Caribbean coral reef decline began in 1950s and 1960s from local human activities

Posted on 23/04/2020 by Boris Clair

Not long ago, the azure waters of the Caribbean contained healthy and pristine coral reef environments dominated by the reef-building corals that provide home to one-third of the biodiversity in the region.

But the Caribbean reefs of today pale in comparison to those that existed even just a generation ago. Since researchers began intensively studying these reefs in the 1970s, about one half of Caribbean corals have died. The iconic elkhorn and staghorn corals that once dominated Caribbean reefs have been hardest hit, with only 20% of their populations remaining today.

Although researchers believe climate change, fishing and pollution are to blame, the lack of baseline data prior to the 1970s has made it hard to determine the precise reasons for these coral die offs. ASU researcher Katie Cramer wanted to document when corals first began dying to better understand the root causes of coral loss.

Now, in a new paper in Science Advances, Cramer has combined fossil data, historical records, and underwater survey data to reconstruct the abundance of staghorn and elkhorn corals over the past 125,000 years. She finds that these corals first began declining in the 1950s and 1960s, earlier than previously thought. This timing is decades before climate change impacts, indicating that local human impacts like fishing and land-clearing set the stage for the widespread coral declines that are now accelerating in response to warming oceans.

“I am interested in going back to the scene of the crime when humans first began to significantly impact coral reefs centuries ago, to understand when, why and how much reefs have been altered by humans,” said Katie Cramer, an assistant research professor at the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University and an Ocean Science Fellow at the Center for Oceans at Conservation International.

The earlier, local roots of declines of elkhorn and staghorn corals in the 1950s and 1960s highlight the urgency of mitigating local human impacts on reefs to allow these corals to recover. “In an era where coral reefs are being hit with multiple human stressors at the same time, we need to resolve why and how much coral reefs have changed over human history to inform our responses to the current reef crisis.”

“Recent studies are showing that reefs are better able to cope with climate change impacts when they are not also stressed from overfishing and land-based runoff. So let’s get a handle on these tractable problems now to give reefs a better chance of weathering the current climate crisis,” said Cramer.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Arizona State University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

First-ever comprehensive geologic map of the moon

Posted on 23/04/2020 by Boris Clair

Have you ever wondered what kind of rocks make up those bright and dark splotches on the moon? Well, the USGS has just released a new authoritative map to help explain the 4.5-billion-year-old history of our nearest neighbor in space.

For the first time, the entire lunar surface has been completely mapped and uniformly classified by scientists from the USGS, in collaboration with NASA and the Lunar Planetary Institute.

The lunar map, called the “Unified Geologic Map of the Moon,” will serve as the definitive blueprint of the moon’s surface geology for future human missions and will be invaluable for the international scientific community, educators and the public-at-large. The digital map is available online now and shows the moon’s geology in incredible detail (1:5,000,000 scale).

“People have always been fascinated by the moon and when we might return,” said current USGS Director and former NASA astronaut Jim Reilly. “So, it’s wonderful to see USGS create a resource that can help NASA with their planning for future missions.”

To create the new digital map, scientists used information from six Apollo-era regional maps along with updated information from recent satellite missions to the moon. The existing historical maps were redrawn to align them with the modern data sets, thus preserving previous observations and interpretations. Along with merging new and old data, USGS researchers also developed a unified description of the stratigraphy, or rock layers, of the moon. This resolved issues from previous maps where rock names, descriptions and ages were sometimes inconsistent.

“This map is a culmination of a decades-long project,” said Corey Fortezzo, USGS geologist and lead author. “It provides vital information for new scientific studies by connecting the exploration of specific sites on the moon with the rest of the lunar surface.”

Elevation data for the moon’s equatorial region came from stereo observations collected by the Terrain Camera on the recent SELENE (Selenological and Engineering Explorer) mission led by JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Topography for the north and south poles was supplemented with NASA’s Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter data.

Further Information: https://astrogeology.usgs.gov/search/map/Moon/Geology/Unified_Geologic_Map_of_the_Moon_GIS_v2

Story Source:

Materials provided by US Geological Survey. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Coronavirus: Should I start taking vitamin D?

Posted on 23/04/2020 by Boris Clair

Some people might want to consider it during the pandemic. Here’s why.

Coronavirus: Study to track infection and immunity levels

Posted on 23/04/2020 by Boris Clair

The findings will help to inform the government’s strategy for easing the lockdown.

Bike lanes provide positive economic impact

Posted on 22/04/2020 by Boris Clair

Despite longstanding popular belief, bicycle lanes can actually improve business. At worst, the negative impact on sales and employment is minimal, according to a new study from Portland State’s Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC).

The report is part of a larger National Street Improvements Study, conducted by Portland State University, with support from consulting firm Bennett Midland and the cycling-advocacy nonprofit PeopleForBikes. The study was funded by The Summit Foundation and the National Institute for Transportation and Communities.

Researchers studied 14 corridors in 6 cities — Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Memphis, Minneapolis and Indianapolis — and found such improvements had either positive or non-significant impacts on sales and employment. Essentially, adding improvements like bike lanes largely boosted business and employment in the retail and food service sectors.

“I think that it is very significant that we found that positive business outcomes to the food service and retail industries on these corridors are persistent, even when we looked at different data metrics on employment or sales or when different analytical methods are utilized,” said Jenny Liu, associate professor in the Toulan School of Urban Studies & Planning.

Past studies examined the effects of street improvement corridors within specific cities, but this study is among the first to apply consistent and robust analytical approaches across multiple corridors and multiple cities.

The findings also provide policymakers and planners with an analytical framework and further evidence to support investment in non-motorized transportation infrastructure.

“The Street Improvement Study supports with data what we have seen in many communities: adding bicycle infrastructure boosts a neighborhood’s economic vitality,” said Zoe Kircos, director of grants and partnerships at PeopleForBikes. “Our collaboration with Portland State University and Bennett Midland on this research gives us more resources to share with cities across the U.S. that are eager to make bicycling safer and easier for everyone.”

Liu added that the partnership between PSU, PeopleForBikes and Bennett Midland contributed significantly to the end products that are directly targeted to planners and policymakers. The study produced in-depth reports for Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Memphis, Minneapolis and Indianapolis.

Nationally, the study found the food service industry benefits most often from the addition of transportation infrastructure.

Even in cases where a motor vehicle travel lane or parking was removed to make room for a bike lane, food sales and employment tended to go up, according to the report.

“There is tremendous potential to expand on what we learned in this research project to additional cities and corridors, and to provide policymakers with the opportunity to evaluate street improvement projects before implementation or to collect additional economic/business metrics before and after implementation,” Liu said.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Portland State University. Original written by Katy Swordfisk. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

‘Thousands missing out on cancer diagnosis’

Posted on 22/04/2020 by Boris Clair

A drop-off in screening and referrals means fewer people are being diagnosed, a cancer charity says.

Offense and Defense

Posted on 22/04/2020 by Boris Clair

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Health24.com | Coronavirus morning update: Lockdown warning for areas worst hit by virus, and R500bn relief package

Posted on 22/04/2020 by Boris Clair

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SA

Cases update:

The latest number of confirmed cases is 3 465.

The Western Cape is now the second province to have more than 1 000 cases, after Gauteng.

No new deaths were reported – the total stands at 58.

So far, 126 937 tests have been conducted

Latest news:

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a set of new measures aimed at saving the economy and countering growing hunger and distress across the country amid the coronavirus outbreak.

In his Tuesday evening address to the nation, Ramaphosa said the government had decided to implement a temporary six-month coronavirus grant.

In explaining the reason behind the decision, he added while economic measures have been put in place to assist workers whose wages were threatened as well as small businesses, he was concerned about the millions who were either in the informal sector, without jobs or struggling to survive.

“Poverty and food insecurity have deepened dramatically in the course of just a few weeks,” said Ramaphosa.

Areas worst hit by Covid-19 infections – Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal – may continue to experience a hard lockdown when this measure is phased out elsewhere, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said.

Dlamini-Zuma addressed the portfolio committee on cooperative governance and traditional affairs on Tuesday via videoconference on the lockdown measures.

She said before the lockdown, the number of infections doubled every three days. Since the lockdown, the spread has been much slower.

A spike in infection rates is expected after the lockdown, but to mitigate against it, there will be a phased relaxation of the lockdown.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced an unprecedented R500 billion social and economic support package to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday evening.

The stimulus package comes to some 10% of the country’s GDP, he said.

Speaking in a televised address to provide an update on a special Cabinet meeting held last week, Ramaphosa said R130 billion of the amount will be supported by reprioritising funds from South Africa’s existing Budget, with Finance Minister Tito Mboweni set to announce the adjustment budget in due course.

The rest would need to be funded externally, the president said, with organisations such as the World Bank, the Brics Bank and the International Monetary Fund having been approached.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed Parliament he had authorised the deployment of an additional 73 180 members of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) to assist the police in battling the spread of Covid-19.

In a letter to the Joint Standing Committee on Defence – which was tweeted by DA leader in the National Assembly John Steenhuisen – Ramaphosa said the extra troops would be deployed until 26 June 2020, augmenting the 2 280 who were already deployed.

The deployment will cost the fiscus almost R5 billion and it will consist of regular, reserve and auxiliary forces.

Steenhuisen said the development was “very worrying”.

“This seems to suggest that the ‘hard lockdown’ will be enforced longer, beyond next Friday’s deadline. We can’t extend the lockdown into perpetuity. I would rather spend the money on testing and tracing to make sure we know exactly what the extent of the virus is.

“This [the deployment] is not a good sign. Friday is going to be a turning point when people get their reduced salaries, debit orders start going off … we hope the soldiers aren’t being called up to enforce the lockdown.”

The committee’s chairperson, Cyril Xaba, has confirmed the authenticity of the letter.

South African grant recipients will be seeing big jumps in their monthly payments over the next six months, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Tuesday night.

And South Africa will get its first ever broad grant, not aimed a specifically vulnerable group: a R350 per month payment, for six months, to those who are unemployed and are not receiving another form of grant.

It is not yet clear just how the unemployed will qualify for this “special Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant”, and what paperwork they will have to present to claim it.

In total R50bn will be spent on grant payments, Ramaphosa said – 10% of the total special coronavirus budget he announced, and around 1% of South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP).

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE REST OF THE WORLD

Cases update:

For the latest global data, follow this interactive map from Johns Hopkins University & Medicine.

Late on Tuesday night, positive cases worldwide were more than 2.5 million, while deaths were almost 176 000.

The United States has the most cases in the world – more than 816 000, as well as the most deaths – nearly 44 000.

Latest news:

Half of the world’s school and university students affected by class closures because of the coronavirus outbreak – from pre-primary to university level – do not have access to a computer for home-schooling, the UN’s educational agency said Tuesday.

Highlighting “startling digital divides” between the rich and poor, a UNESCO statement added that 43% of young people have no access to internet at home.

This means roughly 826 million students have no home computer and some 706 million no internet at a time when “distance learning” is the only option available for most, with school closures in 191 countries of the world, UNESCO said.

“Disparities are particularly acute in low-income countries: in sub-Saharan Africa, 89% of learners do not have access to household computers and 82% lack internet access,” the agency said.

The wealthiest in society, including the deep-pocketed of Silicon Valley, have developed a reputation for turning to New Zealand as a doomsday shelter destination hotspot.

And as Bloomberg reports, some of them may have already fled to their luxurious hideaways in the country as the coronavirus disease, known as Covid-19, continues to spread throughout the US.

Bay Area entrepreneur Mihai Dinulescu and his wife caught an Auckland-bound plane in early March, just four days before New Zealand closed its borders to foreigners, though local news outlets have reported private plane landings since the shutdown.

Dinulescu told Bloomberg that he’s since connected with around 10 others who have also escaped to the country during the pandemic.

“Am I going to die?”

It was 11 days since Dr Vijay Battu’s first symptoms, and four days since his admission as a patient to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. And now the ravages of Covid-19 had begun to make breathing nearly impossible.

“I asked because I was scared,” recalled Battu. “It was horrible. I didn’t feel like I was getting enough air. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t do anything. I wanted to call my lawyer, to make a will. But, honestly, I couldn’t even put my finger on my phone to type. I just couldn’t. I didn’t have the energy.”

Battu would eventually win his battle against Covid-19. But it was a harrowing journey back to health.

For Battu – an otherwise healthy 52-year-old ophthalmologist and attending surgeon at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary – it all began on March 12 with a little cough. The next afternoon, while at work, a fever took hold.

Other than allergies, Battu had no underlying conditions. “But my temperature was pretty high: 102.4,” he said. And three of his friends already had Covid-19, after attending a small early-March house party in Miami. “The concept of physical distancing hadn’t really happened yet,” said Battu. “And at the time, none of us had symptoms.”

LATEST RESEARCH

At the beginning of the current coronavirus outbreak, we were inundated with guidelines that caused confusion, like if you should wash your hands with soap and water, and if hand sanitisers are less effective. And what do you do if you can’t get to a basin with soap and water?

Now, an international research team headed by Professor Stephanie Pfänder from the Department of Molecular and Medical Virology at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) has confirmed that alcohol-based hand disinfectants are effective against the new coronavirus, according to a recent news release.

This research was published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The researchers exposed the new coronavirus to the WHO-recommended disinfectant formulations for 30 seconds.

Then the team analysed how much of the virus remained infectious after being exposed to the hand sanitiser.

“We showed that both WHO-recommended formulations sufficiently inactivate the virus after 30 seconds,” said Prof Pfänder.

Government has rolled out an intensified screening and testing campaign in the hope of finding more Covid-19 cases during and after the lockdown period, but the disparity between the country’s testing capacity and the actual number of tests being conducted remains substantial. South Africa probably used less than a third of its Covid-19 testing capacity in the last week.

The extent of Covid-19 testing being conducted in the country will likely be an important factor in the decision over whether or not to extend South Africa’s current lockdown and what measures should follow the lockdown.

The World Health Organization advises that when countries weigh up whether or not to lift social distancing restrictions, they should consider whether “health system capacities are in place to detect, test, isolate and treat every case and trace every contact”.

South Africa’s National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) previously told Spotlight that it is able to do 15 000 tests a day, and plans to increase that to about 36 000 by the end of April. However, statistics released by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) indicate that South Africa has been doing only 3 000 to 5 000 tests on most days over the last week.

For many developing countries across the globe, the Covid-19 pandemic is a small concern as they face the battle against other viral diseases, such as poliomyelitis (polio), measles, meningitis, human papillomavirus, and cholera.

However, the majority of mass vaccination campaigns around the world have now stopped, public health leaders announced earlier this week, placing more than 100 million children globally at risk for these diseases.

Seth Berkley, head of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance described the predicament as “a devil’s choice”, reports Science Magazine, as global health organisations had to make the decision to either continue with their vaccination campaigns and risk spreading the Covid-19 virus in the process, or suspend them, potentially triggering a rise in other infectious diseases.

The suspensions started on 24 March after Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) leaders advised countries to postpone campaigns until the second half of the year.

HEALTH TIPS (as recommended by the NICD and WHO)

• Maintain physical distancing – stay at least one metre away from somebody who is coughing or sneezing

• Practise frequent hand-washing, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, as your hands touch many surfaces and could potentially transfer the virus

• Practise respiratory hygiene – cover your mouth with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Remember to dispose the tissue immediately after use.

Health24.com | There may be a solution to the immune system ‘storm’ caused by Covid-19 in some patients

Posted on 22/04/2020 by Boris Clair

Earlier in April, Health24 reported on the immune system phenomenon, known as a cytokine storm, that Covid-19 seems to trigger in some people.

This overreactive response by the immune system damages the lungs and can cause death.

Even though cytokine storms have been investigated, many clinicians worldwide were not exactly sure how to treat it, especially because it was unknown earlier in the coronavirus outbreak.

But now, a team of researchers at MIT has developed specialised proteins, similar in structure to antibodies, that could potentially “soak up” excess cytokines, according to a news release.

“The idea is that they can be injected into the body and bind to the excessive cytokines as generated by the cytokine storm, removing the excessive cytokines and alleviating the symptoms from the infection,” says Rui Qing, an MIT research scientist and one of the study authors.

The study findings have been published in the journal Quarterly Review of Biophysics (QRB) Discovery.

Antibodies function like a sponge

According to the news release, this new research was built on a previous project to develop modified versions of membrane-embedded proteins.

These proteins are usually difficult to study as they don’t maintain their structure if they are not suspended in special types of detergents.

Now, the researchers developed a method to make the proteins soluble in water, and thus easier to study. In April 2019, the team set out to design proteins that could essentially soak up excess cytokines like a sponge.

“The cytokine receptors that we designed will soak up the majority of the excessive cytokines that are released during the cytokine storm,” said David Jin, CEO and president of Avalon GloboCare and one of the authors.

Pandemic ramped up their research

As soon as evidence started to indicate that the new coronavirus triggered a cytokine storm in some patients, the research team realised that their receptor proteins might be able to help. They are now planning additional tests in human and animal cells infected with Covid-19.

According to the news release, the researchers filed for patents on the proteins they have designed, as well as the approach to create water soluble cytokine receptors.

Jin stated that the approach will require further studies on animals, and eventually potential human clinical trials before it can be successfully applied as a medical treatment, but he feels confident that this study will address viral diseases that involve cytokine storms.

READ | Some coronavirus deaths caused by extreme reaction from immune system

READ | Coronavirus: Breakthrough as researchers map out how the immune system fights the virus

READ | Coronavirus | The chloroquine debate: Two experts weigh in

^{Image credit: Unsplash}

Compiled by Marelize Wilke

Coronavirus: Experts question UK self-isolation advice

Posted on 22/04/2020 by Boris Clair

Public health experts fear the current UK advice may not be enough to stop the spread of the disease.

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Category Archives: Mind Building

Caribbean coral reef decline began in 1950s and 1960s from local human activities

First-ever comprehensive geologic map of the moon

Coronavirus: Should I start taking vitamin D?

Coronavirus: Study to track infection and immunity levels

Bike lanes provide positive economic impact

‘Thousands missing out on cancer diagnosis’

Offense and Defense

Health24.com | Coronavirus morning update: Lockdown warning for areas worst hit by virus, and R500bn relief package

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SA

Cases update:

Latest news:

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE REST OF THE WORLD

Cases update:

READ MORE | All the confirmed cases worldwide

Latest news:

LATEST RESEARCH

READ MORE: Coronavirus 101

^{Image credit: Getty Images}

Health24.com | There may be a solution to the immune system ‘storm’ caused by Covid-19 in some patients

Antibodies function like a sponge

Pandemic ramped up their research

^{Image credit: Unsplash}

Coronavirus: Experts question UK self-isolation advice