UC Berkeley offers its popular ‘Science of Happiness’ online course for free
Spoiler: True happiness comes not from setting ourselves above and apart from others, but from joining and serving our communities.
Science & academia
Six-junction solar cell sets two world records for efficiency
While the six-junction III-V technology underlying these new cells is likely too costly at this time to be put to use in everyday rooftop applications, the new cell has great potential for application in concentrated solar panel arrays.
Blood plasma taken from COVID-19 survivors could aid recovery, new study shows
In several of the patients the virus cleared up entirely, leading the authors to conclude that plasma “can serve as a promising rescue option” for severe COVID-19 cases.
New magnetic brain therapy relieved depression in 90% of the participants in small trial
“There’s never been a therapy for treatment-resistant depression that’s broken 55% remission rates in open-label testing,” the team says.
New blood test can detect 50 types of cancer using machine learning
Researchers say the test can not only tell whether someone has cancer, but can also shed light on the type of cancer they have.
New coronavirus test provides results in as little as 5 minutes
The new point-of-care test, having just received an emergency-use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) begins shipping today, April 1.
Social distancing is slowing coronavirus infections in the U.S., new data suggest
Kinsa Health, a company that produces internet-connected thermometers, first created a national map of fever levels in the U.S. on March 22 and was able to spot the trend within a day.
MIT to publish plans for an emergency ventilator that can be built for $400
The ventilator shortage is a key barrier worldwide to effectively managing the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Now, teams around the world can use MIT’s plans to make them for less than $500.
Scientists can now accelerate COVID-19 testing by screening multiple samples at the same time
Health care professionals may be able to dramatically speed up COVID-19 testing now that Israeli scientists have developed a technique for screening up to 60 patient samples at the same time.
Japanese flu drug ‘clearly effective’ in treating coronavirus, says China
Patients who were given the medicine in Shenzhen turned negative for the virus after a median of four days after becoming positive, compared with a median of 11 days for those who were not treated with the drug.