The researchers found that the immune system responds to the novel coronavirus in multiple ways. Importantly, they observed that people who recover from COVID-19 carry immune cells in their blood called T cells that target the novel coronavirus. T cells are a key component of the immune system’s ability to fend off infectious diseases. When faced with fragments of SARS-CoV-2, the T cells recognized the virus and sprang into action....

A system called StarChase can make every officer’s Bond gadget dreams come true. When a suspect starts to make a break for it, a push of a button lowers the StarCase-equipped car’s grill, and a compressed-air gun, sort of like the ones that launch T-shirts and water balloons into crowds, emerges. It shoots a sticky GPS bullet, 2 inches in diameter, into the back of the chased car. Skip to about 00:43 to see it in action: Once the device attaches to the car, the police dispatcher can track where the suspect goes (and how fast they’re going) in real-time using the GPS tag....

Yet, for almost as long as there have been polygraph tests, there has been evidence that the machines don’t really work. “There is no lie detector, neither man nor machine,” the first empirical review of the machinery concluded in 1965, a view that has been supported by every scientific publication on the topic since. Except in very rare (and often worrisome) circumstances, the results of a polygraph are not admissible in court in the United States....

In most places across the US, communities have a privately owned utility like Con Edison—one of the biggest investor-owned energy companies in the country. No shareholders are involved, and excess profits tend to stay within the community that the public power grid is operated in. Because the community is so connected to grid operations and investments, this helps keep the profits in those same communities, the American Public Power Association says....

As much as the Veep likes his ‘Vette, his 327 small block V8, four-on-the-floor manual transmission roadster is a relic of the past. Which is why Biden said he wants to drive an electric Corvette. “I believe we can own the 21st-century market again by moving to electric vehicles,” he says in the video. “And by the way, they tell me—and I’m looking forward, if it’s true, to driving one—that they’re making an electric Corvette that can go 200 miles an hour....

Setting aside its probably fictitious provenance, Chicken Marengo is “a classic study in umami,” Ole Mouritsen says. He is a professor of molecular biophysics at the University of Southern Denmark, and he is spending an evening with a group of somewhat tipsy Brooklyn food enthusiasts in the basement of a converted factory in Williamsburg, where umami-centered snacks are served while he explicates them. “Tonight I’m going to unlock the secret of umami,” the tall, round-featured Dane murmurs into a microphone, over the sound of a few dozen hands rummaging in little bags of popcorn seasoned with capers and brown butter....

In an effort to combat this, World Health Organization (WHO) recommends reducing the population-wide average sodium intake by 30 percent by 2025 in order to combat negative health outcomes. This limits total daily sodium intake to about per person to about 2,000 milligrams a day per person, compared to the estimated 3,400 mg of sodium consumed by the average American every day. The WHO also released guidance for sodium levels in food categories that are the biggest contributors to sodium intake such as processed meats, bread, and sauces in 2021....

Accepting the original proposal would likely avoid a headline-dominating trial between the two sides in which both Musk and Twitter executives would be expected to testify—one that many legal experts suggest Musk would lose. Last week’s pretrial release revealed text conversations comprising of hundreds of messages held Musk and prominent Big Tech, political, and media personalities including venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, and podcast giant Joe Rogan regarding Twitter’s future....

As of this morning, an end-to-end (E2E) data encryption option is available for Ring’s flagship, battery-powered cameras such as the Ring 4 and Ring Video doorbells. Although Ring already encrypts user recordings when they upload to cloud servers, E2E provides a much more targeted security option, since only the device’s owner will be able to access footage on a single device using a password phrase. “We believe we should offer a full range of privacy options to as many customers as possible....

WHAT’S NEW The Roku 2 XS, despite its name, is actually the fourth iteration of the Roku. What started as a small, cheap box to stream Netflix to your TV has turned into an absolutely tiny box that streams Netflix, yes, but also a whopping 300 other apps, from Hulu Plus to Pandora to Rdio to MLB to Fox News. Those apps work essentially like any other app store: You can browse the store either on your TV, using the Roku’s remote, or you can do it from a web browser....

For instance, you may not be aware that your Kindle, TiVo, and Roku player all use Linux. Driving a Toyota, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, or Volkswagen? Newsflash: they all run on Linux, too. Scrolling through Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter for a huge chunk of your day? Ding, ding, they also run on Linux. Linux is everywhere, you just don’t realize it—which is why it’s worth learning and worth building a career out of....

Now astronomers across the country are calling for his dismissal from the university entirely, arguing that his offenses, which include unwanted massaging, groping, and kissing, warrant a much more severe punishment. As of Wednesday afternoon, Marcy was reported to be resigning, according to an internal Berkeley email that was referenced by Nature. On Monday, 23 astronomy faculty members at Berkeley posted a letter urging the university to fire Marcy, a celebrity astronomer who has appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman and has been mentioned as a Nobel Prize contender for his discoveries of alien worlds known as exoplanets....

The days of clumsy interactions with the itty-bitty world may be drawing to a close, however: Researchers at Japan’s Ritsumeikan University recently published a paper detailing their advancements in micro-robotics that allows for unprecedented physical interactions with extremely small subjects. As detailed in a paper published last month via Scientific Reports, developers have created “microfingers” that use artificial muscle actuators and tactile sensors to provide a “haptic teleoperation robot system” which they then tested on aforementioned pillbugs....

The bee species Megachile pluto was first described by legendary scientist Alfred Russel Wallace in 1859. But the little bug, commonly called Wallace’s giant bee, had been missing for so long scientists assumed it was extinct. But new photos, videos, and some truly haunting GIFs released on Thursday show the enormous insect thriving in its natural habitat, Indonesia’s North Moluccas islands. You might wonder: How does one lose sight of a 1....

With critics questioning whether the benefits of manned spaceflight (both scientific and geopolitical) are worth the risk and cost, NASA faces serious challenges. It needs to transition quickly from the shuttle to Constellation, beat China and Russia to the moon, and do it without cannibalizing its non-manned programs. The Next Four Years For five years after the space shuttle retires in 2010, American astronauts will have to hitchhike their way into space....

You don’t have to go back to university to do this. Ahead of Black Friday, you can enjoy an extra 70 percent discount on these course bundles that touch on various subjects, from cybersecurity to stock trading. You just have to use code BFSAVE70. StackSkills Unlimited: Lifetime Access With unlimited access to StackSkills, you can enjoy over 1,000 courses that cover everything from coding and design to marketing and finance....

As said by the great Henry Ford himself, “anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” To keep your skills sharp and boost personal and professional development, it’s important to keep abreast with the latest in your chosen field. Something that could help you on this front is the Unlimited Lifetime Learning Subscription Bundle ft. Rosetta Stone, which offers lifetime subscriptions to a top-rated language-learning app and an e-learning platform....

We’ll find out the truth when the Dawn spacecraft arrives on March 6.

In August we wrote that California was experiencing it’s largest fire on record and created a map to show just how much of the state had burned in the preceding five years. Now, just a few months later, we’re updating because November has brought the Golden State its deadliest and most destructive fires ever. Even back in August this was already the worst fire season since 2008. Now blazes have destroyed the entire town of Paradise, countless beach homes in and around Malibu, and a record 63 deaths....