Science & Technology News

[GordMay]

GE Hitachi Nuclear to Build Small Nuclear Reactor in Canada

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, an alliance between General Electric Co and Japan's Hitachi Ltd, will build a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR), with Ontario Power Generation (OPG), the Canadian utility announced, yesterday. [1]

OPG will deploy the SMR at its site in Darlington, where it has a license to build a new nuclear power site*, that it expects to complete around 2028, the company said in a press release. [1]

* The Darlington New Nuclear Project is the only site in Canada, with an approved Environmental Assessment, and regulatory licence, for new nuclear.

SMRs can be made in factories, and transported to power plants for installation, making them cheaper than larger conventional reactors. Demand for SMRs is expected to grow as nations around the world look for ways to cut carbon emissions.
A single SMR, of about 300 megawatts in size, can prevent between 0.3 megatonnes (MT) to 2 MT of carbon dioxide emissions per year, depending on where it is located, and what kind of power it is displacing.

[1] “OPG advances clean energy generation project”
➥ https://www.opg.com/news-and-media/m...ation-project/

Video ➥ https://youtu.be/ZSUeW8l-5X0




“New Power: Economic Impacts of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors in Electricity Grids” ~ Conference Board of Canada
Some highlights:
- Deploying an SMR in Ontario can generate $2.6 billion in GDP, $1.7 billion in wages, and $873 million in taxes for the economy.
- On average, manufacturing and construction could add 7,042 jobs per year from a fleet of Saskatchewan SMRs. Canada benefits from 10,516 jobs per year during that phase.
- From concept to commercialization, SMRs require about a billion dollars of development expenditure. This risky pre-commercial phase needs public capital, but governments will be reluctant without major private capital commitment. Financial risk-sharing will be important.
Report ➥ https://www.conferenceboard.ca/temp/...-new-power.pdf




“Canada's Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Action Plan”
➥ https://smractionplan.ca/

[ImaginaryNumber]

Snow may vanish for years at a time in Mountain West with climate warming

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weath...es-california/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s430...ingtonpost.com

[GordMay]

Injectable gels could help repair heart tissue [1] and spinal cord injuries [2]

A team of researchers at McGill University [Montreal], and another at Northwestern University [Chicago], have developed new techniques, that use injections of gel-like materials, to facilitate the repair of systems that are difficult to treat. These two new approaches [1 & 2] involve simple injections of special gels, that can be delivered directly to the site of injury, and help with the repair process.

The first example [1] involves a hydrogel that's tough and flexible enough to create a healing structural environment when injected into dynamic tissues like a beating heart or vocal cords.

The problem with tissues like heart muscle is that the heart never stops beating, so anything injected into them will have difficulty maintaining its structure without fracturing. That makes it difficult for cells and blood vessels to grow into the injured site. It's one of the reasons plastic bandages were designed to be flexible, to stay in place even on a kid that never stops moving.

Most hydrogels either aren't strong enough to withstand the motion of the heart or vocal cords, or not porous enough, for cells to proliferate within them, and allow gases or nutrients to pass through.

The new gel hits the sweet spot, so it can not only withstand and flex, along with the extreme biomechanical motions of certain tissues, but also create a structure, that promotes the growth of new cells, and the transport of crucial gases and nutrients.

The scientists believe the gel could restore the voice of those suffering from laryngeal cancer or be used for heart muscle repair and drug delivery, all by simple injection.

The second group [2] developed materials that can self-assemble into nanofibres with biological signals that can trigger cells to repair and regenerate in damaged tissues, like with a spinal cord injury, which otherwise would not heal.

Starting out as a liquid, the biologically active materials form nanofibres that turn into a gel, which mimics the environment of the spinal cord. By tweaking the structural part of the nanofibre-forming materials, the researchers got them to vibrate in just the right way to connect with nerve cells.

This therapy has the potential to change the lives of those with complete spinal injury where less than 3 per cent of people fully recover basic functions. While this treatment is only a lab experiment performed on mice at the moment, the researchers are looking for federal approval to move forward on clinical trials on humans.

[1] “Injectable, Pore-Forming, Perfusable Double-Network Hydrogels Resilient to Extreme Biomechanical Stimulations” ~ by Sareh Taheri et al
➥ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...advs.202102627

[2] “Bioactive scaffolds with enhanced supramolecular motion promote recovery from spinal cord injury” ~ by Z. Álvarez et al
➥ https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abh3602

[2b] Video: Where partially paralyzed mice regained the ability to move their lower limbs ➥ https://youtu.be/Q_xvCE904YU

[newhaul]

Nothing special just a cool video and article

https://mashable.com/video/deep-sea-...ntom-jellyfish

[GordMay]

Clicking on “The deep sea brims with wonders” [at the bottom of newhaul’s jellyfish video], takes you to:
“The deep sea discoveries of 2020 are stunning”
➥ https://mashable.com/article/deep-sea-ocean-discovery

[GordMay]

Study shows the maximum risks of COVID infection with and without masks

“... Our results show that face masks significantly reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to social distancing. We find a very low risk of infection when everyone wears a face mask, even if it doesn’t fit perfectly on the face ...”

Three meters are not enough to ensure protection. Even at that distance, it takes less than five minutes for an unvaccinated person, standing in the breath of a person with COVID-19, to become infected with almost 100 percent certainty. That's the bad news. The good news is that if both are wearing well-fitting medical or, even better, FFP2 masks, the risk drops dramatically.
In a comprehensive study [1], a team from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organisation in Göttingen has investigated to what extent masks protect, under which wearing conditions. In the process, the researchers determined the maximum risk of infection for numerous situations, and considered several factors that have not been included in similar studies to date.

In the study [1], they found that the risk of infection, without wearing masks, is enormously high, after only a few minutes, even at a distance of three meters, if the infected persons have a high viral load of the delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. And such encounters are unavoidable in schools, restaurants, clubs or even outdoors.

As high as the risk of infection is without mouth-nose protection, medical or FFP2 masks protect effectively. The Göttingen study confirms that FFP2 or KN95 masks are particularly effective in filtering infectious particles from the air breathed, especially if they are as tightly sealed as possible at the face.
If both the infected and the non-infected person wear well-fitting FFP2 masks, the maximum risk of infection after 20 minutes is hardly more than one per thousand, even at the shortest distance.
If their masks fit poorly, the probability of infection increases to about four percent.
If both wear well-fitting medical masks, the virus is likely to be transmitted within 20 minutes with a maximum probability of ten percent.
The study also confirms the intuitive assumption that for effective protection against infection, in particular the infected person should wear a mask that filters as well as possible, and fits tightly to the face, because the risk of infection is dominated by the air coming out, and going in, at the edges of the mask.

[1] “An upper bound on one-to-one exposure to infectious human respiratory particles” ~ by Gholamhossein Bagheri et al
➥ https://www.pnas.org/content/118/49/e2110117118

[GordMay]

One of the strongest ocean currents is speeding up

Although the Southern Ocean is a remote part of the planet, scientists say that the warming occurring in this region could have impacts on the global climate.

Decades of data have revealed the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the only ocean current that encircles the entire globe, has started flowing faster.

The ACC wraps around Antarctica, and is a barrier between the tepid subtropical waters north of it, and the cool waters to the south, helping keep temperatures low near the frozen continent.

The subtropical waters above the ACC have absorbed significant amounts of heat over the past few decades. In fact, over 90 per cent of the excess heat in the atmosphere, created by greenhouse gases, has been absorbed and stored in oceans, since the 1970s.

The Southern Ocean, which is where part of the ACC flows through, has absorbed particularly high amounts of this extra atmospheric heat. Scientists have noticed that the additional heat is increasing the temperature difference between the two areas of water the current separates, which is causing it to flow at a faster rate.

The study [2], published in Nature Climate Change, used data satellites, and Argo, which is a network of floating robotic instruments that record ocean conditions, like temperature and salinity. There are currently 4,000 floats, scattered across the world’s oceans, that are collecting data.

Warming global temperatures have also been affecting prevailing westerly winds, and causing them to energize ocean eddies, which are smaller, circular currents of water, near the ACC. However, these winds are playing less of a role in the ACC’s flow rate, than the scientists initially suspected.

“The ACC is mostly driven by wind, but we show that changes in its speed are surprisingly mostly due to changes in the heat gradient,” said co-author Lynne Talley, a physical oceanographer at Scripps Oceanography, in the study’s press release. [1]

“From both observations and models, we find that the ocean heat change is causing the significant ocean current acceleration detected during recent decades,” said Jia-Rui Shi, study contributor and postdoctoral researcher at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Between 2003-2019 Antarctica’s ice sheet lost an average of 118 gigatons of ice each year, making this continent one of the fastest-changing landscapes on Earth. Warming ocean temperatures exacerbate the melting that ice sheets are experiencing because they thaw the base of glaciers and enhance their breakage.

Global impacts are also possible, if this region continues to warm abnormally fast, since all the ocean currents act as a conveyor belt, that circulates heat, nutrients, and carbon around the planet.

[1] Press Release~ Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
➥ https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/climat...ts-flow-faster

[2] “Ocean warming and accelerating Southern Ocean zonal flow” ~ by Jia-Rui Shi et al
➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01212-5

More about: “Warming spins up the Southern Ocean” ~ by Andrew L. Stewart
➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01212-5

Related:
A study [3], published in Communications Earth & Environment, reports that the abrupt warming from 2009 to 2010, in the Northwest Atlantic, is linked to the Gulf Stream migrating closer to Newfoundland.

[3] “Changes in the Gulf Stream preceded rapid warming of the Northwest Atlantic Shelf” ~ by Afonso Gonçalves Neto et al
➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-021-00143-5

[GordMay]

Hydras can live forever

Scientists have some new insights into the workings of one of the few animals that can arguably live forever.

Hydras* are tiny organisms related to jellyfish. They have simple bodies, made up of a cylindrical tube, called a body column, with a head structure at the top, and a sticky foot on the opposite end (which they use to hold themselves in place). What's remarkable about hydras is that they don't seem to age, thanks to some incredible regenerative powers.

Chop off a hydra's head, and it just grows right back.

A new study [1], published Wednesday in ‘Genome Biology and Evolution’, digs into how a hydra's genes are regulated, a field known as epigenetics, to allow it to keep growing back and always be heads up.

A key finding is that the process for head regeneration is different than the one for reproducing, which happens through an asexual process called "budding." Hydras reproduce by forming "buds" along the body column, that eventually develop into new, independent animals, with their own heads.

The study [1] finds that hydras use sequences of DNA, called "enhancers", that regulate regeneration on the genetic level. This suggests that some of the mechanisms hydras use were passed down through evolution, and may even have made it all the way down to mammals, including humans.

This prompts some fascinating questions. If some of the same genetic programming, that allows hydras to regenerate, was passed down to humans, is the fountain of youth present in the guts of our own cells, just waiting to be tapped?

[1] “Coordinated Gene Expression and Chromatin Regulation during Hydra Head Regeneration” ~ by Rabi Murad et al
➥ https://academic.oup.com/gbe/article...vab221/6455029

PDF ➥ https://watermark.silverchair.com/ev...gEC8yWPCCkLfNc

* About Hydras ➥ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydra_(genus)

[ImaginaryNumber]

6 Best Practices For Carbon Offsets

https://seekingalpha.com/article/447...carbon-offsets

[GordMay]

The Discovery of Global Warming
A Hyperlinked History of Climate Change Science
➥ https://history.aip.org/climate/summary.htm


A much shorter narrative:

“When did scientists first warn humanity about climate change?" ~ by Patrick Pester, for Live Science
➥ https://www.livescience.com/humans-f...climate-change

[GordMay]

Merck downgrades COVID pill results

Trial data submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggest that molnupiravir, an oral antiviral drug developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, is less effective than originally thought.

The firm said [1] the oral drug, molnupiravir, showed a 30 percent reduction in hospitalisations and deaths, when compared with a placebo, based on data from more than 1,400 patients.
Last month, the company said data from 775 patients had showed that reduction was “approximately” 50 percent.

The FDA still gave the drug emergency approval, by a 13–10 decision.
Monoclonal antibody treatments, by contrast, reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 by up to 85%; but they are costly and need to be administered intravenously.

More about ➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03667-0

[1] Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics Provide Update on Results from MOVe-OUT Study of Molnupiravir, an Investigational Oral Antiviral Medicine, in At Risk Adults With Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19 [November 26, 2021]
➥ https://www.merck.com/news/merck-and...rate-covid-19/

Meanwhile:
Pfizer has said [2] its late-stage trials showed that it’s paxlovid pill cut the chance of hospitalisation or death for adults at risk of severe disease by 89 percent. The trials evaluated data from 1,219 positive cases across North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Paxlovid has proven to be most effective if taken at an early stage of infection, and in combination with an older antiviral, called ritonavir.

[2] Pfizer’s Novel COVID-19 Oral Antiviral Treatment Candidate Reduced Risk of Hospitalization or Death by 89% in Interim Analysis of Phase 2/3 EPIC-HR Study [November 5]
➥ https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-re...ment-candidate


The two experimental drugs have different mechanisms of action.
Merck’s molnupiravir is designed to introduce errors into the genetic code of the virus.
Pfizer’s paxlovid, part of a class known as protease inhibitors, is designed to block an enzyme, the coronavirus needs to multiply.

[CatNewBee]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Merck downgrades COVID pill results

Trial data submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggest that molnupiravir, an oral antiviral drug developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, is less effective than originally thought.

The firm said [1] the oral drug, molnupiravir, showed a 30 percent reduction in hospitalisations and deaths, when compared with a placebo, based on data from more than 1,400 patients.
Last month, the company said data from 775 patients had showed that reduction was “approximately” 50 percent.

The FDA still gave the drug emergency approval, by a 13–10 decision.
Monoclonal antibody treatments, by contrast, reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 by up to 85%; but they are costly and need to be administered intravenously.

More about ➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03667-0

[1] Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics Provide Update on Results from MOVe-OUT Study of Molnupiravir, an Investigational Oral Antiviral Medicine, in At Risk Adults With Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19 [November 26, 2021]
➥ https://www.merck.com/news/merck-and...rate-covid-19/

Meanwhile:
Pfizer has said [2] its late-stage trials showed that it’s paxlovid pill cut the chance of hospitalisation or death for adults at risk of severe disease by 89 percent. The trials evaluated data from 1,219 positive cases across North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Paxlovid has proven to be most effective if taken at an early stage of infection, and in combination with an older antiviral, called ritonavir.

[2] Pfizer’s Novel COVID-19 Oral Antiviral Treatment Candidate Reduced Risk of Hospitalization or Death by 89% in Interim Analysis of Phase 2/3 EPIC-HR Study [November 5]
➥ https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-re...ment-candidate


The two experimental drugs have different mechanisms of action.
Merck’s molnupiravir is designed to introduce errors into the genetic code of the virus.
Pfizer’s paxlovid, part of a class known as protease inhibitors, is designed to block an enzyme, the coronavirus needs to multiply.

Pfizer works similar to IVM, both are protease inhibitors in regards to Covid, also IVM blocks the receptor domain so the spike cannot attach, they work only in the early stage of infection and prevent fast virus infection. The real illness is caused by the inflamation response of the immune system when it clears the virus remains, so protease inhibitors are in this stage (after 5..6 days of infection) less usefull. Steroides like Fluvoxamin can inhibit a overreaction of the immune system then, and help recover.

[ImaginaryNumber]

Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier ice shelf could collapse within five years
The loss of its buttressing ice shelf could hasten the demise of the “Doomsday Glacier”

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/...limate-5-years

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by ImaginaryNumber

Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier ice shelf could collapse within five years
The loss of its buttressing ice shelf could hasten the demise of the “Doomsday Glacier”

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/...limate-5-years

Does anyone realise that there is an active volcano under the thwaites Glacier on the little bit of land it actually sits on . 90 % is actually floating and it is an extremely small part of the total ice sheet . And in my opinion it is not going anywhere anytime soon . Actually read the article and notice all of the may might and could type language in it .

[jimbunyard]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Does anyone realise that there is an active volcano under the thwaites Glacier on the little bit of land it actually sits on . 90 % is actually floating and it is an extremely small part of the total ice sheet . And in my opinion it is not going anywhere anytime soon . Actually read the article and notice all of the may might and could type language in it .

Ah yes, our resident expert astrophysicist, geophysicist, volcanologist, meteorologist and climatologist sets us all straight again --- with his opinion.

So what if "there is an active volcano under the Thwaites Glacier"? Believe there are many, many cities situated "on" ice-shrouded volcanoes, especially if we use your metrics, since Mt. Murphy is located 60 miles to the west of Thwaites. Isn't Seattle in the shadow of an active volcano?

https://volcano.si.edu/faq/index.cfm...ion=population

As for "90 % is actually floating", well if that's the case, then the part that isn't floating is nonetheless pretty significant, since it's contents would raise global sea level by about two thirds of a meter, which would put it's land volume, by my calculation, at 223,820 cu km. (361,000,000 x .62 divided by 1000)

For comparison, Thwaites has about the same area as the entire state of Florida.

And why should we "Actually read the article and notice all of the may might and could type language in it", which is the way actual science is actually truthfully reported, when we can be amused at your a-scientific pronouncements displaying arch ambiguity.

To wit:

"an active volcano under the thwaites Glacier"

"the little bit of land"

"an extremely small part of the total ice sheet"

"in my opinion"

"90 % is actually floating" (untruth)

"it is not going anywhere anytime soon"


Oh, the ---- ambiguity...