147 articles from FRIDAY 30.8.2019

Exoplanets can't hide their secrets from innovative new instrument

In an unprecedented feat, an American research team discovered hidden secrets of an elusive exoplanet using a powerful new instrument at the 8-meter Gemini North telescope on Maunakea in Hawai'i. The findings not only classify a Jupiter-sized exoplanet in a close binary star system, but also conclusively demonstrate, for the first time, which star the planet orbits.

What if we paid countries to protect biodiversity?

Researchers from Sweden, Germany, Brazil and the U.S. have developed a financial mechanism to support the protection of the world's natural heritage. In a recent study, they developed three different design options for an intergovernmental biodiversity financing mechanism. Asking what would happen if money was given to countries for providing protected areas, they simulated where the money would...

Lost Irish words rediscovered, including the word for 'oozes pus'

Researchers from Cambridge and Queen's University Belfast have identified and defined 500 Irish words, many of which had been lost, and unlocked the secrets of many other misunderstood terms. Their findings can now be freely accessed in the revised version of the online dictionary of Medieval Irish (www.dil.ie).

Is it a cult, or a new religious movement?

A trend in pop culture is a mix of current affairs and anniversaries, and saturating the media landscape is documentary storytelling about cults in popular culture. Last year was the 40th anniversary of Jonestown, and this summer marks 50 years since the Manson Family murders. 2019 saw the trial of NXIVM members, and Netflix's "Wild Wild Country" piqued interest in a peculiar unfolding of events...

What it takes to put out forest fires

In Brazil, the world's largest tropical rainforest is burning. Indonesia is home to the third-largest tropical forest and this too is burning in parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Using a phosphine oxide catalyst to make nucleophilic substitution reactions of alcohols greener

A team of researchers with the University of Nottingham, Jealott's Hill International Research Centre and the GlaxoSmithKline, Medicines Research Centre, has found a way to use a phosphine oxide catalyst to make nucleophilic substitution reactions of alcohols greener. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their process and its benefits. Lars Longwitz and Thomas...

Quantum engineering atomically smooth single-crystalline silver films

Ultra-low-loss metal films with high-quality single crystals are in demand as the perfect surface for nanophotonics and quantum information processing applications. Silver is by far the most preferred material due to low-loss at optical and near infrared (near-IR) frequencies. In a recent study now published on Scientific Reports, Ilya A. Rodionov and an interdisciplinary research team in Germany...

Rethinking our resilience to wildfire

The 2017 wildfire season was the most extensive and expensive in U.S. history. Fires scorched 10 million acres in the western U.S. and federal fire-suppression expenditure surpassed a record $2.9 billion. There's no end to the record breaking in sight: climate change will continue to produce longer, drier fire seasons with substantial burning that will consume residential developments. In a paper...

Burundian refugees in Tanzania face big challenges

Tanzania says it has reached an agreement with Burundi to begin sending back all Burundian refugees from October. The repatriation effort will take place in collaboration with the United Nations. Moina Spooner, from The Conversation Africa, asked Amelia Kuch to give some insights into the decision.

Sexual abuse against gay and bi men brings unique stigma and harm

As trauma psychologists, we're leading a team to help alleviate psychiatric distress in gay, bi and trans males who have been sexually abused or assaulted. In collaboration with two nonprofit organizations, MaleSurvivor and Men Healing, we recruited and trained 20 men who have experienced sexual abuse to deliver evidence-based online mental health interventions for sexual and gender minority...