Tag: Science News

Australians Warned About Mushroom Picking After Toxic DeathCap Mushrooms Appear Early

Australia’s Food Safety Information Council is warning adventurous food eaters not to pick wild mushrooms because of the early arrival of the deadly deathcap fungi after a soggy summer. Toxic mushrooms grow during all seasons of the year but pop up particularly quickly in moist areas. Deathcap mushrooms can be mistaken for more common edible…


Virgin Galactic Rockets Higher After Latest Space Travel Announcement

Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. shares are trading higher Tuesday after the space travel company announce it will open ticket sales to the general public for the purchase of one of Virgin Galactic’s initial spaceflight reservations. During spaceflight, astronauts will experience a 90-minute journey including a signature air launch and Mach-3 boost to space. Virgin Galactic shares…


Combining Antiviral Pills With Experimental Drug Brequinar Effective in Treating COVID: Study

Researchers have found that combining the antivirals remdesivir or molnupiravir with the experimental drug brequinar could be effective in treating the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, which causes COVID-19. The new drug combination was discovered by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Researchers found…


Exploding Maple Trees Rock Texas Winter

The next time you hear a loud “crack” outside on a moonless winter night, don’t assume it’s someone firing a weapon. It could just be an exploding tree. In Collin County, Texas, locals recently heard a number of trees cracking in the icy weather. “We listened to them all night. Sounds like gunshots going off,”…


Billionaire’s Space Trip Brought $125 Million to St. Jude Hospital

The charitable sector should hope that billionaire Jared Isaacman keeps seeking new adventures. Isaacman, who turned a payments-processing firm he started as a teenager into a multibillion-dollar company, periodically indulges his passion for aviation with head-turning flights. Each time, a prominent charity has joined the ride—and the stakes keep getting bigger. In 2009, Isaacman set…


Mineral Found in Fish, Meat and Nuts May Reverse Memory Loss

An Australian study has found that selenium—a mineral found in many foods—could be the key to a healthier mind, as experiments show that it can reverse the decline in brain function from poor health or old age. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant found in meat, tuna, halibut, sardines, salmon, organ meat, eggs, and nuts, with…


As Crypto Rises, Some Bemoan Its Carbon Footprint

In the years since the still-anonymous ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’ created the first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, crypto has proven to be polarizing. Proponents argue that cryptocurrencies offer a transparent alternative to fiat currencies like the dollar. Crypto transactions are permanently recorded on a decentralized ledger known as a blockchain, making them potentially resistant to censorship. For political dissidents,…


Moderna, AstraZeneca Partnering To Develop an ‘mRNA Therapeutic’ For Heart Disease

Drugmakers Moderna and AstraZeneca are partnering up to develop a “mRNA therapeutic” to treat life-threatening cardiovascular disease such as heart failure. “We are collaborating with @AstraZeneca on an mRNA therapeutic (AZD8601) that encodes for VEGF-A to promote recovery of cardiac function through tissue regeneration,” Moderna said in a Twitter post Thursday. The biotechnology company included…


Solar Storm Dooms 40 SpaceX Internet Satellites

Elon Musk’s satellite internet service Starlink was hammered by a geomagnetic storm last week, causing them to de-orbit or crash back to earth, according to a SpaceX post on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, the satellites deployed on Thursday were significantly impacted by a geomagnetic storm on Friday. These storms cause the atmosphere to warm and atmospheric density…


Researchers Develop Self-Cleaning Plastic Inspired by Lotus Leaf

Researchers have developed a new plastic packaging for fresh food and takeaway by replicating lotus leaves’ resilient and self-cleaning structure. Lotus leaves are renowned for having some of the most water-repellent sources on earth and are practically impossible to get dirty. Lead author of the study and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) PhD researcher…