197 articles from WEDNESDAY 4.9.2019

An examination of prosecutorial staff, budgets, caseloads and the need for change

We decided to examine the state of prosecutor funding and caseloads after recent local debates on the issue. Prosecutors contend they need more staff to ensure due process and increased diversion options and others are concerned that doing so would reverse justice reform efforts, under the assumption that more prosecutors equate to more convictions. As a result, we, the Center for Justice Research...

Why transporters really matter for cell factories

In a new study published in PNAS, scientists from The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability (DTU Biosustain) explored how different cell membrane transporters impact the production of dicarboxylic acids.

A ‘deep fake’ app will make us film stars – but will we regret our narcissism?

Users of Zao can now add themselves into the scenes of their favourite movies. But is our desire to insert ourselves into everything putting our privacy at risk?‘You oughta be in pictures,” goes the 1934 Rudy Vallée song. And, as of last week, pretty much anyone can be. The entry requirements for being a star fell dramatically thanks to the launch, in China, of a face-swapping app that can...

Study suggests T. rex had an air conditioner in its head

Tyrannosaurus rex, one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs on the planet, had an air conditioner in its head, suggest scientists from the University of Missouri, Ohio University and University of Florida, while challenging over a century of previous beliefs.

Evidence suggests birds use eye proteins and magnetite-based receptors to navigate

A pair of researchers from Goethe-Universität Frankfurt and Max von Laue-Straße 13 report that research by others has shown that there are two main physical attributes birds use to navigate. In their paper published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface, two researchers outline the current state of the study of navigation in birds and what they found.

Super shrimp could increase yield and prevent disease

Single-sex prawns could help alleviate poverty, reduce disease and protect the environment, according to researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) who have developed a monosex prawn that may make this winning trifecta possible.

It's best not to fly to conferences

Several times a year, researchers from all over the world travel long distances in order to share their latest findings and establish contacts at conferences. Dr. Sebastian Jäckle from the Department of Political Science at the University of Freiburg advocates a more conscious approach to such research trips. The political scientist examined the travel-related CO2 emissions of the last six...

Charge fluctuations: A new property in superconductors

Superconductivity enables us to prevent loss when transporting energy from power plants to our homes. However, to do this, the lines must be cooled to temperatures that are so low as to make large-scale use of superconductors uneconomic at present. Therefore, in laboratories across the world researchers are looking for new superconductive materials that function at less prohibitive temperatures.

As an act of self-disclosure, workplace creativity can be risky business

It's increasingly common for managers to direct employees to "be creative" during office brainstorming sessions. But should employees acquiesce to that managerial edict? According to a new paper from a U. of I. expert in work behaviors and organizations, being creative in the workplace is potentially precarious because creativity itself is deeply personal, which can make the creative act feel...

Medical marijuana laws impact use among sexual minorities differently than heterosexuals

Bisexual women had higher rates of past-year and daily marijuana use compared to heterosexual women, and gay/lesbian women were also more likely to report daily marijuana use and past year medical marijuana use than heterosexual women. While previous research has explored the association between state-level medical marijuana laws and marijuana use and MU disorder among the general US population,...

The argument for sexual selection in bacteria

The evolutionary pressure to pass on DNA can produce behavior that otherwise makes no sense in a struggle to survive. Rams bash heads in fights over females; peacocks grow elaborate tail feathers that attract mates and predators alike. Sexual selection can sometimes explain phenomena that natural selection alone cannot. But could bacteria exhibit sexual selection? Researchers argue that some...