Canadian researcher Gary Kobinger, who led the development of the Ebola drug called ZMapp, and who is now part of a group of scientists working on developing a Zika vaccine, told Reuters that human testing of this vaccine could begin in August, and if everything goes well, that could allow the vaccine to be used in the event of a public health emergency in October or November. The WHO is meeting on Monday in Geneva to decide whether the Zika outbreak–which is believed to be linked to neurological conditions and developmental issues in newborns–should be considered a public health emergency....

But what’s the best way to go about it? That’s complicated. There are a lot of wines out there, after all. Are you looking for light/herbal/grassy wine, or maybe something with a hint of tart cherry/cranberry? A glass with high tannin, perhaps? This infographic, designed by Madeline Puckette and published by Wine Folly, can help you make these stressful decisions. visual.ly

Intellectually, we know that eating meat from cows and pigs is not sustainable. They take up much more space and resources, which are becoming more strained every year. Various media outlets, cooking show gurus and even small companies have been promoting bugs’ tasty and nutritious qualities, but the trend hasn’t quite caught on among diners, the study authors note. And no one is tempted to try something they consider icky just because people other cultures around the world regularly incorporate bugs in their diets....

Checking the site Down For Everyone Or Just Me, it’s clear something is amiss with Google’s site, and this isn’t a problem specific to just a few users. This isn’t the first time Google has experienced massive outage problems with some of its biggest online services, but these types of events are indeed rare. Google boasts of “99.978% availability and no scheduled downtime,” on its Google for Work page. However, it’s precisely these types of uncommon, yet widespread and noticeable outages that undermine Google’s case to users that they should ditch Microsoft Office and other programs in favor of Google Apps for business and organizational use....

Banks, then 25, was a disciplined graduate student with a job and close friends and had no psychiatric history. “I had never considered suicide an option,” she says. But for the next three days, she couldn’t sleep while the voice and disturbing images persisted. After seeing a therapist, she decided to teach herself techniques from dialectical behavior therapy, one of the few treatments shown to reduce suicidality. The voices and images came back over the next few months, but eventually faded....

Without any intervention, the prairie dogs would likely have been poisoned or bulldozed, both common and legal practices. So Taylor wrote to the developer, talked to city officials, and started an organization—the Northern Colorado Prairie Dog Advocates—to push for relocating the rodents. She spent roughly a year searching for a suitable site within the city to move them, and wrestled with a complex permitting process. Taylor and a group of volunteers identified the family units within the colony, trapped the animals, and carried them to their new grounds, complete with artificial burrows constructed with plastic tubing....

What’s the weirdest thing you learned this week? Well, whatever it is, we promise you’ll have an even weirder answer if you listen to PopSci’s hit podcast. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week hits Apple, Anchor, and everywhere else you listen to podcasts every Wednesday morning. It’s your new favorite source for the strangest science-adjacent facts, figures, and Wikipedia spirals the editors of Popular Science can muster. If you like the stories in this post, we guarantee you’ll love the show....

“While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated,” Woodcock said in the agency’s press release. President Biden also expressed the hope that the decision would provide encouragement to many of the 85 million eligible U.S. residents who until now have remained unvaccinated. “Let me say this loudly and clearly: If you’re one of the millions of Americans who said that they will not get the shot until it has full and final approval of the FDA, it has now happened,” he said in a speech on Monday....

The one consolation to infection, many tell themselves, is that at least they won’t have to worry about it for the rest of the season, right? Well, actually, no. While rare, it’s totally possible to suffer the misery of two bouts of flu in one season. And, sadly, this year—which is shaping up to be a so-called double-barreled flu season—it might be more likely than usual. Wait — you can get the flu twice?...

Selecting the Falcon will put you in London, right near Big Ben. Select Luke’s X-Wing, and you’re just south of Times Square. Pick Vader’s TIE fighter? Suddenly you’re in Belgium, staring at the Atomium, which isn’t quite a fully armed and operational battle station…but at least looks alien. Meanwhile, the iconic John Williams Star Wars theme blares over it all. The navigation tools and transitions are admittedly clunky, but playing around with the mod can yield some fun juxtapositions....

These seven steps will back up your vital files, protect your security, and make sure you keep only the apps you really want. Here’s our advice on what to do as soon as you’ve unboxed your new piece of tech. 1. Apply any available updates When you unwrap a new toy, you want to start playing with it as soon as possible, not twiddle your thumbs waiting for updates to install....

In the study, the researchers used several different techniques to analyze the lung fluids from 64 asthmatic kids living in Paris (chosen because they had already undergone the invasive process of removing lung fluids, which would be arduous for healthy patients). Man-made carbon nanotubes were found in each sample, which caused the researchers to conclude that humans are constantly breathing them in. Using several different analytic techniques on five of the samples, the researchers also found carbon nanotubes inside macrophages, immune cells that work within tissues to combat pathogens....

The results of a survey of 1,341 European clubgoers, which were recently published in the journal BMC Public Health, indicate that a third of 16 to 35-year-old males and a quarter of females intentionally drink alcohol to increase their chances of sex. Drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy were chosen to prolong or improve sex. It’s no accident, the research team concluded, that sexual activity often accompanies substance abuse. “Trends in recent decades have resulted in recreational drug use and binge drinking becoming routine features of European nightlife,” said lead author Mark Bellis, a public-health researcher from Liverpool John Moores University in England....

Now a team of German researchers has found an enzyme that can “cut” the viral DNA out of a cell’s genetic code, which could eradicate the virus from a patient’s body altogether. The proof-of-concept study, published this week in Nature Biotechnology and reported by Ars Technica, was done in mice, but the researchers believe that their conclusions show that this DNA-snipping enzyme could be used in clinical practice. And if it can cut HIV’s genetic code out of a patient’s body, the technique could be a cure for the disease....

Kansas State University professor Larry Bowne’s architecture class responded to the disaster with Greensburg Cubed, a collection of modular 1,000-cubic-foot buildings. The project does double duty by meeting the immediate needs of the community and showcasing green technology, ranging from wind power and solar power to reclaimed construction materials, which will eventually be used to rebuild the rest of the city. So far, Bowne’s students have shipped four finished cubes to Greensburg, including Ice Cube, a water-delivery and cooling station for residents complete with a rainwater-filtered cooling mister, and Green Haus, a miniature model of environmentally friendly home construction built with straw-bale insulation and glass-bottle windows....

The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week Moose crash test dummies, famous ferrets, and deadly planets This wonderful episode features science author Mary Roach, who joined the show to talk about her new book FUZZ: When Nature Breaks the Law. Her fact, which comes straight from the book, is all about why (and how) researchers created moose crash test dummies. Ancient brain surgeons, the crows have eyes, and why radiators are so annoying Actor and famous Schitt’s Creek impersonator Michael Judson Berry joined this episode, and it was a downright blast....

He put the idea on hold for a few years while he worked as a research engineer. But when he got laid off in 2002, he took the opportunity to develop his invention, which he dubbed Dynamic Eye. He used a liquid crystal for the lens material, which he had studied extensively while getting his doctorate. Although the visual properties of a liquid crystal can be electronically modified, the material can be as easy to see through as a typical sunglass lens....

Massagers are the best gifts for two reasons: (1) They show you care that the person feels good and (2) you’re able to use them when you visit that person’s house. These Mynt massagers—one for your feet and two for your neck, back, and shoulders—are on sale for 30 percent off. The Shiatsu foot massager is heated and features pads, rollers, and kneaders so you can customize your experience. All you knead to do is click here....

Mounting scientific data suggests that decades of human activity is altering weather patterns, warming and rising oceans, worsening droughts, melting glaciers and more. It may seem reasonable, then, to assume this year’s record-breaking weather event was tangible evidence of human-caused climate change. But is that accurate? Below are five truths about the connection between climate change and storms such as Hurricane Sandy courtesy of Andrew Freedman. Freedman is a climate science writer and spokesperson for Climate Central, a non-profit organization that both conducts climate change research and communicates the results to the public....

Now listen, you may not be able to get all the things you want to give this year, but you can beat the problematic supply chain (and other shoppers) by keeping track of when your most coveted gifts are back in stock. But now retailers cannot count on that consistency, so they may only know when they’re getting more of a new product a few days in advance. The best way to stay in the know is to ask them directly....