Latest Articles
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Jan- 2022 -7 JanuaryNASA
NASA Psyche Spacecraft To Begin Environmental Testing Ahead of August 2022 Launch
Lead Image: NASA’s Psyche spacecraft during system integration at JPL. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech As 2022 begins, the ASU (Arizona State University)-led team for the NASA Psyche spacecraft is preparing to conduct thermal vacuum testing in preparation for launch. Psyche is a first-of-a-kind mission set to orbit an M-Type asteroid, scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy booster this August. Following a three-and-a-half-year transit through the inner solar system, Psyche will enter into orbit of the main asteroid belt object, 16 Psyche. Its sister mission, Lucy, is continuing to its first flyby on Earth despite a solar array issue; both missions…
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6 JanuaryHealth
Marijuana Use Doubles Risk of Deadly Complication After Rare Type of Bleeding Stroke
Among adults with a certain type of bleeding stroke, those who used marijuana within the last 3-30 days were more than twice as likely to develop a serious stroke complication that increases the risk of death and disability. The study is the largest to examine the impact of THC, the mood-changing ingredient in marijuana, on complications after a bleeding stroke. Among people with an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) stroke, a type of bleeding stroke, recent marijuana users were more than twice as likely to develop a dangerous complication that can result in death or greater disability, according to new…
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6 JanuaryDNA
DNA From Air Could Revolutionize Our Ability To Monitor Animal Biodiversity
Two independent research groups detect the presence of animals by collecting DNA from air. Two new studies published today (January 6, 2022) in the journal Current Biology show that environmental DNA (eDNA) collected from air can be used to detect a wide range of animal species and offers a novel, non-invasive approach to monitoring biodiversity. The findings were made by two independent groups of researchers, one based in Denmark, the other based in the United Kingdom and Canada. Both research groups set out to test whether airborne eDNA could be used to detect terrestrial animal species. To do this, the…
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6 JanuaryScience
Making Computation Come Alive at MIT: Using Computational Techniques To Solve Real-World Problems
Lead Image: Youssef Marzouk, professor of aeronautics and astronautics and co-instructor for the 16.0002/18.0002 course this term. Credit: Gretchen Ertl A new course teaches students how to use computational techniques to solve real-world problems, from landing a spacecraft to placing cell phone towers. As a Martian lander descends toward the Red Planet’s surface, when can its parachute be safely deployed? Open it too early, while the lander is hurtling through the atmosphere, and it might tear off — but open it too late and the lander might not slow down enough to prevent a catastrophic crash landing. There are seemingly…
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5 JanuaryCOVID-19
Repurposing a Familiar Drug for COVID-19 – May Cut Severe Infection & Reduce Risk of Dying
Disulfiram, a treatment for alcoholism, may cut severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, reduce likelihood of dying from COVID-19. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, there’s a need for new and better treatments for people infected with SARS-CoV-2 who develop COVID-19 In a new study, a well-known and widely available drug called disulfiram, used to treat alcoholism, shows potential as a treatment for COVID-19 In the retrospective analysis, veterans taking the drug for alcoholism were less likely to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 and less likely to die from COVID-19 The researchers hope their study will generate support for phase 3 clinical trials testing the…
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