Women are more concerned about COVID-19 than men, study finds

A Dartmouth-Gallup study finds that women are more concerned about COVID-19 than men, a difference that transcends party lines. This female perspective towards the pandemic may be overlooked due to the underrepresentation of women in the workplace that is compounded by an underrepresentation in politics, creating what the researchers refer to as a representational "double whammy" effect. The study's findings are published in Politics & Gender.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-women-covid-men.html

Ants adapt tool use to avoid drowning

Researchers have observed black imported fire ants using sand to draw liquid food out of containers, when faced with the risk of drowning. This is the first time this sophisticated tool use has been reported in animals. These findings are published in the British Ecological Society journal Functional Ecology.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-ants-tool.html

Teens diagnosed with depression show reduction in educational achievement

Teenagers who receive a depression diagnosis during their school career show a substantial decline in attainment in Year 11, new King's College London research has found.

Stopping opioid-related addiction, harm and accidents after surgery

The opioid crisis, in which addiction and harm are related to pain-relieving opioid drugs, has been well documented. It has been concentrated in the USA but is now affecting most Western nations and increasingly, developing countries also. In some cases, this addiction and subsequent harm begins when the patient is given these drugs for pain relief after surgery.

New algorithm sharpens focus of world's most powerful microscopes

We've all seen that moment in a cop TV show where a detective is reviewing grainy, low-resolution security footage, spots a person of interest on the tape, and nonchalantly asks a CSI technician to "enhance that." A few keyboard clicks later, and voila—they've got a perfect, clear picture of the suspect's face. This, of course, does not work in the real world, as many film critics and people on the internet like to point out.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-algorithm-sharpens-focus-world-powerful.html

Pollinator monitoring more than pays for itself

Monitoring schemes to count bees and other pollinating insects provide excellent value for money, and could help save species and protect UK food security, researchers have found.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-pollinator.html