223 articles from MONDAY 9.12.2019
New Laser Transmitter to Enable International Gravitational Wave Observatory
This blog post originated in the 2018 Science Mission Directorate Science and Technology Report.
PROJECT
Laser Transmitter for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Mission
KEY POINTS
A highly stable and robust laser design is a key subsystem required for the LISA observatory. By leveraging lessons learned from previous missions and the latest technologies in photonics packaging...
Grandmother killer whales boost survival of calves
The "grandmother effect" was even stronger with grandmothers that had gone through the menopause.
Ice in Motion: Satellites Capture Decades of Change
Portal origin URL: Ice in Motion: Satellites Capture Decades of ChangePortal origin nid: 456417Published: Monday, December 9, 2019 - 16:30Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: New time-lapse videos of Earth's glaciers and ice sheets as seenfrom space, some spanning nearly 50 years, are providing new insights into howthe planet's frozen...
Breakthrough in 'distributed deep learning'
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/9 22:13
Computer scientists, using a divide-and-conquer approach that leverages the power of compressed sensing, have shown they can train the equivalent of a 100 billion-parameter distributed deep learning network on a single machine in less than 35 hours for product search and similar extreme classification problems.
Last remaining glaciers in the Pacific will soon melt away
The last remaining tropical glaciers between the Himalayas and the Andes will disappear in the next decade—and possibly sooner—due to climate change, a new study has found.
Lighting up cardiovascular problems using nanoparticles
Heart disease and stroke are the world's two most deadly diseases, causing over 15 million deaths in 2016 according to the World Health Organization. A key underlying factor in both of these global health crises is the common condition, atherosclerosis, or the build-up of fatty deposits, inflammation and plaque on the walls of blood vessels. By the age of 40, around half of us will have this...
Scientists accidentally discover a new water mold threatening Christmas trees
Grown as Christmas trees, Fraser firs are highly prized for their rich color and pleasant scent as well as their ability to hold their needles. Unfortunately, they are also highly susceptible to devastating root rot diseases caused by water molds in the genus Phytophthora.
Humans aren't the only species that rely on grandmothers to watch the kids: Orca grannies ensure baby whales live longer
Orca whales and humans share a trait that's rare among mammals: Females survive long past their reproductive period and take care of...
Humans aren't the only species that rely on grandmothers to watch the kids: Orca grannies ensure baby whales live longer
Orca whales and humans share a trait that's rare among mammals: Females survive long past their reproductive period and take care of...
Killer whale grandmothers boost survival of calves
Post-menopausal killer whale grandmothers improve the chances of survival for their grand-calves, new research has found.
New England fishermen losing jobs due to climate: study
New England has a proud tradition of commercial fishing. But will it survive as the planet warms?
Researchers identify 'Achilles' heel' of drug-resistant superbug
A deadly superbug that infects an estimated 54,500 Americans a year has a secret weapon, a protein, that allows it to defy antibiotic treatment and immune system attacks. However, the secret is out now that researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) have identified the protein that acts as a defense mechanism for vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Their...
Volkswagen charged for allegedly violating Canadian emissions standards
The federal government is charging Volkswagen for allegedly importing cars into Canada that company executives knew violated emissions...
Dozens feared dead in eruption of New Zealand volcano
A volcano on a New Zealand island erupted Monday with a towering blast of ash and scalding steam as tourists were exploring the moon-like surface, killing five people and leaving perhaps two dozen others missing and presumed dead. Eighteen others were rescued, some of them severely burned.
NASA says core stage of next Moon rocket now ready
NASA has completed the giant rocket that will take US astronauts back to the Moon, the space agency's head announced Monday, pledging the mission would take place in 2024 despite being beset by delays.
Predicting a protein's behavior from its appearance
Proteins are the building blocks of life and play a key role in all biological processes. Understanding how they interact with their environment is therefore vital to developing effective therapeutics and the foundation for designing artificial cells.
Acoustic focusing to amass microplastics in water
Microplastics are receiving a lot of attention lately due to their difficulty in removal from the environment. Sieves and filtration are currently the predominant way to capture microplastics in water. However, this is impractical because filters clog easily and regularly need to be cleaned or replaced. Another issue is that it has been impossible to collect anything smaller than 0.3 mm, the size...
Researchers find some forests crucial for climate change mitigation, biodiversity
A study by Oregon State University researchers has identified forests in the western United States that should be preserved for their potential to mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration, as well as to enhance biodiversity.
The Antarctic: Data about the structure of the icy continent
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/9 19:20
Satellite data from the European Space Agency (ESA) has now been used as the basis for new insights on the deep structure of the continent Antarctica.
The Antarctic: Study provides data about the structure of the icy continent
The Antarctic is one of the parts of Earth that we know the least about. Due to the massive ice shield, the collection of geophysical information on site is extremely difficult and expensive. Satellite data from the European Space Agency (ESA) has now been used as the basis for new insights on the deep structure of the continent. Scientists from Kiel University (CAU) recently published their...
A tech jewel: Converting graphene into diamond film
Can two layers of the "king of the wonder materials," i.e. graphene, be linked and converted to the thinnest diamond-like material, the "king of the crystals?" Researchers of the Center for Multidimensional Carbon Materials (CMCM) within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS, South Korea) have reported in Nature Nanotechnology the first experimental observation of a chemically induced conversion of...
Megadroughts fueled Peruvian cloud forest activity, researchers find
New research led by scientists from Florida Institute of Technology found that the strong and long-lasting droughts known as megadroughts parched the usually moist Peruvian cloud forests, spurring farmers to colonize new cropland.
Green hydrogen: Research to enhance efficiency
Laboratory experiments and a parabolic flight campaign have enabled an international team of researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) to gain new insights into water electrolysis, in which hydrogen is obtained from water by applying electric energy. Water electrolysis could play a key role in the energy transition if efficiency improvements can be achieved. The findings...
Nanowire detects Abrikosov vortices
Researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, and the Institute of Solid State Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences have demonstrated the possibility of detecting Abrikosov vortices penetrating through a superconductor-ferromagnet interface. The device considered in their study, published in Scientific Reports, is a ferromagnetic nanowire...
New function for plant enzyme could lead to green chemistry
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered a new function in a plant enzyme that could have implications for the design of new chemical catalysts. The enzyme catalyzes, or initiates, one of the cornerstone chemical reactions needed to synthesize a wide array of organic molecules, including those found in lubricants, cosmetics, and those used as raw...
Strategies to lower risk for violent crime and gun violence
With violent crimes and gun violence rising annually and the number of gun deaths in the U.S. surpassing all other nations, researchers at the annual meeting of The Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) present a series of studies during its Study of Violent Crime and Gun Violence symposium which contributes several new frameworks that can be used toward improving laws, civilian strategies, legislation...
Community characteristics shape climate change discussions after extreme weather
Political affiliations, the presence of local environmental organizations and prior local media coverage of climate change play a role in how a community reacts to an extreme weather event, an article published today in Nature Climate Change concludes.
Cities and their rising impacts on biodiversity—a global overview
The rapid expansion of cities around the world is having an enormous impact on biodiversity. To gain a clearer picture of the situation, an international group of scientists, including Professor Andrew Gonzalez from McGill's Biology Department, surveyed over 600 studies on the impacts of urban growth on biodiversity. They published their findings today in Nature Sustainability.
In a split second, clothes make the man more competent in the eyes of others
People perceive a person's competence partly based on subtle economic cues emanating from the person's clothing, according to a study published in Nature Human Behaviour by Princeton University. These judgments are made in a matter of milliseconds, and are very hard to avoid.
Study: Favorable environments for large hail increasing across U.S.
A group of atmospheric scientists have uncovered an environmental footprint that could help explain why the cost of hailstorm damage is rapidly increasing in the United States.
Wing genes responsible for tiny treehopper's extraordinary helmet: study
They sport some of the most impressive headgear in the insect world, yet they're no bigger than a kernel of corn.
Tackling air pollution: researchers present emissions inventory for Nepal
Data on emission amounts and sources have an important role to play in shaping policy on climate protection and air quality. Now, scientists from the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam, Germany, have presented the first high-resolution inventory to record emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants in Nepal over an extended period of time. Their research reveals...
NASA examines Tropical Cyclone Belna's water vapor concentration
When NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the Southern Indian Ocean, water vapor data provided information about the intensity of Tropical Cyclone Belna.
Climate change and the threat to global breadbaskets
Climate change is not just resulting in a steady increase in temperatures, but also in an increased frequency and severity of extreme climatic events, like droughts, heat waves, and floods. These extreme conditions are particularly damaging for agriculture. Climate variability is responsible for at least 30% of the annual fluctuations in worldwide agricultural yield. Under "normal" climatic...
Asian water towers are world's most important and most threatened
Scientists from around the world have assessed the planet's 78 mountain glacier-based water systems. For the first time, they ranked them in order of their importance to adjacent lowland communities while assessing their vulnerability to future environmental and socioeconomic changes. These systems, known as mountain water towers, store and transport water via glaciers, snow packs, lakes and...
How planets may form after dust sticks together
Scientists may have figured out how dust particles can stick together to form planets, according to a Rutgers co-authored study that may also help to improve industrial processes.
Volcano F is the origin of 'floating stones'
Stones do not float in water—this is a truism. But there is hardly a rule without exception. In fact, some volcanic eruptions produce a very porous type of rock with a density so low that it does float: Pumice. An unusually large amount of it is currently drifting in the Southwest Pacific towards Australia. When it was first sighted in the waters around the island state of Tonga at the beginning...
480-million-year-old fossils reveal sea lilies' ancient roots
Sea lilies, despite their name, aren't plants. They're animals related to starfish and sea urchins, with long feathery arms resting atop a stalk that keeps them anchored to the ocean floor. Sea lilies have been around for at least 480 million years—they first evolved hundreds of millions of years before the dinosaurs. For nearly two centuries, scientists have thought about how modern sea lilies...
Aspirin's health benefits under scrutiny
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/9 17:21
Taking a baby aspirin every day to prevent a heart attack or stroke should no longer be recommended to patients who haven't already experienced one of these events, new research suggests.
Wing genes responsible for tiny treehopper's extraordinary helmet
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/9 17:21
Why the treehopper developed the enlarged, three-dimensional hood ornament that distinguishes it from the rest of the insect world remains a mystery to scientists, though it's theorized that mimicry or camouflage designed to protect it from predators is a likely reason. But a study from researchers in UConn's Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, published today in the journal Nature...
New study compares floodplain protection today to predicted future flood losses
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/9 17:21
A new study seeks to answer an important question related to flooding in the United States - pay now to protect undeveloped areas that are likely to flood in the future or allow developments to go ahead and pay for damage when it occurs.
Large atmospheric waves in the jet stream present risk to global food production
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/9 17:21
Researchers have discovered jet stream patterns that could affect up to a quarter of global food production.
How planets may form after dust sticks together
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/9 17:21
Scientists may have figured out how dust particles can stick together to form planets, according to a new study that may also help to improve industrial processes.
A tech jewel: Converting graphene into diamond film
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/9 17:21
Can two layers of the ''king of the wonder materials,'' i.e. graphene, be linked and converted to the thinnest diamond-like material, the ''king of the crystals''? Scientists have reported the first experimental observation of such conversion.
Identification of a key protein linked to aging
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/9 17:21
Aging is a dramatic public health issue in the face of the current demographic changes: the proportion of 60 and over in the world's population will almost double by 2050. In this context, a new discovery has just broadened scientific knowledge. Researchers shed light on the mechanisms of senescence, by identifying a key protein associated with aging.
Tackling air pollution: Researchers present emissions inventory for Nepal
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/9 17:09
Data on emission amounts and sources have an important role to play in shaping policy on climate protection and air quality. Now, scientists have presented the first high-resolution inventory to record emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants in Nepal over an extended period of time. Their research reveals that the air pollution problem is growing at a much faster rate than the economy.
Liquid flow is influenced by a quantum effect in water
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/9 17:09
Researchers have discovered that the viscosity of solutions of electrically charged polymers dissolved in water is influenced by a quantum effect. This tiny quantum effect influences the way water molecules interact with one another. Yet, it can lead to drastic changes in large-scale observations. This effect could change the way scientists understand the properties and behavior of solutions of...
Storing data in everyday objects
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/9 17:05
Researchers and an Israeli scientist have discovered a new method for turning nearly any object into a data storage unit. This makes it possible to save extensive data in, say, shirt buttons, water bottles or even the lenses of glasses, and then retrieve it years later. The technique also allows users to hide information and store it for later generations. It uses DNA as the storage medium.
Explaining the tiger stripes of Saturn's moon Enceladus
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/9 17:05
Slashed across the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus are four straight, parallel fissures or 'tiger stripes' from which water erupts. These fissures aren't quite like anything else in the Solar System. Researchers now think they have a model to explain them.
RNA modification: Methylation and mopping up
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/9 17:05
Researchers have discovered a novel type of chemical modification in bacterial RNAs. The modification is apparently attached to molecules only when cells are under stress, and is rapidly removed during recovery.