World

Homeland Security News Wire: COVID-19 Virus Isolated … Better Testing, Treatments, Vaccines Are Near

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Researchers from left, Dr. Robert Kozak, Dr. Samira Mubareka and Dr. Arinjay Banerjee have isolated the agent responsible for the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19. Courtesy/McMaster University

From Homeland Security News Wire:

A team of researchers from Sunnybrook Health Science Center in Toronto, McMaster University, and the University of Toronto(opens in a new window) has isolated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent responsible for the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19.

Sunnybrook says that the team was able to culture the virus from two clinical Read More

Skolnik: Still Failing On COVID-19

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By RICHARD SKOLNIK
Los Alamos

The United States is still failing to meet the grave threats posed by COVID-19.

Testing for COVID-19 must be central to addressing the outbreak. Yet, testing is not being carried out in sufficient numbers to stem the growth of COVID-19 cases. South Korea has tested more than 700 times the number of people per capita than we have tested and Japan 12 times. Their approach to testing has been central to their slowing the increase of new infections.

In addition, the US protocols for testing will lead to many missed cases, given the extent to which transmission is occurring Read More

AGU: Ancient Shell Shows Days Were Half-Hour Shorter 70 Million Years Ago

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Fossil rudist bivalves (Vaccinites) from the Al-Hajar Mountains, United Arab Emirates. Courtesy/Wikipedia, Wilson44691 – Own work, Public Domain

AGU News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Earth turned faster at the end of the time of the dinosaurs than it does today, rotating 372 times a year, compared to the current 365, according to a new study of fossil mollusk shells from the late Cretaceous.

This means a day lasted only 23 and a half hours, according to the new study in AGU’s journal Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology.

The ancient mollusk, from an extinct and wildly diverse group known as rudist Read More

LANL Supplement Analysis To Environmental Impact Statement Available For 45-Day Public Comment Period

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DOE/NNSA News:

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) has posted for public comment a draft Supplement Analysis to the 2008 Site-wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) for Continued Operations of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

The document examines whether the environmental impacts associated with expanded plutonium pit production at LANL require preparation of a new or supplemental EIS for LANL.

The draft Supplement Analysis will be released for public comment for 45 days starting March 10. During the comment period, NNSA will Read More

LANL: Water-Splitting Advance Holds Promise For Renewable Energy

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Dongguo Li of Washington State University and Yu Seung Kim of Los Alamos National Laboratory working to make renewable energy more affordable with hydrogen fuel. Courtesy/LANL
LANL News:
A breakthrough into splitting water into its parts could help make renewable energy pay off, even when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.
Using solar and wind power when it is available for water splitting, a process that uses electricity to split H2O into hydrogen and oxygen, offers a way to store energy in the form of hydrogen fuel.
Currently the most popular system used for water
Read More

AGU: Pair Of Geophysicists Develop New Explanation For How Destructive Earthquake Vibrations May Be Produced

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AGU News:

Earthquakes produce seismic waves with a range of frequencies, from the long, rolling motions that make skyscrapers sway, to the jerky, high-frequency vibrations that cause tremendous damage to houses and other smaller structures.

A pair of geophysicists has a new explanation for how those high-frequency vibrations may be produced.

In a new paper published in the AGU journal Geophysical Research Letters, Brown University researchers Victor Tsai and Greg Hirth propose that rocks colliding inside a fault zone as an earthquake happens are the main generators of high-frequency Read More

Catch Of The Week: Coronavirus Scams Continue

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By BECKY RUTHERFORD
Los Alamos

First off, PSA – buying up all the toilet paper and Lysol at Smith’s will not stop coronavirus. (Hey, does anyone have some Scott tissue? Hit me up!)

That said, wash your hands often; and if you get an email about coronavirus cures, face masks, outbreak information, etc., delete that sucker.

As previously reported, numerous coronavirus phishing emails have been circulating in the wild. Any time you have a worldwide event like coronavirus, you can expect the bad guys to make phishing emails attempting to exploit your fear.

Many coronavirus phishing campaigns promise Read More

LANL: Gut Microbiome Samples Head For Space Tonight!

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Tonight LANL scientists Armand Dichosa and Kumar Anand are sending samples of the human gut microbiome into space. Courtesy photo
LANL News:
Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists Armand Dichosa and Anand Kumar are sending samples of the human gut microbiome into space tonight, part of a project with NASA, DTRA and Rhodium Scientific.
On its 11:50 p.m. March 6 launch, SpaceX-20 will carry these samples to the International Space Station National Laboratory where they will be allowed to grow in order to understand the effect microgravity has on the microbial community.
The samples have
Read More

Top 100 Places Around The World To Watch Sunsets

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Lensbest has released a study that for the first time uses a data-driven approach to collate and determine the best spots around the world to watch a sunset. Courtesy/Lensbest

Lensbest News:

A survey of travel journalists from across the globe reveals the top 100 sunset-viewing spots, as well as honorable mentions for 400 further locations.

  • Santorini, Greece, was the most nominated place to view a sunset worldwide, followed by Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA and Mykonos, Greece.

  • The United States was the most commonly nominated country worldwide for sunset-viewing spots, with

Read More

Los Alamos Medical Center Prepared To Detect, Protect, Respond To Any Novel Coronavirus Exposure

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By JOHN WHITESIDE
CEO
Los Alamos Medical Center

Los Alamos Medical Center is committed to providing the highest quality care and ensuring the safety of our patients, employees, providers, volunteers and visitors.

We are continuing to work closely with New Mexico Department of Health and following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure our hospital is prepared with the appropriate plans to detect, protect and respond should anyone in our community contract or be exposed to the novel coronavirus (COVID–19).

Additionally, we are reviewing our facility’s Read More