74 articles from MONDAY 2.9.2019
Mystery solved about the machines that move your genes
Fleets of microscopic machines toil away in your cells, carrying out critical biological tasks and keeping you alive. By combining theory and experiment, researchers have discovered the surprising way one of these machines, called the spindle, avoids slowdowns: congestion.
Impact of climate change on global banana yields revealed
Climate change could negatively impact banana cultivation in some of the world's most important producing and exporting countries, a study has revealed.
Plant gene discovery could help reduce fertilizer pollution in waterways
Over-fertilization of agricultural fields is a huge environmental problem. Excess phosphorus from fertilized cropland frequently finds its way into nearby rivers and lakes. A resulting boom of aquatic plant growth can cause oxygen levels in the water to plunge, leading to fish die-offs and other harmful effects.
Hurricane Dorian pummels Bahamas with Category 5 assault
Hurricane Dorian hovered over the Bahamas on Monday, pummeling the islands with a fearsome Category 5 assault that shredded roofs, hurled cars and forced even rescue crews to take shelter until the onslaught passes.
Know the risks about HRT and breast cancer. But don’t panic about them | Joanna Moorhead
As a breast cancer survivor, I understand the grip of fear. But the best thing is to talk to a doctor then make your own choicesIt was hard to avoid the story, late last week: “Breast cancer risk from using HRT is twice what was thought,” it warned. I read it, because as someone who’s experienced breast cancer I’m always interested in the latest news about it.The new research doesn’t...
Wild geese change routes to cope with climate change
Migratory patterns have changed in the last 25 years according to a new study by Scots researchers.
Europe and US teaming up for asteroid deflection
Asteroid researchers and spacecraft engineers from the US, Europe and around the world will gather in Rome next week to discuss the latest progress in their common goal: an ambitious double-spacecraft mission to deflect an asteroid in space, to prove the technique as a viable method of planetary defense.
Birds in serious decline at Lake Constance
Within 30 years, the bird population around Lake Constance declined with increasing rapidity. While in 1980 around 465,000 breeding pairs were still living in the region, by 2012 the number had fallen to 345,000—a loss of 25 percent. These are the findings of a study carried out by researchers from the Ornithological Working Group at Lake Constance and the Max Planck Institute of Animal...
Skating droplets move in orbits
They look like planets: Two droplets move in orbits on an ice cold fluid surface. They attract each other, and by almost frictionless movement on their own vapour, they skate around each other. It is a fascinating mechanism that could be used for preparing and transporting biological samples with a minimum of contamination. Researchers of the University of Twente have published a study on this...
Central banks are waking up to climate change dangers
The impact of climate change on the stability of individual financial institutions and the financial system in general is growing. It influences the types of activities that financial institutions will fund and the cost of finance.
Fault line under Strait of Georgia could cause 6.0 earthquake off Sunshine Coast, research finds
A B.C. researcher says he's identified a major fault line under the Strait of Georgia that could one day rupture and trigger a 6.0 magnitude earthquake off the coast of...
Schools could teach children how to be happy but they foster competition instead
Diagnoses of mental disorders and drug prescriptions among school-age children have skyrocketed over the last two decades. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that 20% of children experience mental disorders—such as depression, anxiety, ADHD and autism – at any given time.
A 3-D printed telescope: The analog sky drifter
A unique 3-D printed telescope named the Analog Sky Drifter may spark a revolution in amateur telescope making.
Flexible working, the neglected congestion-busting solution for our cities
Traffic congestion is one of the most significant challenges facing our cities. Melbourne's population is growing by around 325 people a day and is projected to overtake Sydney's within a decade. Identified as the most congested city in the country, this was a factor in Melbourne losing its seven-year grip on the "world's most livable city" title last year.
A method to simulate strongly correlated phases of quantum gauge theories
Quantum gauge theories are mathematical constructs that are typically used by physicists to describe subatomic particles, their associated wave fields and the interactions between them. The dynamics outlined by these theories are difficult to compute, yet effectively emulating them in the lab could lead to valuable new insight and discoveries.
'Mission Jurassic' fossil dinosaur dig closes for winter
Three full truck loads of dinosaur fossils ship out as scientists end their excavation season.
A new alphabet to write and read quantum messages with very fast particles
Quantum information relies on the possibility of writing messages in a quantum particle and reading them out in a reliable way. If, however, the particle is relativistic, meaning that it moves with velocities close to the speed of light, it is impossible for standard techniques to decode the message unambiguously, and the communication therefore fails.
Making more plastics recyclable
Whether multi-layered food packaging, power cable sheathing or a toothbrush: Many plastic products cannot be recycled. This is the case, for example, when products are made of multiple materials that cannot be separated at all or only insufficiently.
Wild geese take climate action
Migratory animals are actively adjusting their traditions to climate change, new research has found.
Polarization can happen even when rational people listen to each other
When groups of people disagree, it's easy for one side to blame the other's irrationality for the difference in opinion. But new work from the University of Pennsylvania suggests that humans' limited memory might instead be at fault. The research shows that even when everyone actually listens to each other and thinks rationally, polarization can still occur. Penn researchers Daniel J. Singer,...
Mitochondrial DNA reveals unexpected ancestral connections
Biochemists study life on a molecular level. So, as a biochemist, it made sense to investigate my own existence at that deepest of levels, which is why I had my DNA sequenced—my mitochondrial DNA, or mtDNA, to be exact.
Image: Hubble views star nearing its end
This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows NGC 5307, a planetary nebula that lies about 10,000 light-years from Earth. It can be seen in the constellation Centaurus (the Centaur), which can be seen primarily in the southern hemisphere.
Direct microscopy imaging reveals details in DNA origami nanostructures
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory are now able to see greater details of DNA origami nanostructures, which will lead to a greater understanding and control of their assembly for future applications.
How early-stage embryos maintain their size
What controls the size of an embryo and, by extension, the size of tissue, organs and the whole organism?