A team of scientists and doctors has developed a capability to detect airborne SARS-CoV-2 RNA — the nucleic acid coding for the virus that causes COVID-19 — indoors through air sampling. When trialed in two inpatient wards of a major Singaporean hospital caring for active COVID-19 patients the air surveillance approach produced a higher detection…

As sessile organisms, plants rely on their ability to adapt the development and growth of their roots in response to changing nutrient conditions. One such response, known to be displayed by plants grown in low nitrogen conditions, is the elongation of primary and lateral roots to explore the surrounding soil. The amount and form of…

A new genomics marker tool has been shown to accurately identify tilapia species and tell apart their hybrids, providing a novel resource to help develop aquaculture and empower conservation in Tanzania, Africa. Crucially, the new tool offers a cheaper solution than full genome data analysis — the current approach to monitoring local biodiversity. Crucially, the…

New research could help in boosting the efficiency of nuclear power plants in the near future. By using a combination of physics-based modeling and advanced simulations, they found the key underlying factors that cause radiation damage to nuclear reactors, which could then provide insight into designing more radiation-tolerant, high-performance materials. «Reactors need to run at…

A group of more than 60 scientists have provided recommendations to improve the Indian Ocean Observing System (IndOOS), a basin-wide monitoring system to better understand the impacts of human-caused climate change in a region that has been warming faster than any other ocean. The group, led by Lisa Beal, professor of ocean sciences at the…

The depth of a hydraulic fracturing well in Oklahoma, among other factors, increases the probability that fracking will lead to earthquake activity, according to a new report. The researchers hope their findings, published as part of an upcoming BSSA special issue on observations, mechanisms and hazards of induced seismicity, will help oil and gas operators…

A modeling study raises questions about how far droplets, like those that carry the virus that causes COVID-19, can travel before becoming harmless. Experiments dating to the 1930s proposed two paths for respiratory droplets like those from a sneeze or cough. Either they are big and heavy, plummeting to the ground without much chance of…

The skyscrapers and urban development that have made Hong Kong the ‘Pearl’ have also generated pollutants that affect the marine species that live in Hong Kong’s coastal waters. On-going climate change and dams along the Pearl River have also altered these coastal ecosystems. However, it is largely unknown in what ways they are altered, because…

The Fraser River estuary in British Columbia is home to 102 species at risk of extinction. A new study says it’s not too late to save these species if action is taken now. «There is currently no overarching plan to save them. If we don’t act quickly, many species, including species of salmon and southern…

The onset date of the yearly rainy season reliably predicts if seasonal drought will occur in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa that are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity, and could help to mitigate its effects. Climate-driven seasonal drought can impact crop yields and is among major contributors to food insecurity, which can threaten people’s lives and…