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What sewage can tell us about the spread of COVID-19

Jane C. Hu

September 02, 2020 |

High Country News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Bozeman, Montana

Scientists in Bozeman, Montana are tracking community spread of COVID-19 by studying samples from the city’s wastewater. Although this form of tracking is more tedious and not necessarily as effective as testing individuals via a swab, the wastewater tracking program is able detect the virus and help health officials identify the area where it likely originated from.

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Bringing the endangered Vancouver Island marmot back from the brink

Sarah Cox

August 29, 2020 |

The Narwhal |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

The Vancouver Island marmot is making a comeback, thanks to recovery efforts from the Marmot Recovery Foundation. By 2003, there were only 27 marmots left in Canada’s wilderness, but their population has rebounded to just over 200 animals. These marmots are bred in captivity, where they can be monitored and acclimated to predators before being released into the wild. However, saving the species from extinction takes a lot of effort and money.

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Study Finds Painting Eyes On Cows' Butts Can Save Their Lives

Lulu Garcia-Navarro

August 23, 2020 |

NPR |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Botswana

As a way to prevent livestock from being attacked by predators and to decrease conflict between farmers and big cats, a pair of conservation biologists painted eyes on the backsides of cattle to fool carnivores during their hunt. A study in Botswana showed that cows painted with artificial eyes on their behinds tricked predators into thinking they’ve been seen by their prey. While it’s not a perfect protection method for cattle, over the four years of the study, none of the cows with the colorful posteriors were killed compared with control groups.

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Vaccine Tech 30 Years in the Making Is Getting Put to the Ultimate Test

Emily Mullin

August 21, 2020 |

Medium |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

A key set of entrants in the race to develop an effective COVID-19 vaccine use a genetic approach that has shown promising but preliminary results in human safety trials. Genetic vaccines, which have been in development for 30 years but have never undergone large-scale clinical trials or been used widely, differ from traditional vaccines, which inject a form of an actual pathogen to trigger an immune response. DNA and RNA vaccines can be developed much more quickly by using a small piece of genetic code to instruct a body's response. Initial human safety trials worked enough to move to large-scale tests.

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Solar Power Is Booming. But It's Putting Desert Wilderness At Risk.

Kyla Mandel

August 20, 2020 |

The Huffington Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

Solar development can reduce or significantly alter local biodiversity, and this should be considered when planning sustainability projects in the desert, argues a new study. Scientists measured the impact of a solar plant built in California and found that while some grasses and native shrubs grew back, cacti and yucca didn’t fare well. They recommend building solar projects on places that have already been developed or have low environmental impact. Groups like the Nature Conservancy are using that advice to pilot a project demonstrating that old mine sites in Nevada can be used for clean energy.

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Up close with B.C.'s endangered baby caribou — and the First Nations trying to save them

Sarah Cox Ryan Dickie

July 25, 2020 |

The Narwhal |

Photojournalism |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, British Columbia

To save the dwindling caribou herds in Canada, the West Moberly First Nations and Saulteau First Nations capture pregnant caribou cows from the herd by helicopter and raise them in pens to ensure the calves are old enough to survive in the wild. Within six years, the herd has grown from 36 animals to 95, but there’s still more to do to stabilize the herd.

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The Business of Burps: Scientists Smell Profit in Cow Emissions

Adam Satariano

May 01, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Lancaster, England

A company called Mootral is studying whether changing a cattle’s diet could make the animals belch and flatulate less methane. They created a food supplement out of compounds from garlic, citrus, and other additives, that in early tests, has shown a decrease in a cow’s emission of the greenhouse gas. If they can get investors on board and scale it to different breeds of cows and in different climates, it could help the agricultural and farming industries to combat climate change.

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Microbe Mappers Are Tracking Covid-19's Invisible Traces

Megan Molteni

April 29, 2020 |

Wired |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Scientists have been mapping microbes in public places for a long time and are now tracking Covid-19 by swabbing subways, park benches, ATMs, and even the air, for traces of genetic material to better understand the virus’ transmission dynamics and detect hotspots before transmission becomes widespread. Molecular monitoring has identified how long the virus can live on different surfaces and the origin of different strains, which can flag sanitation priorities and help contact tracers. There are limits to what it can reveal because finding virus on surfaces does not always lead to definite infection.

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Caught between floods, protests and a pandemic, ecotourism operators bat for resilience

Sahana Ghosh

March 25, 2020 |

Mongabay |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Bali, West Bengal

In the Indian Sundarbans, home to a huge mangrove ecosystem as well as native tigers, ecotourism has come to a halt due to restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus disease. In response, locals involved in conservation efforts and ecotourism have stepped up to educate their communities, especially those that are the most remote, to ensure safety precautions are taken, as well as advocating for government support of those whose livelihoods are threatened.

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How this South Korean company created coronavirus test kits in three weeks

Julia Hollingsworth Sophie Jeong Ivan Watson

March 12, 2020 |

CNN |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: South Korea

South Korean molecular biotech company, Seegene, created, tested, and received approval for a COVID19 test kit in just three weeks. Using a supercomputer’s big data system and taking advantage of the Disease Control & Prevention’s newly expedited approval process, the company is now making 10,000 tests each week, costing just under $20 each.

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