings.org/the-universe-in-verse
Produced by SALT Project (saltproject.org) with Maria Popova (brainpickings.org). Original music by Zoë Keating (zoekeating.com).
This has been a multi-woman labor of love, with everyone involved donating their time and talent.
Astronomy: Hubble Space Telescope Celebrates 30th Anniversary April 24
On April 24, 2020, the Hubble Space Telescope celebrates its 30th year in orbit by premiering a never-before-seen view of two beautiful nebulas named NGC 2020 and NGC 2014.
Hubble’s senior project scientist, Dr. Jennifer Wiseman, takes us on a tour of this stunning new image, describes the telescope’s current health, and summarizes some of Hubble’s contributions to astronomy during its 30-year career.
Interviews: 83-Year Old Danish Urban Designer Jan Gehl (Monocle 24)
Andrew Tuck brings you a special interview with Jan Gehl, perhaps the world’s best-known urban designer. Now 83, he’s waiting this pandemic out while isolating at home, enjoying spring from his garden.
Jan Gehl Hon. FAIA is a Danish architect and urban design consultant based in Copenhagen whose career has focused on improving the quality of urban life by re-orienting city design towards the pedestrian and cyclist. He is a founding partner of Gehl
New Science Podcasts: How Coronavirus Kills People, Quantum Diamond Microscopes & Magnetism
Coronavirus affects far more than just the lungs, and doctors and researchers in the midst of the pandemic are trying to catalog—and understand—the virus’ impact on our bodies. Staff Writer Meredith Wadman joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss what we know about how COVID-19 kills. See all of our News coverage of the pandemic here, and all of our Research and Editorials here.
Also this week, Staff Writer Paul Voosen talks with Sarah about quantum diamond microscopes. These new devices are able to detect minute traces of magnetism, giving insight into the earliest movements of Earth’s tectonic plates and even ancient paleomagnetic events in space.
TOP JOURNALS: RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM SCIENCE MAGAZINE (APRIL 24, 2020)
Art Insider: Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks” – Art Institute Of Chicago
On this episode of Art Institute Essentials Tour, take a closer look at Nighthawks, painted by Edward Hopper in 1942. Inspired by “a restaurant on New York’s Greenwich Avenue where two streets meet,” Hopper’s painting, one of the best-known images of 20th-century art, has a timeless, universal quality that transcends locale.
Top Wildlife Videos: “A Monarch Butterfly Swarm” In Mexico (PBS)
In the mountains of Mexico, a spy hummingbird ventures into the heart of a breathtaking monarch butterfly swarm.
Boomers Daily 