Category Archives: Futurism

Healthcare workers are finding that flipping COVID-19 patients onto their stomachs, or prone positioning, is an effective way to keep them alive in intensive care, according to CNN.

Were saving lives with this, one hundred percent, Mangala Narasimhan, regional director for critical care at Northwell Health in New York city, told CNN. Its such a simple thing to do, and weve seen remarkable improvement. We can see it for every single patient.

The idea is to help patients get much needed oxygen into their lungs by placing them on their front. In one instance, a patient at the Long Island Jewish hospital in Queens saw his oxygen saturation rate go from 85 to 98 percent once placed on his stomach, as CNN reports.

By putting them on their stomachs, were opening up parts of the lung that werent open before, Kathryn Hibbert, director of the medical ICU at Massachusetts General Hospital, told CNN.

A 2013 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that such a prone position helped lower mortality rates for patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome, a type of respiratory failure caused by inflammation in the lungs that patients with severe cases of COVID-19 are experiencing.

That study, however, only looked at patients who were on ventilators, meaning that its unclear what would happen to patients who werent as severely ill.

A more recent study, published in March and conducted at a hospital in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the global pandemic, found that lying face down was in some cases more helpful than applying positive pressure in the lungs using ventilators in COVID-19 patients.

This study is the first description of the behavior of the lungs in patients with severe COVID-19 requiring mechanical ventilation and receiving positive pressure, Haibo Qiu, professor at the South East University School of Medicine in Nanjing, China, and co-author of the paper published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, said in a statement.

It indicates that some patients do not respond well to high positive pressure and respond better to prone positioning in bed (facing downward), Qiu concluded.

Despite the early successes, these trials are still limited in size and may not be generalizable to the larger population. Many patients also may not be physically able to spend all day at the hospital while on their stomachs.

Researchers in the US are now looking at the effects of turning patients who need extra oxygen but not necessarily a ventilator on their stomachs, as part of clinical trials.

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Why Rolling Coronavirus Patients Onto Their Stomachs Is Saving Lives - Futurism

Cosmic Dance

A star orbiting the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way has a bizarre orbit but also one that strongly supports Einsteins theories.

After monitoringthe star, dubbed S2, for 27 years straight, astronomers from the Max Planck Institute determined that it traces a distinct flower-like shape as it orbits, CNN reports. The fact that the star makes a rosette as it travels supports Einsteins theory of general relativity, which predicts that such a pairing would remain dynamic instead of fixed in a set, ellipse-shaped orbit.

S2s orbit around the black hole Sagittarius A* isnt the first evidence for the theory of general relativity but the research, published last month in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, strengthens the idea even further.

This famous effect first seen in the orbit of the planet Mercury around the Sun was the first evidence in favor of general relativity, Reinhard Genzel, director at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, said in a press release. One hundred years later we have now detected the same effect in the motion of a star orbiting the compact radio source Sagittarius A* at the center of the Milky Way.

The decades of data have an added bonus it helps confirm scientists theories about the size and behavior of the black hole itself.

This observational breakthrough strengthens the evidence that Sagittarius A* must be a supermassive black hole of 4 million times the mass of the sun, Genzel added.

READ MORE: Astronomers saw a star dancing around a black hole. And it proves Einsteins theory was right [CNN]

More on general relativity: New Theory Could Solve Universes Biggest Paradox

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A Star Is Circling a Black Hole and Its Orbit Is Absolutely Nuts - Futurism

Lonely Homecoming

A team of three astronauts are set to return to Earth on Friday. When they do, theyll be rejoining a vastly different society than the one they left.

The trio Oleg Skrypochka of Russia and Americans Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir have all been on the International Space Station since at least September, BBC News reports. Because theyve been in orbit since well before the coronavirus pandemic began, theyll be returning from the isolation of space and going straight into quarantine.

Its quite surreal to see it unfolding on Earth below, Meir said during a press conference.

Space agencies have been going to great lengths to prevent astronauts from catching the coronavirus. For instance, the trios replacements were placed in an extended pre-launch quarantine to guarantee that they werent sick before blasting off.

When the astronauts land at Kazakhstans Baikonur Cosmodrome spaceport on Friday, the team sent to retrieve them will have already been tested for COVID-19 after spending time in quarantine, BBC reports.

The astronauts had the bizarre experience of watching the pandemic unfold from the space, but once theyre back theyll still be just as isolated a change from the usual post-mission routine that has Meir concerned.

It will be difficult to not give hugs to family and friends after being up here for seven months, she told reporters. I think I will feel more isolated on Earth than here. Were busy with amazing pursuits and tasks and dont feel the isolation.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Space crew to return to very different Earth [BBC News]

More on quarantine: Surviving Isolation: A Lesson From 5 Astronauts

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Astronauts Who Launched Before Pandemic Are Starting to Come Home - Futurism

Textbook NASA

NASAhasnt abandoned its Curiosity Mars amid the coronavirus pandemic instead, theyve transitioned to controlling Curiosity from their home offices after NASA instructed its employees to work remotely, according to a NASA update.

Its classic, textbook NASA, said science operations team chief Carrie Bridge. Were presented with a problem and we figure out how to make things work. Mars isnt standing still for us; were still exploring.

Two days after desks emptied out at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California last month, the Curiosity rover sprang into action, executing commands lined up by its human masters back on Earth. Its task: drilling a rock sample at a location called Edinburgh.

Its operators new home-based HQs are now decked out with headsets, monitors, and plenty of other equipment, allowing them to remotely control a robot on a different planet.

What didnt make the move however, is special 3D goggles that rapidly shift between the left and the right eye to view 3D images taken on the Red Planet.

Tasks take about an hour or two longer than they normally would. The rest is business as usual just online.

Were usually all in one room, sharing screens, images and data, said Alicia Allbaugh, who leads the team in NASA statement. People are talking in small groups and to each other from across the room.

READ MORE: NASAs Curiosity Keeps Rolling As Team Operates Rover From Home [NASA]

More on Curiosity: Scientists: NASA Rover Has Found Evidence of Ancient Life on Mars

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NASA Employees Are Running the Mars Curiosity Rover From Home - Futurism

New York governor Andrew Cuomo said today that he will issue an executive order requiring all New Yorkers to wear a mouth and nose covering in public when they are not able to maintain a social distance of six feet or less, CNN reports.

If you are going to be in a situation, in public, where you come into contact with other people in a situation that is not socially distanced you must have a mask or a cloth covering nose and mouth, Cuomo said during a press conference in Albany, as quoted by CNBC.

Its a impactful move by the governor of the most populous city in the United States, which has been hammered by the coronavirus outbreak by tens of thousands of deaths.

Therell be a three day notice period so New Yorkers can figure out a way to cover their noses and mouths. For now, there wont be any penalties for not wearing a mask. But Cuomo hopes New Yorkers take notice.

If youre going to get on public transit, youre going to get on a bus, youre going to get on a subway, youre going to stand on a subway platform, youre going to walk in a neighborhood that is busy, youre going to be on a sidewalk, youre going to pass other people on a sidewalk, youre not going to be able to maintain social distancing, you must wear a mask, Cuomo said during a Wednesday briefing, as quoted by CNN.

New York currently is the state with the most coronavirus cases. According to the latest numbers, there have been just shy of 8,000 deaths in New York City alone. There are currently more than 600,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 nationwide, with more than 24,000 deaths.

Where were going, its not a reopening in that were going to reopen what was. Were going to a different place, Cuomo said.

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All New Yorkers Will be Required to Wear Masks in Public - Futurism

Gassy Core

By probing a gigantic, distant exoplanet, astronomers have a rare opportunity to better understand our solar systems gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn.

Thats because the exoplanet, TOI-849b, appears to be the exposed core of a similar gas giant, Space.com reports. An international team of astronomers suspects that either the gassy outer layers of the exoplanet were somehow blown away or never formed in the first place providing a rare opportunity to peek under the hood.

What astronomers have gleaned thus far is that the exoplanet is about a big as Neptune but has 40 times the mass of the entire Earth, Space.com reports. It also orbits its starblazingly fast, whipping around in a complete revolution every 18.4 hours.

But what they dont know is what happened to its outer layers. In that regard their research, shared online last month and recently accepted for publication in the journal Nature, remains speculative.

The most obvious explanation for why only the core of TOI-849b remains: its atmosphere was incinerated away from its close proximity to a star, Space.com reports. Its also possible TOI-849b collided with another exoplanet while it was whipping around in its obscenely-fast orbit.

Or maybe it was just a late bloomer. If it formed after most of its solar system had already done so, its possible there just wasnt enough raw material left to make a fully-formed gas giant, meaning it was only ever just a giant core.

READ MORE: Weird alien planet may be core of stripped-down gas giant [Space.com]

More on gas giants: NASA Data Shows Something Leaking Out of Uranus

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Bizarre Exoplanet Might Be a Gas Giant That Lost its Gas - Futurism

In an Easter letter to world leaders, Pope Francis opined that this may be the time to consider a universal basic wage which would acknowledge and dignify the noble, essential tasks you carry out.

It would ensure and concretely achieve the ideal, at once so human and so Christian, of no worker without rights, the Pope argued.

In the letter, Francis argued that many workers, including street vendors, recyclers, carnies, small farmers, construction workers, dressmakers, the different kinds of caregivers were being excluded from the benefits of globalization, while the lockdowns are becoming unbearable.

The idea of a universal basic income (UBI) has recently gained more traction through the likes of Andrew Yang, previously a US presidential candidate, who formed his platform around the idea.

The idea is to hand out sums of money, either fixed or dependent on a number of socioeconomic factors, on a regular basis, providingthe populace with enough funds to meet basic needs and maybe even achieve financial stability.

The idea has been shown to work, albeit on a small scale. A Canadian basic income pilot involving 4,000 people saw early successes, finding that people kept working, and even got healthier over time.

Yang himself was impressed with the Popes call to action.

Wow, he tweeted on Sunday. Game-changing.

Governments around the world have started paying out sums of money to those whose livelihoods have been affected by the ongoing pandemic. Canada, for instance, unveiled a $2,000per month Emergency Response Benefit in response to the coronavirus.

Many of these initiatives however are being labelled as incentives or injections to jump-start economies that are currently on life support.

US leadership signed into law a $2 trillion bipartisan stimulus package last month, with lump sums of around $1,200 plus additional payments depending on family size and income bracket, going out to taxpayers.

READ MORE: Pope advocates for universal basic income in Easter letter [The Hill]

More on universal basic income: Heres an Idea: The Government Should Pay People to Stay Home

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FrancisGang The Pope Just Endorsed Universal Basic Income - Futurism

Tough Times

Elon Musk-led electric automaker Tesla is feeling the economic devastation of the coronavirus pandemic.

The company is contacting some of its landlords at dealerships and service centers to try and talk down rent prices, The Wall Street Journal reports. In a leaked email,the company asks to renegotiate their leases so we can continue to partner and work together to ensure a continued and mutually beneficial relationship.

The move makes Tesla the latest company to join the ranks of others like WeWork and the Cheesecake Factory that have had to skip rent payments as they grapple with severe drops in revenue.

Tesla already went through a round of layoffs and furloughs after the coronavirus forced it to stop production.

Tesla is hoping to convince its landlords that getting any rent payments, even if theyre reduced, is better than forcing tenants out and getting nothing.

The rapid world pandemic that is now affecting our country has led Tesla to make strategic decisions to ensure the companys long-term success and growth, reads the email reviewed by the WSJ. As a result of the increasing restrictions on our ability to conduct business, we would like to inform you that we will be reducing our monthly rent obligations effective immediately.

READ MORE: Tesla Seeks Rent Savings Amid Coronavirus Crunch [The Wall Street Journal]

More on Tesla: California Cops Say Tesla Factory Must Shut Down

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Tesla Is Having Trouble Paying Its Rent - Futurism

In what appears to be another attempt to control the narrative surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government is imposing new restrictions on scientists attempting to research how the coronavirus originated.

Now, any paper attempting to do so must pass extra checks and be approved by the government before it can be published, CNN reports.It is important that controversial medical research is carefully vetted before it goes out into the world, of course, but academics trying to study the coronavirus say the government is imposing new censorship under the guise of academic rigor.

I think it is a coordinated effort from (the) Chinese government to control (the) narrative, and paint it as if the outbreak did not originate in China, an anonymous researcher who had their work obstructed told CNN. And I dont think they will really tolerate any objective study to investigate the origination of this disease.

The new restrictions have also left researchers confused. Some speculated to CNN that the government is grappling with heightened sensitivity around a controversial topic. Others noted that they always had to go through several rounds of vetting to publish their work in prestigious journals.

It is no surprise that the government seeks to control related scientific research so that the findings do not challenge its own narrative on the origin of the virus and the government response to the crisis, Yanzhong Huang, a global health researcher at Washingtons Council on Foreign Relations, told CNN.

The danger is that when scientific research is subject to the needs of those in power, Huang added, it further undermines the credibility of the government narrative, making accusations of underreporting and misinformation more convincing.

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China Is Censoring Research Into the Origin of the Coronavirus - Futurism

Researchers at MIT trained a neural network model on data that predicted the spread of the coronavirus from late January to early March, including information on how countries implemented quarantine measures.

The researchers have a dire warning, as detailed in a preprint uploaded to medRxiv earlier this month: reopening the US too early would lead to a catastrophe.

We further demonstrate that relaxing or reversing quarantine measures right now will lead to an exponential explosion in the infected case count, thus nullifying the role played by all measures implemented in the US since mid March 2020, reads the paper.

The researchers model focused on four locations: Wuhan, Italy, South Korea and the US and found some good news.

Our results unequivocally indicate,they wrote, that the countries in which rapid government interventions and strict public health measures for quarantine and isolation were implemented were successful in halting the spread of infection and prevent it from exploding exponentially.

The neural network was able to closely match the predictions by just feeding it data from January 24 to March 3. It was able to validate the USs current infected curve growth and was even able to pinpoint a halting of infection spread by April 20.

The danger in reopening the gates and relaxing measures is very real. Singapore experienced a spike in new COVID-19 cases this week after initially seeing major successes after implementing lockdown measures.

The news also comes on the same day that president Donald Trump revealed his plans for Opening Up America Again, a guideline document for state governors.

America wants to be open and Americans want to be open, he said during todays announcement. A national shutdown is not a sustainable long-term solution.

Epidemiologists found major flaws with the statistics model that the White Houses new guidelines were based on, warning that it was unreliable and misleading for the public and policy makers, according to STAT.

READ MORE: New MIT machine learning model shows relaxing quarantine rules will spike COVID-19 cases [TechCrunch]

More on the outbreak: In China, This Coronavirus App Pretty Much Controls Your Life

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MIT: Reopening Too Soon Could Cause "Explosion" of Coronavirus - Futurism