A new space telescope makes a spectacular debut after a troubled gestation
Seen with JWST’s midinfrared instrument, the newborn stars of the Tarantula nebula fade into the background while clouds of dust and gas take center stage, including hydrocarbons that will later form planets.NASA; ESA; CSA; STSCI; WEBB ERO PRODUCTION TEAM
Antibody slows cognitive decline, but deaths, brain bleeds, and swelling mar results
Enhanced resolution of SWOT satellite will highlight how small eddies soak up heat and carbon
Marc Tessier-Lavigne’s early papers are subject of school and journal investigations
Population chafes at control measures, but lifting them now would carry huge risks
Biden signs bill streamlining pot studies and production
The successful use of engineered white blood cells (cells that are removed from the human body, modified with receptors that allow them to recognize cancer cells, and then returned to the body) to fight and eliminate tumor cells has frequently been called revolutionary and has even allowed researchers the rare opportunity to refer to a cure for certain cancers.
Reforestation has become a global priority but evidence on what works is still scant
Reference genomes used to direct the gene editor fail to account for human diversity in those of African descent
Meta’s algorithm tackles both language and strategy in a classic board game that involves negotiationNASA mulls end for long-lived climate sentinels
Drifting satellites could still yield insights into wildfires and storms, researchers argue
High-performance electronics will focus on increasing the rate of computation
New study suggests microbiomes can promote cancer by suppressing immune response and seeding metastase
Paleontologists are urged to take a stand against a market that may provide cover for continued poaching
Twelve sites are considered for defining the Anthropocene geological epoch
On this week’s show: How sci-fi writer Kurt Vonnegut foresaw many of today’s ethical dilemmas, and 70 years of tunas, billfishes, and sharks as sentinels of global ocean health
First up this week on the podcast, we revisit the works of science fiction author Kurt Vonneugt on what would have been his 100th birthday. News Intern Zack Savitsky and host Sarah Crespi discuss the work of ethicists, philosophers, and Vonnegut scholars on his influence on the ethics and practice of science. Researchers featured in this segment:
Peter-Paul Verbeek, a philosopher of science and technology at the University of Amsterdam and chair of the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology David Koepsell, a philosopher of science and technology at Texas A&M University, College Station Christina Jarvis, a Vonnegut scholar at the State University of New York, Fredonia, and author of the new book Lucky Mud & Other Foma: A Field Guide to Kurt Vonnegut’s Environmentalism and Planetary Citizenship Sheila Jasanoff, a science studies scholar at Harvard University
Next, producer Kevin McLean discusses the connection between fishing pressure and extinction risk for large predatory fish such as tunas and sharks. He’s joined by Maria José Juan Jordá, a postdoc at the Spanish Institute for Oceanography, to learn what a new continuous Red List Index using the past 70 years of fisheries data can tell us about the effectiveness and limits of fishing regulations. Finally, in a sponsored segment from the Science/AAAS Custom Publishing Office, Sean Sanders, director and senior editor for custom publishing, interviews Joseph Hyser, assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine about his use of wide-field fluorescence live cell microscopy to track intercellular calcium waves created following rotavirus infection.
Anopheles stephensi may dramatically increase the number of people at risk
Many researchers are setting up profiles on another social media service known as Mastodon
Astrophysicist Christian Ott filed a criminal complaint after job offer withdrawn
Long-term study in China shows yields hold up and farmers save money and time
Science Magazine – Brain connectivityThe brain is so much more than its constituent cells. Each neuron in the brain connects with thousands of other neurons—but instead of a cacophony of connections, we have a synchronized symphony.
Detailed knowledge about the neural connections among regions of the brain is key for advancing our understanding of normal brain function and changes that occur with aging and disease.
Can we construct a model of brain function that enables an understanding of whole-brain circuit mechanisms underlying neurological disease and use it to predict the outcome of therapeutic interventions?
The skull shapes of mammals diversified more rapidly early in their history
Merck unearths a frozen batch of an experimental vaccine it made years ago
Experiments involving eyelid suturing and maternal separation divide scientists
Models suggest rising immunity in a small group of people, not vaccination, is key
Science Magazine – Butterfly wing patterns are mosaics of colored scales. According to new research, ancient and deeply conserved multifunctional gene regulatory elements play a crucial role in creating these diverse patterns.
With benefits unclear, some scientists question new round of shots for young people
Second Bolsonaro term could be “final nail” for science and environment
Study of DNA from medieval victims and survivors finds gene that helped protect people from deadly pathogen
Better technology and falling launch costs revive interest in a science-fiction technology
Boomers Daily 