Recent comments in /f/askscience

shimmeringships t1_j2c8r30 wrote

Yes! An entire strain of flu (Influenza B/Yamagata) appears to have gone extinct due to COVID safety measures. It could come back if there are reservoirs of it somewhere, either in human populations that are not being tested or in non-human populations, but no one has reported a positive test for it since 2020.

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StillKpaidy t1_j2c8nwi wrote

There was a huge drop in influenza infections, and I suspect RSV as well given the recent resurgence now that most people have largely gone back to normal and kids are back in the classroom. Now, separating the effects of social distancing versus masks can be difficult, but since both are spread by respiratory droplets I'd imagine masks were a large part of it.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/past-seasons.html

Note in the link above that for 2020-2021 they can't even give you an estimate because numbers were so low.

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theCumCatcher t1_j2c36bd wrote

this is something i feel is missing from the explaination.

without our magnetic field, genetic life couldnt exist in the radiation produced by our star.... and even our atmosphere woule be eroded away by solar wind

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there is a HUGE difference between a 'dead' core and 'active' core world.

one has an atmosphere, magneticfield, and life.

the other, all things being equal, does not

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