ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 755

One In Six Species At Risk From Climate Change

Environment





Photo credit:

JordiDelgado/shutterstock

Things have been getting hotter: Since the Industrial Revolution, global temperatures have risen by just under one degree. However, studies often disagree about what impact this is having on the world’s species. Is the changing climate driving some species to the brink of extinction? Or are these species more resilient than we give them credit for?

Silver Turns Bacteria Into Killer Zombies

Health and Medicine





Photo credit:

RACHELI BEN-KNAZ WAKSHLAK, RAMI PEDAHZUR, AND DAVID AVNIR. Silver nitrate kills bacteria and then makes them into zombies, killing other bacteria around them.

The reason for powdered silver's exceptional antimicrobial properties has been revealed, and it's probably inspiring film scripts right now. Bacteria that absorb the metal die, but then start killing their neighbors in a zombie-like massacre.

Plague Outbreak In USA Is Traced To Pet Dog

Health and Medicine





Photo credit:

Everett Historical via Shutterstock. Yersinia pestis has just caused the worst single outbreak of plague in the USA for 90 years

Last summer, the United States had its worst single outbreak of pneumonic plague for 90 years. Only four people became sick and no humans died, but an assessment from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has sounded a warning based on the delay in identifying the disease. In doing so, they hope to prevent an ancient horror from returning.

NASA Successfully Tests New Flexible Airplane Wings

Technology





Photo credit:

This modified Gulfstream III is the test bed aircraft for the ACTE flexible-flap research project via NASA

NASA has successfully completed the first test flights for a new airplane technology: a wing that can change shape mid-flight. The project team has already conducted 22 test flights in the last six months with the experimental Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE) wing surface, and so far the results have been promising.

Space Travel May Be Bad For Your Brain – Here’s Why

Space





Photo credit:

I really hope this is the right flag. NASA/flickr, CC BY

There is bad news for those planning to go to Mars in the near future: a study in mice has suggested that radiation in space could cause cognitive decline in astronauts. However, we know from past research that mental, social and physical exercise can boost cognitive functions. With planned Mars missions moving ever closer, it might be be worth exploring activity as a way to counter radiation damage.

Ebola Survivors Should Use Condoms Indefinitely

Health and Medicine





Photo credit:

Crevis via Shutterstock. Long after it has cleared from other bodily fluids, Ebola maintains a grip on semen.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have warned the public that the Ebola virus may survive in semen long after it is undetectable in other bodily fluids. Consequently, they have recommended that men who survive Ebola use condoms after recovery until more is known about transmission through this mechanism.

Seismologists Deploy After A Quake To Learn More, So We Can Prepare For The Next One

Environment





Photo credit:

Surface measurements hint at what’s going on within. CTBTO, CC BY

The past is never dead. It’s not even past. – William Faulkner

I’M A SLUT!

My views on slut shaming and why I made the series of videos on this topic. I also cover some of the reactions to these videos and how they relate to feminism. WATCH THE PREVIOUS 2 VIDEOS HERE:

Part 1: WOMEN RESPOND- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU_KFLOPMaQ

Part 2: MEN RESPOND – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9RPPF-PS-o

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Bats Have Touch Sensors in their Wings

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

Jessica Nelson

An array of touch sensors on bat wings may have helped these little insect eaters become the agile masters of the dark sky that they are. According to findings published in Cell Reports this week, those ultra-sensitive receptors send tactile information to brain, triggering split-second wing adjustments midair as needed.

Study Reveals How Traveling To Mars Could Damage Astronaut’s Brains

Space





Photo credit:

The supernova remnant IC 443, also known as the Jellyfish Nebula. Supernova remnants produce cosmic rays / NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration, NOAO/AURA/NSF, JPL-Caltech/UCLA

To observe changes to the brain that may occur en route to the Red Planet, researchers exposed mice to charged particles like those found in galactic cosmic rays. And unfortunately, turns out exposure to space radiation may put Mars-bound astronauts at risk for cognitive problems, like losing the ability to problem solve. The work was published in Science Advances this week.