EverythingScience

The case suggests that vocal cord paralysis might be a rare complication of COVID infection, caused by the virus' effect on the nervous system. "Given how common this virus is among children, this newly recognized potential complication should be considered in any child presenting with a breathing, talking or swallowing complaint after a recent COVID-19 diagnosis," lead researcher Dr. Danielle Larrow, a resident at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, said in a news release. "This is especially important as such complaints could be easily attributed to more common diagnoses such as asthma," she said. While there have been several reports of vocal cord paralysis in adults, this is the first report of the complication in a teenager, researchers said.

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A new survey using satellite imagery and ground penetrating radar has revealed signs of volcanic activity that's far more recent than anyone ever expected. The study, conducted over a plain known as the Elysium Planitia, reveals volcanic activity that has taken place within the last 120 million years. In fact, some of the identified volcanic activity has been dated to just 1 million years ago. That's very recent, geologically speaking; and, although we have yet to observe any volcanic activity actually taking place, it suggests that, somewhere on Mars, it might be.

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For the first time, scientists have sequenced the genome of a mysterious species of giant bacterium that can be seen without a microscope. The discoveries about their reproductive strategies, survival mechanisms, and distinct metabolic mechanisms – similar to mitochondria – may one day be useful in developing sustainable energy technologies and increasing efficiency in agriculture.

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Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a rapidly growing threat to public health. Without new antibiotics, even common injuries and infections harbor the potential to become lethal. Scientists are now one step closer to eliminating that threat, thanks to a Texas A&M University-led collaboration that has developed a new family of polymers capable of killing bacteria without inducing antibiotic resistance by disrupting the membrane of these microorganisms. "The new polymers we synthesized could help fight antibiotic resistance in the future by providing antibacterial molecules that operate through a mechanism against which bacteria do not seem to develop resistance," said Dr. Quentin Michaudel, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and lead investigator in the research, published Dec. 11 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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A spin-off from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) called EtaVolt has developed a nifty device that can rejuvenate and extend the life of old (and new) photovoltaic (PV) panels. The technology has been extensively field-tested and can be used on around 90% of all existing PV panels available worldwide. The technology has been successfully commercialized and is ready to scale up for widespread market exposure. A game-changer for solar EtaVolt’s technology is a game-changer in the solar industry, especially in tropical regions like Singapore, where panels degrade quickly due to harsh environmental conditions. Due to harsh environmental conditions, solar panels lose their efficiency soon after installation, especially during the first year. This drop in performance can be up to 10% or more over the panels' lifespan. This, EtaVolt explains, translates to an estimated energy loss of US$2 billion globally, based on the global 1-terawatt solar power capacity.

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China has unveiled plans for the "world's first" nuclear-powered container ship, signaling a significant leap in maritime technology. The key feature of this monumental vessel lies in its propulsion system – a cutting-edge fourth-generation molten salt reactor utilizing thorium, a radioactive metal abundant and cost-effective in China. This marks a departure from traditional uranium reactors, offering enhanced safety and efficiency. Unlike uranium reactors that require copious amounts of water for cooling, the thorium-based reactor operates at elevated temperatures and low pressure, reducing the risk of meltdowns.

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As more solar panels go out of service, there is a need for businesses to recycle them and put components into a circular economy. The world is currently focused on phasing away fossil fuels and ushering in a carbon-less way of generating energy. Much of this plan rests on solar panels, which can trap sun rays and convert them into electricity. The technology has been improving over the years but also presents a problem now that the first wave of solar installations has come to the end of its life cycle. Arizona-based We Recycle Solar aims to offer customers a better option than to dump the panels. It has partnered with various solar panel manufacturers, contractors, and utility companies to source older solar panels...

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The researchers use chlorine and UV light to create a chain reaction that breaks down methane just like nature does but way faster. A new approach called Methane Eradication Photochemical System (MEPS) developed by researchers at the University of Copenhagen can break down methane roughly 100 million times faster than nature. The team has now spun out a company that aims to make this technology available to society.

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The past year has given many of us reason to pause. We are losing in a race to prevent planetary tipping points — the climate is changing faster than expected, and humanity has already breached six of the nine sustainable planetary boundaries (for biodiversity loss; climate, freshwater and land-system change; biogeochemical flows; and novel entities). Summer Antarctic sea ice shrank to its lowest recorded extent in 2023, a year that is on track to be the warmest on record. But, looking to 2024, [we're] hopeful that the world can turn in a better direction...

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Astrobotic, a leading space robotics company, declared that its Peregrine lunar lander has accomplished all integration milestones and has been successfully mated with United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket payload adapter. The announcement revealed that after a meticulous three-week campaign for fueling and final checkouts, the Peregrine spacecraft is prepared for a groundbreaking mission to the Moon set for launch on January 8, 2024.

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In a study appearing in Nature, the researchers showed that these compounds could kill methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) grown in a lab dish and in two mouse models of MRSA infection. The compounds also show very low toxicity against human cells, making them particularly good drug candidates. A key innovation of the new study is that the researchers were also able to figure out what kinds of information the deep-learning model was using to make its antibiotic potency predictions. This knowledge could help researchers to design additional drugs that might work even better than the ones identified by the model.

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When you eat a large meal, your stomach sends signals to your brain that create a feeling of fullness, which helps you realize it's time to stop eating. A stomach full of liquid can also send these messages, which is why dieters are often advised to drink a glass of water before eating. MIT engineers have now come up with a new way to take advantage of that phenomenon, using an ingestible capsule that vibrates within the stomach. These vibrations activate the same stretch receptors that sense when the stomach is distended, creating an illusory sense of fullness.

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NASA's Juno spacecraft is set to get up close and personal with Jupiter's extreme volcanic moon on Saturday, December 30. The orbiter will pass 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) above Io's scorching surface during this unprecedented close approach. According to NASA, this is the closest approach to Io by any probe in over two decades. This close encounter is expected to yield a wealth of data, unlocking mysteries surrounding the moon's volcanic activity. "By combining data from this flyby with our previous observations, the Juno science team is studying how Io's volcanoes vary,"

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In July the ESA Euclid mission to to create the most extensive 3D map of the Universe yet, was launched. In November Euclid showed off its full capabilities with its first full-colour images of the cosmos. Article @EverythingScience

We May Have Just Found Evidence of a Cosmic String: a 'Crease' in The Universe A strange pair of galaxies several billion light-years away could be evidence of a hypothetical 'crease' in the Universe's fabric known as a cosmic string. According to an analysis of the properties of the pair, the two galaxies may not be distinct objects, but a duplicate image caused by a trick of the light. And the reason the light is duplicated could be because of a scar in the space between us and the galaxy, creating a gravitational lens. Article @EverythingScience

CERN Physicists Observe Influence of Gravity on Antimatter “Einstein’s theory of general relativity says antimatter should behave exactly the same as matter,” said Dr. Jonathan Wurtele, a plasma physicist. “Many indirect measurements indicate that gravity interacts with antimatter as expected, but until the result today, nobody had actually performed a direct observation that could rule out, for example, antihydrogen moving upwards as opposed to downwards in a gravitational field.” Article @EverythingScience

Researcher finds way to get audio from still images and silent videos Kevin Fu, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and computer science has figured out a way to get audio from pictures and even muted videos. Using Side Eye, a machine learning assisted tool that Fu and his research team created, Fu can determine the gender of someone speaking in the room where a photo was taken—and even the exact words they spoke. Article @EverythingScience

It's Official: For The First Time Neutrinos Have Been Detected in a Collider Experiment Earlier this year, for the first time, scientists detected neutrinos created in a particle collider. The researchers said this work represented the first direct observation of collider neutrinos and would help us to understand how these particles form, what their properties are, and their role in the evolution of the Universe. Article @EverythingScience

Novel AI Technique Reveals Sample’s Biological or Non-Biological Origin with 90% Accuracy The search for definitive biosignatures — unambiguous markers of past or present life — is a central goal of paleobiology and astrobiology. A team of researchers led by the Carnegie Institution for Science has developed a robust method that combines pyrolysis gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) measurements of a wide variety of terrestrial and extraterrestrial carbonaceous materials with machine-learning-based classification to achieve 90% accuracy in the differentiation between samples of abiotic origins vs. biotic specimens, including highly-degraded, ancient, biologically-derived samples. Article @EverythingScience

This is what Earth’s continents will look like in 250 million years Earth is currently thought to be in the middle of a supercontinent cycle as its present-day continents drift. The last supercontinent, Pangaea, broke apart about 200 million years ago. The next, dubbed Pangaea Ultima, is expected to form at the equator in about 250 million years, as the Atlantic Ocean shrinks and a merged Afro-Eurasian continent crashes into the Americas. Article @EverythingScience