Below is a summary of the latest science news briefs.
Scientists are able to predict disasters even before they occur, as climate dangers increase.
A bright red, sideways “V” that ran thousands of kilometres in the Pacific Ocean temperature forecast map was a sign of disaster for climate scientists who reviewed it in November. The combination of La Nina cooling across the eastern and central Pacifics, and the V-shaped pattern of warm ocean water stretching from Australia to the Philippines and back to Hawaii, indicated that the March-May rainy seasons would likely fail halfway around the globe in the Horn of Africa.
Stellar, a ‘vampire’ who falls in love with her companion star, finds love at the first bite
Astronomers have been able to see what happens when a “vampire star” suckers the outer layers from a companion star. This “bitten” victim is reduced to a simple stellar core. Data obtained by the Chile-based European Southern Observatory telescopes (ESO) on Wednesday revealed that the star system HR 6819 was not accompanied, as previously thought.
NOAA’s newest satellite for fire-tracking, weather, and other data is now in orbit
On Tuesday, an Atlas V rocket launched from Florida carrying the next large satellite designed by NOAA to provide 24/7 monitoring of weather, wildfires and climate changes over the western hemisphere. The GOES T spacecraft is the third in a series of advanced geostationary satellites. It has been credited with revolutionizing weather forecasting and environmental monitoring.
Seals help Japanese researchers collect data under Antarctic ice
An unusual sight might be a seal wearing a helmet and an antenna, but eight Weddell Seals, each with a 580g monitoring unit on their heads, have been helping Japanese scientists survey the waters below the thick Antarctica Ice Sheet. These seals were tapped for a research project that took place between March 2017 and November 2017. The probe was focused on winter in Antarctica.
Scientist uses tiny trackers for monitoring funnel-web spiders
Some Sydney funnel web spiders are crawling into the Australian bush with special cargo: a Telemetry Tracker. This tracker is used to study the distance a mature male can travel at nights and how the environment and weather affect their movements. Caitlin Creak, a PhD Candidat at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences of University of New South Wales, is currently tracking the male Sydney channel-web, one of most dangerous spiders in the world, over two summers. The nocturnal arachnid is active between November-April within a radius of around 100km (62 mi).
Redhill antiviral has promise in safety study; J&J shot lower to prevent hospitalization
Below is a summary of recent COVID-19 studies. These include research that is warranted further study to confirm the findings and that has yet been certified by peer review. Redhill drug blocks proteins which help the coronavirus
(With inputs of agencies.