Dangit

Author: Dangist

  • Wristband monitors personal exposure to air pollution

    Wristband monitors personal exposure to air pollution

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    Dangist
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    Whether it comes from second-hand cigarette smoke, motor vehicle exhaust, building materials or the fumes from household cleaning supplies, toxic air is all around us. Doctors and scientists are notably concerned about air pollution as it ranks among the top 10 global health risks associated with non-communicable diseases. Organic air pollutants have been shown to…

  • Vitamin D levels appear to play a role in COVID-19 mortality rates

    Vitamin D levels appear to play a role in COVID-19 mortality rates

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    Dangist
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    Patients with severe deficiency are twice as likely to experience major complications Summary     Researchers analysed patient data from 10 countries. The team found a correlation between low vitamin D levels and hyperactive immune systems. Vitamin D strengths innate immunity and prevents overactive immune responses. The finding could explain several mysteries, including why children are…

  • Plant viruses could be used to prevent and treat human autoimmune diseases

    Plant viruses could be used to prevent and treat human autoimmune diseases

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    Researchers have taken positive steps towards using plant virus-based particles for the treatment of human autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Viruses are natural, self-assembling nano-scale structures that have been exploited in the fields of electronics, agriculture, and medicine. The genetically encoded coat proteins of virus nanoparticles (VNPs) can be reprogrammed…

  • Lipid metabolism controls brain development

    Lipid metabolism controls brain development

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    Fig 1. With cerebral organoids produced by human embryonic stem cells, the early development of the human brain was investigated. The organ-like cell cultures consist of neural stem cells (green), progenitor cells (red) and nerve cells (white). Neural stem cells are not only responsible for early brain development—they remain active for an entire lifetime. They…

  • Environmental activism goes digital in lockdown—but could it change the movement for good?

    Environmental activism goes digital in lockdown—but could it change the movement for good?

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    Fig 1. A postage stamp issued to commemorate the first Earth Day, April 1970 The environmental movement’s past recently collided with its future. April 22 marked the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day, a milestone for environmentalism. A few days later, a global school strike was organized by Fridays for Future, the international coalition…

  • Zoom buys security firm Keybase

    Zoom buys security firm Keybase

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    Zoom Video Communications is buying security firm Keybase in an effort to shore up security for its video meetings. Terms of the deal were undisclosed. Zoom has been working to improve the security of its video meetings after some lapses in privacy and security as Zoom meetings grew more popular during the pandemic. Keybase is…

  • Two apps to help you locate broadcast towers

    Two apps to help you locate broadcast towers

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    I have been having some pixelization on my TV picture in the past week or so, and I finally got frustrated enough to get the ladder out of the garage and climb up on the roof to adjust my antenna. I have been pretty pleased with my picture quality in general, but a week or…

  • Morocco launches a fleet of drones to tackle virus from the sky

    Morocco launches a fleet of drones to tackle virus from the sky

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    Morocco has rapidly expanded its fleet of drones as it battles the coronavirus pandemic, deploying them for aerial surveillance, public service announcements and sanitisation. Fig 1. Morocco is trialling high tech solutions like disinfectant-spraying drones to help fight the new coronavirus “This is a real craze. In just weeks, demand has tripled in Morocco and…

  • Scientists observe bacteria tumble their way out of surface traps

    Scientists observe bacteria tumble their way out of surface traps

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    Fig 1. Escherichia coli. While tracing the movement of Escherichia coli, a team of French researchers noticed that near solid surfaces, the bacteria run in circles. Loop after loop, the tracing almost looks like an Olympic figure skating rink before the Zamboni irons the sheet of ice smooth. Breaking down E. coli’s routine step by…

  • Malaria risk is highest in the early evening, study finds

    Malaria risk is highest in the early evening, study finds

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    Fig 1. The researchers found that mosquitoes are most likely to transmit malaria in the early evening when people are exposed, then at midnight, when people are protected by bed nets, or in the morning. Wide-scale use of insecticide-treated bed nets has led to substantial declines in global incidences of malaria in recent years. As…