Actualité scientifique en anglais

Neanderthals -- the closest ancestor to modern humans -- possessed the ability to perceive and produce human speech, according to a new study.

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Paleo-ecologists have demonstrated that the offspring of enormous carnivorous dinosaurs, such as Tyrannosaurus rex may have fundamentally re-shaped their communities by out-competing smaller rival species.

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People who have had evidence of a prior infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, appear to be well protected against being reinfected with the virus, at least for a few months, according to a new study. This finding may explain why reinfection appears to be relatively rare, and it could have important public health implications.

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A new theoretical study has proposed a novel mechanism for the creation of supermassive black holes from dark matter. The international team find that rather than the conventional formation scenarios involving 'normal' matter, supermassive black holes could instead form directly from dark matter in high density regions in the centres of galaxies. The result has key implications for cosmology in the early Universe.

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Researchers analyzed the dog's mitochondrial genome, and concluded that the animal belonged to a lineage of dogs whose evolutionary history diverged from that of Siberian dogs as early as 16,700 years ago. The timing of that split coincides with a period when humans may have been migrating into North America along a coastal route that included Southeast Alaska.

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Researchers have identified how the slime mold Physarum polycephalum saves memories -- although it has no nervous system.

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New research suggests animal personality can be reliably measured simply from the way individual animals move, a type of micropersonality trait, and that the method could be used to help scientists understand about personality differences in wild animals.

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A new study explores the extraordinary rate at which the world's largest fish, the endangered whale shark, can recover from its injuries. The findings reveal that lacerations and abrasions, increasingly caused through collisions with boats, can heal in a matter of weeks and researchers found evidence of partially removed dorsal fins re-growing.

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Nature, Published online: 01 March 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03352-2

Warming impairs trophic transfer efficiency in a long-term field experiment

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Nature, Published online: 01 March 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03379-5

Publisher Correction: Chromothripsis drives the evolution of gene amplification in cancer

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Nature, Published online: 01 March 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00535-9

Electro-acoustics researcher David Monacchi preserves the soundscapes of endangered forests to convey the risks they face.

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Nature, Published online: 01 March 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00553-7

Just 1% of scientists capture more than one-fifth of all citations globally — and the inequality is growing.

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Nature, Published online: 01 March 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00525-x

Tools, rules and incentives are buckling under the flood of coronavirus genome sequences — to help control the pandemic, researchers need new approaches.

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Nature, Published online: 01 March 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00532-y

Trapped in a holding pattern, and nostalgic for lab lunches and field trips, researchers share their hopes for a lockdown-free future.

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Nature, Published online: 01 March 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00526-w

US regulators have authorized Johnson & Johnson's vaccine — which does not require a booster shot, and could simplify the logistics of mass vaccination.

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Nature, Published online: 01 March 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00533-x

Tempted to try your hand at a new technique? These tools will help you on your way.

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A new study proposes an exotic boson star to explain the largest gravitational wave merger we've observed.

The post An Exotic Explanation for the Most Extreme Gravitational Wave Detected so far appeared first on Universe Today.

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Running the clock back on the enigmatic pair of Martian moons Phobos and Deimos gives researchers insight to their possible origin.

The post Phobos and Deimos: Two Moons, From One Source? appeared first on Universe Today.

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Extreme winter weather hit Texas hard this February. An air mass from the arctic extended deep into the United States from Canada, with disastrous results for the ordinarily warm state. Along with snow and unusually low temperatures, the state’s capacity for power generation was significantly reduced by weather-related equipment failures. Images hosted by NASA’s Earth …

Continue reading "This Is What Rolling Blackouts Look Like From Space"

The post This Is What Rolling Blackouts Look Like From Space appeared first on Universe Today.

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The ESA's Trace Gas Orbiter (part of the ExoMars 2020 mission) has revealed images of the Perseverance rover and where it landed.

The post Perseverance Seen From Space by ESA’s ExoMars Orbiter appeared first on Universe Today.

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Infrastructure is going to be one of the biggest components of any permanent human settlement on the moon.  NASA Artemis missions are focused directly on building up the facilities and processes necessary to support a moon base.  ESA is also contributing both material and knowledge.  Most recently they made another step in their path to …

Continue reading "ESA is Working on a Mission to Explore Caves on the Moon"

The post ESA is Working on a Mission to Explore Caves on the Moon appeared first on Universe Today.

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Last summer, the Parker Solar Probe flew past Venus on its way to fly closer to the Sun. In a bit of a surprise, one of the spacecraft’s cameras, the Wide-field Imager for Parker Solar Probe, or WISPR, captured a striking image of the planet’s nightside from 7,693 miles (12380 km) away. The surprise of …

Continue reading "Parker Solar Probe Captured Images of Venus on its way to the Sun"

The post Parker Solar Probe Captured Images of Venus on its way to the Sun appeared first on Universe Today.

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Professor Avi Loeb's new book, Extraterrestrial, tells the tale of how he 'Oumuamua may be humanity's first interstellar messenger.

The post A Review of “Extraterrestrial” by Prof. Avi Loeb appeared first on Universe Today.

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Lightning is one of the most powerful forces in nature.  Up to 1 billion volts of electricity can flow into a strike in less than a second.  Such a large energy buildup can be created by even a relatively simple cause – two particles rubbing together.  A team at the University of Oregon has now …

Continue reading "Dust Particles in the Martian Atmosphere can Create Static Electricity, but not Enough to Endanger the Rovers"

The post Dust Particles in the Martian Atmosphere can Create Static Electricity, but not Enough to Endanger the Rovers appeared first on Universe Today.

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The P.1 variant from Brazil that has been detected in six people in the UK can partly evade existing antibodies, but vaccines should still protect against severe disease

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The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic

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Virtual reconstructions of Neanderthal ears show that our extinct cousins had the same physical capacity for hearing as modern humans, and so could probably also make the same sounds we can – although whether they actually spoke a language is still unknown

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Extreme weather patterns and flooding worsened by climate change are adversely affecting the health of babies born in the Amazon rainforest

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One billion years from now, Earth’s atmosphere is projected to contain a million times less oxygen than today, making it uninhabitable to complex aerobic life

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As Italy’s coronavirus lockdown started, Wikipedia saw an 80 per cent increase in editors from that country – and edits to the English version are up 20 per cent during the pandemic

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Let’s imagine you have inherited a fortune and want to solve the world’s most pressing problems. Here’s the best way to spend your money to make a difference to climate change, disease and poverty

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You are more likely to eat healthy foods if your dining companions eat healthily, or vice versa, according to a study of 39,000 students and staff at a university

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The 15th-century painting, which went up for auction at Sotheby's Thursday, depicts a young Florentine man

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The Puerto Rican artist won the National Portrait Gallery's People’s Choice award for his devastating image 'Muerto Rico'

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Expensive, heavy, non-functioning and a little scary looking, the doll created by America's hero-inventor was a commercial flop

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Artifacts linked to the royal are headed home following their purchase at auction by the African island's government

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He was the first African American athlete to light the cauldron that burns during the Games

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Theories regarding the 12-foot-tall metal structure's origins—and ultimate fate—abound

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Members of the public voted to name the three-month-old cub Xiao Qi Ji, or "little miracle"

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Investigators linked the November 2019 burglary to an organized crime syndicate

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Alaine Reschke-Hernández is partnering with neuroscientists to figure out how music improves Alzheimer’s patients’ lives.

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Erika Engelhaupt explores creepy insects, fecal transplants, cannibalism and more in her new book.

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Found in Alaska, the roughly 10,000-year-old bone bolsters the idea that early human settlers took a coastal rather than inland route.

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Even as a third COVID-19 vaccine becomes available in the United States, questions remain over how well it works and if people will take it.

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Wealthy countries are vaccinating at much higher rates than low-income countries. Such inequities could ultimately prolong the pandemic for all.

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New data indicate that delaying second doses of COVID-19 vaccines may still provide protection, but some scientists aren’t convinced it’s OK.

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Solar storms can devastate power grids and other systems on Earth. We need better forecasting

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Vaccinating children against COVID-19 is a crucial step towards reaching herd immunity and returning to pre-pandemic life.

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The Biden Administration raised the benchmark, and may do it again within a year -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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Trials of all three vaccines came up with different efficacy numbers, but all offer crucial protection in this health emergency -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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The 9,000-year-old settlement of Çatalhöyük in Turkey shows how humans began putting down roots -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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We are really bad at navigating a key transition point during one of the most basic social interactions -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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We can never be sure if the interstellar object ‘Oumuamua, for example, was artificial—but we could be ready to answer that question for a future such visitor -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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The successor to the Hubble honors a man who took part in the effort to purge LGBT people from the federal workforce -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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Intranasal vaccines might stop the spread of the coronavirus more effectively than needles in arms -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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A study also found body-camera use and community policing increased in places with the most active movements -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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In celebration of Black History Month, NASA astronaut Victor Glover welcomed Vice President Kamala Harris to the International Space Station for a virtual chat.

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On Friday, NASA celebrated the agency’s first African American female engineer, Mary W. Jackson, with a ceremony to formally name the agency’s headquarters building in Washington in her honor.

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NASA has selected Astra Space Inc. to provide a launch service for the agency’s Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation Structure and Storm Intensity with a Constellation of SmallSats (TROPICS) mission.

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Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk will lead a ceremony at 1 p.m. EST Friday, Feb. 26, officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in Washington in honor of Mary W. Jackson

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NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover got its first high-definition look around its new home in Jezero Crater on Feb. 21, after rotating its mast, or “head,” 360 degrees, allowing the rover’s Mastcam-Z instrument to capture its first panorama after touching down on the Red Planet on Feb 18.

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NASA is seeking proposals for ground and flight demonstrations of integrated megawatt-class powertrain systems for subsonic aircraft.

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NASA has awarded the Spectrum and Resource Management, Engineering and Programmatic Support Services (SpectRE) contract to Agile Decision Sciences LLC of Beltsville, Maryland.

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NASA will highlight the second crew rotation flight of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station with a pair of news conferences beginning 12:30 p.m. EST Monday, March 1.

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Information for all visitors to ESA sites

Coronavirus measures for hosted meetings and visitors

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As of today, 1 March 2021, ESA has a new Director General: Dr Josef Aschbacher, who has taken up duty at ESA Headquarters in Paris, France.

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Week in images: 22 - 26 February 2021

Discover our week through the lens

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Register now for ESA’s first-ever virtual teacher conference! Over the course of three days, from 6 to 8 July 2021, ESA Education will bring space into your classroom. Explore space by hearing from space experts; discover inspiring ways to use space as a context to teach STEM in your physical and virtual classrooms; experience demonstrations of our fun classroom activities; and enjoy social space-themed events and more!

Applications are open until 15 June 2021 on a first-come, first-served basis, so apply now!

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The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Vancouver – the third largest city in Canada.

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The ESA-Roscosmos Trace Gas Orbiter has spotted NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, along with its parachute, heat shield and descent stage, in the Jezero Crater region of Mars.

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An epic ‘Space Symphony’ composed by Germany’s BigCityBeats is set to add musical goosebumps to the preparations of ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer for his Cosmic Kiss space mission, thanks to a new cooperation with ESA.

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In a first step towards uncovering the Moon's subterranean secrets, in 2019 we asked for your ideas to detect, map and explore lunar caves. Five ideas were selected to be studied in more detail, each addressing different phases of a potential mission.

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When faced with a dangerous situation such as a natural disaster or power outage, an emergency radio is an important tool to have on hand. An emergency radio allows you to call for rescue, receive alerts, and sometimes much more. But how do you know what kind of emergency radio is right for you? Read on to find out.

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If you’ve only encountered bidets in fancy hotels, they can seem inaccessible to many renters and homeowners. But bidet toilet seats are an affordable way to adapt your existing plumbing without adding additional fixtures, so feeling luxuriously clean becomes part of your daily routine. Read on to get to the bottom of which seat is the best fit for you.

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Automatic cat feeders are a great way to easily check something off your day’s to-do list. With an automatic feeder, you won’t have to worry about rushing home in time to satisfy your cat’s hunger before he begins a chorus of loud meows. Plus, if you have multiple kitties, you can even customize some feeders to activate individually for each of your cats, keeping each on the right diet and schedule.

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A new 740-foot-long self-unloading ship, known just as CX9203 for now, will carry salt from an island mine to the mainland in Canada.

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Non-Indigenous hunters in Wisconsin exceeded the state’s harvest quota just three days into their first wolf hunt since 2014. Thousands of individuals applied for permits after the gray wolf was removed from the Endangered Species List in January.

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Why testing rates have plummeted, the first COVAX shipments of COVID-19 vaccines, and the rest of the latest coronavirus news.

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Check out the best gifts for women and surprise her for her birthday! Browse personalized gifts for her, practical ideas & more.

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We don't know a lot about the new electric off-road vehicle, but expect it to have more modern batteries and better capabilities.

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Some simple math shows why America has an immunization numbers problem.

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In the search for alien civilizations, the first step is making sure we understand what it is we're looking for.

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Why is it so hard to picture COVID-19?

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Researchers claim that they can ask questions and receive answers from dreaming participants.

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They're called "fallstreak holes," and they occur when parts of a cloud suddenly fall away toward the surface.

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Living spaces are shrinking, and we're feeling the squeeze. But research shows we can trick our brains into liking micro-apartments and other small arrangements.

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