Face Masks Offer More Protection from Coronavirus Than Many Think

Face masks “offer much more protection against coronavirus than many think,” reports the Los Angeles Times. [Alternate version here ….] There’s a common refrain that masks don’t protect you; they protect other people from your own germs, which is especially important to keep unknowingly infected people from spreading the coronavirus. But now, there’s mounting evidence that masks also protect you. If…

The End of Handshakes As a Gesture

jmcbain writes: In many societies, handshakes are a gesture of friendliness. How many times have you shaken hands when meeting new engineering professionals? Probably quite a lot. However, given what we’ve seen with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, it’s time for a new way to greet people. According to a CNBC article, Anthony Fauci, the head advisor of the USA’s task force on…

SF Businesses Decline Cash, Fearing it Could Spread the Virus

When customers step in for a cup of coffee at Ritual Coffee Roasters on Valencia Street, a sign informs them that cash is no longer welcome. The coffee shop wants customers to use contactless forms of payments to pick up their cups of joe, in an effort to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. More and more businesses are turning…

Apple Issues Guidelines For Disinfecting iPhones

AmiMoJo quotes MacRumors: Apple today updated its support document on cleaning Apple products with new information that confirms it’s okay to to use a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes for the purpose of cleaning germs from your devices. Prior to now, Apple’s cleaning guidelines have recommended against all cleaners, warning that the chemicals have the potential to…

Transferring Vaginal Fluids Could ‘Revolutionize’ Women’s Health, Researchers Say

While fecal transplants have proven to be quite successful, researchers are now experimenting with swapping vaginal fluids to improve health. “If [vaginal microbiota transplants (VMTs)] work as researchers hypothesize, they could rub out many common problems at once,” reports Ars Technica. “And based on what we know of vaginas, they could be far less messy than transplants involving poop.” From the…

Moon Landing Could Have Infected the Earth With Lunar Germs, Say Astronauts

PolygamousRanchKid quotes a report from The Independent: A mistake made during the Apollo 11 moon landing could have brought lunar germs to the Earth, astronauts have revealed. When the three astronauts flew to the Moon and back, exactly 50 years ago this month, NASA worked hard to ensure that no bugs were brought back from the lunar surface. All three of…

Violent Attack Turns Man From Futon Salesman to Math Genius

Seventeen years ago, Jason Padgett was a drunk futon salesman living in Tacoma, Washington. Today, he’s a genius of theoretical mathematics. He has a talent for drawing fractals by hand, and can see complex numerical relationships unfold like flowers before his eyes. What caused this drastic transformation in Jason Padgett? He got hit in the… Read more » Source: https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2019/04/violent-attack-turns-man-from-futon-salesman-to-math-genius/…