Electrified Fabric Could Zap the Coronavirus on Masks and Clothing

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June 24, 2020

Dear Reader, A recent multistate outbreak of mumps involved 62 cases linked to a single asymptomatic wedding attendee in Nebraska. More than half of the individuals infected had been fully vaccinated, raising concerns about waning immunity from childhood mumps immunization. In space news, NASA is planning to usher in an era of sustainable lunar operations by mining the moon's reserves of water ice. Speaking of ice, scientists may have figured out why atmospheric CO2 stopped climbing in Antarctica for a period of nearly 2,000 years. And, our main story today: Researchers are working to develop an electroceutical fabric that could inactivate or repel coronaviruses—ideally including the one that causes COVID-19—and other pathogens.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Biotech Electrified Fabric Could Zap the Coronavirus on Masks and Clothing New materials and coatings could make fabric inactivate or repel viral particles By Rachel Crowell

Space NASA's Hunt for Lunar Water Intensifies The space agency's plans for sustainable lunar outposts could hinge on finding—and using—what may be the moon's most precious resource By Leonard David

Biology A Poetic, Mind-Bending Tour of the Fungal World Author Merlin Sheldrake shows how this neglected kingdom is essential for life on earth By Gareth Cook

Policy & Ethics The Ugly History of Climate Determinism Is Still Evident Today To fix climate injustice, we have to face our implicit biases about people living in different regions of the world By Simon Donner

Public Health A Mumps Outbreak among Fully Vaccinated People This multistate problem carries implications for our responses to future epidemics By Ekemini Hogan,Akpabio Akpabio,Utibe Effiong

Space An Audacious Explanation for Fast Radio Bursts It's a long shot, but could at least some of these energy blasts from across the universe come from extraterrestrial civilizations? By Avi Loeb

EARTH Declining Antarctic Sea Ice Could Disrupt a Major Carbon Sink Ancient ice and sediment samples show that extensive sea ice in the past helped halt the rise of carbon dioxide By Chelsea Harvey,E&E News

FROM THE STORE Wild Ideas in Science Science history is chock full of world-changing innovations that initially faced skepticism and ridicule for being too unconventional: light bulbs, cars and home computers are just a few examples. In this eBook, we take a look at the latest out-of-the-box ideas to tackle today's biggest challenges, including so-called sponge cities designed to combat flooding, technology that mimics photosynthesis to produce fuel, modifying bacteria's genetic circuits to treat genetic diseases and much more.

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FROM THE ARCHIVE Do Not Blame Racism on Nature Originally published in May 1917 | June 2020

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