So far, the biggest science news this year is related to the new coronavirus and the ongoing pandemic. The story about COVID-19 has increased exponentially in the number of views on life sciences than any other science news we share.
related: Coronavirus outbreak: real-time updates
However, despite the hardship of the epidemic, a lot of fascinating science has occurred outside the field of COVID-19 research. From huge sea creatures to asteroids to COVID-19, here are some summaries of the most popular life science stories this year.
10. The longest underwater creature
Life sciences love strange creatures, and our readers love them too. Many people are excited to learn about the discovery of a 150-foot-long (45-meter) marine animal called a siphon. The siphon is a translucent thread-like creature that is composed of smaller creatures like corals. Underwater explorers with the research ship Falkor discovered this long beast in an underwater canyon off the coast of Australia. The research team said that this siphon bug is “seemingly the largest animal ever.”
read more: “The longest animal ever” was found in a deep sea canyon off the coast of Australia
9. Follow “Starman” to Mars
In October, SpaceX’s “Starman” model sat in the driver’s seat of a cherry-red Tesla roadster, the closest way to get to Mars in history. However, the distance is relative-rapidly declining sports cars and dummies are less than 5 million miles (8 million kilometers) from the Red Planet, which is about 19 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon. Since launching in February 2018, Starman and his Roadster have been orbiting the sun for about two years.
read more: Starman just surpassed Mars in his rapidly declining Tesla Roadster
8.Pink super moon
The full moon in April this year is really a treat: the pink super moon! On April 7, the moon is closer to the earth than at any other time of the year, becoming the largest full moon of the year. But the pink super moon is not actually pink.The April moon gets its name from the pink wildflowers Phlox, Flowering in early spring in eastern North America. Although the super moon in April is not colorful, it is still impressive.
read more: How to look at the pink super moon tonight, which is the biggest full moon of 2020
7. The most interesting animal photos
We look forward to winning the Comedy Wildlife Photography Award every year, and this year is not disappointing. The winning image is a precisely timed photograph of a turtle, which seems to be turning over the bird. Photographer Mark Fitzpatrick said: “It’s amazing to see my reaction to Terry the Turtle tapping the bird. Photographer Terry spent time with many people. A difficult year made people laugh and helped spread important protection messages.”
read more: Is this the most interesting animal picture ever?
6. The largest ozone hole in the Arctic
In April, we were attracted (perhaps a little worried) by the interest scientists discovered (perhaps a little worried) that this may be the largest hole in the ozone layer recorded over the Arctic. The hole is about three times the size of Greenland and has the potential to expose people living in northern latitudes to high levels of ultraviolet radiation. Fortunately, this loophole was finally resolved on its own.
read more: The ozone hole three times the size of Greenland opens over the Arctic
5.’Oumuamua may still be an alien technology
“Oumuamua is a mysterious interstellar object that took an adventure through our solar system two years ago. Some people suspect that the cigar-shaped object is some kind of extraterrestrial technology, especially because it is accelerating and seems to have some kind of impetus. But scientists It was quickly pointed out that the possibility of alien origin is very small, while physical or astronomical explanations are more likely. However, in August, astrophysicists published a study that debunked at least one non-alien theory The fact that hydrogen is pushing the object. This means that there is still hope for aliens!
read more: New research suggests that interstellar visitor’Oumuamua may still be alien technology
4. A new human organ
Humans are so weird. This year, scientists discovered a new human organ: a set of salivary glands located deep in the upper part of the throat. Before discovering these hidden glands, scientists believed that the area behind the nose did not have any organs, only microscopic, diffuse salivary glands. However, this set of salivary glands called fallopian tubes has an average length of 1.5 inches (3.9 cm) on average, which can lubricate and moisturize the upper throat behind the nose and mouth.
read more: Scientists found a new organ in the throat
3. The deadliest virus on earth
The article about the deadliest virus is nothing new, but it has attracted a lot of attention this year. Since our existence, humans have been fighting viruses, and fortunately, we have defeated some viruses with vaccines and effective antiviral drugs. However, as the list proves, there are still many viruses that will disappoint us.
read more: The 12 deadliest viruses on earth
2. The worst epidemics and pandemics in history
The stories from the deadliest epidemics and pandemics in history also fascinate readers, from the prehistoric outbreak in 3000 BC to the continuous Zika virus epidemic that began in 2015. This lengthy list reveals how disease outbreaks plague our entire human race, sometimes changing the course of history and even eliminating entire civilizations.
read more: The 20 most serious epidemics and pandemics in history
1. Coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic
As mentioned earlier, the coronavirus pandemic is the biggest science news this year. The three most frequently read coronavirus stories in 2020 are:
Symptoms of COVID-19
People with COVID-19 may be asymptomatic, have mild or severe illness, and may experience multiple symptoms. Life science health reporters updated at least three articles this year, as doctors and scientists discovered more information about the behavior of the new coronavirus in humans.
read more: What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
Coronavirus is not made in the laboratory
The origin of this new type of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, was not initially clear, which led to a long-standing myth that the virus was made by scientists and escaped from the laboratory where the outbreak occurred in Wuhan, China. However, analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 genome shows that the virus occurs naturally and is highly unlikely to be a human engineering. Although this possibility is still being studied, there is still no evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is caused by humans.
read more: Coronavirus was not designed in the laboratory. This is what we know.
Coronavirus is different from flu
When the new coronavirus appeared, some people believed that because the symptoms of the coronavirus seemed to overlap with those of the seasonal influenza virus, the two viruses also had similar threats. However, scientists and doctors soon realized that was not the case-the spread of coronavirus is much easier than flu, and the death rate is higher. This is the story we read most often this year.
read more: How does the new coronavirus compare to the flu?
Originally published in “Life Science”.
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