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Tuesday, March 2, 2021
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Canadian Teen Dies on School Trip from Toxic Shock Syndrome

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Colony of green bacteria

The first microbes on Earth evolved 3.5 billion years ago

In 2017, 16-year-old girl from Canada died an apparently mysterious death during a school trip. The kids had to spend the night on Hornby Island, near the island of Vancouver, when her colleagues found her lying dead in her bed. Later, the coroner revealed the girl fell victim to toxic shock syndrome.

The girl died on a school trip

Sara Manitoski went on an educational trip from her school at a cabin on Hornby Island when her friends had the most unpleasant surprise. The next morning after arriving on the island, they noticed she didn’t stand up from her bed, but they thought she was still sleeping. Therefore, they went for breakfast and left her there.

When they returned in the room, Sara was still lying in bed in the same position. Her alarm had already gone off, but she wasn’t moving. When they saw this, they immediately alerted the teachers, who called the paramedics. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do. Sara was dead.

The coroner revealed the girl had toxic shock syndrome

When she arrived at the cabin, Sara ate few food and complained of menstrual pain. Then, she went to sleep, and a few of her friends heard her barely breathing during the night. One year after this whole incident, the coroner finally revealed what had happened. It turns out they had identified some toxic shock syndrome symptoms and deadly bacteria present in her body.

When the doctors found her, the girl still had her tampon inside. Also, she had a strange redness all over her chest, neck, arms, thighs, and the lower part of her abdomen. However, the coroner couldn’t tell if the bacteria came from the tampon or had a different origin.

Toxic shock syndrome does occur rarely, but it can easily become deadly if left untreated. The disease appears whenever the body gets into contact with toxic bacteria. At first, it exhibits flu-like symptoms but, if you ignore them, the disease can turn deadly in only two days.

Image source: Wikipedia

Unesco Removes the Belize Coral Reef from Its List of Endangered Sites

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Great blue hole in the Belize Coral Reef

The Belize Coral Reef is the second biggest after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia

All these efforts to save coral reefs might not have been in vain, as we have just marked a victory in this difficult quest. This week, Unesco made the historical move of no longer classifying the Belize coral reef as endangered. The organization removed the Mesoamerican reef from the threatened World Heritage Sites list and called the country responsible for this success.

The Belize coral reef was in a critical state

The Belize coral reef was among the most important formations of the kind, as it is the second biggest after the Australian Great Barrier Reef. Its loss would have been a serious blow to the environment, as it hosts a variety of species. These include fish, sharks, turtles, as well as many other diverse creatures.

Almost a decade ago, Unesco got worried about the future of the Belize coral reef, so it included it on the endangered list. These concerns came from a series of dangerous actions performed by the country, such as the lack of environmental laws and the plans for an oil extraction site right next to the shore.

The Belizean authorities acted quickly when they understood the danger

However, Belize paid attention to these warnings. In 2016, the country adopted a well-defined plan to deal with these issues, and the efforts were successful. Before this plan, the authorities settled a target of conservation, so they would be able to guide their actions.

The Belize coral reef entered the World Heritage List in 1996, but Unesco realized it was endangered only in 2009. Given the huge number of species it encompassed, the situation was pretty critical. However, the warning didn’t only address the coral reef. The mangroves that surrounded and protected it were also in danger.

All these factors were enough to scare the Belize government. They quickly understood the destruction of the coral reef would be a big blow for their economy, so the authorities took action immediately. Now, their efforts were successful, and Unesco congratulated them for their initiative.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Researchers Reassess the Fermi Paradox, Showing We’re Probably Alone in the Universe (Study)

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The Milky Way seen from Earth

Researchers bring bad news – we are probably alone in the universe

Scientists have always wondered if we are the only intelligent life form in the universe, but no one managed to find an answer. There have been many claims on the subject, in spite of the lack of evidence, and they all produced the Fermi Paradox. Therefore, a team of researchers from Oxford University decided to reassess this paradox, thus finding a sad answer. According to their results, humans are the only intelligent civilization in the observable universe.

What is the Fermi Paradox?

The Fermi Paradox is, basically, a contradiction between some claims and the actual evidence. More precisely, many scientists have claimed there are other life forms in the universe, but no one could support them with evidence. Therefore, this paradox has been an impediment for SETI, or the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Therefore, researchers have decided to perform a new evaluation of the Fermi Paradox. To do this, they used the Drake Equation, specially designed in the ‘60s to calculate how likely alien life is. This equation should relate to any small piece of evidence that could be relevant. For instance, if there are many placed in the universe where aliens could hide, they might also host quite a big number of civilizations.

There are too many uncertainties about other intelligent life in the universe

For the study, researchers assessed the Fermi Paradox and all the information we have on the universe. By closely looking at it, they obtained only one result. The evidence is not enough to point to intelligent alien life in the Milky Way or in the observable universe.

The results brought to light many uncertain things about the universe. While some might say life could be possible, the results are way too unclear to formulate this as a fact. After obtaining the uncertainties, they distributed this number all across the universe. This way, the only possibility was that humanity was alone.

The study on this reevaluation of the Fermi Paradox was published online on arXiv.

Image source: PxHere

Researchers Launch the First Satellite that Picks Up Space Junk from Earth’s Orbit

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Space junk orbiting around Earth

RemoveDEBRIS picks up space junk from the orbit while also making observations

Astronomers know how dangerous space junk can be for rockets and spacecrafts, so they needed a quick solution. Therefore, a team of British researchers took the first-ever initiative to clean this space debris and developed a cleaning satellite. The mission, called RemoveDEBRIS, has just left the ISS and will soon reach the orbit.

Researchers needed a quick solution against space junk

Space junk is one of the most serious problems of astronomers. The amount of debris has got so high that it has now formed a compact layer around our planet, threatening satellites and other spacecrafts. Therefore, the British researchers decided to find a solution as soon as possible.

This way, they built a space junk remover called RemoveDEBRIS. Weighing around 100 kg, the spacecraft will travel on Earth’s orbit and hunt junk pieces. With the help of a harpoon and a net, it will attempt to catch the debris. However, this isn’t the only purpose of the cleaning satellite. RemoveDEBRIS is also equipped with advanced radars and cameras that will keep an eye on the flying space junk.

The satellite will pick up space debris while also making observations

This debris has become such a serious problem due to its speed. The isolated pieces of junk travel so quickly on the orbit that they pose a huge threat on all the spacecrafts nearby. In fact, researchers fear they might be dangerous for the ISS as well, so an intervention was more than necessary.

At the moment, the space junk satellite only runs as an experiment. However, once it’s done with all the observations, it will drag all the debris it caught outside Earth’s orbit. Instead from displacing it in outer space, the satellite will dump it in Earth’s atmosphere. Since the junk pieces aren’t so big, they will catch fire as soon as they enter the atmosphere.

The radars and cameras aboard RemoveDEBRIS are meant to measure the speed of the space junk and assess its potential dangers. This mission isn’t only about picking up space trash, but also about testing this equipment. If the results are good, researchers are going to incorporate the same technology in other spacecrafts.

Image source: Max Pixel

Newly Discovered Underwater Fossil Gets Named After Obama (Study)

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Portrait of Barack Obama in the White House

The two creatures received two exquisite names inspired from famous people

The discovery of new species isn’t so unusual in the scientific world, but these creatures become even more remarkable when they get named after famous people. Researchers have just stumbled upon two new species in a bed of fossils in southern Australia, and the two creatures received really popular names. The first one got the honor of being named after Obama, while the second one received the name of the British naturalist Sir David Attenborough.

Tiny fossil named after Obama

Naming fossils after famous people is a nice practice, as it can honor remarkable personalities who had great achievements. Therefore, for this recent discovery, researchers decided to pick two well-known people when they chose the names for the fossils.

The first creature lived in the oceans about 500 million years ago. It looked a lot like a disk and featured some spirals on its surface. However, it’s existence wasn’t too exciting, as researchers think it spent its life attached to the bottom of the ocean.

This unfortunate situation didn’t stop them from making the creature an exciting one. Therefore, they offered it the honor of being named after Obama. This way, the underwater fossil is now Obamus coronatus. The word coronatus is Latin for “crowned”, so the tiny creature really received an exquisite name.

The second fossils bears the name of Sir David Attenborough

The second fossil belongs to a creature that looked a lot like an egg and was about the size of a raisin. This time, researchers picked Sir David Attenborough to name it. The final result is Attenborites janeae, and it brings a tribute to another person as well. Jane Fargher is the co-owner of the place where these fossils were found, so janeae is a direct reference to her.

The creature named after Obama and the naturalist critter were both among the earliest animals on Earth. Researchers were amazed to discover they were preserved in such a good state, so they bring a valuable contribution to the records on biodiversity.

A study on the fossil named after Obama was published in the Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, as well as one on the findings in the respective fossil bed.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Google Devises an AI Algorithm that Can Accurately Predict when You Die

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Stethoscope placed on a table next to a white smartphone

Google devised an AI system that can accurately predict when you die

Technology is now a part of our lives, with companies like Google learning more about us every day. Most of its services involve AI mechanisms that take a look at what we do to offer us predictions and suggestions. A recent report suggests that Google is expanding its AI services to the medical domain, with the machines making disquieting predictions. This system apparently is able to predict when you die.

The algorithm combines medical data with AI predictions

Google has taken over most fields, using AI algorithms to make our life easier. Now, the Medical Brain division started working on a really ambitious project that should merge AI systems with medical research. For this system, researchers will be using basic machine learning technology, pair it with predictive algorithms, and predict when you die. For instance, doctors might use this to tell how long a hospitalized person will survive.

Google actually tested this algorithm on a patient with terminal breast cancer. Based on the observations of the doctors, the hospital machines predicted a 9.3 percent chance of death. Afterwards, they tested Google’s AI, which indicated a chance of 19.9 percent. As a result, the woman died only a few days later.

This system can accurately predict when you die

Here’s how this system can predict when you die. It begins by sifting through general medical data and then comparing them with patient measurements. This way, it can identify potential health problems you might have and say how dangerous they are. In the breast cancer case, the same process would have taken a lot longer if performed by the medical personnel.

The great thing about this algorithm is its quickness and accuracy. It accesses big amounts of data with more ease and speed than humans and then offer accurate results. This algorithm cannot only predict when you die. If you’re not that sick, it can tell you how much you will stay in hospital, or if you’re likely to develop new health problems.

Image source: Pixnio

Astronaut Chris Hadfield Doesn’t Think Humans Will Get to Mars Too Soon

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Chris Hadfield during his traditional astronaut photoshoot

Hadfield is really skeptical about the rockets that should bring people to Mars

Scientists are now struggling to make one dream possible – bring humans to Mars. As different companies are now fighting over who is going to be first, a reputable astronaut remains skeptical. Chris Hadfield thinks none of the companies will succeed and humans won’t reach Mars too soon. Among his reasons, he states technical difficulties, blaming rockets as not being powerful enough for such a mission.

Hadfield is skeptical about a manned mission on Mars

Chris Hadfield is best known for his 2013 ‘stunt’, when he sang Space Oddity while he was aboard the International Space Station. Now, he returned with some controversial claims, destroying our dream to travel to Mars. He claimed there were too many obstacles, so humans won’t reach the Red Planet too soon.

Among the reason he stated, there were the means of transportation. At the beginning of this month, Boeing has claimed it would be the first to bring people on Mars. Then, SpaceX decided to challenge it, so they started a competition on who gets there first. However, Hadfield doesn’t trust any of the rockets to bring people there.

“I don’t think those are a practical way to send people to Mars because they’re dangerous and it takes too long.”

The future might not look that bad for space travel

These rockets need fuel to travel so far away. The current formula they use might be enough to propel the rockets into outer space. However, to reach Mars, they need more. Therefore, a manned mission might be way too dangerous, so Hadfield offers a different alternative. To better prepare for such a journey, he thinks these companies should first send robots on Mars.

However, Hadfield doesn’t think humans will never get on Mars. At the moment, such a mission sounds impossible, but he is optimistic. In the future, he is convinced scientists will be able to develop the necessary technology to reach the Red Planet. Given NASA’s recent experiments, we might be on the right track when it comes to fueling and rockets.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Psychedelic Drugs Might Reverse the Effects of Depression (Study)

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Colorful elephant drawings on LSD stamps

Psychedelic drugs might be a good alternative to treat depression

The general conviction is that psychedelic drugs damage our neurons, but a recent research found some compelling arguments against it. After testing the effect of LSD and similar drugs on flies and rats, scientists discovered they eased brain cell growth and helped them connect better. This suggests such drugs might actually be a good solution against addiction, depression, and a series of other mental health illnesses.

Psychedelic drugs helped brain cells grow

For the study, researchers tested psychedelic drugs in contact with animal brains both in real-life models and in test tubes. They selected a broader variety of drugs, such as LSD and other tryptamines and amphetamines. This way, they observed the drugs facilitated neural plasticity. The process means the cells started growing and developing more dendrites.

Psychedelic drugs issued some beneficial structural changes in the brain tissue. Researchers think such changes also occur in people with depression, so the study might offer LSD as a possible treatment for mental health conditions. Depression, as well as anxiety and other conditions, attacks neural plasticity.

LSD and other drugs might reverse the structural changes produced by depression

Common depression and anxiety medication use chemical methods to relieve their symptoms. However, using psychedelic drugs might be a more natural method, as these components act directly on brain plasticity. Previous studies showed ketamine had a similar effect, so the substances might not be that bad. If they can really reverse the structural changes produced by depression, they are a viable alternative to chemicals.

However, there’s something you should keep in mind. Researchers did not use actual psychedelic drugs for the study. Instead, they tested compounds with similar composition to the substances but that are still not full-fledged drugs. LSD and other related substances come with huge risks that might make one’s condition even worse. Therefore, the subject is still a sensitive one, and the issue needs more research.

The study in question was published in the journal Cell Reports.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

More Americans Are Taking Prescription Drugs with Anxiety and Depression as Side Effects (Study)

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Thermometer placed on top of a pile of prescription drugs

Taking three or more prescription drugs at the same time might cause anxiety and depression

Many Americans are taking prescription drugs without knowing what effects they can have on their health. About a third of this type of medicine can have serious adverse effects, such as anxiety, depression, or suicidal tendencies. This often happens without the knowledge of medical practitioners, who prescribe them without thinking of such risks.

Prescription drugs can have dangerous side effects

A team of researchers from the University of Illinois decided to take a look at prescription drugs and their potentially unknown side effects. Even if these pills are not related to depression or anxiety, doctors do not associate them with such reactions, and neither do patients. However, most of the drugs in the study were quite widely used, so the results are pretty worrying.

For this study, researchers looked at 26,000 American adults and their prescription drug use from 2005 to 2014. Among the most common drugs in the study, there were pills for heart and blood pressure, birth control, or painkillers. All of them exhibited side effects associated with anxiety and depression.

Combining drugs might lead to anxiety and depression

From the people who combined three such prescription drugs, 15 percent were more likely to experience such side effects. In contrast, only 9 percent of those who took two drugs were at risk, as well as 7 percent for one drug and 5 percent for no drugs.

This was the first time when researchers linked depression to multiple pill use. Also, it highlights quite a tough reality, namely that people are now taking more prescription drugs than before. Therefore, the study should work as a warning both for patients and for medical practitioners.

Combining prescription drugs is not a good choice, even if the person is struggling with different medical conditions. The study highlighted an increase in the consumption of drugs that might cause suicidal tendencies, so it’s a sign that doctors should review their practices. This study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Image source: PxHere

The Kepler Satellite Spots New Solar System with Planets the Size of Earth

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Planets orbiting around a red dwarf star

The new solar system has three planets about the size of Earth

NASA’s Kepler satellite made a stunning discovery during its K2 mission, highlighting the existence of two new planet formations relatively close to our own. One of them is a whole new solar system with three planets almost the size of Earth, while the second one sports planets of a much bigger size.

The new solar system has planets similar to Earth

If you ever thought of finding a new solar system similar to our own, the K2 mission turned it into reality. This new system is only 160 light-years away from Earth and took researchers by surprise. Three of its planets are incredibly similar to our own. In fact, one of them is precisely the size of Earth, while the other two are only a bit bigger.

However, don’t get too excited, as the new solar system can’t really be inhabited. All the three planets are extremely close to their sun, so the temperatures probably can’t sustain life. The discovery stays remarkable, as these planets are quite common in the universe. Therefore, researchers assumed they might be a little more hospitable than we would think.

The planets probably cannot sustain life

The second new solar system is a bit different, as its planets are much bigger than our own. In fact, they are called super Earths. Also, there’s one more thing worth mentioning about the two systems. Both of them have red dwarf stars at their center, which are smaller and less hot than our Sun.

Could this mean the planets might sustain life? The chances are quite slim, since the planets are still too close to the stars, but researchers will still continue their observations. The K2 mission spotted them as they passed in front of the stars, causing dips in their light. By studying these dips, researchers can find out more about the planets and the new solar systems.

Image source: NASA

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