207 articles from TUESDAY 17.12.2019

Turning light energy into heat to fight disease

An emerging technology involving particles that absorb light and turn it into localized heat sources shows great promise in several fields, including medicine. This heating must be carefully controlled however, and the ability to monitor temperature increases is crucial. Scientists report a method to measure these temperatures using terahertz radiation. The study involved gold nanorods in water in...

Consider marine life when implementing offshore renewable power

With countries adopting green energy practices, renewable energy now accounts for a third of the world's power. As this trend continues, more countries are looking to offshore energy sources to produce this renewable energy. Researchers identify situations where green technology such as wind turbines, wave energy converters, and other marine renewable energy devices (MREDs) have had negative...

Consider marine life when implementing offshore renewable power

With countries such as Iceland, Costa Rica, New Zealand, and Norway adopting green energy practices, renewable energy now accounts for a third of the world's power. As this trend continues, more and more countries are looking to offshore energy sources to produce this renewable energy. In an Opinion publishing December 17 in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution, researchers identify...

How cells get moving

Archaea, bacteria and eukaryotes are what biologists call the three domains of life. Of these three, archaea form an important link within the evolutionary theory. They are the direct ancestors of eukaryotes, but resemble bacteria in structure and organization. Archaea can colonize hot sulphur springs or extremely saline lakes, but can also be found in the ocean or in the human intestine and on...

Neolithic chewing gum helps recreate image of ancient Dane

Analysis of birch tar describes a female hunter-gatherer with dark skin and blue eyesAt the dawn of the Neolithic era, a young woman discarded a lump of ancient chewing gum made from birch tar into a shallow, brackish lagoon that drew fishers to the coast of southern Denmark.Nearly 6,000 years later, researchers excavating the site spotted the gum amid pieces of wood and wild animal bone and from...

Taking an X-ray of an atomic bond

A group of researchers has demonstrated a method that allows scientists to experimentally measure how the chemical bonds of materials are altered when two different materials are linked together. This method provides an atomic layer-by-layer look at the materials' electron configuration, which is the source of traits like conductivity and magnetism.

Mothers' and babies' brains 'more in tune' when mother is happy

Mothers' and babies' brains can work together as a 'mega-network' by synchronising brain waves when they interact. The level of connectivity of the brain waves varies according to the mum's emotional state: when mothers express more positive emotions their brain becomes much more strongly connected with their baby's brain. This may help the baby to learn and its brain to develop.

NASA’s SDO Sees New Kind of Magnetic Explosion on Sun

Portal origin URL: NASA’s SDO Sees New Kind of Magnetic Explosion on SunPortal origin nid: 456771Published: Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - 10:00Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory has observed a new type of magnetic explosion, the likes of which have never seen before.Portal image: forced magnetic reconnection...

A Methane Leak, Seen From Space, Proves to Be Far Larger Than Thought

The first satellite designed to continuously monitor the planet for methane leaks made a startling discovery last year: A little known gas-well accident at an Ohio fracking site was in fact one of the largest methane leaks ever recorded in the United States.The findings by a Dutch-American team of scientists, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, mark a step...