Wastewater gathered at treatment plants contains a wealth of information relevant to human and environmental health. A new technique known as wastewater-based epidemiology can extract this vital information and use it to monitor important health indices at a local or global scale. Credit: Biodesign Institute A treasure trove of information relevant to human and environmental health is hiding in an …

Images of the join between the ear bones and upper jaw in the echidna at hatching. The left image shows the cartilages in blue, while the right shows the expression of type II collagen (green) and Sox9 (red), both necessary for cartilage development. Credit: Anthwal et al. (CC BY 4.0) Infant marsupials and monotremes use a connection between their ear …

Yellowstone to half reopen, amid COVID-19 self-quarantine differences between states. Access to the southern half of Yellowstone National Park will resume Monday by way of Wyoming, but park officials continue to talk with Montana officials about reopening the rest of the park after a seven-week closure because of the coronavirus, Superintendent Cam Sholly said Wednesday. The partial reopening comes as …

Jared Kushner presidential election: No White House discussions on altering Election Day. White House senior adviser Jared Kushner was forced to clarify he is not trying to change the date of the November election after coming under fire for suggesting it was a possibility. Election officials have raised concerns about how to conduct the general election on November 3rd if …

New Mexico woman who beat 1918 flu, has coronavirus (Video). At 105 years old a New Mexico woman has lived through two pandemics, a century apart. Even though she’s tested positive for coronavirus her family says she’s still in good spirits. “She was four-years-old when the Spanish flu hit,” says Luby Grenko’s granddaughter Misty Tulson. Now at 105 in a …

Swiss grandparents told they “can now hug their grandkids”. According to Daniel Koch, the head of the infectious diseases unit at the Federal Department of Public Health (FOPH), it is no longer necessary to keep the distance between the grandparents and grandchildren. The original recommendation was issued “when our learning curve about the transmission of coronavirus was still high”, Koch …

Facebook says its Blender chatbot ‘feels more human (Details). SIRI, ALEXA, OR Google Assistant can set a timer, play a song, or check the weather with ease, but for a real conversation you may as well try talking to the toaster. Speaking as naturally as a person requires common-sense understanding of the world, knowledge of facts and current events, and …

Federal Inmate Who Gave Birth While On Ventilator Dies from COVID-19. A 30-year-old federal inmate who gave birth while on a ventilator four weeks ago died from the coronavirus Tuesday, the Bureau of Prisons said. Andrea Circle Bear was serving a 26-month sentence for maintaining a drug-involved premises, the agency said in a news release. Circle Bear, of Eagle Butte, …

Ivanka, Kushner ‘broke COVID-19 isolation rules to travel to NJ resort. Ivanka Trump decided that the Center for Disease Control guidelines didn’t apply to her and traveled to another one of the family’s homes in New Jersey for the Passover holy week, the New York Times reported. “Those lucky enough to be in a position to stay at home, please, …

Connie Titchen was applauded by staff as she left Birmingham’s City Hospital on Tuesday, after three weeks. Retired shop worker Ms Titchen, from the city, was admitted in mid-March with suspected pneumonia, the hospital said. She said: “I feel very lucky that I’ve fought off this virus.” In a statement released by Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, Ms Titchen …

Thomas Modly: Job and taxpayers an estimated $243,000. Former Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly’s Monday trip to Guam cost him his job and taxpayers an estimated $243,000. Modly traveled on a modified Gulfstream jet, CNN reports, with a flight time of roughly 35 hours. It costs about $6,946.19 per hour to fly the plane. He went to Guam to speak …