Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. New work published in Science reveals that it significantly impairs the ability of bumblebees to maintain the temperature of their hive, a hitherto unsuspected effect that may lead to the decline of this already endangered species, which is essential for pollination.
A review with meta-analysis published in the journal PLoS Medicine concludes that the percentage of asymptomatic people with covid-19 is lower, and that they are less contagious than those who are pre-symptomatic or symptomatic.
An international team led by researchers at the University of Copenhagen has detected a new class of extremely reactive chemical compounds in tha atmpsphere, the 'trioxides'. The challenge now is to understand the role of trioxides in climate and air quality. The result is presented in Science.
A 'quantum internet' would allow, among other things, the flow of inviolable secret messages. Building such a network involves teleporting information between non-interacting elements of the system, something researchers in the Netherlands claim to have achieved. They publish it in Nature.
A study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases analyses the response of seven monkeypox patients diagnosed in the UK between 2018-2021, treated with the antivirals brincidofovir and tecovirimat.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) was responsible for more than 100,000 deaths in children under the age of five worldwide in 2019, a study published in The Lancet estimates. The authors highlight the "urgent need" for vaccines.
On 18 May, the Ministry of Health confirmed to SMC Spain that eight suspected cases "clinically compatible" with monkeypox had been detected. The same afternoon, the Consejería de Sanidad de la Comunidad de Madrid reported that it had detected 23 possible cases of infection. These cases need to be confirmed after testing. At least 7 cases have been confirmed in the UK and Portugal. This is a rare zoonotic viral disease and there is no vaccine or specific treatment available. Treatment is symptomatic and supportive. Most cases are resolved favourably.
Following the detection of several cases of people infected with the simian smallpox virus in the UK, health authorities are concerned that there may be EU-wide transmission with undetected infections, both within and outside the country. In Spain, the Community of Madrid has identified 23 possible cases of infection.
An international team of researchers has captured the first image of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. The results are published today in a special issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
After many decades of study and thanks to the use of very precise techniques, we know more and more about these mysterious and huge bodies in the cosmos. Astronomers around the world are networking with powerful telescopes to better understand them.