The AlphaGalileo Blog 12/10/2021
October eNews
Welcome to this month's eNews.
This month we have our Top 5 most read from September, our Editor's choices, and our image of the month.
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Top 5 September
1. Ancient DNA analysis sheds light on dark event in medieval Spain, published by the University of Huddersfield on 23/09/21
Researchers from the University’s Archaeogenetics Research Group used ancient DNA analysis to identify a member of a population expelled from medieval Spain known as the ‘Segorbe Giant’. The results have shed light on the brutal political decision that led to a dramatic change in population following the Christian reconquest of Spain.
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2. Bristol manuscript fragments of the famous Merlin legend among the oldest of their kind, published by the University of Bristol on 2/09/21
Medieval manuscript fragments discovered in Bristol that tell part of the story of Merlin the magician, one of the most famous characters from Arthurian legend, have been identified by academics from the Universities of Bristol and Durham as some of the earliest surviving examples of that section of the narrative.
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3. Aston Law School corporate governance experts launch new book on investor stewardship, published by Aston University on 6/09/21
Dr Daniel Cash and Robert Goddard co-wrote Investor Stewardship and the UK Stewardship Code: The Role of Institutional Investors in Corporate Governance. The book will be relevant for an international audience of academics, regulators and policymakers in financial regulation, investment regulation and financial services. It coincides with the publishing of the Stewardship Code 2020 signatories as part of a new regulatory code by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC).
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4. Shakespeare’s works ‘inspiration’ for terrorists including 9/11 and Gunpowder Plot conspirators, new research reveals, published by Birmingham City University on 10/09/21
The works of Shakespeare inspired and angered some of history’s most infamous terrorists including the conspirators behind 9/11 and the Gunpowder Plot, new research has revealed.
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5. ACCSESS: Demonstrating Carbon Capture Across Europe, published by SINTEF, Norway on 13/09/21
Technology to capture CO2 from industry is to be demonstrated across Europe thanks to an EU grant. The Horizon 2020 innovation project ACCSESS brings together 18 European partners from eight different countries.
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Editor's choice
First reported case of anthrax in wildlife in the Namib Desert: Infected zebra most likely causes death of 3 cheetahs published by Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FVB) on 27/09/2021
Anthrax is an infectious bacterial disease endemic in some parts of Africa. It affects people, livestock as well as wildlife. Using GPS telemetry data, a team of scientists from the Cheetah Research Project of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) reconstructed a special case of anthrax infection in Namibia: Three free-ranging cheetahs in the Namib Desert died within 24 hours after feeding on a mountain zebra that tested positive for the disease. The zebra is the first described case of a wild animal infected with anthrax in this arid region. The case also shows that there might be previously unknown risks to cheetah populations in the desert. It is described in detail in the scientific journal “Frontiers in Veterinary Science”.
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Image Caption: Collared cheetah in the Namib Desert (Photo: Ruben Portas)
Media beautifies the image of coronavirus, published by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona on 13/09/2021
According to a study by the Instituto de Radio Televisión Española and the UAB conducted during the COVID-19 lockdown, black and white images of SARS-CoV-2 make the virus seem more infectious. The results, published on PLoS ONE, demonstrate that colour and three-dimensional images of SARS-CoV-2 in the media has favoured the perception of the virus as a beautiful, but not quite realistic or contagious virus.
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Image caption: Artist’s impression of the fossil raptor by Jacob Blokland (Flinders University Palaeontology Lab)
Image of the month
Fossil eagle believed to be Australia's oldest raptor, published by Flinders University on 24/09/2021
A 25-million-year-old eagle fossil found in South Australia adds to the long evolutionary history of raptors in Australia.
In a remarkable discovery, Flinders University palaeontologists have unearthed a well preserved fossilised skeleton of Australia’s oldest eagle on a remote outback cattle station, describing a new fossil species which lived during the late Oligocene.
Named Archaehieraxsylvestris ,based on the ancient Greek for ‘ancient hawk of the forest’, this speciesis believed to be one of the oldesteagle-like raptors in the world.
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Image caption: First images of SARS-CoV-2. A, B, C, D: Some of the first images presented with false colours published on 13/february/2020 by the NIAD. E: First public-domain model designed in 3D published on 30/gener/2020 by CDC. Source: modified by Andreu-Sánchez, C., Martín-Pascual, M.Á., (2021). The attributes of the images representing the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus affect people’s perception of the virus. PLoS ONE 16(8):e0253738.