One-winged angel
- Astronomy.com
- 24/3/19 10:57
Marty Weintraub, from Duluth, Minnesota An aurora arcs over a fjord on the Norwegian island of Senja, roughly 3° north of the Arctic Circle, lighting up the villages of Bergsbotn and Indregård. This 1.6-second exposure was taken with a Sony a7 IV mirrorless camera and a 14 mm lens at f/1.8 and ISO 2500.
The post One-winged angel appeared first on Astronomy...
Is food waste the key to sustainable, plastic-free diapers and sanitary pads?
Once thrown away, disposable items such as diapers and sanitary pads can take hundreds of years to decompose, because their absorbent parts and waterproof layers contain plastics and other synthetic polymers. But now, researchers are replacing these materials with porous components made from protein biomass that is often discarded by the food and agricultural industries. These components are...
Molecular crystal motors move like microbes when exposed to light
At first glance, Rabih O. Al-Kaysi's molecular motors look like the microscopic worms you'd see in a drop of pond water. But these wriggling ribbons are not alive; they're devices made from crystallized molecules that perform coordinated movements when exposed to light. With continued development, Al-Kaysi and colleagues say, their tiny machines could be used by physicians as drug-delivery robots...
Should forests have rights? – podcast
A growing movement of ecologists, lawyers and artists is arguing that nature should have legal rights. By recognising the rights of ecosystems and other species, advocates hope that they can gain better protection. Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s global environment editor, Jonathan Watts, about where this movement has come from and why the UK government has dismissed the concept, and...
US and Japan push for ban on nuclear weapons in space with UN security council resolution
UN chief António Guterres says risk of nuclear war has escalated and that ‘humanity cannot survive a sequel to Oppenheimer’The US and Japan are sponsoring a UN security council resolution calling on all nations not to deploy or develop nuclear weapons in space, the US ambassador has announced.Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a UN security council meeting that “any placement of nuclear weapons...
Scientists in Antarctica track ‘baffling’ virus that could decimate penguins and other polar animals
A 23-meter-long sailboat set off last week from Argentina for Antarctica’s Weddell Sea with eight scientists, lots of cloacal swabs, and a genetic fingerprinting machine aboard. The
Australis
is headed for the southern continent’s teeming colonies of Adélie penguins, other seabirds, and marine mammals. The
goal
: to search for signs of a deadly virus...
MONDAY 18. MARCH 2024
NASA’s x-ray telescope faces a long goodbye
The end is nigh for NASA’s nearly 25-year-old Chandra X-ray Observatory. Funding for the space telescope was slashed last week in President Joe Biden’s budget request, which calls for winding the mission down over several years.
Astronomers are up in arms over the announcement. They argue that the telescope is as productive as ever and remains a cornerstone of U.S....
Livestock farming is responsible for up to a quarter of air pollution in Lombardy region: Study
Agricultural activities and livestock farming are key contributors to the concentrations of hazardous pollutants for health and the environment in the atmosphere, but the potential action in these sectors is often overlooked in public debate.
Cacao plants' defense against toxic cadmium unveiled
Researchers from the University Grenoble Alpes (UGA), France, together with the ESRF, the European Synchrotron located in Grenoble, France, used ESRF's bright X-rays to unveil how cacao trees protect themselves from toxic metal cadmium. This knowledge is relevant as new EU regulations restrict cadmium concentration in chocolate. Their results are published in Environmental and Experimental Botany.
Bodycams in court get broad police approval, according to survey
In the courtroom, Quebec provincial police officers seem to be broadly in favor of having images captured by body-worn cameras used as evidence, but are also concerned about some of the potential consequences for the pursuit of justice.
As Voyager 1's mission draws to a close, one planetary scientist reflects on its legacy
For nearly 50 years, NASA's Voyager 1 mission has competed for the title of deep space's little engine that could. Launched in 1977 along with its twin, Voyager 2, the spacecraft is now soaring more than 15 billion miles from Earth.
Resilience in architecture: The diaspora's response to the Second World War
The Second World War had a profound impact not only on the fate of countries and people but also on the development of architecture. In occupied territories across the globe, architecture reflected the prevailing trends of the time.
Study highlights achievements of the scientific drilling of Songliao Basin
Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, the increase in carbon dioxide emissions has consistently warmed the Earth's climate. At the current warming rate, our planet might potentially be on track toward witnessing a greenhouse climate state with no ice on polar caps.
Domain knowledge drives data-driven artificial intelligence in well logging
Data-driven artificial intelligence, such as deep learning and reinforcement learning, possesses powerful data analysis capabilities. These techniques enable the statistical and probabilistic analysis of data, facilitating the mapping of relationships between inputs and outputs without reliance on predetermined physical assumptions.
Urban greening can lead to an increase of rodent-borne zoonotic pathogens
Wild rodents can host a great diversity of zoonotic pathogens. Rodents that live close to humans increase the likelihood of the transfer of such pathogens. "Changes in the environment, such as urban greening, can increase the presence of rodents and result in a higher human disease risk in urban areas," states Marieke de Cock based on her research. She successfully defended her Ph.D. from...
Tanks of the Triassic: New crocodile ancestor identified
- ScienceDaily
- 24/3/18 21:45
Dinosaurs get all the glory. But aetosaurs, a heavily armored cousin of modern crocodiles, ruled the world before dinosaurs did. These tanks of the Triassic came in a variety of shapes and sizes before going extinct around 200 million years ago. Today, their fossils are found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia.
Backyard insect inspires invisibility devices, next gen tech
- ScienceDaily
- 24/3/18 21:45
Leafhoppers, a common backyard insect, secrete and coat themselves in tiny mysterious particles that could provide both the inspiration and the instructions for next-generation technology, according to a new study. In a first, the team precisely replicated the complex geometry of these particles, called brochosomes, and elucidated a better understanding of how they absorb both visible and...
A simple, scalable method using light to 3D print helical nanostructures
A new fabrication process for helical metal nanoparticles provides a simpler, cheaper way to rapidly produce a material essential for biomedical and optical devices, according to a study by University of Michigan researchers.
Climate change alters the hidden microbial food web in peatlands, study shows
The humble peat bog conjures images of a brown, soggy expanse. But it turns out to have a superpower in the fight against climate change.
Alternative tidal wetlands in plain sight have overlooked Blue Carbon superstars
Blue Carbon projects are expanding globally; however, demand for credits outweighs the available credits for purchase.