Science
GeekWireSpaceX launches 57 stealth satellites for Starlink network, plus a pair for BlackSky
After weeks of delay, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sent up 57 more satellites for its Starlink broadband internet constellation, with two BlackSky planet-watching satellites hitching a ride. The launch was originally scheduled for June, but had to be put off several times due to technical concerns, weather delays and range schedule conflicts. This time around, the countdown proceeded smoothly to liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 1:12 a.m. ET Aug. 7 (10:12 p.m..PT Aug. 6). Minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9's second stage separated from the first-stage booster and headed onward to orbit. The… Read More
BBCClimate change: UK peat emissions could cancel forest benefits
UK peatland emissions could cancel out all carbon reductions from new and existing forests.
BBCClimate change: Satellites find new colonies of Emperor penguins
A search from space discovers new colonies of the Antarctic bird that has an uncertain future.
BBCBeaver families win legal 'right to remain'
Fifteen beaver families have been given a permanent home on the River Otter in East Devon.
BBCCity growth favours animals 'more likely to carry disease'
Turning wild spaces into farmland or cities creates opportunities for diseases to cross into humans.
BBC'Paradise island' hosts untold botanical treasures
The first checklist of plants found on the tropical island of New Guinea reveals incredible plant diversity.
BBCSpaceX: Musk's 'Mars ship' prototype aces 150m test flight
A prototype of the engine for SpaceX's next-generation Starship vehicle has made a 150m test "hop".
BBCSpaceX: Nasa crew describe rumbles and jolts of return to Earth
Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley describe returning to Earth from the ISS in SpaceX's vehicle.
The New York TimesScientists Uncover Biological Signatures of the Worst COVID-19 Cases
Scientists are beginning to untangle one of the most complex biological mysteries of the coronavirus pandemic: Why do some people get severely sick, whereas others quickly recover?In certain patients, according to a flurry of recent studies, the virus appears to make the immune system go haywire.Unable to marshal the right cells and molecules to fight off the invader, the bodies of the infected instead launch an entire arsenal of weapons -- a misguided barrage that can wreak havoc on healthy tissues, experts said."We are seeing some crazy things coming up at various stages of infection," said Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University who led one of the new studies.Researchers studying these unusual responses are finding patterns that distinguish patients on the path to recovery from those who fare far worse. Insights gleaned from the data might help tailor treatments to individuals, easing symptoms or perhaps even vanquishing the virus before it has a chance to push the immune system too far."A lot of these data are telling us that we need to be acting pretty early in this process," said John Wherry, an immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania who recently published a study of these telltale immune signatures. As more findings come out, researchers may be able to begin testing the idea that "we can change the trajectory of disease," he said.When a more familiar respiratory infection, like a flu virus, tries to gain a foothold in the body, the immune response launches a defense in two orchestrated acts. First, a cavalry of fast-acting fighters flocks to the site of infection and tries to corral the invader, buying the rest of the immune system time to mount a more tailored attack.Much of the early response depends on signaling molecules called cytokines that are produced in response to a virus. Like microscopic alarms, cytokines can mobilize reinforcements from elsewhere in the body, triggering a round of inflammation.Eventually, these cells and molecules leading the initial charge will stand down, making way for antibodies and T cells -- specialized assassins built to home in on the virus and the cells it has infected.But this coordinated handoff seems to break down in people with severe COVID-19.Rather than bowing out gracefully, the cytokines that drive the first surge never stop sounding the alarm, even after antibodies and T cells arrive on the scene. That means the wildfire response of inflammation may never get snuffed out, even when it's no longer needed."It's normal to develop inflammation during a viral infection," said Catherine Blish, a viral immunologist at Stanford University. "The problem comes when you can't resolve it."This sustained signaling may result in part from the body's inability to keep the virus in check, Iwasaki said. Many who struggle to recover from their illness seem to harbor the pathogen long after other patients have purged it, perhaps goading the immune system into prolonging its frantic inflammatory siege.Plenty of other viruses, including those that cause AIDS and herpes, have evolved tricks to elude the immune system. Recent evidence hints that the new coronavirus might have a way of delaying or muffling interferon, one of the earliest cytokine defenses the body mounts.The failure of this first line of defense may dupe the immune system into sounding its alarm bells even louder, dragging out the response into something destructive. "It's an enigma," said Avery August, an immunologist at Cornell University. "You have this raging immune response, but the virus continues to replicate."And the quality of these cytokines may matter as much as the quantity. In a paper published last week in Nature Medicine, Iwasaki and her colleagues showed that patients with severe COVID-19 appear to be churning out signals that are better suited to subduing pathogens that aren't viruses.Although the delineations aren't always clear-cut, the immune system's responses to pathogens can be roughly grouped into three categories: type 1, which is directed against viruses and certain bacteria that infiltrate our cells; type 2, which fights parasites like worms that don't invade cells; and type 3, which goes after fungi and bacteria that can survive outside cells. Each branch uses different cytokines to rouse different subsets of molecular fighters.People with moderate cases of COVID-19 take what seems like the most sensible approach, concentrating on type 1 responses, Iwasaki's team found. Patients struggling to recover, on the other hand, seem to be pouring an unusual number of resources into type 2 and type 3 responses, which is kind of "wacky," Iwasaki said. "As far as we know, there is no parasite involved."It's almost as if the immune system is struggling to "pick a lane," Wherry said.This disorientation also seems to extend into the realm of B cells and T cells -- two types of immune fighters that usually need to stay in conversation to coordinate their attacks. Certain types of T cells, for instance, are crucial for coaxing B cells into manufacturing disease-fighting antibodies.Last month, Wherry and his colleagues published a paper in Science finding that, in many patients with severe COVID-19, the virus had somehow driven a wedge between these two close-knit cellular communities. It's too soon to tell for sure, but perhaps something about the coronavirus is preventing B and T cells from "talking to each other," he said.These studies suggest that treating bad cases of COVID-19 might require an immunological reset -- drugs that could, in theory, restore the balance in the body and resurrect lines of communication between bamboozled cells. Such therapies could even be focused on specific subsets of patients whose bodies are responding bizarrely to the virus, Blish said: "the ones who have deranged cytokines from the beginning."But that's easier said than done. "The challenge here is trying to blunt the response, without completely suppressing it, and getting the right types of responses," August said. "It's hard to fine-tune that."Timing is also crucial. Dose a patient too early with a drug that tempers immune signaling, and they may not respond strongly enough; give it too late, and the worst of the damage may have already been done. The same goes for treatments intended to shore up the initial immune response against the coronavirus, like interferon-based therapies, Blish said. These could stamp out the pathogen if given shortly after infection -- or run roughshod over the body if administered after too long of a delay.So far, treatments that block the effects of one cytokine at a time have yielded mixed or lackluster results -- perhaps because researchers haven't yet identified the right combinations of signals that drive disease, said Donna Farber, an immunologist at Columbia University.Steroids like dexamethasone, on the other hand, are like "big hammers" that can curb the activity of multiple cytokines at once, Farber said. Early clinical trials have hinted at dexamethasone's benefits against severe cases of the coronavirus, and more are underway. Such broad-acting treatments have their downsides. But, she added, "it seems that's a good strategy, until we know more."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
BBCOther mammals lose out in panda conservation drive
Several carnivorous animals have almost disappeared from areas set up to protect giant pandas.
GeekWireVirgin Galactic unveils supersonic airplane concept with Boeing and Rolls-Royce as supporters
Virgin Galactic has taken the wraps off a concept for an airplane capable of flying three times the speed of sound, to be developed with support from Boeing and Rolls-Royce. The project would be distinct from Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo suborbital space plane program, which is closing in on the start of commercial operations at Spaceport America in New Mexico. Today's announcement follows through on the company's heightened focus on high-speed aircraft development, which is backed by a $20 million investment from Boeing HorizonX and supported by a deal with NASA to collaborate on supersonic projects. Such an initiative seems likely… Read More
BBCNasa SpaceX crew return: Dragon capsule splashes down
The SpaceX capsule touches down off Florida, in the first crewed US water landing in 45 years.
GeekWireNASA astronauts splash down in SpaceX Dragon capsule, capping historic mission
The first mission to send NASA astronauts into orbit on a commercially owned spaceship came back down to Earth today with the splashdown of a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule in the Gulf of Mexico. "On behalf of the SpaceX and NASA teams, welcome back to planet Earth, and thanks for flying SpaceX,” Mike Heiman, a lead member of SpaceX's operations team, told astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken. The splashdown closed out a 64-day mission to the International Space Station, aimed at testing the first SpaceX Dragon to carry crew. The reusable spacecraft, which put 27.1 million miles on its… Read More
BBCNasa SpaceX mission: How we got to this point
Why is SpaceX carrying astronauts to space and back for Nasa?
BBCWhat is the SpaceX Crew Dragon?
A guide to SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehicle, which carries astronauts to the space station.
GeekWireAstronauts dodge hurricane as they head for homecoming in SpaceX Dragon capsule
SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule pulled away from the International Space Station today to begin the homeward flight for NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, even as Hurricane Isaias headed for Florida's Atlantic coast. Fortunately, SpaceX's Dragon capsule is heading for waters off Florida's other coast. Dragon Endeavour undocked from the station at 7:35 p.m. ET (4:35 p.m. PT), on track for a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico near Pensacola, Fla., at 2:48 p.m. ET (11:48 a.m. PT) Sunday. The alternate landing site is closer to Panama City, Fla. Both sites should be far away from Isaias' expected track… Read More
BBCEuropean Sentinel satellites to map global CO2 emissions
German manufacturer OHB-System signs a €445m contract to build a greenhouse gas monitoring system.
BBCCovid-19: Infectious coronaviruses 'circulating in bats for decades'
Research suggests a close ancestor of the coronavirus emerged in bats more than 40 years ago.
BBCExtinction: Quarter of UK mammals 'under threat'
Review of UK mammals finds that a quarter of native species are at "imminent threat of extinction".
BBCNasa Mars rover: Perseverance robot launches to detect life on Red Planet
The Perseverance robot launches from Florida on a seven-month flight to the Red Planet.
GeekWireLiftoff! NASA’s Perseverance rover begins odyssey to seek out traces of life on Mars
With the fiery flash of a rocket launch, NASA's Perseverance rover headed out today for what's expected to be a decade-long campaign to store up and bring back Martian samples that may hold evidence of alien life. United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 7:50 a.m. ET (4:50 a.m. PT), sending the rover into space for a seven-month cruise to Mars. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, access to the area surrounding the launch pad was restricted, but hundreds of thousands of people watched the liftoff via streaming video. And as… Read More
BBCHow many Mars missions have been successful?
Getting to the Red Planet is challenging, and so it working out how many have failed.
BBCWhat the heroin industry can teach us about solar power
Afghan poppy farmers have embraced solar power to irrigate their crops, leading to a heroin boom.
GeekWireNASA’s Mars Perseverance rover mission serves as ultimate test for working from home (planet)
The launch of NASA's Mars Perseverance rover marks the start of a seven-month-long journey involving tens of millions of miles of travel — but it also marks the end of an eight-year-long journey involving millions of miles of travel on the part of scientists and engineers across the country. And perhaps the biggest marvel is that, in the end, most of them got the rover and its scientific instruments ready for launch while working from home. Working from home has been a tough thing to manage for many of the businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic and social-distancing restrictions. It's… Read More
BBCVirgin Galactic set for last key rocket test flights
Sir Richard Branson's tourist spaceplane company updates on progress, unveiling a cabin design.
“He’s not a radical. But he is running on the most liberal policy platform of any Democratic candidate in modern history.”
“Public opinion has been shifting leftward, and Biden’s thinking has shifted with it.”
“Biden shows that he’s more moderate than some in his party.”
“Biden has always been a creature of his time, and the COVID-19 crisis could force him to veer further left.”
“Liberal activists have lauded the campaign’s outreach to progressives.”