Richard A. Lovett Journalist Profile

Articles

5 NASA space dramas from 2024

Dec 30, 2024 | cosmosmagazine.com | Richard A. Lovett

Space travel has never been easy. If it were, “It’s not rocket science” would never have become a cliché for things that aren’t rocket science. But this year, NASA seems to have produced more drama than usual. Stranded astronautsThe 5 June launch of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test was the first attempt to use Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to carry astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
New insights into Io, Mars announced at AGU

Dec 12, 2024 | cosmosmagazine.com | Richard A. Lovett

In a big day for planetary science, scientists have announced major news regarding the exploration of two different worlds in our solar system: Mars, and Jupiter’s moon Io.The findings from Io resolve one longstanding mystery…and create a new one.
Solar probe nears the Sun, as scientists report on eclipse

Dec 10, 2024 | cosmosmagazine.com | Richard A. Lovett

As the Parker Solar Probe readies to dive to the Sun on Christmas Eve, scientists at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union, heard multiple reports of how the solar eclipse that stretched across North America earlier this year offered a rare opportunity to study the Sun and its interaction with Earth. What makes eclipses unique—as well as spectacularly beautiful—is the way the Moon perfectly blocks out the searingly bright light of the Sun’s surface.
evidence mounts for undiscovered 9th planet

Dec 5, 2024 | cosmosmagazine.com | Richard A. Lovett

The possibility that there might be a large, unknown planet lurking in the outer Solar System far beyond Pluto has long been a staple of science fiction. But for the past decade, astronomers have been finding it increasingly likely that something big – often called Planet X – might actually be out there. And a new study by a team from Princeton University has substantially raised the likelihood that it really exists.
AI-assisted mammogram readings more effective, says research

Dec 5, 2024 | cosmosmagazine.com | Richard A. Lovett

CHICAGO, USA—Given the chance, a substantial number of women will opt for artificial intelligence (AI) enhanced mammograms, even if they have to pay for them on their own, a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America finds. And the use of AI appears to be worth the extra cost, increasing the probability of cancer detection by 15 per cent, the researchers determined.
AI-assisted mammogram readings more effective, researchers find

Dec 5, 2024 | flipboard.com | Richard A. Lovett

Jaclyn Smith has been out of the spotlight for some time now but the American actress, 79, is still a household name and looks as stunning as ever in …
Brief exercise bursts can boost cardiovascular health, study

Dec 3, 2024 | cosmosmagazine.com | Richard A. Lovett

Surprisingly small amounts of daily high-intensity exercise, such as climbing stairs rather taking the elevator, lugging groceries to the car, or chasing after grandchildren, may substantially cut the risk of cardiovascular disease in people who do not otherwise get much exercise, scientists say.
Medical audio can go catastrophically wrong

Nov 26, 2024 | cosmosmagazine.com | Richard A. Lovett

Anyone who has used voice-transcription audio software knows it can be glitchy. In my interview notes for a recent article for Cosmos, for example, otter.ai repeatedly rendered the term “hearables” as “hair balls.”Often this is simply humorous. We know what it meant; no harm done. Not so with medical transcription technology, which allows doctors to dictate notes directly into patients’ records. There, an error could be catastrophic.
Reverse earbuds might allow early detection of Alzheimer's

Nov 21, 2024 | cosmosmagazine.com | Richard A. Lovett

Earbud-like microphones might be usable for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and other ailments, medical researchers say. Rather than transmitting sound into the ear like conventional earbuds, these devices, which Miriam Boutros of École de Technologie Supérieure, in Montreal, calls “hearables,” transmit sounds out of the ear, after first blocking external sounds from coming in.
Food for thought: the meat and livestock production summit

Nov 15, 2024 | cosmosmagazine.com | Richard A. Lovett

Two years ago, scientists from around the world met in Dublin in Ireland, to discuss the state of the science regarding meat production and animal husbandry. “They are too precious to society to become the victim of simplification, reductionism or zealotry,” they wrote in what has become known as the Dublin Declaration, ultimately signed by 1,216 scientists, economists, government officials, and farmers from around the world (including 82 from Australia).