Nations plan for vaccine as global virus cases top 65 million

Global coronavirus infections surged past 65 million on Friday even as countries doubled down on restrictions and plans to roll out vaccines gathered pace.

Colorado student, scientist named Time's 'Kid of the Year'

A 15-year-old Colorado high school student and young scientist who has used artificial intelligence and created apps to tackle contaminated drinking water, cyberbullying, opioid addiction and other social problems has been named Time Magazine's first-ever "Kid of the Year."

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-colorado-student-scientist-kid-year.html

Google AI researcher's exit sparks ethics, bias concerns

Prominent artificial intelligence scholar Timnit Gebru helped improve Google's public image as a company that elevates Black computer scientists and questions harmful uses of AI technology.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-google-ai-exit-ethics-bias.html

Officials: Rodents likely destroyed rare plants at mine

DNA evidence suggests rodents destroyed part of an area of an extremely rare desert wildflower being considered for endangered species protection at a contentious mine site in Nevada, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-rodents-rare.html

Japan awaits capsule's return with asteroid soil samples

Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft successfully released a small capsule on Saturday and sent it toward Earth to deliver samples from a distant asteroid that could provide clues to the origin of the solar system and life on our planet, the country's space agency said.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-japan-awaits-capsule-asteroid-soil.html

Research reveals how airflow inside a car may affect COVID-19 transmission risk

A new study of airflow patterns inside a car's passenger cabin offers some suggestions for potentially reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission while sharing rides with others.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-car-pandemic-windows.html

Canada COVID surge sees 100,000 new cases in two weeks

Canada's second wave of COVID-19 infections has led to 100,000 new cases reported in just the last two weeks, data compiled by public broadcaster CBC showed Friday.

UK medical chiefs eye major fall in COVID deaths by early 2021

The arrival of a vaccine should see coronavirus deaths in Britain reduce "significantly" by early next year but social mixing over Christmas could cause another spike before that, UK medical chiefs said Friday.

Moscow starts inoculating vulnerable workers against coronavirus

Moscow on Saturday began vaccinating workers at high risk of becoming infected with the coronavirus at newly opened clinics across the city.

US firms gear up for distribution of COVID vaccines

With the imminent arrival of coronavirus vaccines that will need to be stored at ultra-low temperatures, US companies are gearing up for a massive logistical effort to aid their distribution.

US sets new record of 225,000 COVID cases in one day: tracker

For the second day in a row, the United States on Friday notched a record number of coronavirus cases in 24 hours, reaching 225,201 new infections, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

San Francisco Bay Area issues new stay-at-home order

The health officers in five San Francisco Bay Area counties issued a new stay-at-home order Friday requiring some businesses to close and banning all gatherings, as the number of virus cases surge and hospitals fill.

Colorado student, scientist named Time's 'Kid of the Year'

A 15-year-old Colorado high school student and young scientist who has used artificial intelligence and created apps to tackle contaminated drinking water, cyberbullying, opioid addiction and other social problems has been named Time Magazine's first-ever "Kid of the Year."

States submit vaccine orders as coronavirus death toll grows

States faced a deadline on Friday to place orders for the coronavirus vaccine as many reported record infections, hospitalizations and deaths, while hospitals were pushed to the breaking point—with the worst feared yet to come.

Google AI researcher's exit sparks ethics, bias concerns

Prominent artificial intelligence scholar Timnit Gebru helped improve Google's public image as a company that elevates Black computer scientists and questions harmful uses of AI technology.

Officials: Rodents likely destroyed rare plants at mine

DNA evidence suggests rodents destroyed part of an area of an extremely rare desert wildflower being considered for endangered species protection at a contentious mine site in Nevada, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday.

Japan awaits capsule's return with asteroid soil samples

Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft successfully released a small capsule on Saturday and sent it toward Earth to deliver samples from a distant asteroid that could provide clues to the origin of the solar system and life on our planet, the country's space agency said.

Research reveals how airflow inside a car may affect COVID-19 transmission risk

A new study of airflow patterns inside a car's passenger cabin offers some suggestions for potentially reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission while sharing rides with others.

Once hospitalized, Black patients with COVID-19 have lower risk of death than white

While multiple research studies show that Black and Hispanic patients are more likely to test positive for COVID-19, a team of investigators at NYU Langone Health has found that once hospitalized, Black patients (after controlling for other serious health conditions and neighborhood income) were less likely to have severe illness, die, or be discharged to hospice compared to White patients.

New CRISPR-based test for COVID-19 uses a smartphone camera

Imagine swabbing your nostrils, putting the swab in a device, and getting a read-out on your phone in 15 to 30 minutes that tells you if you are infected with the COVID-19 virus. This has been the vision for a team of scientists at Gladstone Institutes, University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). And now, they report a scientific breakthrough that brings them closer to making this vision a reality.

Assessment finds millions of lives can be saved with climate action

Unless we take urgent action to tackle climate change, we can expect an ever-hotter world that threatens global health, disrupts lives and livelihoods and overwhelms healthcare systems, according to The Lancet's Global Countdown on Health and Climate Change, a comprehensive global analysis tracking the impact of climate change on human health across 41 key indicators.

Virtual doctor visits are increasing, but use differs by patient race, age and insurance

When the COVID-19 lockdowns began in mid-March 2020, hospitals and clinics faced a new challenge: How could they continue to provide care to those who could not leave their homes?