Weekly round up: flying cars, T cells and the virtue of Perseverance

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Perseverance pays The stats show that the success rate on Mars missions is only 50%. So what an achievement to send a one tonne vehicle to exactly where you want and get it to work straight after landing! We at LSS don’t believe in mystic forces- but it’s funny how sometimes a nation’s luck does seem to turn. Could this just be the first such sign of the Biden era? We hope for more to come.

Magnetic Flips Back in July,(LSS 23 7 20) we gave you one of our little warnings about the dangers of the Magnetic Poles flipping-which they do from time to time. Now scientists think the last such flip may have done for poor old Neanderthal Man, or Neanderthal Person as we now call them. Before you think you’re so clever, Homo sapiens, remember Neanderthals didn’t run incredibly intricate systems like internets, power grids and satellites, all of which depend on a stable electromagnetic environment. Here’s four of the world’s top experts in The Conversation.

Earth’s magnetic field broke down 42,000 years ago and caused massive sudden climate change (theconversation.com)

And remember-there’s no where to escape to, because they have magnetism in down in Cancun too.

Virus Variants-Of course it’s worrying that Sars-Cov-2 can evolve new mutations, especially when it’s spreading fast. And yes, we will have to keep upping our game on vaccine design and development. But evolution has given our side a few tricks to play as well, and one of them is T cells. Here’s Nature: Killer T cells could boost Covid Immunity

In the race against emerging coronavirus variants, researchers are looking beyond antibodies for clues to lasting protection against COVID-19. In particular, scientists are hopeful that T cells — a group of immune cells that can target and destroy virus-infected cells — could maintain lasting immunity. Preliminary evidence suggests that the vast majority of T-cell responses are unlikely to be affected by new mutations in the virus. Some coronavirus vaccine developers are already looking at ways to develop next-generation vaccines that stimulate T cells more effectively. “We know the antibodies are likely less effective, but maybe the T cells can save us,” says biotechnology analyst Daina Graybosch.Nature | 6 min read

Irresistible Quote CNN, via Nature Briefings “America, welcome back to the frontline of the global fight against climate change” British parliamentarian Alok Sharma, the president of the COP26 climate change conference, welcomes the United States back into the Paris accord, which it officially rejoined today. (CNN | 4 min read)

And for those who want everything……..

Here’s Dan Avery of the Mail with news of a flying car that can reach 10 000 feet (3048 m) and do 100 mph (61 km) Don’t worry about fitting it in your garage;you can take the wings off. We at LSS never look for good guys or bad guys- we just think poor old Ted Cruz was unlucky. If he’d had one of these he could have nipped down to Cancun without anyone spotting him in the airport!

ttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9263043/Worlds-flying-car-travels-100mph-altitudes-10-000ft-cleared

#flyingcars #joebiden #tedcruz #perseverance #neanderthal #magneticflips #extinction#sars-cov-2 #covid-19 #tcells #lymphocytes #globalwarming #COP26 #cancun