Science News Daily: Super Tuesday, coronavirus latest and greener petrol plan

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Science US election battle

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Democrats in 14 US states have been choosing who they want to run against Donald Trump in November’s presidential election. Results are still coming in from Super Tuesday – the biggest day yet in the race for the White House – but it looks like the contest has a new front-runner. Former Vice-President Joe Biden has won eight states, a remarkable rebound for his under-funded and under-staffed campaign.

Mr Biden – read about him here – has beaten early leader and left-winger Bernie Sanders into second place. Mr Sanders is still doing well, projected to win the biggest prize of the night, California, and several other states. It’s been a bad night, however, for billionaire Mike Bloomberg and senator Elizabeth Warren.

The Democratic Party is at a crossroads as its voters decide which candidate has the best chance of denying Mr Trump a second term in office. Mr Biden and Mr Sanders may be similar in age – 77 and 78 respectively – but they offer starkly different visions for America’s future. Mr Biden, who served under President Barack Obama, presents himself as an electable pragmatist who can bring incremental change, whereas Mr Sanders has promised a revolution. Here are 18 things he believes.

Follow all the latest results in our live page and check out five charts that explain the Democratic race.

Science Coronavirus latest

Hospitals are being asked to carry out more video-based consultations of patients to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus. The advice comes as a major public health campaign focused on vigorous hand-washing is launched. On Tuesday, the total number of UK cases rose to 51. About 90,000 people have been infected globally so far, with more than 3,000 deaths.

The World Bank has committed $12bn (£9.4bn) in aid for developing countries to help improve their public health response and minimise economic impact. This piece shows in eight charts just how the outbreak has shaken economies around the world. Some effects are more surprising than others – for example, pollution levels in China have dropped significantly.

Officials have said up to a fifth of the UK workforce may be off sick if the virus becomes an epidemic. Trade union body the TUC is urging the government to provide support for workers who do not qualify for statutory sick pay. Could that be you? Find out more.

And start here if you want to know the symptoms of coronavirus and how to minimise your risk.

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Science Greener fuel

A more eco-friendly petrol could be introduced to garages in the UK from next year. The government is consulting on making E10 – which contains less carbon and more ethanol than fuels currently on sale – the new standard grade. The Department for Transport says it could cut CO2 emissions by 750,000 tonnes per year, but E10 is not compatible with some older vehicles.

A ban on the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars in the UK could happen as soon as 2032 as part of a strategy to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Science ‘I have sensation in my breasts again’

By Amelia Butterly, 100 Women

When Sarafina Nance found out she had a very strong chance of getting breast cancer, she decided to have a preventative double mastectomy followed by reconstruction. Sarafina is an astronomy PhD student and when she started researching her surgical options, her science background kicked in. “It was very difficult to know what I should be doing,” she says. “Women who have mastectomies and reconstruction can lose feeling in their breasts and that can mean you don’t feel hugs, or you don’t feel waves crashing into you if you’re in the ocean.”

Read the full article

Science What the papers say

“Life on hold for three months” says the Daily Mail, which like most newspapers leads with government plans to deal with coronavirus. The Guardian says police officers could be taken off some investigations to deal with an epidemic and 999 response times could be extended. The Daily Telegraph thinks “the right notes of proportionality, transparency and competence” have been struck by Downing Street, but warns it’s hard to see how the already stretched NHS will manage. Elsewhere, a “Whitehall old timer” tells the i that Priti Patel has made “a fatal error” by turning civil servants against her. “The Home Office is full of traps,” the source continues. “They’ll let her fall into one and she’ll be forced out.” The Times says Boris Johnson is sticking by Ms Patel, but the row over her conduct is “an unedifying debacle” that leaves him “with a political headache”. Finally, the Daily Mirror says the Crown Prosecution Service is reviewing its decision to pursue an assault case against late TV star Caroline Flack.