Science (Page 82)

Earth from the ISS. NASA, CC BY Being forced into isolation and confinement creates a number of potentially stressful demands. However, we might be able to learn a thing or two about coping with these demands, from people who choose a life in such settings. Despite the glorified image of being an astronaut, isolation and confinement remains a challenge for the star sailors that live above us. Demands associated with isolation and confinement are known as a red risk for long duration human spaceflight, which means they have the highest “likelihood of occurrence and the severity of their impact on human health, performance in mission, and long term quality of life”. Astronauts know that by choosing to fly in space,Continue Reading

Lidiane Miotto/Shutterstock For years, conventional wisdom has held that roots don’t grow as deep in hard soil because it’s just too difficult for them to physically push through it. But our new research has unearthed another reason: their growth is controlled by a biological signal which can be “switched off”, enabling them to punch through compacted earth. It’s a discovery that could help crops to grow in even the most damaged of soils. Soil compaction is a major challenge facing modern agriculture, driven in part by the increasing weight of farm equipment which can pass over the same area of ground many times per season. Squashed under the weight of the soil above, deeper areas are also highly compacted, makingContinue Reading

Intensive care staff have faced, and continue to face, high mortality rates among their patients. Terelyuk/shutterstock.com A new study has measured the impact of working during the pandemic on NHS workers’ mental health. It found almost half of critical care staff met thresholds for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety or problem drinking. The researchers, from King’s College London, surveyed intensive care unit (ICU) and anaesthetic staff in the summer of 2020, following the first wave of COVID-19. At the time, nearly one in seven staff, and around one in five nurses, reported they had experienced thoughts of being better off dead or of hurting themselves in the previous two weeks. This study serves as a stark reminder of theContinue Reading

ozrimoz/Shutterstock Donald Trump’s controversial removal from social media platforms has reignited debate around the censorship of information published online. But the issue of disinformation and manipulation on social media goes far beyond one man’s Twitter account. And it is much more widespread than previously thought. Since 2016, our team at the Oxford Internet Institute has monitored the rapid global proliferation of social media manipulation campaigns, which we define as the use of digital tools to influence online public behaviour. In the past four years, social media manipulation has evolved from a niche concern to a global threat to democracy and human rights. Our latest report found that organised social media manipulation campaigns are now common across the world — identifiedContinue Reading

Buying puppies online can be a dangerous activity. from www.shutterstock.com For many people, the pandemic has been a lonely experience. Because of this, it might be tempting to go on the internet and look for a new animal companion. Whether it is a puppy, kitten or even an exotic bird, animal companions can relieve the stress of spending prolonged periods indoors. My recent study, however, has found there are thousands of fraudulent pet and shipping websites waiting to scam potential pet owners. These have been created by opportunistic cybercriminals for the sole purpose of defrauding unsuspecting buyers by selling animals which do not exist. How it works Luckily, the anatomy of how offenders organise pet scams is fairly simple andContinue Reading

Could we travel to other universes using wormholes? ktsdesign/Shutterstock Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity profoundly changed our thinking about fundamental concepts in physics, such as space and time. But it also left us with some deep mysteries. One was black holes, which were only unequivocally detected over the past few years. Another was “wormholes” – bridges connecting different points in spacetime, in theory providing shortcuts for space travellers. Wormholes are still in the realm of the imagination. But some scientists think we will soon be able to find them, too. Over the past few months, several new studies have suggested intriguing ways forward. Black holes and wormholes are special types of solutions to Einstein’s equations, arising when the structureContinue Reading

Elliptical galaxies are filled with extremely old stars. Igor Chekalin/Shutterstock.com Most stars in the universe today are found in massive galaxies called ellipticals, named for their stretched-out-circle shape. Unlike our own galaxy, which is a spiral with arms extending out from the centre, the edges of elliptical galaxies are smooth. At first glance, these galaxies might seem like simple systems. However, they are among the most mysterious objects in the cosmos. Elliptical galaxies host extremely old stars and are not forming new stars. Exactly how these dead galaxies form is a question both observational and theoretical astronomers have tried to answer for a long time. Our new study, published in Nature Astronomy, could help solve this puzzle. Stars form whenContinue Reading

shutterstock Now that COVID-19 vaccination campaigns are underway in many countries, concerns have emerged about the availability of stock, the timing of deliveries, and the potential for thousands of vaccines to be wasted at each stage of the supply chain. Because vaccines require transporting and storing at chilled temperatures — the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine at least as low as -60⁰C — vaccine vials that have not been constantly chilled have reportedly been thrown away in some parts of Germany. An employee in a medical centre in Wisconsin allegedly allowed hundreds of vaccine doses to spoil outside a refrigerator. Given the slow roll-out in many countries, vaccines might even expire before medical professionals have a chance to administer them. So far, anecdotalContinue Reading

shutterstock The average daily time spent online by adults increased by nearly an hour during the UK’s spring lockdown when compared to the previous year, according to communications regulator Ofcom. With numerous countries back under severe pandemic restrictions, many of us once again find ourselves questioning whether our heavy reliance on technology is impacting our wellbeing. It’s true that digital devices have provided new means of work, education, connection, and entertainment during lockdown. But the perceived pressure to be online, the tendency to procrastinate to avoid undertaking tasks, and the use of digital platforms as a way to escape distress all have the potential to turn healthy behaviours into habits. This repetitive use can develop into addictive patterns, which canContinue Reading

Key to the success of a long-term dog-owner relationship is building a good foundation. from www.shutterstock.com Puppies have the potential to bring enormous benefits to their owners’ lives and can be an asset during uncertain times, including lockdown. That said, caring for a young animal is not without its challenges. With more than one in four puppy buyers during the pandemic admitting it was an impulse decision, there are genuine concerns for the future of the animals taken on during this time. The success of a long-term dog-owner relationship depends on building a good foundation. Here are six things every owner needs to know about looking after a puppy and developing a long-lasting relationship with their new best friend. ExerciseContinue Reading