Researchers develop antibody test to keep track of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 variants

The experts agree—the pandemic is not over. Infections are ticking up again, fueled by the new variants our immune systems are ill prepared for.

Whales learn songs from each other in a cultural 'deep dive'

A University of Queensland-led study has found humpback whales can learn incredibly complex songs from whales from other regions.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/whales-learn-songs-from-each-other-in-a-cultural-deep-dive

Crypto lending world sways under risk and turmoil

Starting with the lofty goal of competing with traditional banks, cryptocurrency lending giants and their clients now face financial ruin due to their appetite for risk and a paucity of regulatory guardrails.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/crypto-lending-world-sways-under-risk-and-turmoil

Which rules evolutionary change: Life or climate?

The fossil record over the last half a billion years shows biodiversity as a zigzagging pattern of species births and extinctions. For decades scientist have attempted to answer the question: Which rules supreme—life or the environment? To explain this macroevolution, scientists have used two opposing theories: the Red Queen versus the Court Jester theory, inspired by the story Alice in Wonderland. New research by McGill University and Vilnius University puts these two theories to the test.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/which-rules-evolutionary-change-life-or-climate

A gentler, more precise laser cutting technique

Laser cutting techniques are usually powered by high energy beams, so hot that they melt most materials. Now scientists from McGill University have developed a gentler, more precise technique using low-power visible light.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/a-gentler-more-precise-laser-cutting-technique

Team develops new COVID-19 antibody detection method that does not require a blood sample

Despite significant and stunning advances in vaccine technology, the COVID-19 global pandemic is not over. A key challenge in limiting the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is identifying infected individuals. Now, investigators from Japan have developed a new antibody-based method for the rapid and reliable detection of SARS-CoV-2 that does not require a blood sample.