There's no magic way to boost your energy. But 'perineum sunning' isn't the answer

If you keep up with wellness trends, you might have heard of something called "perineum sunning."

Here's where efforts to end HIV in eastern and southern Africa must focus

The World AIDS Day commemoration of 2020 took place in the midst of a global pandemic. It served as another reminder that people are not only susceptible to pathogens, but to the political, social and economic inequities that determine vulnerability to infections.

If a planet has a lot of methane in its atmosphere, life is the most likely cause

The ultra-powerful James Webb Space Telescope will launch soon. Once it's deployed and in position at the Earth-Sun Lagrange Point 2, it'll begin work. One of its jobs is to examine the atmospheres of exoplanets and look for biosignatures. It should be simple, right? Just scan the atmosphere until you find oxygen, then close your laptop and head to the pub: Fanfare, confetti, Nobel prize.

Team finds surprising connection between dinosaurs and mammals

When thinking of fierce predators of the past, it's difficult not to imagine dinosaurs, considering theropods are well known for having blade-like teeth with serrated cutting edges used for biting and ripping their prey.

Feds update immunization advice with Moderna vaccine approval

Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines are similar enough that you can swap them in a pinch, according to the latest guidance from Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI).

Controlling the magnetic properties of complex oxide systems

The study of complex oxides of iron to create new functional materials is one of the most intensely developing fields of investigation for SUSU scientists. The physical properties of complex iron oxide systems can be varied by changing the chemical composition. This makes it possible to trace the fundamental effects that arise when ions are replaced. In a new study, researchers chose to investigate spinel-structured ferrites, changing their magnetic properties through modification of their chemical composition by substituting iron ions. The results of their research were published in Nanomaterials.

Atomic-scale nanowires can now be produced at scale

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered a way to make self-assembled nanowires of transition metal chalcogenides at scale using chemical vapor deposition. By changing the substrate where the wires form, they can tune how these wires are arranged, from aligned configurations of atomically thin sheets to random networks of bundles. This paves the way to industrial deployment in next-gen industrial electronics, including energy harvesting, and transparent, efficient, even flexible devices.

Scientists create polymers to detect banned substances in wastewater

Molecularly imprinted polymers, which have been created with the participation of a SUSU scientist, have become a base for a unique sensor that detects banned substances in wastewater. Police forces in European countries, where the problem of drug production is particularly acute, have shown interest in this development. The results of the research on creating these polymers have been published in a first quartile journal, Biosensors and Bioelectronics.

Fukushima nuclear debris removal delayed by virus

The removal of nuclear debris from Japan's crippled Fukushima power plant will be delayed by about a year, because the pandemic has set back development of specialised equipment, the plant's operator said Thursday.

Checkpoints in Lithuania to fight soaring COVID-19 rate

Lithuanian police said Thursday they have set up checkpoints on roads to prevent travel between municipalities in a bid to fight the highest coronavirus infection rate in the European Union.

Austria ski resorts reopen despite looming third lockdown

Austria allowed its more than 400 ski stations to open on Thursday, just two days before the country enters its third nationwide coronavirus lockdown.

Russia sets records for virus cases, deaths

Russia on Thursday registered record numbers for daily infections and deaths from the coronavirus, as the country avoids reimposing a nationwide lockdown.

Thailand confident coronavirus outbreak is controllable

Thailand's government is confident it can contain a major coronavirus resurgence without a national lockdown, instead relying on provincial controls as the outbreak mainly among migrant seafood workers continued to spread.

Africa CDC: New virus variant appears to emerge in Nigeria

Another new variant of the coronavirus appears to have emerged in Nigeria, Africa's top public health official said Thursday, but further investigation is needed.

One million vaccinated but US officials admit rollout behind schedule

More than a million Americans have received the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccines, a milestone in the biggest immunization drive in US history that came even as officials admitted the pace of rollout was slipping behind schedule.

Israel announces third nationwide virus lockdown

Israel announced Thursday that it will impose a nationwide lockdown from next week, its third of the COVID-19 pandemic, just days after it began vaccinations against the virus.

China begins anti-monopoly probe into tech giant Alibaba

China has launched an anti-monopoly investigation into Alibaba, regulators said Thursday, sending the share price of the e-commerce giant tumbling and intensifying the troubles of its billionaire founder Jack Ma.

Virus dampens holidays worldwide as vaccinations gather speed

Thousands of truckers endured Christmas Eve stranded near a major British port, ensnared in the chaos unleashed by a new coronavirus strain, as Western nations accelerated vaccination programmes.

Fruity energy, spidery lenses: Nature-inspired solutions in 2020

Climate change and biodiversity loss are laying bare our dependence on the natural world for everything from the food we eat to the air we breathe.

Triple chemotherapy combination improves metastatic colorectal cancer outcomes

Researchers from SWOG Cancer Research Network, a cancer clinical trials group funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, have shown that a triple drug combination—of irinotecan, cetuximab, and vemurafenib—is a more powerful tumor fighter and keeps people with metastatic colon cancer disease free for a significantly longer period of time compared with patients treated with irinotecan and cetuximab.

Studies find having COVID-19 may protect against reinfection

Two new studies give encouraging evidence that having COVID-19 may offer some protection against future infections. Researchers found that people who made antibodies to the coronavirus were much less likely to test positive again for up to six months and maybe longer.

Jack Ma: tycoon who soared on China's tech dreams grounded by regulators

Jack Ma, the ebullient and unconventional billionaire founder of tech giant Alibaba and the totem of China's entrepreneurial brilliance, now finds himself up against a Communist leadership seemingly intent on hacking back his empire and issuing a lesson that no one is bigger than the party.

Costa Rica to begin COVID-19 vaccinations on Christmas eve

Costa Rica received its first batch of coronavirus vaccines late Wednesday and planned to start vaccinations the following day, joining Mexico among the first Latin American countries to begin mass immunization campaigns.