Sep 23
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Researchers in Singapore have created a handheld device that can detect the H5N1 bird flu virus from throat swab samples in under 30 minutes, raising hopes it will lead to rapid detection and containment of the virus.
Conventional laboratory tests take around 4 hours, and require machines to first isolate and amplify the virus before it is tested.
Writing in the latest issue of Nature Medicine, the scientists said the new device would allow decentralized testing of the H5N1 virus, especially in countries that lack basic public health resources.
H5N1, a disease found mostly in birds, is endemic in many parts of Asia and experts have warned for years that it could spark a pandemic, killing millions of people, if it learns to jump from person to person. Continue reading »
Sep 22
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An orbiting spacecraft has found evidence of what look like seven caves on the slopes of a Martian volcano, the space agency NASA said on Friday.
The Mars Odyssey spacecraft has sent back images of very dark, nearly circular features that appear to be openings to underground spaces.
“They are cooler than the surrounding surface in the day and warmer at night,” said Glen Cushing of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Astrogeology Team and Northern Arizona University. Continue reading »
Aug 27
(CNN) — Insulating foam that covers brackets of Discovery’s external fuel tank needs to be removed before the shuttle can fly again, NASA said Friday.
A new X-ray analysis shows small cracks that probably make the material prone to shedding, officials said.
NASA engineers said the foam — called Super Light-weight Ablative, or SLA — should be removed from the brackets.
The work will take about nine days and is not expected to delay Discovery’s next launch, scheduled for October 23.
Insulating foam covers a shuttle’s external tank to prevent ice from building up when super-cold liquid oxygen and hydrogen fuel is pumped into it in the hours before launch. Continue reading »
Aug 12
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) — Maneuvering a laser-tipped boom, astronauts closely inspected a gash to shuttle Endeavour’s belly Sunday, providing 3-D images that NASA hopes will rule out the need for risky spacewalk repairs.
A chunk of insulating foam smacked the shuttle at liftoff last week in an unbelievably unlucky ricochet off the fuel tank and carved out the gouge.
The unevenly shaped gouge — which straddles two side-by-side tiles and possibly the corner of a third — is 3.5 inches long and just over 2 inches wide. The laser survey will determine its depth, crucial information for mission managers who must decide whether to send two astronauts out to fix the difficult-to-reach area. Continue reading »
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