How much work can really get we still have time to our ongoing success that some strive for more like this. The coronavirus is a respiratory disease. It attacks the lungs and other organs in its attempt to infect its host. But it has another strategy. Air pollution. Scientists believe it uses fine particulate matter as a carrier. Studies show, the pollution also lays the groundwork for the virus aggravating the throat and lungs to make us more susceptible to covered a toxic and potentially deadly partnership. Air pollution, thank overt 19, invisible killer and its little helper. A lot of cities around the world have been promising to clean up their act and clear the air. Now theyve got a reason to act. The coronavirus. There are many sources of particulate pollution. The primary one is emissions from combustion in power plants, planes and car engines. Vehicles also produce particles through break where anti reparation. Agricultural emissions are also a big contributor, particles invisible to the naked eye, a classified by diameter, pm, 10 of 10. My crimean smaller fine inhalable particles have diameters of 2. 5 micro metres or less, and then there are all true fine particles less than 0 point one micron meters in diameter, depending on their size and how deeply they penetrate tissue. Inhaled particles have different effects on health. And we believe that the smaller the particular matter is, the greater the probability is that it will reach the bloodstream off the inhalation and be taken up by the cardiovascular system. If these tiny particles can build up in arteries and damage their insides, and thats where the song was covert to, virus also causes much of its most serious damage. As recent studies show as a dozen chide, the Decisive Point is that we have discovered that the virus infection in covert 19 mainly affects the inner layer of the blood vessels, the socalled and the field cells. And as it happens, that is also the target of fine particular matter. Theres a strong correlation between air pollution and covert 1000 mortality rates. The risk of dying from the disease is higher, the longer we are exposed to air polluted with these particles. Thats the result of a study coauthored by the scientist in mines. It came to the conclusion that a study 15 percent of covert 1000. 00 related deaths worldwide are linked to long term exposure to pollution based on health records. The also say that the figure for north america amounts to 17 percent 19 percent for europe, and about 27 percent in east asia. This highlights the risks posed by at pollution even before the pandemic. We currently have more than 1000000 deaths from the corona virus pandemic. But we know that a particular matter causes nearly 9000000 deaths a year while why thats an indication of how much attention the coronavirus is getting compared to particulate pollution. I believe we need a rethink. The Scientists Say policymakers need to do more to combat air pollution and they need to take the recommendations of the world. Health organization seriously need limits for fine particulate matter that protect us from their impact on health. W. H. O. Defines the limit of 10 micrograms per cubic meter as healthy, while 90 percent of the worlds population effectively lives above that limit. The correlation between at pollution and Health Outcomes exists even if the connection hasnt been directly proven so far. Many scientists are convinced that very high levels of particular matter in the air we breathe weakens our immune response, and that was a matter of grave concern, especially in the time of the coronavirus managing director of the Max Planck Institute for chemistry and minds where he heads the department of atmospheric chemistry and lead that study we mentioned in the report you found exposure to particulate air pollution contributes 15 percent to tova mortality. How did you get to that result . Yes, well we are combining data and primarily we were using a study in the united states. It made use of an analysis of 65000000 people who participated in medicare. And there they had analyzed the relationship between air pollution and premature death from covert. How do you manage to measure something, so tiny is this fine particulate matter that we mentioned in this . Well, you can measure it directly in, for example, in air quality networks. But we also make use of measurements in space because the small particles that can enter your lungs are also about the same size as the wavelength of the light of them. Some of the sun. So they scatter the sun. They reflect the sunlight and from some instruments you could see them quite well. It sounds like fascinating stuff, but at the end of the day, the more polluted just skies, the higher the risk of catching tobit is, is that right . Well its actually more the, the air pollution causes preconditions or it aggravates preconditions that causes it more severe outcome of covert 19. So you cant really say its possible, but thats something we dont know that air pollution causes or allows covert 19 to become to get infected more easily. But the main reason we think is that air pollution causes preconditions that aggravate the over 1000 outcome. I guess that the great lock down was a great thing in that fell in many cities, meaning fewer coated carrying particles around and less aggravation. Yes, its a little bit more complicated than that. This is possible, but this would be this direct effect. For example, if air pollution triggers the body to be more receptive of the virus, that would certainly be reduced with a covert look down. But the point is that the long term exposure to air pollution causes chronic diseases like lung diseases including lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, heart conditions, etc. And these are exactly the conditions that make the suffering from covariate more severe. So its, its more the preconditioning actually that, that where the air pollution plays a role. So we cant just be tapping the covert pandemic. We need to be tackling air pollution. Definitely we will. Yeah. Its just another example of air pollution causing a disease is and of course its already a factor. We knew it causes Life Expectancy to be shorter. But now we also see that theres a direct relationship with covert 19, which is not entirely surprising because the disease actually, you know, through the lungs through the cardiovascular system is very similar as the effect of air pollution. And that again is very similar as the effects of smoking, which is also a precondition that makes the outcome of covert 1000. 00 more severe. I understand why it took the world so long to understand the dangers of tobacco, considering the huge corporations behind the advertising campaigns. But what about m pollution . I mean, was it taken a so long to catch on to the fact that its bad for yes, well, many people have known this for a long time, but its of course not so easy to do something about it. I mean, in europe we have, we have programs trying to reduce air pollution, but its has of course economic implications. And its not only a cost factor in terms of, you know, reducing the emissions. Of course you gain on the other sigh because you have less health expenses. But you know, this is a system that needs to be politically controlled because the, the person who, who profits from better air quality is not the person who would have to pay for reducing it. So this is really a question of putting policies in place and making sure that those who actually pay for the mighty geisha and measure some of the reduction of pollution. But also in some way profit and not are the only ones to pay for. Those really said managing director of the Max Planck Institute for chemistry in mind. Thank you very much and take, and pfizer are applying in the u. S. For a mage and the use of the covert vaccine at the 1st to do so. That Companies Say a good Safety Record should qualify it for use before final testing is completed. A limited number of shots could be ready next month. And the money more time this week is there williams . Our science correspondent answering your questions on the coronavirus. Why are mortality rates so low and densely populated country like india . India has the 2nd highest number of reported code in 1000 cases in the world behind, the u. S. But has only logged about half as many deaths. So to put that in terms that weve all become familiar with, it appears to have an extremely low case fatality rate compared to most western countries. Why . We dont know, but the experts trying to puzzle it out say a number of different factors are probably playing roles 1st, of course, is that almost all agree that under reporting as involved as they say that india struggled to record accurate death statistics under, under normal circumstances, before the pandemic, and if anything, Health Officials have been struggling more since it began, but, but is there more to it than that . Another line of thinking says young average age in indias population could also be making a difference. And then there are some researchers who believe that whats known as the hygiene hypothesis could be involved. It postulates that people exposed to more pathogens early in life are less likely to develop the overreactive, the new systems later, which cause auto immune conditions like allergies. And as we know many, if not most over 1000 patients die, basically because of an auto immune reaction that spins out of control. So are a lot more indian surviving because their immune systems had to learn to deal with a much wider range of pathogens as children. And they dont go into a tailspin now when they catch sars cove to maybe its an interesting hypothesis but, but its also one thats hard to prove. And by the way, many of the same arguments are being used to explain whats going on in most of africa, where people also arent getting sick and dying at rates that experts and michelle lee predicted they would. There william said ive been fizzling for any other developments on the virus for 12 website at the call of slash code 90 smartphones in the dark, dark mode is meant to protect our eyes, preserve our batteries, and help us sleep better. But researchers arent convinced we can darken really do want to do next on d, w, rs. Your life when its no longer forbidding your career when youre finally allowed to pursue it. Its your opinion when you can finally say it is freedom more important than homeland. We need artists in exile, living in berlin, 20 in 30 minutes on d. W. Why did this person lose his home . There are still there is a lot that can be done to make up your mind. Thank you mean spreads rapidly in times of crisis. Unverified articles get millions of shots on social media. Fake news often gives rise to conspiracy theories and drives people out on to the streets in protest all over the world. Do some countries have bigger problems with fake news than others . And if so, why . More on less on this weeks edition of tomorrow. Today, the Science Program on t. W. Welcome to the show. Where do you get your information . Can you separate fact from fiction . This disinfectant was manufactured in 26 and somehow already protected against corona virus. True or false . True coronaviruses were discovered decades ago that 19 is just a new one. This was also shared thousands of times in venice, except there in sardinia. Fake news is so prevalent, its now become the focus of scientific research. From the claim that the corona virus originated in a lab in china, chinese Donald Trumps reckless recommendation to inject disinfectant and the Conspiracy Theory that bill gates intends to take over the world with a mind control vaccine is full of bizarre and baseless notions about the virus from the university of zurich was involved in an International Study on the spread of just information during the pandemic. We wanted to see why there were differences between countries. It seems to be that some countries provide a more fertile breeding ground for the spread of disinformation. The researchers prepared a social media post, presenting the false claim that the virus is a biological weapon. Study. Participants were then asked whether they would share or comment on the very very interesting observation is how the willingness to share. Such posts varies between Different Countries inflicted on for example, 11 percent of those asked said they would share the posed difference from the u. S. , where 27 percent said theyd share tying them on from one to 25 percent saying they would like to comment on the post. Either the question we asked was whether those surveyed believe their government is capable of getting the crisis under control. Here, more than 75 percent of participants in switzerland said yes, we have a lot of confidence in our government. But then we have, i think, are of under 30 percent for front, as we can see here, under 40 percent in the u. S. So thats a considerable, just piracy to another finding is that fake news tends to flourish in countries with a strong populist slant. Reason is the populist style of communication. This information is a stylistic device that you often find in populous communication. Certain information is a method, while some is distorted to fit the narrative. The European Union has its own Fact Checking web site to counter the growing flood of fake news versus disinfo. Dissin from ation is now a major policy priority. Both governments and International Organizations have taken to the internet. Just spell out the facts. Based mimi comma is one of the biggest Fact Checkers in the german speaking world. The coronavirus has posed serious challenges for its experts who are already dealing with around 150 feet every day. That number is more than tripled. Since the pandemic struck Communications Expert on today, it was fake news seriously escalated just so im funk. Thats the start of the crisis. There were a lot of largely harmless hoaxes chain mails and whats up messages where people were evidently afraid and insecure about the new situation. There was a lot of trolling and initially satirical posts among these people. But then in march, we saw things reach a 2nd level with videos imposed by contrary. And scientists that contradicted the scientific consensus. Thats where things got more difficult. And then in april, we noticed a really big shift with a load of conspiracy theories suddenly popping up that made especially difficult for every kind of Fact Checking because there are no facts to check on the contrary, these myths 1st, assume legitimacy and then challenge you to disprove them, and actually thats the wrong way to go about it. You know, that the sheer number of all the little myths and bogus reports suddenly lead to a lot of responses in the real world. People started going out and setting fire to 5 g. Masts because they believe that 5 g. Was responsible for the spread of the corona, virus. Mindless violence, triggered by made up claims about the virus. Another example of the danger of fake news and the importance of facts with facts isnt always easy because facts require data and hold of them is no piece of cake. Take conservation, for example. If you want to know how many species they are in an area and how population numbers are changing, you need to study that area over a period of time. In this region in southern germany. Ok. Lets go through the 50 to camilla and his colleagues. From south korea are setting off to work. They often come to the boards at night to capture insects. Theyre not assessing up a light trap in the hope of catching months, so as to work out how many species are at home here. The thing is really labor intensive. The organisms are really tiny for one. Many are only a few millimeters long. I cant do much with them out here, so i need to take them with me. Another thing is that the species differ depending on the time of year and the weather. So i have to keep on coming back. I need to use different methods as well. So im pretty much never done and can really only do it in a certain number of selected areas. Researching biodiversity and changing patterns requires a lot of practical know how often theres a shortage of personnel, money, and time. For that reason, data is often only collected from one place, rather than on a large scale and over a long period has come to germany to hone a new map that designed to make the process easier and more representative. It really gave me all the time, insight and then also germany is very advanced. It call it occurs study south korea. So we are quite late for this area. So im launching a lot of things from my colleague here. So they are very nice to work with, and then they are very advanced in many techniques and then dollys. Shell need to see the samples in the trap before she can show you or her new method. The next morning they returned to the forest to collect the muffins. Theyve captured but there is a problem. Where exactly did they hang up the trap . Who . Unfortunately we lost yesterday in stick. But sometimes it happened before the lets say, but finally they managed to locate is Field Research is rarely simple. 1st, at least the weather is good and the area is easily accessible, which isnt always the case. So lets see for the moment. So hold, looks like look at this. You see this big a cockroach, a fire beetle. 2 or 3 dozen moths on potter flies are my uses for all. This is a fantastic catch for me. It was a little warmer last night that explains the activity. And the controversy typical round about magnets, but this represents just one location and 1. 2 kilometers away. Theyve set up another trap. Its a really good porch chunking. Yeah. The dead trees may look bad, but theyre actually good for biodiversity. Even if they do make it harder to reach the tropics, the insects are placed in a liquid to preserve them. Sometimes its not easy, so we should be careful. But normally i think im going for, i just find that theres some Korean Foreign states. More hard to reach, lab tests will help identify the insects. The researchers want to see how Climate Change is affecting local biodiversity. Were seeing trees die. And the question is, is this bad for biodiversity . Our data currently suggests not knowing. This is for the rich, the terrible economically for the far stronger. Its beyond doubt that Global Warming is growing. Impact on nature also has huge economic repercussions. But how will it affect biodiversity . Well have to wait and see. Always worked up. Its hard to establish exactly was the impact of Climate Change and human activity has on species. It also depends on the kind of forest coniferous or deciduous dams or sparsely populated, as well as the age of the tree with the limb. Yeah, lets go on their way back. They encounter another problem that researchers have to contend with. Look at this tree. You see this playing at the pillar . It will one day turn into a gypsy moth. The insects are spreading in many forests in germany. Damaging trees. Forest owners want to use poison spray to kill the caterpillars. But the extent of the ad break isnt clear. For researchers, monitoring the activity of pests is also part of the job for a lot of information has yet to be gained by the number of species of insects, ground welling organisms, and even birds. Its also unclear how theyre all doing in order to be able to monitor them more effectively and comprehensively. The researchers are turning to new ideas and Technical Solutions and one of those new ideas can be found in low earth orbit, or neo, for short, 700 kilometers above the earth. The satellite sentinel one keeps a watchful eye like its radar images are available within one hour. In the event of natural disasters, for example, they can help rescue workers get an overview. But the technology is also useful for conservationists. For more on that, lets return to our scientists in germany here at the ecological field station of the university of lets book. And your camilla are inspecting their latest cotch. Single light truck picked up a good 2 dozen different moths and beetles in just one night. Even in a single sample like this, identifying the animals can be a challenge. And then comes the hard part identifying with some species thats very easy, like some which is large and distinctive looking. But a lot of species are small and gray and all the same. Their genitalia will have to be examined and compared with reference samples, which is a lot of work. Were not talking about 1020 or a 100, but between 10500000 specimens to be determined in the long term soil and pay is showing her colleagues how they can monetize forest fire their 1st day in a far easier, faster, more comprehensive fashion. Ive brought in because its a new experience for you because it is from there. Its the place that youre so youre on pace all the Great Potential of using radar images from satellites in the quest to monitor species diversity. The sense now one satellites have been orbiting the earth for the past 6 years, using radar to scan its surface an 80 kilometer wide swathe with a Spatial Resolution of 5. 5 meters. The radio waves penetrate cloud cover and even forest canopy revealing the structure of the vegetation below. This is the part that i was so impressed that the dark green News Conference last and all these lights green is very forest. And the radar data indeed shows the tree species growing here. This enables the researchers to quickly investigate large amounts of terrain all beers in fairly low resolution. They can improve the image quality by also conducting flyovers across representative woodland areas. Of the aircraft scans the paris with an onboard laser. The resolution here is far higher than with radar 10. 00 to 1. 00 centimeter per pixel. The researchers use a combination of both technologies radar for scanning larger air on laser for greater detail and metrics for the resulting data provides information about the species, the height of the trees, the density of vegetation a lot about the animals in the forest. From the specimens taken from which species tend to live, where if we kept the structure of we just structure and the forest structure effect a lot in there. So thats why we can detect well there and how the findings can be marked on mops. You find a couple cases in the room always will thank you from fiji to la parva little flycatcher. And this is striking because nobody is able to really work for you though. Youre in this rough to row because a lot of theyre just going to want what takes an hour or 2, but you cannot go there everywhere. And this is really an old school that we can go through the whole landscape using trying to take samples on the ground will of course, remain a vital part of the researchers work. But the hope now is that the radar data will enable them to project their findings on to large scale areas. That will give them the Bigger Picture of weather and has starkly diversity as twin lakes. And maybe what action can be taken to stop the satellite data is not only important for research over 2500 active satellites are currently orbiting the earth, providing information for all kinds of applications, like g. P. S. Navigation systems that can replace t. V. Towers. Smartphones also use satellite data and speaking of smart phones, how often have you looked at yours today . And how are your eyes doing . Staring at a phone or computer display puts a lot of strain on the eyes. The constant focus on the same object looking in the same direction and from the same distance takes its toll on im muscles and it can damage our eyesight. Professor chris low man at the hospital of the Technical University munich says it raises the risk of developing short sightedness. The minor was, normally we blink every 10 seconds. But when were staring at a display, its only every 30 or 40 seconds. Its called for to go to the reduced blink reflex tires the eyes. The tear film ruptures and the eyes begin to burn an itch and lose focus when to transfer easy. But its a simple trick is designed to give our eyes a bit of relief in the dark mode setting found on most apple and Android Devices with updated operating systems. When its activated, the background becomes darker and the text brighter. Its easier on the i, specially if the room youre in is dark, but is the dark mode setting really healthier . This is, and so ive tried it out too and it does feel better. But it doesnt address the problem that people who stare at displays blink less and get dry entire dies. So its not necessarily healthy. If your eyes does it, at least improve your battery life spans times from german computer magazine connect, conducted a test for us. Brand new devices from the same manufacturer was subjected to a stress test with standard settings. And then with the dark option, analyzed a smartphone with the display in both dark mode. And in normal mode mode, the phone had a 20 percent longer battery life. And thats because phones with the displays only light up the areas of the screen where something is happening. Dark mode on cheaper phones with l. C. D. Displays has 0 effect on battery life. So doubt my can at least extend your battery life, but only with more expensive models. In addition to darkness, theres also a night night, all night shift. Youre supposed to use it in the evenings so that the light doesnt disrupt your sleep, but doesnt work. Its been another restless night for tatiana. For the past 2 years, the student has been suffering from chronic sleep deprivation, desperate to find a remedy. She has an appointment at the center for sleep medicine at Marburg University hospital. Psychologist bannock castle has an immediate suspect late night internet surfing its quite possible that the light emitted by the screen can compromise your ability to fall asleep after dark. Pretty. The bright blue white light slows the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, which normally tells the body its time to go to sleep. So even though the Natural Light fades over the course of the evening, tatiana has difficulty turning off. The sleep. Research suggests setting her phone to night mode, which reduces the blue tones and for watching movies he recommends donning a pair of amber tinted glasses with a built in blue filter. Even if theyre not to everyones taste. Kristis all im going to known for the orange toned filters out the colder blue and green light. So the light you are exposed to in the evening has little or no impact on your body, clock guns, beenish money in wood, and even better the night shift or spacey ticking specks, of course, is to put your phone away, featuring countless scientific studies have looked at the function of city and how it can be improved. 2 1 International Study showed that over 60 percent of people feel that densely, well, and yes, we spent nearly one 3rd of our lives sleeping and often dream of Maria Consuelo arties from columbia, sent us a fascinating question about that. Can 2 people share the same dream . In me, hollywood thinks they can, in the movie inception, socalled extractors, use experimental military technology to infiltrate their target subconscious and extract information through a shared dream world. But can this really work in the real World Without any technology . Can we really share dreams . And studies have shown that people can dream similar things in the same day. Time experiences are preoccupying them. A brand new study shows that in finland, the coven, 19 lockdown earlier this year, led to a number of people having similar nightmares. Of 800. 00 people questioned. Over half of them reported having nightmares related to the pandemic. Dreaming, for example, that they became infected with the virus. But there are also reports of shared or mutual dreams that seem completely random. One woman dreamt that she was at a Fashion Party and went into an elevator with 2 gay friends. And we got into the elevator and they were dancing. Being very cabin funny and the elevator swooshed out really quickly. Another woman who slept in the same room had an almost identical tree. So in her dream, she was in italy at a Fashion Party for a Fashion Designer and it was a very Popular Hotel and she was with 2 gay friends of hers. And as it is a, went into the elevator, it shot out really fast, like it was a rocket. So this is an example of a mutual shared jury. A coincidence, or were the women just subtly in tune with each other . So far, theres no widely accepted explanation for it, but some psychologists, a. V. Experience of mutual dreaming is most often reported by friends, relatives, and couples. And that it could express an attempt to enhance emotional attachment in relationships. Well, i misread why are great, but im going to be ok to happen to you have a science question youd like us to answer. So you did. If we featured on this show, youll get a little surprise as a thank you. Come on, just awesome. Youll find us on the web at v. W. Dot com slash science or check us out on twitter. The book thats all for today and put it back next week with more fascinating stories from the world of science. Until then stay healthy and curious to get into your life when its no longer for big its your career when youre finally allowed to pursue it. Its your opinion when you can finally say it is freedom more important than homeland. We need artists in exile, living in berlin, 20 coming up on d w. When streets sparkle with color. When houses are decked out in old couture and the artworks are beautiful and tasty. Then its time for your all maxed. This time its street art, stylish housing and urban masterpieces. Your romex 30 minutes on d, w from the ghetto to harlem, and every gunga knows, bobby why. Despite coming from a close family, the pop star wants to become president and challenges, and god has at leat cost. The credible story of bobby warm body starts december 10th on g. W. Od. Give us your country in the will make you rich people oil move, provide you with jobs. Claim the oil. Well take good care. Less you just a big oil fever took hold on the west coast of gaza in 2700 dusters make big promises. But your sleep reality looks very different. Litter shoes, Drinking Water shortage of employment. Basically this, if you trace of oil going up and down the stream of black gold oil promises starts december 4th leg this is d w, dudes and these are out top stories. U. S. Drug giant pfizer and its german patna bio and takes a theyve asked the u. S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency approval of 19 vaccine. The firm say the vaccine was 95 percent effective in a large scale trial. And i believe