Researchers in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, were able to detect virus particles in wastewater in March, almost a week before the official report.
Wastewater has been systematically examined in Belgium since June.
When the new, more contagious mutation appeared in Great Britain, it was soon detected in wastewater in Austria and Switzerland.
In this country one still waits in vain for such success reports.
A number of research groups are working on the topic, including in Leipzig, Frankfurt am Main, Berchtesgaden and Oldenburg, but there is no comprehensive national research strategy.
Research is regionally fragmented, politics dawdles.
Icon: enlarge
Berchtesgaden, where wastewater samples are taken from the sewer system to test for Sars-CoV-2
Photo: Lennart Preiss / Getty Images
An expert from Darmstadt raves about the fact that she could use samples from the sewer network on site to locate a new source of infection more or less precisely in the city.
Now she's worried about follow-up financing.
"It's frightening how far ahead other countries are when it comes to wastewater monitoring," says Jörg Drewes, wastewater researcher at the Technical University of Munich.
A supraregional sewerage early warning system would come too late for the current lockdown and, above all, for cleverly adapted, flexible easing.
But maybe it will be ready for use before a third wave of infections hits the country.
Stay safe and sound!
Yours Hilmar Schmundt
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Feedback & suggestions?
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Abstract
My reading recommendations this week:
How the corona pandemic can be tracked with sewage treatment plants:
German experts have been working on wastewater monitoring for the
corona virus for
months.
Other countries are already several steps further, reports my colleague Jörg Römer.
When cats have Corona:
The cat disease FIP is almost always fatal.
An unapproved drug could save the day.
Holders are already getting the medicine from China, reports my colleague Julia Koch.
Drugs like ecstasy or LSD can help like drugs against addictions or depression; the number of studies has more than doubled in recent years, reports the journal Nature.
These vaccines should end the bottleneck:
Two vaccines against the coronavirus are approved in Germany - and more should follow very soon, writes my colleague Julia Köppe.
Some of the new ones have clear advantages.
Quiz*
1. The model airplane pilot Spencer Lisenby has set a new speed record with his remote-controlled glider. During the "slope soaring" he achieved
a) a speed of 582 km / h
b) a speed of 882 km / h
c) a speed of 1282 km / h - he possibly broke the sound barrier
2. A Japanese company wants to produce a new type of satellite called »Lignosat«, with a shell consisting of
a) seaweed, ginger and sesame (wakame)
b) wood
c) braided cotton candy
3. An Australian team of astronomers discovered a bizarre solar system, with
a) six suns orbiting each other
b) four suns, each of them with four exoplanets each
c) 100 suns, surrounded by 1000 exoplanets and 2000 moons
* You can find the answers at the bottom of the newsletter.
Picture of the week
Icon: enlarge Photo: NASA / AFP
The "whirlpool galaxy" M51a looks
as spectacular as fireworks
.
The picture was taken with the aid of the flying »Sofia« telescope, which is mounted in the belly of a converted Boeing 747.
During the flight at a height of around twelve kilometers, it explores the firmament.
The magnetic field lines of the spiral galaxy are highlighted in whitish gray.
Inside they follow the shape of the arms, but further outside they appear turbulent.
Possibly because the magnetic fields are also disturbed by the neighboring galaxy M51b (yellow spot top left).
Recommendations from science
Biodiversity:
In order to preserve our livelihood, experts are calling for a U-turn in species protection
Vaccines:
Although there are no independent studies, vaccines from Russia and China are finding more and more buyers
Tragedies:
New traces of the mysterious mountain accident in the Urals 60 years ago
Archeology:
Thanks to new methods, teeth that are thousands of years old are becoming a treasure trove for science
* Quiz answers
1b) The speed of the glider was 882 kilometers per hour.
More about it here.
2b) The "Lignosat" should be made of wood, among other things to reduce the problem of long-lived space debris.
More about it here.
3a) The team led by Benjamin Montet from the University of New South Wales found a solar system with six suns with the help of the "Tess" satellite. It is 1900 light years away from Earth.
