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Curiosity Finds Organic Molecules That Could Have Been Produced by Life on Mars – Universe Today
What do coal, crude oil, and truffles have in common? Go ahead. We’ll wait.
The answer is thiophenes, a molecule that behaves a lot like benzene. Crude oil, coal, and truffles all contain thiophenes. So do a few other substances. MSL Curiosity found thiophenes on Mars, and though that doesn’t conclusively prove that Mars once hosted life, its discovery is an important milestone for the rover. Especially since truffles are alive, and oil and coal used to be, sort of.
A quote from NASA’s Curiosity website reminds us what the rover’s mission is: “Curiosity was designed to assess whether Mars ever had an environment able to support small life forms called microbes. In other words, its mission is to determine the planet’s ‘habitability.’ ”
A pair of scientists from Berlin’s Technical University thinks that the thiophenes Curiosity found on Mars could be a signature from early Martian life. If they’re right, then Mars was, at one time, inhabited by simple life forms. They’ve presented their findings in a new paper.
The pair are Dirk Schulze-Makuch and Jacob Heinz. Schulze-Makuch is also an astrobiologist at Washington State University. Their paper is titled “Thiophenes on Mars: Biotic or Abiotic Origin?” It’s published in the journal Astrobiology.
MSL Curiosity found the thiophenes in Martian sediments. It’s one of a number of interesting molecules found on Mars that might have a biotic origin. Thiophenes can also have an abiotic origin through diagenesis, which are physical and chemical changes that take place as sediments become sedimentary rock.
Sedimentary rocks on Mars, investigated by NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover. Thiophenes can be produced by biotic processes, or by abiotic processes, like when sediment becomes sedimentary rock. By NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS – Catalog page · Full-res (JPEG · TIFF), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30263203In order to find the thiophenes in the Martian sediments, Curiosity had to first heat the sample above 500 Celsius. Then Curiosity examined it with the SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) instrument. SAM analyzed the gases coming off the sample using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. SAM is actually three instruments in one, and together they search for organic chemicals.
“We identified several biological pathways for thiophenes that seem more likely than chemical ones, but we still need proof,” Dirk Schulze-Makuch said in a press release. “If you find thiophenes on Earth, then you would think they are biological, but on Mars, of course, the bar to prove that has to be quite a bit higher.”
Thiophenes have a structure that suggests a possible biotic origin. They have four carbon atoms and a single sulfur atom arranged in a ring, with hydrogen atoms. Hydrocarbons are essential elements in organic chemistry, and hydrocarbon molecules containing atoms of sulfur are an important part of the study of organic chemistry.
The thiophene molecule. Image Credit: By Jynto – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11357639There are non-biological sources of thiophenes. They can be created by meteor impacts, and by a process called thermochemical sulfate reduction, where compounds are heated above 120 Celsius (248 F).
But it’s the biological sources of thiophenes that are the most interesting. In the distant past, perhaps about 3 billion years ago, Mars was a much different place. It likely had a warm and wet environment that could’ve harbored life. Those ancient bacteria could’ve facilitated a sulfate reduction process biologically, which resulted in the thiophenes that Curiosity detected.
Technology moves quickly. Curiosity was much more advanced than its predecessors Spirit and Opportunity. It uses technology that breaks large molecules down into smaller molecules for analysis. But when the next Mars rover, the ESA’s ExoMars mission, arrives on the red planet, it’ll bring even more advanced technology.
ExoMars’ MOMA (Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer) is the premier astrobiology instrument on the ExoMars rover, and also the largest instrument. It’s a little more refined than Curiosity’s instrument, and it doesn’t rely on fragmentation to study molecules. MOMA will allow the collection and study of larger molecules.
The ESA’s ExoMars rover will land on Mars in 2021 and continue the search for evidence of ancient life on Mars. Credit:ESAMOMA will use the concept of homochirality to identify molecules as either biotic or abiotic, something that MSL Curiosity can’t do. Homochirality is a property of amino acids and sugars. Many of the organic molecules necessary for life, including amino acids and sugars, can come in both left-handed and right-handed types, referred to as their chirality.
In Earth life, 19 of the 20 amino acids are homochiral and left-handed, while sugars, which are part of RNA and DNA, are homochiral and right-handed. Homochirality is essential for an efficient metabolism. But the same chemicals produced in a laboratory will have equal abundances of left-handed and right-handed types. The basic idea is that if we find homochiral building blocks of life, they likely have a biological source.
Life’s molecules need to able to “shake hands” with each other in order to function. People shake hands right-to-right, or maybe left-to-right. It’s not possible to shake right-to-left, or vice versa. Image Credit: ESA Isotope ratios can also differentiate between the same atoms with either biotic or abiotic origins. Schulze-Makuch and Heinze, the authors of this paper, think that some of the data from the ExoMars rover should be used to also look for isotopes of carbon and sulfur. In particular, the lighter isotopes of both. They think that’s where we’re most likely to find a biological origin.
“Organisms are ‘lazy.’ They would rather use the light isotope variations of the element because it costs them less energy,” Schulze-Makuch said.
Lifeforms tend to alter the balance between light isotopes and heavy isotopes of the elements they produce. That ratio is different than the ratio in the same elements in their building blocks. That’s a “tell-tale sign of life” according to Schulze Makuch.
The discussion over life on Mars has been ongoing for decades. When the Viking landers were on Mars in 1976, they conducted the very first in-situ measurements, looking for organic compounds. What they found is still somewhat controversial today, because no lab experiments have been able to completely recreate those results. However, it’s widely believed in the scientific community that the Viking findings can be explained by abiotic sources.
The late, great Carl Sagan stands next to a model of the Viking lander. Credit: NASA The ExoMars rover is our next step in understanding ancient Mars’ habitability. Its experimental results may bring us one step closer to knowing definitively if Mars once hosted life. But it might not get us all the way to that conclusion, unfortunately.
“As Carl Sagan said ‘extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,’” Schulze-Makuch said. “I think the proof will really require that we actually send people there, and an astronaut looks through a microscope and sees a moving microbe.”
More:
Press Release: Study finds organic molecules discovered by Curiosity Rover consistent with early life on MarsPublished Study: Thiophenes on Mars: Biotic or Abiotic Origin?The Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) Instrument: Characterization of Organic Material in Martian Sediments
5:53 PM ETNick FriedellESPN Staff Writer CloseNick Friedell is the Chicago Bulls beat reporter for ESPN Chicago. Friedell is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and joined ESPNChicago.com for its launch in April 2009.SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green slammed TNT analyst Charles Barkley for his critical commentary and said the Hall of Famer should be careful what he says.”Barkley should stop before I go take his job, though,” Green said after Friday’s practice. “Because I can do that well, too. He already didn’t make enough money playing, so he needs that job. He should stop talking to me. I’d like to — [I have] a tendency to end people, so he should stop before I take his job.”Barkley and Green have exchanged barbs through the media over the years, but Barkley has been particularly critical of Green this season as the Warriors have struggled to a league-worst 14-49 record without Klay Thompson (ACL rehab) and Stephen Curry (missed 58 games with a broken left hand).Barkley has mocked Green for racking up “triple-singles” this season, in reference to small stat lines after games.Green’s comments came while being asked about criticism he has received from fans this season as the Warriors’ losses continue to pile up.”I don’t give a damn about what no fans think [or] who they put the blame on,” Green said. “A lot of people can’t even talk to me about basketball. They’re not smart enough.”When specifically asked about some of Barkley’s commentary, Green didn’t hold back. After making his initial comments about Barkley, he was asked if he really meant he would take Barkley’s job.”If he keeps talking, I’ll take it soon,” Green said. “Sooner than he thinks. Still, he probably should be quiet. He also can’t talk basketball with me, either. Not smart enough, not qualified — no rings can’t sit at this table.”Green, who turned 30 on Wednesday, has missed four straight games because of a sore left knee, but he is hopeful to return soon. An MRI earlier this week showed no structural damage.Warriors coach Steve Kerr is hopeful Green can play Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers, but a noncommittal Green noted Friday’s workout was the first time he had participated in on-court activities in a week.”I’m just not going to throw myself out there,” Green said. “I need to get my feel back. I need to get my wind right, so we’ll see.”The good news for the Warriors is that Curry came through Thursday’s return in good shape and participated in Friday’s workout. The star guard played 27 minutes against Toronto on Thursday, and Kerr said he’d like to give him more, but the decision on just how many still hasn’t been finalized.”He said he was sore, but a good sore,” Kerr said of Curry. “[He] woke up and got out of bed — I said, ‘What hurt?’ And he said, ‘Pretty much everything.’ But he smiled and said it felt good just to feel that way again.”
21 people aboard Grand Princess cruise ship positive for coronavirus – Business Insider
Twenty-one people aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship have tested positive for the novel coronavirus while the ship has remained in limbo off the California coast.Of those who tested positive, 19 were crew members, and two were passengers.The California Air National Guard dropped off testing kits via helicopter on Thursday.There are more than 3,500 passengers and crew aboard the ship, which has circling the California shore since Wednesday.For the latest coronavirus case total, death toll, and travel information, see Business Insider’s live updates here.Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Twenty-one people have tested positive for the new coronavirus on the Grand Princess cruise ship, which has been circling off the California coast for days, officials announced Friday afternoon. Of those, 19 were crew members, and two were passengers.Overall, 46 people were tested, 24 people tested negative, and one test was inconclusive, Vice President Mike Pence said in a press conference on Friday.More than 3,500 people were aboard the ship for a two-week cruise from San Francisco to Hawaii when the trip ground to a halt on Wednesday. Officials announced that a 71-year-old California man died after likely being exposed to the coronavirus on a previous Grand Princess voyage several weeks ago, and a second former passenger was announced dead on Friday.San Francisco health officials said Thursday that dozens of people currently aboard the cruise had displayed flu-like symptoms, prompting the California Air National Guard to drop off testing kits by helicopter.—CBS 2 News (@CBS2Boise) March 6, 2020The Grand Princess said in a Thursday update that 45 people, including passengers and crew, were tested and all guests were asked to stay in their rooms while the results were pending. Pence later said that this number was 46 people tested.
The cruise line, Princess Cruises, also announced it would cancel an upcoming voyage originally set to depart on March 7. The company said all guests would receive full refunds.Princess Cruises has faced backlash amid the news, with passengers telling media the cruise line didn’t follow appropriate health screening protocols.One passenger told The Los Angeles Times they were merely asked to self-report any health issues on a piece of paper, though he noticed many passengers “coughing and hacking” and still being allowed to board.”Why was there no health screening when we boarded? I had expected to have my temperature taken,” another passenger tweeted at Princess Cruises. “People that spent thousands of dollars on a cruise are not going to answer truthfully on your health form.”The debacle is reminiscent of another ill-fated cruise from the same line: the Diamond Princess was held off the coast of Japan for weeks last month amid coronavirus fears. Ultimately more than 700 people aboard the cruise tested positive for the disease, and at least six have since died.
Read more:The US has reported 15 coronavirus deaths among more than 260 cases. Here’s what we know about the US patients.Trump claimed America is in ‘great shape’ amid coronavirus outbreak during rambling White House remarksAt least 28 coronavirus cases in New York are linked to one man — a 50-year-old attorney who works near Grand Central Terminal. Here’s what we know.Coronavirus live updates: More than 100,000 people have been infected and more than 3,400 have died. The US has reported 14 deaths. Here’s everything we know.
New CDC guidance says older adults should ‘stay at home as much as possible’ due to coronavirus
(CNN)Amid a coronavirus outbreak in the United States, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging older people and people with severe chronic medical conditions to “stay at home as much as possible.”
This advice is on a CDC website that…
Coronavirus: Ventura County’s 1st case of COVID-19 confirmed in patient who traveled aboard Grand Princess cruise – KABC-TV
VENTURA, Calif. (KABC) — Ventura County’s presumptive first case of novel coronavirus has been confirmed, health officials confirmed Friday.The infected patient had traveled on the Grand Princess cruise ship from San Francisco to Mexico and returned to the port of entry in that city on Feb. 21, 2020, Ventura County spokeswoman Ashley Bautista said in a statement.An elderly person traveled on the same ship and later died in Northern California’s Placer County after testing positive for COVID-19, the news release said.More than 22 million Californians now eligible for free medically necessary COVID-19 screenings”The cruise destination was not on the list of at-risk destinations so the travelers that disembarked the ship on February 21, 2020 were not under travel restrictions or health checks upon return,” the statement said.The Ventura County Public Health Lab, one of eleven labs in the state able to conduct testing, confirmed that county’s novel coronavirus case on Thursday, Bautista said. Secondary confirmation is pending from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The patient did not feel well after returning from the cruise and remained at home to rest, officials said. The patient left home only to seek medical attention.”The patient is currently under home quarantine with mild symptoms,” the statement said. “The patient’s spouse was also on the cruise but has no symptoms,” and also remains under home quarantine. Copyright © 2020 KABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.
SpaceX Dragon to launch heart cell experiment and more to space station tonight – Space.com
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands ready for launch at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
(Image: © SpaceX)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX is preparing for its fifth launch of the year: a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission, which is scheduled to launch Friday (March 6) at 11:50 p.m. EST (0450 GMT on March 7), will bring a bevy of science material to the astronauts living and working in the orbiting laboratory. This flight, dubbed CRS-20, marks the 20th and final mission for SpaceX under the company’s first commercial cargo resupply services contract with NASA. Perched atop a Falcon 9 rocket will sit a cargo Dragon capsule filled with more than 4,300 lbs. (1,950 kilograms) of supplies, including more than 2,100 lbs. (950 kg) of science equipment.The scientific cargo will support a host of experiments across Expeditions 62 and 63, focusing on a range of topics, from biological sciences (growing human heart cells in space), to water conservation methods, to particle-foam manufacturing and the addition of a new research platform on the ISS. You can watch SpaceX’s Dragon launch live here on Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX, beginning at about 11:30 p.m. EST (0430 GMT), courtesy of NASA TV. You can also watch the launch directly from SpaceX here, beginning at 11:35 p.m. EST (0435 GMT). Video: What’s flying to the space station on SpaceX’s CRS-20 mission?
Related: SpaceX Dragon cargo ship launching tonight. How to watch live. Adidas boostIn its never-ending quest to create the best athletic shoe, Adidas has turned its sights to the International Space Station. The sportswear company has developed a performance midsole — an additional shoe layer between the insole (next to your feet) and the sole (what touches the ground) — that will enhance comfort. To create its midsole, Adidas uses a process called particle foam molding, in which thousands of small pellets are blasted into a mold so they fuse together. To streamline the process and create the best shoe it can, Adidas is going to try this process in microgravity. The experiment, dubbed Adidas BOOST (Boost Orbital Operations on Spheroid Tessellation), will look at how the particles fuse together in space. The BOOST Orbital Operations on Spheroid Tesellation (adidas BOOST) experiment examines the particle foam mold filling process using different types of pellets. (Image credit: NASA)By removing gravity from the process, the team can take a closer look at individual pellet motion and location. The results of this investigation could show that the space station is a good platform for testing out new manufacturing methods and could lead to more-efficient means of packing and cushioning materials. Related: Adidas launching new sneakers inspired by historic NASA spacesuitsWater conservationDelta Faucet Co., a manufacturer of shower heads and other bathroom hardware, is launching a payload on CRS-20 that will seek to better understand how water droplets form. The company will use that knowledge to build a better shower head that lines up with Delta’s ultimate goal: creating the sensation of increased pressure while using less water. Conserving water is incredibly important, but one of the biggest drawbacks is that eco-friendly, low-flow shower heads do not perform as well as their less environmentally friendly counterparts. Users complain that the water pressure feels so low it’s difficult to rinse off properly, which can result in longer showers and, ultimately, more water usage. To help mitigate this issue, Delta has created a unique shower head, called the H2Okinetic, that controls the size and the speed of the water droplets with the help of an oscillating chip. That chip creates a better shower experience by breaking up the water flow into bigger droplets and shooting them out faster, giving the illusion of more water. Related: Showering in space: Astronaut home video shows off ‘hygiene corner'”Water is a precious commodity,” Garry Marty, principal engineer at Delta Faucet, said during a prelaunch briefing on Thursday (March 5). “We are trying to create a shower head to keep our customers happy while using less water.”He went on to explain that once the water leaves the pipes, it essentially doesn’t have any pressure. What you’re feeling are the droplets. With this new shower head, Delta Faucet is able to control the size and speed on each drop, revolutionizing the way a shower device delivers a shower. “Lower-flow showers aren’t really great to be under,” Marty said. “But the more we understand, the more we can improve.” Marty added that, someday, humanity will be living on the moon or Mars and will need a way to take a shower. The lessons learned from this research go beyond conserving water and user experience, he said; it has implications for the space industry as well. But for now, the bigger concern is to better understand the fundamentals of water droplet formation.Growing cardiac cells in spaceHeart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S. A team of researchers from Emory University in Atlanta, led by Chunhui Xu, are sending an experiment up to the space station to explore how effectively stem cells can be turned into heart muscle cells. The data collected could lead to new therapies and even speed up the development of new drugs that can better treat heart disease. The microgravity environment found on the space station is known to have a profound effect on cell growth. Through this research, the team aims to understand the impact microgravity has on cardiac precursors (cardiac cells created from stem cells) and how effectively they produce cardiac muscle cells, called cardiomyocytes.Related: Heart cells beat differently in microgravity, may benefit astronautsGround-based research shows that when cells are grown under simulated microgravity conditions, the production rate of cardiomyocytes is greater than if they were grown under the effects of gravity. By sending the experiment to the space station, Xu and her team will be able to determine if their results are accurate. “Our goal is to help make stem cell-based therapy more readily available,” Xu said during the briefing. “If successful, the demand for it will be tremendous, because heart disease is the No. 1 killer in America.” In order to have a successful therapy, Xu said that the team will need to produce a large number of high-quality cardiomyocytes. To do that, the researchers need to first understand the mechanisms behind cell transformation. A new research platformBartolomeo is a new research platform that will be installed on the exterior of the space station. Placed outside the European Columbus module, this science balcony will host as many as 12 research experiments at one time. Built by Airbus, the platform will enable researchers to conduct more experiments on the station’s exterior. During a prelaunch briefing, NASA and Airbus explained that Bartolomeo’s potential uses include Earth observation, robotics, materials science and astrophysics. “All of your [research] dreams can come true with Bartolomeo,” said Andreas Schuette, program manager of Bartolomeo at Airbus. And parking spots on the washing machine-sized platform are all-inclusive, which means that researchers can pay one price to launch, install, operate and even return to Earth. By working directly with agencies like NASA, ESA, and SpaceX, Airbus is able to offer a cost-effective means of conducting research on the space station. Airbus workers inspect the Bartolomeo platform after it was unpacked from its shipping container in the Space Station Processing Facility high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 30, 2020. (Image credit: Ben Smegelsky/NASA)The company is also working with the United Nations in an effort to entice those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford to send payloads into space, Schuette told Space.com. The duo have teamed up with the United Nations Office for Outer Space (UNOOSA) to make that happen. (The agency works to make space more accessible.)If all goes as scheduled, the Dragon will arrive at the International Space Station on Monday (March 9) at approximately 6 a.m. EDT (1000 GMT). From there, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Drew Morgan will use the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to capture and attach the spacecraft, before beginning the unloading process. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Demo-1 test flight in picturesWatch how SpaceX’s Crew Dragon will launch astronauts into space (video)In photos: A behind-the-scenes look at SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spaceshipFollow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
The COVID-19 crisis is touching all aspects of society, including how we work. In response, many companies are considering asking some percentage of their workforce to work remotely until the crisis abates.
If your organization doesn’t have a great deal of experience with remote work, there are a number of key things to think about as you set up a program. You are going to be under time constraints when it comes to enacting an action plan, so think about ways to leverage the tools, procedures and technologies you already have in place. You won’t have the luxury of conducting a six-month study.
We spoke to a few people who have been looking at the remote working space for more than a decade and asked about the issues companies should bear in mind when a large number of employees suddenly need to work from home.
The lay of the land
Alan Lepofsky, currently VP of Salesforce Quip, has studied the remote work market for more than a decade. He says there are three main pieces to building a remote working strategy. First, managers need to evaluate which tools they’ll be using to allow employees to continue collaborating when they aren’t together.
Big tech commits to paying wages for hourly employees affected by coronavirus plans
Following Microsoft’s lead from late last night, some the biggest technology companies in the U.S. have agreed to pay wages for hourly employees impacted by the ongoing corporate response to the coronavirus outbreak.
It’s the right thing for companies to do, from both a health and safety perspective, and to ensure that the hourly workers who are most impacted by work stoppages and shortages are not adversely affected by events that are beyond their control.
As we reported earlier today, Facebook committed to pay its “contingent” workers. And according to a report in Axios, Amazon, Google and Twitter are joining them. We’ve reached out to Apple but have yet to receive a comment.
In a statement to Axios, Amazon made the same commitment for its employees.
“We will continue to pay all hourly employees that support our campus in Seattle and Bellevue – from food service, to security guards to janitorial staff – during the time our employees are asked to work from home,” the company said in a statement. “In addition, we will subsidize one month of rent for the local small businesses that operate inside our owned buildings to help support them during this period.”
Google and Twitter have reportedly made the same commitments.
Tech companies have taken a lead on the issue and received praise from labor organizations for the stance. But organizers in the Bay Area and beyond are encouraging companies to cushion the blow hourly workers will face from lost wages due to office closures.
The issue has even caught the attention of the Democratic Senator Mark Warner from Virginia, who is pressuring gig economy companies Uber, Lyft, Postmates and DoorDash to provide compensation for workers impacted by the coronavirus.
“I strongly urge that you attempt to address the potential financial hardship for your workers if they are sick or have to self-quarantine during this time,” Warner wrote. “In order to limit the spread of COVID-19, it is critical that platform companies lead by example by committing that economic uncertainty will not be deterrents to their workers following public health guidance during the response.”
Officials in Austin, Texas, have cancelled the South by Southwest arts and technology festival.David Byrne is seen at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, in March 2019. Austin city officials have cancelled the arts and technology festival as a precaution because of the threat of COVID-19. (Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP)Officials in Austin, Texas, have cancelled the South by Southwest arts and technology festival. Mayor Steve Adler said Friday he’d declared a “local disaster” in the city as a precaution because of the threat of the coronavirus, effectively cancelling the annual event, which was due to start March 13. Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, the county’s top elected official, said no one in the Austin area has been found to have the coronavirus. However, South by Southwest (SXSW) was expected to draw an international audience into close quarters, posing a serious threat of contagion. Festival organizers said in a statement that they were “devastated” by the necessity of the move. “‘The show must go on’ is in our DNA, and this is the first time in 34 years that the March event will not take place. We are working through the ramifications of this unprecedented situation,” they said. The organizers noted that Austin Public Health had stated as recently as Wednesday that “there’s no evidence that closing SXSW or any other gatherings will make the community safer.” “However, this situation evolved rapidly, and we honour and respect the City of Austin’s decision,” the organizers said. The announcement comes days after several high-profile companies, including Netflix, tech news outlet Mashable, video-based social media platform TikTok and U.S. chip maker Intel, pulled out of the festival. More than 50,000 people had signed a petition seeking to get the festival cancelled. Actor Kumail Nanjiani, who had been scheduled to attend the festival to promote the movie The Lovebirds, said he was disappointed but that he understood. South by Southwest “is one of my favourite festivals,” he tweeted. “Cancelling it was the responsible thing to go. I know this sucks for many people for whom this was a massive opportunity. But we’re kind of in an unprecedented situation here and caution is key. Thank you for the making the right decision.” The festival drew 73,716 attendees last year, 19,166 of whom came from outside the U.S. Combined with SXSW’s gaming expo and education conference, the 2019 event drew 417,400 attendees, organizers said. An economic impact report found it contributed $355.9 million to the local economy. The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus has climbed to 14, with all but one victim in Washington state, while the number of infections swelled to over 200 scattered across at least 18 states, including at least six cases in the Houston area, some 230 kilometres southeast of Austin.
Rocket issue delays launch of UAE’s Falcon Eye 2 satellite for a month: report – Space.com
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An Arianespace Soyuz rocket rolls out to the launch pad at the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana for the VS23 mission, on Dec. 12, 2019.
(Image: © Arianespace)
A sharp-eyed satellite’s launch has been pushed back from its expected Thursday (March 5) launch date until no earlier than April due to a rocket problem, according to a media report.Arianespace, which will be providing the launch from French Guiana, has not disclosed a reason for the delay. Nor did it release a new launch date for Falcon Eye 2, which is a high-performance optical observation satellite for commercial and military users in the United Arab Emirates. “The launch vehicle and its satellite payload have been placed in stand-by mode and maintained in fully safe conditions,” the European company said in a brief statement.Related: Space calendar 2020: Rocket launches, sky events, missions & more!Media reports concerning the United Arab Emirates mission, however, point to an issue with the Fregat upper stage of the Soyuz ST-A rocket as the reason for the delay. As this is not the first issue with a Fregat, the reports suggest engineers are (out of caution) completely replacing this mission’s upper stage, as opposed to trying to fix the Fregat mounted on the Soyuz ST-A rocket.It was just six weeks ago that Falcon Eye 2 was moved from a Vega rocket launch to the Soyuz, according to SpaceNews. The Arianespace Vega line remains grounded while the company works to address a launch failure in 2019 that destroyed the Falcon Eye 1 satellite. Coincidentally, both Arianespace and satellite manufacturer Airbus Defence and Space told SpaceNews that the switch was meant to avoid delays to the mission. With Fregat now posing issues, however, Falcon Eye 2 will be sidelined for several weeks at the least, media reports suggest.”[A] Russian industry source said that the mission was postponed until early April due to [the] customer’s demand to replace [the] Fregat upper stage on the rocket, even though Russian specialists proposed to fix the problem on the current booster,” said RussianSpaceWeb, which follows the Russian space industry.Engineers plan to replace the upper stage by swapping in another Fregat meant to be used for the French Optical Space Component (CSO-2) satellite, which is scheduled to launch April 10, RussianSpaceWeb added. This procedure, however, forced Falcon Eye 2’s Soyuz rocket to return to the vehicle processing building, where it was prepared for launch. Such procedures typically delay launches by days or weeks, since the rocket must be unhooked from connections at the launchpad, moved back to the building for processing, returned to the launchpad and then prepared again for launch. It’s unclear from the RussianSpaceWeb report if CSO-2 will also be delayed, if CSO-2’s Fregat is reassigned to Falcon Eye 2.An unnamed Russian source, quoted in state news outlet TASS, also mentioned Fregat problems on Tuesday (March 5). “A problem in one of the booster’s cables was revealed during the pre-launch tests of the carrier rocket’s electrical equipment,” the source told TASS. The media report suggested the launch would be delayed at least 24 hours.Fregat has been troublesome in the past. For example: an ambitious Martian moon mission known as Phobos-Grunt never made it to its destination in 2011 due to a Fregat failure, instead lingering uselessly in Earth’s orbit for two months before crashing back to our planet. And in 2014, two fully operational Galileo navigation satellites were stranded in the wrong orbit due to Fregat issues.The Russian space industry has been criticized for its rate of launch failures in general. In March 2018, the website Parabolic Arc calculated that during the past 30 years, there have been an average of two failures annually of Russian launch vehicles. That October, a Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft carrying two people to the International Space Station aborted, the first such incident in more than three decades. Analysts briefly worried about the impact on the International Space Station program since only Soyuz spacecraft can launch astronauts into space (until U.S. commercial crew vehicles are ready, which could happen in 2020.) The Russians, however, swiftly traced the problem to a deformed sensor, allowing the next launch to the International Space Station to proceed a little early, in December 2018.Vega rocket launch failure in July caused by faulty motor, investigators findMeet Ariane 6 and Vega C: Europe’s new ‘rideshare’ rockets (videos)In Photos: Vega Rocket Launches ‘Aeolus’ wind-mapping satelliteFollow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
Jose Mourinho knows he has to use the summer transfer window to ensure Tottenham do not suffer the same problems as this season.
Spurs have been hit by major injury issues throughout the campaign, but the combined absence of forwards Harry Kane and Son Heung-min has highlighted the imbalance in their squad.
Dele Alli, Steven Bergwijn, Lucas Moura and Giovani Lo Celso have all had to pick up the slack and as a result are suffering from fatigue.
📋 #THFC: Vorm, Aurier, Dier, Sanchez, Vertonghen (C), Winks, Skipp, Lo Celso, Dele, Bergwijn, Lucas.
📱 @WilliamHill latest (18+) https://t.co/FOjDTE41K4#THFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/1DHQiZylz8
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 4, 2020
Such are their lack of options Mourinho had claimed he would have to prioritise either their game at Burnley on Saturday or Tuesday’s Champions League clash at RB Leipzig.
He has since backed down but is not prepared to find himself in a similar position next term.
He said: “We know that we have to build a squad more balanced for next season, because we don’t believe that the same situation is going to happen but in football anything is possible and you have to be ready to cope with these unpredictable things.
“So we know everything. We need to give a different shape to the squad to be ready for these unexpected things that happen to us, but we all know that we have to try to win tomorrow and we have to try to win on Tuesday.
“Obviously people are tired of listening to it, but the run of injuries this club had this season, starting with Hugo (Lloris) and ending with Sonny, is something really crazy.
Hugo Lloris, right, lies injured as Neal Maupay, centre left, celebrates scoring for Brighton (Gareth Fuller/PA)
“But again we have to prepare ourselves for something similar to happen again and we have to build a squad that protects against this kind of situation.
“But I believe that any club that loses four fundamental players at the same time, doesn’t matter the squad you have, any team would always feel a situation like this.”
Such problems have led Spurs to surrender a winning position a number of times in recent weeks, a trait that is not common for a Mourinho team.
“It is not a Jose statistic but a Jose statistic is also based on, when you change players, you change and you improve your team,” he said.
“Do you want an example? Arjen Robben on the bench (at Chelsea). And (Damien) Duff and Joe Cole playing. Or vice-versa.
“Minute 70 and one goes out, the other one goes in. You know what the defenders of the opposition do? ‘Oh f***’. It’s exactly that.
Jose Mourinho prepares to send on Joe Cole, left, against Sunderland in 2005 (Nick Potts/PA)
“It’s (Cristiano) Ronaldo, (Karim) Benzema and (Angel) Di Maria (at Real Madrid) and then minute 70 you bring (Gonzalo) Higuain, (Jose) Callejon, you know?
“We have the squad for that. Imagine my team playing – Lucas, Kane and Son. And Lucas and Son, minute 70 they are tired. Let’s go (Erik) Lamela and (Steven) Bergwijn.
“We have a squad for that. It’s not like I’m saying our squad is not good. The squad is good.
“In this moment we are in trouble. It’s so simple as that.
“So we are winning and, in the moment we are winning, the moment when you kill the game with fresh players is the moment when our team is going down. So I have an answer for everything.
“But, I repeat, when I see my team next season, pre-season: Bergwijn, Lamela, Kane, Son, (Moussa) Sissoko, Lo Celso, Dele, Lucas…”
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Brendan Rodgers wants history to repeat itself for Foxes with Champions League
Brendan Rodgers has his sights set on making this an “historical season” for Leicester by bringing Champions League football back to the King Power Stadium.
The Foxes competed in the Champions League for the first time in their history during the 2016-17 campaign, following their incredible Premier League title success.
They are on course to qualify for the competition again this season, despite taking only 12 points from their last 12 Premier League games. Heading into this weekend’s fixtures third-placed Leicester still have an eight-point cushion to Manchester United in fifth.
For the first time, Rodgers talked openly of the prospect of Champions League football and he believes his team will need to win at least five of their remaining 10 Premier League matches if they are to finish in the top four.
“We have an opportunity now with 10 games to go to make it a historical season,” said the Leicester manager, whose side host Aston Villa on Monday night.
“If we can qualify into the Champions League for only the second time in the club’s history, you think of the great players and the work that has gone on over many years here to be able to do that, it would be incredible.
“But it’s going to take a lot of hard work still, a lot of focus. But our aim was to have European football and we’re in a great position to do that with just 10 games left.
“We are looking at least to win half of them, maybe more. That’s our focus. It’s something we are ready to embrace, we’ve put ourselves into great position, what’s gone before is gone and we’re in a brilliant position.
“If you assess the position we are in, we don’t want to finish any lower. Naturally any team if you’re in this position will want to finish in a Champions League position.
“We know what we need to do and we’ll finish as strong as we possibly can. And if that can keep us up where we are that would signify an incredible season for us.”
Rodgers is keen to manage in the Champions League again, having done so for two seasons during his time in charge of Celtic.
He said: “Ultimately it is the best club competition in European football so of course you want to be in. The challenge for me here was to take a club outside the top six into the top six, that’s why I came.”
Jamie Vardy is expected to return to the Leicester squad against Villa. The striker, who has scored 17 Premier League goals this season, has missed the last two matches with a calf injury but Rodgers is optimistic he will have his talisman back in contention.
While Vardy’s return will come as an undoubted boost, Leicester may be dealt a blow by the absence of left-back Ben Chilwell as he is nursing a hamstring problem.
Nigel Pearson backs Ismaila Sarr to make impact in Watford’s survival fight
Watford manager Nigel Pearson has backed Ismaila Sarr to make a positive impact on the club’s bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
The Senegal international scored twice on Saturday as the Hornets brought Liverpool’s 44-match unbeaten league streak to an end in a 3-0 win at Vicarage Road. Sarr also set up Troy Deeney to add the final goal.
Sarr made his first start since being sidelined through injury in January against Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Pearson said: “Clearly he’s a player that has had an impact coming back into the side, and a very telling one too, I think he’s going to be important for us.
“I think he’s a player with lots of potential, but he’s one of our players and his responsibility will be – I’m very reluctant to put too much emphasis on one player, but I also have to recognise that his qualities give us something very different.
“So if we can keep him fit and reproduce the type of form that he has been producing, then I think that it would be obviously that we have a player who’s a real match winner and that’s very, very important for us.”
Sarr joined the Hornets in the summer for a reported club-record fee of £25million on a five-year deal but had a limited impact, scoring just four goals prior to last weekend’s win.
The Hornets boss added: “The good thing about him is he’s decided that he wants to play regular football, he’s decided to come to us, we’ve invested a lot of money in him relatively speaking for a young player and he’s still got things to learn of course.
“But his ability and his physical attributes mean as a modern player, he’s potentially going to have a very good career for sure.”
More Coronavirus Cases Linked To Biogen Meeting At Boston Hotel – CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) – More presumptive positive coronavirus cases were linked Friday to a Biogen meeting in Boston last week. Brigham and Women’s Hospital announced Friday afternoon that they were asked to help test people who were at the conference.
The Cambridge-based biotechnology company held a conference at the Marriott Long Wharf and at least eight people from that gathering have been infected, state and city health officials announced Friday. Of the eight, three are from Boston, one is from Wellesley and one other is from Norfolk County. Two are employees from Europe and the other is from Tennessee.
“As we heard yesterday, three travelers who visited Boston last week for the conference in the city, the Biogen conference, have been diagnosed with the coronavirus,” said Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. “That includes the Tennessee case announced by their health department yesterday that incorporated Massachusetts in that. None of these travelers are Boston residents. We now have new information that there have been three confirmed cases of coronavirus tracing back to the same Biogen meeting.”
Officials said the three Boston residents are two women and a man, all in their 40’s, and that two of them are showing symptoms of the virus.
“It was a leadership meeting and it was held at the Long Wharf Marriott here in Boston,” said Chief of Health and Human Services for Boston Marty Martinez. “And (health officials) have been working with them to look at cleaning protocols, procedures so we can help them make sure they mitigate any risk to the space.”
The Marriott Long Wharf hotel in Boston. (WBZ-TV)
Read: Coronavirus – What You Should And Shouldn’t Do
According to the Boston Business Journal, about 175 people were at that meeting. Biogen said Thursday it has directed any employee who attended the conference to work from home for two weeks.
An alert sent out from the Harvard School of Public Health said that the school was notified by Brigham and Women’s Hospital that 60 people were being evaluated at the hospital for the coronavirus.
The hospital released a statement Friday afternoon: “The Massachusetts Department of Public Health asked Brigham and Women’s Hospital to assist in testing individuals who attended the Biogen conference in Boston last week for COVID-19. We have activated our central ambulatory screening and testing plan and will test patients outside of the hospital in the ambulance bay. Our Emergency Medicine colleagues will manage the testing, and individuals will return home to await results. We do not anticipate an influx of inpatients or any impact to hospital operations or normal patient activity.”
Several people are being tested for coronavirus at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Image credit James Healy)
The Mariott hotel released a statement Friday: “The hotel was informed by health authorities on Thursday afternoon of three confirmed COVID-19 cases involving individuals who attended a group meeting that took place between February 24 and 27. We are working closely with the appropriate public health authorities and are following their guidance. We continue to reinforce recommended measures on appropriate hygiene standards and to emphasize relevant health and safety measures. The wellbeing of our guests and associates is of paramount importance.”
“The Marriott has had a protocol and deep cleaning process in place for about the past six weeks, so they were already pretty prepared,” Martinez said.
Biogen has not yet released a statement in regards to the meeting.
Read: How Can I Prevent Coronavirus? Should I Wear A Mask? And Other Questions
The hotel is near several popular tourist sites in Boston, including Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market and the New England Aquarium.
As of Friday afternoon, overall there are now seven presumptive positive cases of coronavirus and one confirmed in Massachusetts, according to state health officials.
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New York (CNN Business)South by Southwest, the annual tech, film and music conference in Austin, has officially been canceled because of the coronavirus.
The decision, announced by city authorities on Friday, came just two days after Austin public health off…
It was a twofer for fans of Katy Perry: the pop star dropped a new music video — and revealed that she and her fiance, actor Orlando Bloom, are expecting a baby.
The 35-year-old Perry cradles a baby bump in the final seconds of the video for “Never Worn White,” released late Wednesday.
Shortly before it dropped, Perry had published a snippet of the clip, fuelling speculation on social media that the singer — known for hits such as “I Kissed A Girl” and “Roar” — might be expecting.
“Let’s just say it’s gonna be a jam packed summer…” Perry wrote afterwards on various social media sites.
“So glad I don’t have to suck it in anymore… or carry around a big purse,” she told her more than 108 million Twitter followers.
The songstress is engaged to Bloom, who is best known for his role as Legolas in “The Lord of the Rings” saga as well as his turn in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise alongside Johnny Depp.
The baby will be Perry’s first and the second for Bloom, 43, who has a son with model Miranda Kerr.
Wall Street stocks fell sharply Friday afternoon and oil prices tumbled around 10 percent as markets headed to another ugly finale on worries the coronavirus will lead to a global recession.
Near 2025 GMT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 2.7 percent at 25,415.78.
The broad-based S&P 500 sank 3.4 percent to 2,921.19, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index tumbled 3.5 percent to 8,378.03.
Traders essentially ignored strong US jobs data for February, viewing the report as outdated and not representative of an economy now pressured by worries that include supply chain disruption in China, a contraction of global travel and anxiety that fear of illness will stifle the consumer-driven US economy.
Demand remained elevated for secure assets such as bonds, with the yield on the 10-year US Treasury note falling to a fresh all-time low.
The rout in the equity market has wiped out roughly $4 trillion of household worth in the last two weeks, according to IHS.
“Unless reversed fully and quickly, this will weigh on consumer spending over the next few years,” IHS said in a report. “More immediately, weakening consumer attitudes will likely slow consumer spending in the second quarter, and businesses are likely to put some investment plans on hold until the outlook clears up.”
In the oil market, the US benchmark futures contract, West Texas Intermediate for delivery in April, ended at $41.28 a barrel, down 10.1 percent.
In London, Brent oil futures for delivery in May finished down 9.4 percent at $45.27 per barrel. Both WTI and Brent ended at their lowest levels since April 2016.
The big drop came after major producers failed to agree to production cuts after Russia balked at a proposal by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to trim crude output by 1.5 million barrels per day in face of the lower demand due to the epidemic.
Andrew Lebow of Commodity Research Group said oil prices were getting low enough to threaten some US producers, raising the prospect of loan defaults, or even bankruptcy.
“At the very least, there will be some negotiating on the loans, capital is already tight,” Lebow told AFP. “If we’re here for a while, that’s problematic.”
AFP
Coronavirus impact on global economy may jeopardize Alberta’s balanced-budget plans: Kenney | CBC News
Eight days after his government released a fiscal plan that called for a balanced budget by 2022/23, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says the global economic downturn linked to the spread of coronavirus could have already put that plan in jeopardy.Alberta Premier Jason Kenney speaks to reporters Friday. Kenney says the global economic downturn could hinder his government’s plan to balance the budget by 2022/23. (David Bajer/CBC)Eight days after his government released a fiscal plan that called for a balanced budget by 2022/23, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says the global economic downturn linked to the spread of coronavirus could have already put that plan in jeopardy. At a news conference Friday, one day after Alberta announced its first presumptive case of COVID-19, Kenney told reporters that evidence is mounting that Alberta’s economy is being hobbled by the global slump in stock markets and oil prices.”It’s clear now that we’ll be losing some of those gains that we had in the fourth quarter of 2019 and in January of this year,” Kenney said. “But we just don’t know how long and how deep this global trough is going to be.” Balancing the budget by 2022/23 was an important commitment made by his government just last week, Kenney said. “However, if there is a major prolonged global downturn, that would obviously affect our plan to get to balance in that timeframe. We do know that in the short term it’s going to have a negative impact on our budget and on our economy.” Coronavirus yet another challenge ‘thrown at Alberta,’ premier says NDP Leader Rachel Notley said it’s true that coronavirus is slowing the economy but the government’s plan to balance the budget within three years was never achievable in any case. “Jason’s Kenney’s plan to balance the budget by 2022/23 was always based on a collection of fantasyland numbers,” Notley said. “It was never real. It looks to me like he’s going to try to use this particular set of circumstances as cover for the fact that he introduced a budget that was absolutely not attainable, with fictional numbers.” On an annualized basis, every dollar reduction in the price of West Texas Intermediate oil, which traded at about $42 US on Friday, takes about $200 million out of provincial revenues, Kenney said. “This just underscores the importance of getting our fiscal house in order,” he said. “Because if indeed we do end up in a prolonged global downturn, [the province’s] deficit will go back up, and we need to be prepared for the future.” Capital plan calls for $19.3B in spending If the downturn does continue for months, the province could be forced to reassess it’s fiscal plans later this year, Kenney said. Kenney and Infrastructure Minister Prasad Panda held a news conference Friday to announce the government’s 2020 capital plan, which called $19.3 billion in spending over the next three years. After the announcement, however, most of the questions from the media centred on the global economic situation well beyond Alberta’s boundaries. Kenney said his government is doing all it can to create the right conditions to grow the province’s economy. “But I think all Albertans see what’s going on with the global economy because of the coronavirus,” he said. “Markets are again going down today. The price for Western Canadian select crude oil is trading just over $30 a barrel right now. And we don’t know how long this is going to go on. “We Albertans are not an island. It is frustrating, after five years of economic decline and stagnation, that just as I think we have been ready to see significant growth in 2020, to see this global downturn from the coronavirus.” Last week, the Conference Board of Canada projected Alberta’s economy would grow by 2.2 per cent in 2020. One week later, Kenney said, those projections are now in question.
Presentation: How hospitals are preparing for US coronavirus outbreak – Business Insider
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Hospitals are confronting the rising threat of the novel coronavirus in the US. In a February webinar presentation hosted by the American Hospital Association, national healthcare experts from organizations across the US laid out what hospitals need to know as they face the virus that causes COVID-19.Here’s a look at the presentation, which includes estimated projections of as many as 96 million cases in the US, 4.8 million hospitalizations, and 480,000 deaths associated with the novel coronavirus.It also includes the proper ways to identify coronavirus patients, isolate them, and keep caregivers at the hospitals informed. Click here for more BI Prime stories.
The spread of the coronavirus outbreak in the US could push the healthcare system to its limits. Hospitals are bracing for what could be millions of admissions nationwide as the virus spreads. The American Hospital Association, which represents thousands of hospitals and health systems, hosted a webinar in February with its member hospitals and health systems. Business Insider obtained a copy of the slides. The presentation, titled “What healthcare leaders need to know: Preparing for the COVID-19,” happened on February 26 with representatives from the National Ebola Training and Education Center. The presentation contained an overview of the virus, projections and estimates of how much the virus might spread in the US, and proper ways to identify coronavirus patients, isolate them, and keep caregivers at the hospitals informed.
In particular, one slide presented by an expert included “best guess” estimates that there could be as many as:4.8 million hospitalizations associated with the novel coronavirus.96 million cases overall in the US.480,000 deaths.Overall, the slide says hospitals should prepare for an impact to the system that’s 10 times greater than a severe flu season. Those estimates come from Dr. James Lawler, a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. They “represent his interpretation of the data available. It’s possible that forecast will change as more information becomes available,” a spokesman for Nebraska Medicine told Business Insider in an email. The American Hospital Association said the webinar reflected the views of the experts who spoke during it, not its own.”The AHA regularly hosts webinars and conference calls that include a variety of voices and opinions that seek to provide relevant information to professionals at hospitals and health systems that are on the front lines of preparing for and protecting their patients and communities,” a spokeswoman for the AHA told Business Insider in an emailed statement. “The slides you shared reflect the various perspectives of field experts and should not be attributed to the AHA.”
Here’s a look at slides presented in the webinar:
The presentation featured “national experts from several health care organizations,” the AHA said on its website. Its focus: getting healthcare leaders up to speed on how to prepare for the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease known as COVID-19
AHA webinar
Source: AHA
As part of the presentation, the experts laid out facts about the virus, how hospitals can prepare, and details on what prevention tactics might be key to combating its spread.
AHA webinar
In attendance were experts from Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Nebraska Medical Center …
AHA webinar
… Emory University Hospital and HCA Healthcare.
AHA webinar
Some are affiliated with the National Ebola Training and Education Center, an organization created in the wake of the Ebola outbreak in 2015 to help hospitals and public-health organizations safely manage patients with suspected and confirmed cases of Ebola and other pathogens.
AHA webinar
The presentation started with an overview of the novel coronavirus as of the end of February.
AHA webinar
At that point, there were 81,191 total confirmed cases around the globe. Now more than 100,000 people have been infected. The vast majority of the cases are in China.
AHA webinar
Source: Business Insider
The presentation laid out the distinction between quarantine and isolation, which are both being used to quell the spread of infection.
AHA webinar
It also pointed to recent literature published on the outbreak showing the number of cases in China per day.
AHA webinar
Source: JAMA
Cumulatively, hospitalization rates were going up, especially in Wuhan in the days since the outbreak began.
AHA webinar
In a part of the presentation conducted by Dr. James Lawler, a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Internal Medicine, he estimated that the US could have 96 million cases, of which 4.8 million could result in hospital admissions. The slide does not give a particular time frame.
AHA webinar
“Those estimates were from Dr. Lawler’s presentation and represent his interpretation of the data available. It’s possible that forecast will change as more information becomes available,” a spokesman for Nebraska Medicine told Business Insider in an email. In particular, the slide says hospitals should prepare for an impact to the system that’s 10 times greater than a severe flu season. Lawler isn’t alone in anticipating widespread infections. Marc Lipsitch, an epidemiology professor at Harvard University, told The Atlantic he predicted anywhere from 40 to 70% of people globally would be infected with the novel coronavirus within the next year.
Other experts also presented.
AHA webinar
The presentation explored how hospitals could be ready as HCA’s chief of preparedness and emergency operations, Mike Wargo, presented.
AHA webinar
That includes having the team in place to handle an emergency, from clinical teams to teams monitoring the situation to those making sure there aren’t issues getting supplies.
AHA webinar
The bulk of the presentation focused on laying out best ways to “identify, isolate,” and “inform.”
AHA webinar
Here’s a look at the clinical criteria used to evaluate potential coronavirus patients.
AHA webinar
Source: CDC
As more patients around the US start presenting symptoms, having a safe way to identify them will be key.
AHA webinar
The presenters highlighted the different ways patients might come to the hospital, through the emergency department and by ambulance, in a number of different conditions.
AHA webinar
The presenters suggested putting up signage that could help patients identify themselves as those who could have the novel coronavirus and might need a face mask.
AHA webinar
Here’s an example of a screening protocol from Nebraska Medicine based on guidelines around travel as an indicator for the disease.
AHA webinar
Isolating patients who have a confirmed infection will be key for health systems as well.
AHA webinar
The presenters recommended putting patients in masks who present with respiratory-illness symptoms and following good hand hygiene for both healthcare providers and the patients.
AHA webinar
The presenters pointed to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for infection control.
AHA webinar
Finally, the experts presented on what hospitals should do to keep their communities informed: both within and outside hospitals.
AHA webinar
That includes making sure teams are entirely linked up if cases arise.
AHA webinar
The presentation also laid out what protective equipment is needed for COVID-19.
AHA webinar
That includes a face shield, N95 respirator mask, isolation gown, and a pair of gloves.
AHA webinar
This part of the presentation deals with the importance of communicating about the outbreak within hospitals.
AHA webinar
This slide has some best practices developed in Nebraska.
AHA webinar
The presentation also included a discussion of supply-chain issues for hospitals.
AHA webinar
It ends with resources for health systems.
AHA webinar
The webinar also provided links through which AHA’s members could continue reading for more information.
AHA webinar
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See How Taylor Swift Transformed Herself Into ‘The Man’ In New Behind-The-Scenes Video
YouTube/Taylor Swift
If you watched the entire music video for Taylor Swift’s “The Man” without noticing that it stars Swift herself, you’re not alone. Several fans on Twitter couldn’t believe that underneath all the muscles, facial hair, and audacity was one of the most famous pop stars in the world. And in a brand new behind-the-scenes video out today (March 6), Swift gave fans an unfiltered look at the making of the music video in all its cigar-smoking and crotch-adjusting glory.
“Putting on the look for ‘The Man’ took five hours every morning and it’s been a joy because Bill Corso’s been doing it,” Swift said of the video’s extensive and complicated makeup process. “I worked with him once before when he turned me into the zombie for the ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ music video, and I had no idea what they do to your body to make you look different.”
Yep! Before making this video, Swift was generally clueless about all the work it would take to make her character look like the hyper-masculine Wall Street boss he’s supposed to be. “I have muscle suits on underneath things, I have — I don’t even want to talk to you [about] what else. I don’t even want to tell you about it. This is a family show,” she joked.
But it takes way more than just looking the part; it’s acting it, too. “I just need to never ever make movements that look like I’m a girl,” she said. “Which is hard.” Fortunately, the “Lover” singer had a professional coach her through everything from the most miniature mannerisms to her character’s assertive, self-confident swagger. “I was so stoked to have a movement coach,” she said. “I never thought about how men walk… but, you know, they walk differently than we do.”
The remainder of the video was full of hilarious bloopers, such as Swift attempting to smoke her first cigar ever while wearing rubber lips. “You know, I’ve never smoked a cigar before,” she said. “I don’t have real lips on. I don’t know what’s going on. These are rubber lips. I don’t know what my face is doing.” And after trying desperately to adjust her underwear and check women out the way that “The Man” would, an important message appeared on screen: “No men were harmed in the making of this video.”
Check out the behind-the-scenes video for “The Man” up above, and if you haven’t already, watch the full music video here.
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Taylor Swift
ESA’s Mars Express gifted us with this enchanting view of Moreux crater on Mars.
ESA/DLR/FU Berlin
This story is part of Welcome to Mars, our series exploring the red planet.
I’m not planning on ever going to Mars, but a new image from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft has reminded me of the sort of sightseeing I’ll be missing out on.The view shows Moreux crater, which stretches nearly 84 miles (135 kilometers) across. A tall peak dominates the crater’s center. Mars Express observed Moreux in October 2019 and ESA shared the image on Thursday.
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Meet the Mars 2020 rover launching this year
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The ink-splash appearance of the crater’s walls makes it stand out from the lighter landscape around it. “This darkness is thought to be a result of the dunes comprising sandy material rich in pyroxene and olivine, minerals with a typically dark appearance,” ESA said of the image on Thursday.
The rugged crater offers a look at a diverse set of Mars geologic processes, from signs of ancient glacial activity to wind-carved dunes on the crater floor.ESA also shared a perspective view of the crater’s mountain that makes it feel like you’re flying over it in a helicopter.This perspective view of Moreux crater shows off the height of its central peak.
ESA/DLR/FU Berlin
Mars Express has a talent for capturing eye-popping views of the red planet. Check out this slice of Mars or this frosty crater. And if you end up visiting Mars, be sure to send me a postcard.
Is it good news to say that stocks fell less sharply than they had on previous days?
That’s the bright side of another turbulent trading day across the Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange. The major indices were down again — although their declines were less severe than they had been during the week.
Investors appeared to shake off positive labor statistics (the U.S. added 273,000 jobs, ahead of expectations), as the expanding number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. and lack of a coordinated response from the Trump administration took their toll on investor confidence that the impact on the economy would be minimal.
With that said, things could have been worse.
The Dow fell 256.50 points, or just under 1%, to close at 25,864.78, while the S&P stumbled 51.57 points, or 1.7%, to close at 2,972.37 while the Nasdaq slid 1.8%, or 162.98 to close at 8,575.62. The benchmark indices are in the territory of a market correction — hovering at around a 10% loss already on the year.
For startups, it’s important to note that these market pressures can have implications for their businesses. Jittery buyers may be inclined to curb spending and save to conserve cash on their own balance sheets; consumers may rethink priorities and focus on essential purchases as they tighten their own belts.
Sequoia Capital warned in a blog post yesterday that things may change as time rolls along and the global economy stutters.
Here’s their take:
Drop in business activity. Some companies have seen their growth rates drop sharply between December and February. Several companies that were on track are now at risk of missing their Q1 2020 plans as the effects of the virus ripple wider.
Supply chain disruptions. The unprecedented lockdown in China is directly impacting global supply chains. Hardware, direct-to-consumer and retailing companies may need to find alternative suppliers. Pure software companies are less exposed to supply chain disruptions, but remain at risk due to cascading economic effects.
Curtailment of travel and canceled meetings. Many companies have banned all “non-essential” travel and some have banned all international travel. While travel companies are directly impacted, all companies that depend on in-person meetings to conduct sales, business development or partnership discussions are being affected.
This isn’t the first time that one of the country’s most successful venture capital firms has warned its portfolio about the possibility of an economic crisis. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis the firm issued an infamous slide deck warning “RIP Good Times.”
For financial markets the funeral bells are already tolling in the early part of the year. Now, a reckoning may be coming for startups that were on the edge of the bubble.
A brilliant full moon rises at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in 2017.
NASA/Kim Shiflett
The next supermoon of the year will put on a bright show Monday night. A supermoon occurs when a full moon is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit, called “perigee,” making it brighter and bigger than a regular full moon.The moon will reach peak fullness at 10:48 a.m. PT on Monday, the Old Farmer’s Almanac notes, and then will be at perigee Monday at 11:31 p.m. PT, according to NASA. But if you’re not planning to be up at that hour, you’ve got other time slots for viewing. The moon will appear full from Sunday through Tuesday night.Full moons are given nicknames according to the month they occur. March’s many full moon nicknames, as used in the Old Farmer’s Almanac, include the Halloweeny-sounding worm moon and the crow moon.
The Almanac reports that the worm moon nickname comes from the fact that in many parts of the US, March is when the ground softens and earthworm casts (yep, their poop) begins to reappear. That encourages birds come out to snack on it. Yum?The next full moon will also be a supermoon, and will occur in a month, on April 7. The last supermoon occurred a month ago, over the weekend of Feb. 9. Last September saw a rare moon that wasn’t a supermoon, but made headlines for being a nationwide full moon that was visible on the spooky date of Friday the 13th.
Concerns over the coronavirus spread have officially derailed the 2020 South by Southwest music and film festival.
The city of Austin issued an order Friday effectively forcing the gathering’s cancellation, Mayor Steve Adler announced in a press conference. Festival organizers said in a statement, “SXSW will faithfully follow the City’s directions.”
Local officials said there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus, a.k.a. COVID-19, in Travis County, where Austin is located.
In recent weeks, various studios and companies had already made the decision to pull out of the annual event, which typically features premiere screenings, panels, and, of course, the music festival itself.
As recently as Wednesday, Dr. Mark Escott, director of Austin Public Health, said in a press conference that canceling “mass events” like SXSW wouldn’t necessarily improve safety conditions for the community. “If there’s any evidence that our community will be safer by closing down public events, we will do that,” he said at the time.
TV and film studios had already been quietly canceling plans until Amazon Studios became the first big name from the Hollywood sector to pull its planned presence, which included screenings and panels for two of its shows. Soon after, Netflix, Apple, and WarnerMedia (which includes HBO, HBO Max, and CNN) followed suit. Facebook and Twitter were also among the companies bailing.
Initially, a rep for SXSW told EW at the end of February that the festival would be “proceeding as planned” from March 13 to 22, though organizers would “continue to monitor the situation closely” as they work with Austin Public Health to increase “efforts to prevent the spread of germs.”
SXSW organizers said Friday they would be “exploring options to reschedule the event and are working to provide a virtual SXSW online experience as soon as possible for 2020 participants, starting with SXSW EDU.”
In the wake of the festival’s cancellation, Kumail Nanjiani, the actor, writer, and comedian who was slated to be a featured speaker, tweeted that SXSW is one of his “favorite festivals” but canceling it was “the responsible thing” to do. He added, “I know this sucks for many people for whom this was a massive opportunity. But we’re kind of in an unprecedented situation here and caution is key. Thank you for making the right decision.”
Meanwhile, studios continue to re-evaluate the situation with COVID-19 on a day-by-day basis. The next area of concern seems to be CinemaCon, which brings together movie theater owners from March 30 to April 2 and typically welcomes early looks at upcoming films. Sony hadn’t planned on bringing any sneak peeks to the convention this year, even before the coronavirus situation. As of now, however, plans seem to remain on track.
Related content:
Bond, Mulan, BTS, and more: How coronavirus is hitting Hollywood
Netflix and HBO’s WarnerMedia are latest to nix SXSW plans in wake of coronavirus
Amazon pulls out of SXSW amid coronavirus concerns
‘Close Call’: NASA-Boeing Investigation of Starliner Flight Finds Lapses – The New York Times
Science|‘Close Call’: NASA-Boeing Investigation of Starliner Flight Finds LapsesThe uncrewed December space mission could have ended in disaster.The Boeing Starliner spacecraft lifting off for an uncrewed test flight from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Dec. 20.Credit…Joe Skipper/ReutersMarch 6, 2020, 6:58 p.m. ETAn uncrewed test flight of Starliner, a Boeing spacecraft designed to carry NASA astronauts, could have ended in disaster in December because of lapses that allowed software errors to slip through undetected and unfixed before the spacecraft launched, according to a review by NASA and Boeing that was announced on Friday.The review team made 61 recommendations for fixes and improvements. Some recommendations were specific, such as changes to the software testing procedures. Others addressed possible blind spots in how the program was managed.Top NASA and Boeing officials said they welcomed the report’s findings.Instead of building and operating its own spacecraft to take astronauts to space as it has in the past, NASA has hired two private companies — Boeing and SpaceX — to provide transportation to and from the International Space Station. SpaceX appears to be on track to launch its first mission with astronauts aboard its capsule, Crew Dragon, in the coming months.Boeing’s December test flight was to have been the last major milestone before NASA agreed to putting its astronauts aboard. Now, the space agency may require Boeing to repeat Starliner’s uncrewed flight.Douglas L. Loverro, the associate administrator for human exploration and operations at NASA, said the two organizations would take several months to review the report and put changes in place “in order to make sure when we decide to fly again, we can fly safely.”Mr. Loverro said he had also decided to label the December flight a “high-visibility close call,” which will lead to a review of organizational processes at Boeing and NASA to “make sure we truly do learn from this event and that we know how to fix it and make sure it does not happen again.”John Mulholland, the manager of the Starliner program at Boeing, said an audit of the software development process revealed 49 gaps in testing. That does not necessarily mean that any problems lurk in those sections of the software code, but that no one knows for sure.“Now our team will be able to go perform that testing and identify whether there’s any additional corrupt code, and if so, we’ll be able to fix it,” Mr. Mulholland said.The Starliner spacecraft, launched on top of an Atlas 5 rocket on Dec. 20, encountered two major software issues during its flight. The first occurred minutes after it separated from the rocket, because the clock had been set wrong. That led to the spacecraft squandering its propellant, and a planned docking at the International Space Station was called off.A second flaw would have fired the wrong thrusters as Starliner was preparing for re-entry. Because Boeing engineers hastily combed through the Starliner software in the aftermath of the clock problem, they found the second problem and fixed it. If it had not been fixed, two pieces of Starliner — the capsule that returns to Earth and the service module, which is discarded — might have collided. The capsule might have tumbled and burned up in the atmosphere instead of landing safely in White Sands, N.M.An integrated simulation of Starliner with the Atlas 5 rocket from launch to docking at the space station would have revealed the flaw with the clock. But Boeing engineers split the simulation into shorter chunks.The first chunk simulated from launch to separation of the Starliner, and at that point the error in time had no obvious effects on the operation of the spacecraft. The second chunk started at the point of separation but presumed the clock had been set correctly.One of the review’s recommendations was to conduct end-to-end simulation tests.The review team also found that too much authority was given to a Boeing software review board to approve changes to the Starliner software. Those changes should have been brought to a broader engineering review team so that any changes were coordinated with other engineers, Mr. Loverro said.The flaw with the thruster software occurred because it was tested with a flawed hardware emulator, instead of the actual thrusters.The review called for verification that various hardware emulators used by Boeing accurately mimic the behavior of the real systems.Kathy Lueders, program manager for NASA’s commercial crew program, said NASA had already sent more software experts to keep a closer eye on Boeing. “We are taking concrete corrective steps to move forward, to improve for the next mission,” she said.NASA is planning to use a commercial approach for a lander to take NASA astronauts back to the moon similar to the one used for the Boeing and SpaceX programs where the companies and not NASA own the systems, and the companies also have more freedom in coming up with the design, which reduces the costs.“We’re going to roll these lessons into our human lander requirements,” Mr. Loverro said.With the delays experienced by both Starliner and Crew Dragon, NASA is currently negotiating with the Russian space agency to buy one more seat on a Soyuz capsule, Mr. Loverro said. Since the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011, NASA astronauts have been riding on Russian rockets to orbit.Mr. Loverro said that the problems were not a consequence of the fixed-price structure of the SpaceX and Boeing contracts.“I think it was the way we chose to manage it,” Mr. Loverro said.
It was Lori Vallow’s first time back in Idaho since she left for Hawaii. March 6, 2020, 10:02 PM4 min read
Lori Vallow on Friday appeared in an Idaho court for the first time in the case of her missing children.
Vallow was read the five charges she’s facing — two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children and one misdemeanor count each of resisting and obstructing an officer, solicitation of a crime and contempt — by Judge Faren Eddins in Madison County Court around 2 p.m. local time. She mostly responded to questions with one-word “yes” or “no” answers.
It was Vallow’s first time back in her home state since leaving for Hawaii in December with her new husband, about three months after her children were last seen and a day after authorities conducted a welfare check on the children. She was arrested Feb. 20 in Kauai.
Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 17, have been missing since September. During an investigation by Rexburg police, they found “no evidence or verification of anyone providing for the housing, food, clothing, education or medical care” for the children since September.
JJ’s grandparents, Larry and Kay Woodcock, and Vallow’s oldest son, Colby Ryan, were in attendance at the court hearing. Chad Daybell, Vallow’s fifth husband who is not the biological father of JJ or Tylee, was also in attendance and sat on the opposite of the courtroom.
Vallow’s bail was reduced from $5 million to $1 million. Eddins said if she posts bond, she will be required to wear an ankle monitor at all times, appear for all court appearances and not leave multiple counties in Idaho.
Her appearance comes a day after the FBI asked for the public’s help in the case.
Authorities learned that Tylee was last seen alive on Sept. 8, in Yellowstone National Park, prompting the FBI to ask anyone who visited the park that day to come forward with photos and videos, which can be uploaded to FBI.gov/Rexburg.
JJ was last seen alive in Rexburg, where the family lived, on Sept. 23, according to authorities.
Daybell had previously told ABC News that “the kids are safe,” but did not elaborate.
He returned to Idaho while Vallow was in custody in Kauai, Hawaii, and has not been charged with a crime.
Vallow’s next court appearance is scheduled for March 18.
5:01 PM ETAdrian WojnarowskiSenior NBA Insider CloseHost of The Woj Pod
Joined ESPN in 2017Free-agent center Joakim Noah has agreed to a deal with the LA Clippers, league sources tell ESPN.Noah, 35, will join the Clippers on a 10-day contract next week, but there’s optimism that he would finish the season with the team barring any setbacks, league sources said.Noah will fill the franchise’s final open roster spot.The Clippers have been monitoring Noah’s physical progress throughout the season. The two-time All-Star gives them an aggressive, physical, playoff-tested player should a need arise for him in the postseason.Noah has spent the year working out between New York and Los Angeles. He played 42 games with Memphis last season, after agreeing to a buyout with the New York Knicks. He’s played only 124 NBA games since the end of the 2014-2015 season in Chicago.Noah made the Eastern Conference All-Star teams in 2013 and 2014 with the Bulls. He was on the All-NBA first team and was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2014.
Oribi, an Israeli startup promising to democratize web analytics, is now launching in the United States.
While we’ve written about a wide range of new or new-ish analytics companies, founder and CEO Iris Shoor said that most of them aren’t built for Oribi’s customers.
“A lot of companies are more focused on the high end,” Shoor told me. “Usually these solutions are very much based on a lot of technical resources and integrations — these are the Mixpanels and Heap Analytics and Adobe Marketing Clouds.”
She said that Oribi, on the other hand, is designed for small and medium businesses that don’t have large technical teams: “They have digital marketing strategies that are worth a few hundred thousand dollars a month, they have very large activity, but they don’t have a team for it. And I would say that all of them are using Google Analytics.”
Shoor described Oribi as designed specifically “to compete with Google Analytics” by allowing everyone on the team to get the data they need without requiring developers to write new code for every event they want to track.
In fact, if you use Oribi’s plugins for platforms like WordPress and Shopify, there’s no coding at all involved in the process. Apparently, that’s because Oribi is already tracking every major event in the customer journey. It also allows the team to define the conversion goals that they want to focus on — again, with no coding required.
Shoor contrasted Oribi with analytics platforms that simply provide “more and more data” but don’t help customers understand what to do with that data.
“We’ve created something that is much more clean,” she said. “We give them insights of what’s working; in the background, we create all these different queries and correlations about which part of the funnels are broken and where they can optimize.”
There are big businesses using Oribi already — including Audi, Sony and Crowne Plaza — but the company is now turning its attention to U.S. customers. Shoor said Oribi isn’t opening an office in the United States right away, but there are plans to do so in the next year.