Worlds

World’s largest fish breeding grounds found under the Antarctic ice | Science

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The most extensive and densely populated breeding colony of fish anywhere lurks deep underneath the ice of the Weddell Sea, scientists aboard an Antarctic research cruise have discovered. The 240 square kilometers of regularly spaced icefish nests, east of the Antarctic Peninsula, has astonished marine ecologists. “We had no idea that it would be just … Read more

Scientists Built The World’s Tiniest Antenna, And It’s Made Out of DNA

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Scientists have built the tiniest antenna ever made – just five nanometers in length. Unlike its much larger counterparts we’re all familiar with, this minuscule thing isn’t made to transmit radio waves, but to glean the secrets of ever-changing proteins.   The nanoantenna is made from DNA, the molecules carrying genetic instructions that are around … Read more

Climate change threatens one of world’s biggest fish harvests | Science

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The Peruvian anchovy is a small fish with a big impact. Only about the size of an index finger, they make up the single largest fish catch in the world—sometimes up to 15% of the global haul. Nearly all the highly nutritious fish are ground up to feed salmon and other farm-raised species that are … Read more

World’s smallest snail: Newly discovered land snail could fit inside a grain of sand

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By Chris Simms Angustopila psammion is the smallest known land snail Contributions to Zoology 2022 A newly discovered snail species is the smallest yet found on land. Angustopila psammion, discovered in cave sediment in northern Vietnam, has a shell just 0.48 millimetres high and a shell volume of only 0.036 cubic millimetres. This makes the … Read more

Once a ‘crazy idea,’ patent-pooling nonprofit will help bring COVID-19 pills to world’s poor | Science

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In the United States, widespread hope greeted the decision by the Food and Drug Administration last week to authorize the emergency use of two different oral treatments for SARS-CoV-2 infection, which could mark a new era in which pills taken at home can prevent severe COVID-19. Global health advocates are also celebrating the preauthorization decision … Read more

Biggest science news of 2021: RTS,S becomes world’s first approved malaria vaccine

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October saw the RTS,S malaria vaccine given the go-ahead for use outside trials for the first time – a momentous decision, decades in the making Health 15 December 2021 By Clare Wilson REUTERS/James Keyi/Alamy Decades in the making, October saw a malaria vaccine given the go-ahead for use outside trials for the first time, described … Read more

Rogue planets: At least 70 free-floating worlds spotted drifting in space

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Free-floating planets are hard to spot, but astronomers have bagged a large haul by looking for candidates in a nearby star-forming region Space 22 December 2021 By Alex Wilkins Artist’s impression of a rogue planet COSMIC DANCE Team Astronomers have spotted what seems to be at least 70 planets drifting through space by themselves. These … Read more

FDA Just Approved The World’s First Injectable Medication to Prevent HIV

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The world’s first injectable medication to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency announced Monday (December 20).   The injectable drug – called Apretude or its generic name, “cabotegravir extended-release injectable suspension” – provides an alternative to daily pills for HIV prevention, such as Truvada and Descovy. These pills are … Read more

Exoplanets: Small Jupiter-like worlds hint we need to rethink gas giant formation

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We thought young gas giant planets would be large and low-density, but the gas giants around a star that is just 20 million years old don’t fit this model Space 2 December 2021 By Chen Ly An artist’s impression of a Jupiter-like exoplanet Alexandr Yurtchenko/Alamy Two Jupiter-like planets that orbit a young star are much … Read more