2020 another grim year for Brazilian Amazon

Deforestation destroyed the equivalent of more than two football pitches each minute in the Brazilian Amazon in 2020, another devastating year for a resource seen as vital to curbing climate change, according to government data released Friday.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-grim-year-brazilian-amazon.html

Deadly snowstorms cause chaos across Spain

Snowstorms across much of Spain left three people dead and caused chaos across much of the country, trapping motorists and closing the capital's air and rail links, with more falls to come Saturday.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-snowstorm-chaos-spain.html

One Planet Summit kickstarts year of crucial environment talks

Global leaders will try to reignite international environmental diplomacy on Monday, with a biodiversity summit that launches a critical year for efforts to stem the devastating effects of global warming and species loss.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-planet-summit-kickstarts-year-crucial.html

Google pulls Parler from app shop for 'egregious content'

Google said Friday it had pulled the Parler app from its mobile store for allowing "egregious content" that could incite deadly violence like that seen at the US Capitol.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-google-parler-app-egregious-content.html

A farewell to @realDonaldTrump, gone after 57,000 tweets

@realDonaldTrump, the Twitter feed that grew from the random musings of a reality TV star into the cudgel of an American president, died Friday. It was not quite 12 years old.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-farewell-realdonaldtrump-tweets.html

Semiconductor shortage forces automobile production cuts

A widening global shortage of semiconductors for auto parts is forcing major auto companies to halt or slow vehicle production just as they were recovering from pandemic-related factory shutdowns.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-semiconductor-shortage-automobile-production.html

Mexican farmers find rare female statue in citrus grove

Farmers digging in a citrus grove near Mexico's Gulf coast have found a striking, six-foot-tall statue of a female figure who may represent an elite woman rather than a goddess, or some mixture of the two, experts said Friday.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-mexican-farmers-rare-female-statue.html

NIST publishes a beginner's guide to DNA origami

In a technique known as DNA origami, researchers fold long strands of DNA over and over again to construct a variety of tiny 3-D structures, including miniature biosensors and drug-delivery containers. Pioneered at the California Institute of Technology in 2006, DNA origami has attracted hundreds of new researchers over the past decade, eager to build receptacles and sensors that could detect and treat disease in the human body, assess the environmental impact of pollutants, and assist in a host of other biological applications.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-nist-publishes-beginner-dna-origami.html

Researchers take key step toward cleaner, more sustainable production of hydrogen

Efficiently mass-producing hydrogen from water is closer to becoming a reality thanks to Oregon State University College of Engineering researchers and collaborators at Cornell University and the Argonne National Laboratory.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-key-cleaner-sustainable-production-hydrogen.html

Researchers collaborate to aid coral reef restoration

Florida's threatened coral reefs have a more than $4 billion annual economic impact on the state's economy, and University of Central Florida researchers are zeroing in on one factor that could be limiting their survival—coral skeleton strength.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-collaborate-aid-coral-reef.html

Unravelling the mystery that makes viruses infectious

Researchers have for the first time identified the way viruses like the poliovirus and the common cold virus 'package up' their genetic code, allowing them to infect cells.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-unravelling-mystery-viruses-infectious.html

Child marriage is legal and persists across Canada

Canada is at the forefront of global efforts to end child marriage abroad. Yet this practice remains legal and persists across the country. In Canada, more than 3,600 marriage certificates were issued to children, usually girls, under the age of 18 between 2000 and 2018, according to a new study from researchers at McGill University. In recent years, an increasing number of child marriages have been common-law unions.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-child-marriage-legal-persists-canada.html