New evidence our neighborhood in space is stuffed with hydrogen

Only the two Voyager spacecraft have ever been there, and it took than more than 30 years of supersonic travel. It lies well past the orbit of Pluto, through the rocky Kuiper belt, and on for four times that distance. This realm, marked only by an invisible magnetic boundary, is where Sun-dominated space ends: the closest reaches of interstellar space.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-evidence-neighborhood-space-stuffed-hydrogen.html

US judge sets up fresh roadblock in Trump bid to ban TikTok

A US federal judge on Friday issued an injunction temporarily blocking an executive order by President Donald Trump aimed at banning TikTok, throwing up a legal roadblock ahead of a November 12 deadline.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-fresh-roadblock-trump-tiktok.html

Philippines evacuates nearly 1 million as Typhoon Goni nears

Nearly a million people in the Philippines were evacuated from their homes Saturday as the most powerful typhoon of the year so far barrelled towards the country, with authorities warning of "destructive" winds and flooding.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-philippines-evacuate-typhoon-goni-nears.html

Sri Lanka returns illegal waste to Britain after court order

Sri Lanka has started shipping 242 containers of hazardous waste, including body parts from mortuaries, back to Britain after a two year court battle by an environment watchdog, officials said Saturday.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-sri-lanka-illegal-britain-court.html

US jury tells Apple to pay $503 mn in patent case

A jury in Texas on Friday decided that Apple should pay $503 million for infringing virtual private network technology patented by software security firm VirnetX.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-jury-apple-mn-patent-case.html

Experts see substantial danger to democratic stability around 2020 election

On the eve of the November 3 election, Bright Line Watch—the political science research project of faculty at the University of Rochester, the University of Chicago, and Dartmouth College—finds that experts are concerned about substantial risks to the legitimacy of the election, including potential problems in the casting and counting of votes, the Electoral College, and in the resolution of electoral disputes.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-experts-substantial-danger-democratic-stability.html

JetBlue is the latest airline to retreat from blocking seats

The days of airlines blocking seats to make passengers feel safer about flying during the pandemic are coming closer to an end.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-jetblue-latest-airline-retreat-blocking.html

FBI warns ransomware assault threatens US health care system

Federal agencies warned that cybercriminals could hobbled all 250 U.S. facilities of the hospital chain Universal Health Services, forcing doctors and nurses to rely on paper and pencil for record-keeping and slowing lab work. Employees described chaotic conditions impeding patient care, including mounting emergency room waits and the failure of wireless vital-signs monitoring equipment.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-fbi-ransomware-assault-threatens-health.html

After wolves rebound across US West, future up to voters

The saucer-sized footprints in the mud around the bloody, disemboweled bison carcass were unmistakable: wolves.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-wolves-rebound-west-future-voters.html

Evolution of consumption: A psychological ownership framework

Researchers from Boston University, Rutgers University, University of Washington, Cornell University, and University of Pennsylvania published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that proposes that preserving psychological ownership in the technology-driven evolution of consumption underway should be a priority for marketers and firm strategy.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-evolution-consumption-psychological-ownership-framework.html

Archaeologists reveal human resilience in the face of climate change in ancient Turkey

An examination of two documented periods of climate change in the greater Middle East, between approximately 4,500 and 3,000 years ago, reveals local evidence of resilience and even of a flourishing ancient society despite the changes in climate seen in the larger region.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-archaeologists-reveal-human-resilience-climate.html

Decaying jellyfish blooms can cause temporary changes to water column food webs

Decaying jellyfish blooms fuel the rapid growth of just a few strains of seawater bacteria, effectively keeping this organic material within the water column food web, reveals a new study published in Frontiers in Microbiology. This research furthers our understanding of how marine ecosystems are impacted by jellyfish blooms, which have been observed to be happening on a more frequent basis.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-jellyfish-blooms-temporary-column-food.html

Male fin whales surprise scientists by swapping songs

Until now, scientists believed the male fin whale sings just one song pattern, which is unique to the males in his particular group—but new research has blown this theory out of the water. The study, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, suggests that these endangered deep-sea giants actually sing multiple different songs, which may spread to different parts of the ocean through migrating individuals. Understanding the complexity of fin whale song provides new insights into how their populations move and change over time, helping efforts to better protect and manage the world's second largest mammal.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-male-fin-whales-scientists-swapping.html

US senators to quiz Big Tech CEOs on legal protections

Tech platform CEOs on Tuesday defended a US law making them immune from liability for third-party content ahead of a hearing where senators are expected to rebuke the Silicon Valley firms over their handling of social media.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-senators-quiz-big-tech-ceos.html

Europe to send modules, astronauts to NASA moon station

The European Space Agency says it has agreed to provide several modules for NASA's planned outpost around the moon, in return for a chance to send European astronauts to the lunar orbiter.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-europe-modules-astronauts-nasa-moon.html

Here's why Ant Group is about to shatter IPO records

Stella Su, who lives and works in Shanghai, has used an ATM only once in the past year. Instead of cash, in recent years she has done almost all her business using the digital wallet Alipay –- shopping in a mall, buying stuff online or transferring money to friends.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-ant-group-shatter-ipo.html

How computer scientists and marketers can create a better CX with AI

Researchers from Erasmus University, The Ohio State University, York University, and London Business School published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines the tension between AI's benefits and costs and then offers recommendations to guide managers and scholars investigating these challenges.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-scientists-cx-ai.html

Reforestation plans in Africa could go awry

The state of mature ecosystems must be taken into account before launching massive reforestation plans in sub-Saharan Africa, according to geo-ecologist Julie Aleman, a visiting researcher in the geography department of Université de Montréal.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-reforestation-africa-awry.html

Coral researchers find link between bacterial genus and disease susceptibility

Corals that appear healthy are more prone to getting sick when they're home to too many parasitic bacteria, new research at Oregon State University shows.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-coral-link-bacterial-genus-disease.html

Mountain gorillas are good neighbours—up to a point

Mountain gorilla groups are friendly to familiar neighbours—provided they stay out of "core" parts of their territory—new research shows.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-mountain-gorillas-good-neighboursup.html

Phytoplasma effector proteins devastate host plants through molecular mimicry

Phytoplasma are a type of bacteria that live within the cells and cause devastating diseases with damaging effects. For example, in many cases plants infected with phytoplasma are no longer able to develop flowers. These plants have actually been described as "zombies," since they allow the reproduction of phytoplasma but are unable to reproduce themselves anymore. A group of biologists based at Friedrich Schiller University and the Fritz Lipmann Institute in Germany are working to help better understand exactly how phytoplasma cells bring about the so-called zombification of plants.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-phytoplasma-effector-proteins-devastate-host.html

Vampire bats social distance when they get sick

A new paper in Behavioral Ecology, published by Oxford University Press, finds that wild vampire bats that are sick spend less time near others from their community, which slows how quickly a disease will spread. The research team had previously seen this behavior in the lab, and used a field experiment to confirm it in the wild.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-vampire-social-distance-sick.html

Big week for Big Tech as earnings, hearings loom

Big Tech is bracing for a tumultuous week marked by quarterly results likely to show resilience despite the pandemic, and fresh attacks from lawmakers ahead of the November 3 election.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-big-week-tech-loom.html

Asteroid samples escaping from jammed NASA spacecraft

A NASA spacecraft is stuffed with so much asteroid rubble from this week's grab that it's jammed open and precious particles are drifting away in space, scientists said Friday.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-asteroid-samples-nasa-spacecraft.html

South America ravaged by unprecedented drought and fires

Under stress from a historic drought, large swathes of forest and wetlands in central South America known for their exceptional biodiversity have been ravaged by devastating fires.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-south-america-ravaged-unprecedented-drought.html

Galapagos sees record rise in penguins, flightless cormorants

The population of Galapagos penguins and flightless cormorants, two species endemic to the islands, has seen a record increase, study results released Friday showed.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-galapagos-penguins-flightless-cormorants.html

Ice loss likely to continue in Antarctica

A new international study led by Monash University climate scientists has revealed that ice loss in Antarctica persisted for many centuries after it was initiated and is expected to continue.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-ice-loss-antarctica.html

COVID-19 vaccine trials cannot tell us if they will save lives

Vaccines are being hailed as the solution to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the vaccine trials currently underway are not designed to tell us if they will save lives, reports Peter Doshi, Associate Editor at The BMJ today.

Do black lives matter protests impact fatal police interactions and crime?

A new analysis of nine years of nationwide data examines the impacts of the Black Lives Matter movement on fatal interactions with police, and on crime and arrests.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-black-protests-impact-fatal-police.html

The effects of wildfires and spruce beetle outbreaks on forest temperatures

Results from a study published in the Journal of Biogeography indicate that wildfires may play a role in accelerating climate-driven species changes in mountain forests by compounding regional warming trends.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-effects-wildfires-spruce-beetle-outbreaks.html

Does classroom indoor environmental quality affect teaching and learning?

What impact does a classroom's indoor environment have on teaching, learning, and students' academic achievement in colleges and universities? This is the question researchers set out to answer in their analysis of all relevant published studies.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-classroom-indoor-environmental-quality-affect.html

'Classified knots': Researchers create optical framed knots to encode information

In a world first, researchers from the University of Ottawa in collaboration with Israeli scientists have been able to create optical framed knots in the laboratory that could potentially be applied in modern technologies. Their work opens the door to new methods of distributing secret cryptographic keys—used to encrypt and decrypt data, ensure secure communication and protect private information. The group recently published their findings in Nature Communications.

More US Adults want the government to have a bigger role in improving peoples' lives than before the pandemic

The share of U.S. adults who support an active government role in society increased by more than 40 percent during the initial pandemic response—up from 24 percent in September 2019 to 34 percent in April 2020—according to a new national public opinion survey conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins University SNF Agora Institute.

History shows that societies collapse when leaders undermine social contracts

All good things must come to an end. Whether societies are ruled by ruthless dictators or more well-meaning representatives, they fall apart in time, with different degrees of severity. In a new paper, anthropologists examined a broad, global sample of 30 pre-modern societies. They found that when "good" governments—ones that provided goods and services for their people and did not starkly concentrate wealth and power—fell apart, they broke down more intensely than collapsing despotic regimes. And the researchers found a common thread in the collapse of good governments: leaders who undermined and broke from upholding core societal principles, morals, and ideals.

Supergiant star Betelgeuse smaller, closer than first thought

It may be another 100,000 years until the giant red star Betelgeuse dies in a fiery explosion, according to a new study by an international team of researchers.

Immunotherapy combo halts rare, stage 4 sarcoma in teen

A patient with end-stage and rapidly progressing soft-tissue cancer whose tumor did not respond to standard treatment, had a "rapid and complete response" to a novel combination of immunotherapy, according to new research published by a team of scientists from John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center and the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, both of whom are part of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center Consortium.

Instituting a minimum price for alcohol reduces deaths, hospital stays

When governments create a minimum price for alcoholic beverages, deaths and hospitalizations related to alcohol use significantly decrease, according to results from a new report in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Protein that keeps immune system from freaking out could form basis for new therapeutics

The immune response to infections is a delicate balance. We need just enough action to clear away the offending bacteria or viruses, but not so much that our own bodies suffer collateral damage.

Research finds that blue-light glasses improve sleep and workday productivity

During the pandemic, the amount of screen time for many people working and learning from home as well as binge-watching TV has sharply increased. New research finds that wearing blue-light glasses just before sleeping can lead to a better night's sleep and contribute to a better day's work to follow.

Exosomal lncRNA PCAT-1 promotes Kras-associated chemoresistance

Oncotarget Volume 11, Issue 29 reported that Immunosuppressive chemoresistance is a major burden in lung cancer.

Scientists prove cell-cultured meat products can offer enhanced nutrition compared to conventionally produced meat

A group of researchers at Tufts University have genetically engineered cow muscle cells to produce plant nutrients not natively found in beef cells. Using the same carotenoid pathway exploited in golden rice, they coaxed bovine cells into producing beta carotene—a provitamin usually found in carrots and tomatoes.

Young adults face higher risk of severe disease from infections than school-age children

The first systematic review of how the severity of infectious diseases changes with age suggests that the human immune system might start to lose the ability to protect against infections earlier than previously thought, according to new research published in Scientific Data.

Facebook users spread Russian propaganda less often when they know source

Russian propaganda is hitting its mark on social media—generating strong partisan reactions that may help intensify political divisions—but Facebook users are less apt to press the "like" button on content when they learn that it is part of a foreign propaganda campaign, according to a new RAND Corporation report.

Catching coronavirus outside is rare but not impossible

Almost all documented coronavirus transmissions have occurred indoors, but experts say that wearing a mask outside is justified because there is still a risk of infection.

Hunting for unicorns: Japan start-ups see hope on horizon

Hampered by cautious investors and a rigid corporate culture, Japan has produced just a handful of major start-ups. But there are signs that could be changing, industry insiders say.

Microsoft targets malware vendor Trickbot amid US election fears

Microsoft said Monday it had taken down malware vendor Trickbot in an effort to thwart attempts to meddle with the upcoming US presidential election.

Disney revamps itself to emphasize streaming

Disney announced Monday a reorganization of its media and entertainment business that aims to further boost its streaming service, which has boomed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Johnson & Johnson pauses Covid vaccine trial as participant becomes ill

Johnson & Johnson said Monday it had temporarily halted its COVID-19 vaccine trial because one of its participants had become sick.

Virus crisis an opportunity to reshape climate reponse: IEA

Only massive investment in clean energy can help overcome the economic crisis caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic while setting the world on a path to meeting its objectives to slow climate change, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday.

Czech restaurants, bars to close after virus spike

The Czech government said Monday it would close restaurants and bars and ban alcohol in public places after a record spike in Covid-19 infections.

Virus crisis an opportunity to reshape climate reponse: IEA

Only massive investment in clean energy can help overcome the economic crisis caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic while setting the world on a path to meeting its objectives to slow climate change, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-virus-crisis-opportunity-reshape-climate.html

Fake asteroid? NASA expert IDs mystery object as old rocket

The jig may be up for an "asteroid" that's expected to get nabbed by Earth's gravity and become a mini moon next month.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-fake-asteroid-nasa-expert-ids.html

New research on SARS-CoV-2 virus 'survivability'

Researchers at CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, have found that SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, can survive for up to 28 days on common surfaces including banknotes, glass—such as that found on mobile phone screens—and stainless steel.

Upper Midwest sees COVID-19 surge as Northeast worries about a second wave

(HealthDay)—The new coronavirus is striking the Upper Midwest with a vengeance, as Wisconsin and the Dakotas became COVID-19 hotspots and health officials scrambled for hospital beds on Thursday.

Twitter tightens rules to thwart election threats

Twitter said Friday it will take down calls for violence starting after polls close on US election day and slap warnings on premature victory claims to fight efforts to undermine the election.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-twitter-tightens-thwart-election-threats.html

Lesson not learned: Europe unprepared as 2nd virus wave hits

Europe's second wave of coronavirus infections has struck well before flu season even started, with intensive care wards filling up again and bars shutting down. Making matters worse, authorities say, is a widespread case of "COVID-fatigue."

Hurricane Delta roars ashore on storm-battered US southern coast

Hurricane Delta has made landfall on the Louisiana coast, packing ferocious winds and a "life-threatening" storm surge—and driving out residents still rebuilding from a devastating storm less than two months ago.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-hurricane-delta-roars-ashore-storm-battered.html

World Food Program wins Nobel Peace Prize for hunger fight

The World Food Program won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for fighting hunger and seeking to end its use as "a weapon of war and conflict" at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has driven millions more people to the brink of starvation.

Hurricane Delta roars ashore on storm-battered US southern coast

Hurricane Delta has made landfall on the Louisiana coast, packing ferocious winds and a "life-threatening" storm surge—and driving out residents still rebuilding from a devastating storm less than two months ago.

During a highly partisan time in our nation, survey shows broad bipartisan support for a stronger focus on science

A recent survey commissioned by Research!America on behalf of a working group formed to assess America's commitment to science shows overwhelming support for science across political parties. A strong majority of Americans agree that "the COVID-19 pandemic is a disruptive event and requires urgent refocusing of America's commitment to science."

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-highly-partisan-nation-survey-broad.html

UK early years sector needs new strategy to recruit and support male staff, says study

The UK's early years sector—staffed 96% by women and facing a longstanding recruitment crisis—needs a radical new strategy to gender-diversify its workforce, according to a new report, published today.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-uk-early-years-sector-strategy.html

Virus cases top 4,000 a day in Germany, a first since April

New cases of coronavirus infections in Germany have soared past 4,000, official data showed Thursday, reaching a daily level not seen since April 11 when the country was still in lockdown.

Hurricane Delta lashes Mexico, heads towards US

Hurricane Delta regained strength as it headed towards the United States early Thursday after lashing Mexico's Caribbean coast, where some tourists complained about conditions in crowded emergency shelters during a pandemic.

France braces for wider COVID restrictions

France was preparing Thursday for tighter coronavirus restrictions in several major cities, two days after a maximum alert protocol went into force in Paris.

Women are more concerned about COVID-19 than men, study finds

A Dartmouth-Gallup study finds that women are more concerned about COVID-19 than men, a difference that transcends party lines. This female perspective towards the pandemic may be overlooked due to the underrepresentation of women in the workplace that is compounded by an underrepresentation in politics, creating what the researchers refer to as a representational "double whammy" effect. The study's findings are published in Politics & Gender.