1st possible case of deer-to-human COVID-19 transmission reported

1st possible case of deer-to-human COVID-19 transmission reported | Stonehenge may have been used as a solar calendar | Mountain-sized chunk of rock hiding under Japan is channeling earthquakes Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( March 2, 2022 CONNECT WITH LIVESCIENCE  [Facebook]( [Twitter](  [LIVESCIENCE]( Amazing science every day [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [WEBSITE](  [] Top Science News [] [1st possible case of deer-to-human COVID-19 transmission reported]( [1st possible case of deer-to-human COVID-19 transmission reported]( (Stan Tekiela via Getty Images) The first potential case of a deer passing the novel coronavirus to a person has been reported in Canada, according to a new study. What's more, the researchers identified highly mutated clusters of SARS-CoV-2 genomes in white-tailed deer, underscoring the potential for deer to act as an animal reservoir for the virus. For the study, which was posted Feb. 25 to the preprint database bioRxiv and has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, the researchers analyzed 300 samples collected in November and December 2021 from white-tailed deer in Southwestern and Eastern Ontario. They found that 17 of the deer in Southwestern Ontario tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/1) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] History & Archaeology [] [Stonehenge may have been used as a solar calendar]( [Stonehenge may have been used as a solar calendar]( (Timothy Darvill) Stonehenge may have been used as a solar calendar, with each of the stones representing a day and sections of the circle of stones possibly corresponding to weeks, an archaeologist now says. An accurate solar calendar consists of about 365.25 days and is important for preventing the seasons from falling out of place (such as having winter during June). Meanwhile, the Gregorian calendar used in much of the world today consists of 365 days, with a leap day every four years to account for the quarter of a day. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/2) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Natural Disasters [] [Mountain-sized chunk of rock hiding under Japan is channeling earthquakes]( [Mountain-sized chunk of rock hiding under Japan is channeling earthquakes]( (FrankRamspott via Getty Images) An underground mountain-sized chunk of rock may be affecting paths of large earthquakes in southern Japan. The dense igneous rock, known as the Kumano pluton, is lurking about 3.1 miles (5 kilometers) below the surface beneath Japan's Kii Peninsula. It sits in the crust of the continental Eurasian plate. Under this slab of continental crust, the oceanic Philippine plate is taking a dive toward the Earth's mantle, a process called subduction. New research suggests that the heavy pluton within the Eurasian plate changes the slope of that dive, forcing the Philippine plate down more steeply. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/2) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Amazing Earth [] [Stunning satellite image shows immense power of monster 7-story waves in Portugal]( [Stunning satellite image shows immense power of monster 7-story waves in Portugal]( (Lauren Dauphin/NASA Earth Observatory/Landsat 8) NASA has released a stunning image of Portugal’s coastline showing the immense power of massive, seven-story-high waves as they crashed toward the shore. The image, taken in 2020, was captured on the same day that an 18-year-old surfer reportedly rode a record-breaking 101.4-foot-high (30.9 meters) wave in the area. The photo, which was captured by the Landsat 8 satellite on Oct. 29, 2020, shows a thick band of white foam that was left behind by the massive waves as they broke along the famous North Beach (Praia do Norte) in Nazaré — widely considered to be one of the best locations in the world for big-wave surfing. The image also shows that the ferocious swells ripped up the surrounding seafloor sediment into enormous underwater plumes that stretched around 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) from the shore, according to a NASA Earth Observatory statement. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/2) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Math & Physics [] [Physicists create bizarre quantum 'domain walls' in new experiment]( [Physicists create bizarre quantum 'domain walls' in new experiment]( (Kai-Xuan Yao) Scientists can now reliably create a strange quantum object called a domain wall. The discovery could lead to new quantum technology and to a better understanding of quantum particles in general. Domain walls form when groups of atoms at very low temperatures segregate into different clumps, or "domains." Between those domains forms a "wall" that behaves so differently from the atoms themselves that scientists consider it an independent quantum object. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/1) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] In the Sky [] [America's nuke-resistant 'doomsday plane' spotted doing training mission over Nebraska]( [America's nuke-resistant 'doomsday plane' spotted doing training mission over Nebraska]( (Getty Images) The U.S. Air Force's nuclear-bomb-resistant "doomsday plane" took to the skies for a brief training mission Monday (Feb. 28), shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he would be putting his country's nuclear forces on high alert, according to news reports. The doomsday plane — a modified Boeing 747 named the Boeing E-4B — took off from a U.S. Air Force base in Nebraska, then completed a 4.5-hour flight toward Chicago and back before landing again, British news site iNews reported. During this brief sortie, the plane was reportedly accompanied by several early-warning jets used to track ballistic missiles. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/1) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Astronomy & Astrophysics [] [2 monster black holes are headed toward a collision that will rock the fabric of space-time]( [2 monster black holes are headed toward a collision that will rock the fabric of space-time]( (Caltech) Astronomers have discovered two supermassive black holes that are 99% of the way to a violent collision that will rock the very fabric of space-time. The black holes, which share the name PKS 2131-021, are locked in a dance of doom about 9 billion light-years from Earth, according to a study published Feb. 23 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The two objects have moved steadily toward each other for about 100 million years, according to a statement from NASA, and now they share a binary orbit, with the two black holes orbiting each other every two years or so. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/1) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Quiz [] POLL QUESTION: When will the two PKS 2131-021 black holes merge? (Learn the answer [here]() [Vote]( [About 500,000 years from now]( [Vote]( [About 10,000 years from now]( [Vote]( [About 22,000 years from now]( [Vote]( [This time next year](   [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Cookies Policy]( | [Terms and Conditions]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:livescience@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE]( Future US LLC © 1100 13th St. NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005