Persistent inequitable exposure to air pollution in Salt Lake County schools

Salt Lake County, Utah’s air pollution is at times the worst in the United States. Underserved neighborhoods—and their schools—experience the highest concentrations. A new study utilized nearly 200 PM 2.5 sensors through the Air Quality and U network and revealed persistent social inequalities in Salt Lake County schools.

Modern Sea-Level Rise Linked to Human Activities, Rutgers Research Reaffirms

New research by Rutgers scientists reaffirms that modern sea-level rise is linked to human activities and not to changes in Earth’s orbit. Surprisingly, the Earth had nearly ice-free conditions with carbon dioxide levels not much higher than today and had glacial periods in times previously believed to be ice-free over the last 66 million years, according to a paper published in the journal Science Advances.

Ocean ‘breathability’ key to past, future habitat of West Coast marine species

Historical observations collected off California since the 1950s suggest that anchovies thrive where the water is breathable — a combination of the oxygen levels in the water and the species’ oxygen needs, which are affected by temperature. Future projections suggest that the waters off Mexico and Southern California could be uninhabitable by 2100.

Using Big Data to Design Gas Separation Membranes

Researchers at Columbia Engineering and the University of South Carolina have developed a method that combines big data and machine learning to selectively design gas-filtering polymer membranes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Their study, published today in Science Advances, is the first to apply an experimentally validated machine learning method to rapidly design and develop advanced gas separation membranes.

In a step forward for orbitronics, scientists break the link between a quantum material’s spin and orbital states

Until now, electron spins and orbitals were thought to go hand in hand in a class of materials that’s the cornerstone of modern information technology; you couldn’t quickly change one without changing the other. This study raises the possibility of controlling them separately.

Model of critical infrastructures reveals vulnerabilities

An interdisciplinary team of Kansas State University researchers developed a computer simulation that revealed beef supply chain vulnerabilities that need safeguarding — a realistic concern during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Blood clotting abnormalities reveal COVID-19 patients at risk for thrombotic events

When researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, used a combination of two specific blood-clotting tests, they found critically ill patients infected with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) who were at high risk for developing renal failure, venous blood clots, and other complications associated with blood clots, such as stroke.

Why have nursing homes been hit harder by the coronavirus, and should you remove your relative?

ANN ARBOR—Nursing home residents and workers account for about one-third of COVID-19 deaths in the United States, so far, according to media reports.Sheria Robinson-Lane, a gerontologist and assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, is an expert in palliative and long-term care and nursing administration.

Alcohol Screening in the General Population: One in Five Low-Risk Drinkers Transition to Risky Drinking Within One Year

Routine screening for risky alcohol use in general practice can identify people who may benefit from simple interventions to reduce consumption. However, the optimal time interval for repeat screening, including for those who have screened negative, is uncertain. A new study published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research has revealed that, for a significant minority of the population, alcohol risk status can change from ‘low risk’ to ‘at-risk’ (or vice versa) within one year – potentially complicating the interpretation of infrequent screening tests.

APS ISSUES RARE RESOLUTION TO CONGRESS

For the first time in more than 60 years, the American Philosophical Society (APS), founded by Benjamin Franklin and the nation’s oldest learned society, has issued a public resolution calling on Congress to enact a National Defense Education Act for the 21st Century. The resolution has been sent to the bipartisan leadership of the House and Senate.

New Study Suggests U.S. COVID-19 Cases Could Have Been 35 Times Higher Without These Measures

The authors found the closing of entertainment businesses — such as restaurants, movie theaters and gyms — and shelter-in-place orders — such as Gov. Andy Beshear’s “Healthy at Home” initiative — resulted in a dramatic reduction in COVID-19 cases.

Genome-wide pattern found in tumors from brain cancer patients predicts life expectancy

For the past 70 years, the best indicator of life expectancy for a patient with glioblastoma — the most common and the most aggressive brain cancer — has simply been age at diagnosis. Now, an international team of scientists has experimentally validated a predictor that is not only more accurate but also more clinically relevant: a pattern of co-occurring changes in DNA abundance levels, or copy numbers, at hundreds of thousands of sites across the whole tumor genome.

Masks On, Ready to Work: Meet the People Supporting COVID-19 Science

David Richardson’s job is literally to make sure the light stays on. But it’s not just any light – it’s a very special X-ray light that could play a crucial role in an eventual treatment for COVID-19. Richardson is an operator at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s synchrotron light source facility, the Advanced Light Source (ALS), and is one of a handful of workers providing essential services to scientists working on COVID-19-related research.

Following ethical principles in times of wealth and social tranquility is easy. But take the same ethical principles and drop them into a time of scarcity and panic, and the world looks very different, says University of Redlands professor

Riaz Tejani is an associate professor of business ethics at the University of Redlands who can comment on ethical business issues rising out of the pandemic.   “Following ethical principles in times of wealth and social tranquility is easy. People share,…

Eavesdropping on single molecules with light by replaying the chatter

Scientists have pioneered a new technique to expose hidden biochemical pathways involving single molecules at the nanoscale. A team of researchers from the University of Exeter’s Living Systems Institute used light to establish a means to monitor the structure and…

Pine martens like to have neighbors — but not too near

Pine martens need neighbours but like to keep their distance, according to new research. Over three years, the cat-like predators were caught in Scotland and moved to mid-Wales by Vincent Wildlife Trust. By attaching miniaturised radio-transmitter collars to 39 of…