Apr 9, 2020 05:27 AM
(This post was last modified: Apr 9, 2020 05:30 AM by C C.)
Scientists propose explanation for night sky glow of STEVE
https://blogs.agu.org/geospace/2020/04/0...-of-steve/
EXCERPT: . . . The first scientific study published on STEVE found a stream of fast-moving plasma – a hot gas of charged particles and electrons – passing through the atmosphere right where STEVE events occurred. The researchers suspected these particles were connected to STEVE but were unsure whether they were the cause of it. These super-fast plasma flows stream through the upper atmosphere when the magnetosphere is disturbed, at about the speed it takes to orbit Earth, and STEVE occurs only during the fastest flows.
Harding and his colleagues suspect the fastest plasma rivers break chemical bonds in the upper atmosphere, triggering reactions that produce light. In the new study, Harding and his colleagues devised a theory to explain how this process could produce STEVE’s characteristic band of light and tested their idea with a simple simulation to see if the chemistry worked out... (MORE - details)
Transmission of viruses from animals to humans is a direct result of our actions
https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/transm...r-actions/
EXCERPT: [...] Researchers have found that exploitation of wildlife by humans through hunting, trade, habitat degradation and urbanisation facilitates close contact between the two, increasing the risk of virus spillover. ... Published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the research provides new evidence for assessing spillover risk in animal species. It highlights how the processes that create wildlife population declines also enable the transmission of animal viruses to humans. The study concludes that the exploitation of natural habitats is not only a conservation issue, but an important driver of spillover transmission zoonotic viruses.
[...] Domesticated animals, including livestock and pets such as dogs and cats, have the highest number of shared viruses with humans, with eight times more zoonotic viruses compared to wild mammalian species, according to the study. This is likely a result of our frequent close interactions with these species for centuries, researchers say.
The scientists also found wild animals that have increased in abundance and adapted well to human-dominated environments also share more viruses with people. These include some rodent, bat and primate species that live among people, near our homes, and around our farms and crops, making them high-risk for ongoing transmission of viruses to people.
Researchers say threatened and endangered species also tend to be highly managed and directly monitored by humans trying to bring about their population recovery, which also puts them into greater contact with people... (MORE - details)
https://blogs.agu.org/geospace/2020/04/0...-of-steve/
EXCERPT: . . . The first scientific study published on STEVE found a stream of fast-moving plasma – a hot gas of charged particles and electrons – passing through the atmosphere right where STEVE events occurred. The researchers suspected these particles were connected to STEVE but were unsure whether they were the cause of it. These super-fast plasma flows stream through the upper atmosphere when the magnetosphere is disturbed, at about the speed it takes to orbit Earth, and STEVE occurs only during the fastest flows.
Harding and his colleagues suspect the fastest plasma rivers break chemical bonds in the upper atmosphere, triggering reactions that produce light. In the new study, Harding and his colleagues devised a theory to explain how this process could produce STEVE’s characteristic band of light and tested their idea with a simple simulation to see if the chemistry worked out... (MORE - details)
Transmission of viruses from animals to humans is a direct result of our actions
https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/transm...r-actions/
EXCERPT: [...] Researchers have found that exploitation of wildlife by humans through hunting, trade, habitat degradation and urbanisation facilitates close contact between the two, increasing the risk of virus spillover. ... Published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the research provides new evidence for assessing spillover risk in animal species. It highlights how the processes that create wildlife population declines also enable the transmission of animal viruses to humans. The study concludes that the exploitation of natural habitats is not only a conservation issue, but an important driver of spillover transmission zoonotic viruses.
[...] Domesticated animals, including livestock and pets such as dogs and cats, have the highest number of shared viruses with humans, with eight times more zoonotic viruses compared to wild mammalian species, according to the study. This is likely a result of our frequent close interactions with these species for centuries, researchers say.
The scientists also found wild animals that have increased in abundance and adapted well to human-dominated environments also share more viruses with people. These include some rodent, bat and primate species that live among people, near our homes, and around our farms and crops, making them high-risk for ongoing transmission of viruses to people.
Researchers say threatened and endangered species also tend to be highly managed and directly monitored by humans trying to bring about their population recovery, which also puts them into greater contact with people... (MORE - details)