Science

A team of researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey, the Lunar and Planetary Institute and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology has released a seamless, globally consistent, 1:5,000,000-scale geologic map of the Moon. Orthographic projections of the Unified Geologic Map of the Moon showing the geology of the …

Scientists Catch Elusive Metabolons in Action A team of researchers at Pennsylvania State University has directly observed functional metabolons — long-hypothesized clusters of enzymes — involved in generating purines (building blocks of DNA and RNA), the most abundant cellular metabolites. P-HeLa cells grown on a Si substrate. Image credit: Pareek …

New Species of Pit Viper Discovered in India A team of scientists in India has discovered a new species of the viper genus Trimeresurus living in the lowlands of western Arunachal Pradesh state and named it the Salazar’s pit viper (Trimeresurus salazar) after Salazar Slytherin, J.K. Rowling’s fictional Hogwarts School’s …

Study Reveals New Clues about Biology of COVID-19 A new study published in the journal Cell pinpoints the likely cell types SARS-CoV-2, a new coronavirus virus behind the COVID-19 disease, infects; it also shows that one of the human body’s main defenses against viral infections may actually help SARS-CoV-2 infect …

MESSENGER Finds Chemically Distinct Regions in Atmosphere of Venus A new analysis of archival data from NASA’s Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft reveals a sudden rise in nitrogen concentrations at about 50 km (31 miles) above the surface of Venus, demonstrating the planet’s atmosphere isn’t uniformly …

May Halt COVID-19 Cytokine Storm Cytokines are signaling proteins that stimulate inflammation and other immune responses. ‘Cytokine storm,’ or cytokine release syndrome, plays a critical role in viral infections such as COVID-19. This burst of immune overreaction damages the lungs and is potentially life-threatening. Therefore, efficient removal of excessive cytokines …

New Biosensor Rapidly Detects SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus in Nasopharyngeal Swabs A team of researchers in the Republic of Korea has successfully fabricated a promising transistor-based biosensor that detects SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease, in nasopharyngeal swabs in less than one minute. A new test quickly detects SARS-CoV-2 …

Genetic Variability in Immune System May Affect Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 Genetic variability in the human immune system may affect susceptibility to and severity of infection by SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus which causes the COVID-19 disease, according to new research. Colorized scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell (green) heavily infected …

Fossil Flyers Hold Secrets to Better Flight Technologies The physiology of pterosaurs and other fossil flyers could provide ancient solutions to modern flight problems, such as aerial stability and the ability of drones to self-launch, according to a new paper published in the journal Trends in Ecology Evolution. A reconstruction …

Milky Way’s Central Black Hole Confirms Einstein Was Right, Yet Again You have to be pretty smart for your name to become synonymous with intelligence. So, it’s not exactly shocking that many of Albert Einstein’s theories have been supported by observable evidence. Chalk up another posthumous win for Einstein — …