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Climate-Driven Megadrought Is Emerging in Western U.S., Says Study
Scientists say a long-feared megadrought, worse than anything in recorded history, seems to be starting up in southwestern North America.
New
The latest blog posts to take off on Hacker News. 4,456 posts.
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Could the Earth be an evaporated gas giant planet?
Is Earth Potentially an Evaporated Gas Giant?
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Telescope Sees Star Dance Around Supermassive Black Hole, Proves Einstein Right
Observations made with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have revealed for the first time that a star orbiting the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way moves just as predicted by Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Its orbit is shaped like a rosette and not like an ellipse as predicted by…
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The Wolfram Physics Project
How does our universe work? Scientist Stephen Wolfram opens up his ongoing Wolfram Physics Project to a global effort. His team will livestream work in progress, post working materials, release software tools and hold educational programs.
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John Conway
I was greatly saddened to learn that John Conway died yesterday from COVID-19, aged 82. My own mathematical areas of expertise are somewhat far from Conway’s; I have played for instance with …
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FDA grants emergency authorization for first saliva-based coronavirus test
The new saliva collection method, which RUCDR developed in partnership with Spectrum Solutions and Accurate Diagnostic Labs, will allow for broader population screening than the current method of nose and throat swabs.
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Why We Sleep: A Tale of Institutional Failure
In our previous installment of this podcast, we learned from independent researcher Alexey Guzey that famed sleep researcher Matthew Walker seems to have committed research misconduct in his bestselling book, Why We Sleep. Walker is a University of California professor, Google researcher, and Ted talk star, and his…
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The formula for pi buried in a hydrogen atom
When most people think about pi, they associate the mathematical constant with arcs and circles. Mathematicians, however, are accustomed to seeing it in a variety of fields. But two University physicists were still surprised to find it lurking in a quantum mechanics formula for the energy states of the hydrogen atom.
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Systems that defy detailed understanding
Last week, I wrote about the mindset that computer systems can be understood, and behaviors can be explained, if we’re willing to dig deep enough into the stack of abstractions our software is built atop. Some of the ensuing discussion on Twitter and elsewhere lead me to write this followup, in which I want to run…
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A (possible) solution to Covid-19
Notice. Since this seems to be such a common question I think I should describe my background. I have a PhD in molecular microbiology and I was once a tenured academic (professor). I now work in the biotech sector. I have published a number of peer reviewed papers in virology. If you really want to know more about me…
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A new form of brain stimulation relieved severe depression in a small study
Stanford Medicine researchers used high doses of magnetic stimulation, delivered on an accelerated timeline and targeted to individual neurocircuitry, to treat patients with severe depression.
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All models are wrong, but some are completely wrong
At this critical time in the modern history of the human race, mathematical models have been pushed into the foreground. Epidemic forecasting informs policy and even individual decision-making. Sad…
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We Made One Gram Of Remdesivir
Two of the experimental coronavirus drugs, chloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine are a breeze to synthesize. But remdesivir, possibly the most promising candidate, is anything but. It's a royal pain. Here's why.
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Clues to Covid-19 coronavirus’s vulnerability emerge from antibody against SARS
An antibody recovered from a survivor of the SARS epidemic in the early 2000s has revealed a potential vulnerability of the coronavirus at the root of COVID-19.
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Lyme disease bacteria eradicated by new drug in early tests
A study provides evidence that the drug azlocillin eliminates the bacteria that cause Lyme disease at the onset of infection in lab mice and cultures.
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What's a virus, anyway? The bare-bones basics
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, viruses are getting a lot of attention; here's an inside look into the most abundant life form on Earth.
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COMMENTARY: Masks-for-all for COVID-19 not based on sound data
Dr. Brosseau is a national expert on respiratory protection and infectious diseases and professor (retired), University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Sietsema is also an expert on respiratory protection and an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
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ACM Prize in Computing Awarded to AlphaGo Developer
Silver, a professor at University College London and Principal Research Scientist at DeepMind, is recognized as a central figure in the growing and impactful area of deep reinforcement learning, leading the team that developed AlphaGo.
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Philip Anderson 1923-2020
I heard this morning about the death yesterday of Philip Anderson, at the age of 96. It’s not hard to make the case that Anderson was the most important condensed matter theorist of the twent…
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Please Fund More Science
Experts on the COVID-19 pandemic seem to think there are three ways out—that is, for life, health, and the economy to return roughly to normal. Either we get a vaccine good enough that R0 for the...
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Open access to ACM Digital Library during coronavirus pandemic
For the next 3 months, through 6/30/20, ACM is making all work published by ACM in the ACM Digital Library freely accessible.
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Log-log plot of new vs. total Covid-19 cases by country
Visualizing the exponential growth of COVID-19 across the world.
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OneWeb files for bankruptcy
Eutelsat’s OneWeb LEO satellite constellation delivers global, low-latency, high-speed connectivity on land, at sea, and in the air.
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FDA grants emergency use authorization for 5-13 minute Covid-19 test
Available on the portable ID NOW platform, Abbott's molecular COVID-19 test delivers results in minutes in a variety of healthcare settings.
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The theory of infectious origin of the Alzheimer’s disease
The theory of infectious origin of the Alzheimer's disease The hypothesis that Alzheimer's disease has an infectious origin, has a long and