153 articles from FRIDAY 20.12.2019

Counting photons is now routine enough to need standards

Since the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) built its first superconducting devices for counting photons (the smallest units of light) in the 1990s, these once-rare detectors have become popular research tools all over the world. Now, NIST has taken a step toward enabling universal standards for these devices, which are becoming increasingly important in science and industry.

Using a material's 'memory' to encode unique physical properties

A new study published in Science Advances found that certain types of materials have a "memory" of how they were processed, stored, and manipulated. Researchers were then able to use this memory to control how a material ages and to encode specific properties that allow it to perform new functions. This creative approach for designing materials was the result of a collaboration between Penn's...

Berlin's bright sky isn't a bat's thing

People can hardly imagine a city without night-time street lighting. But how do nocturnal animals such as bats respond to the illuminated urban landscape? In a recent study, scientists equipped common noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) with mini GPS transmitters and recorded their trajectories in the sky above Berlin. They show that common noctules avoid brightly lit, built-up areas.

Chronobiology: 'We'll be in later'

Students attending a high school in Germany can decide whether to begin the schoolday at the normal early time or an hour later. According to chronobiologists, the measure has had a positive effect on both their sleep and learning experience.

Popular gyms undermining health with tanning beds

Popular gym chains across the country capitalize on the broad desire to get healthy in the New Year with persuasive post-holiday marketing campaigns, but they're also undermining public health warnings about the dangers of indoor tanning, according to a new study.

Universal method for measuring light power

Always on the lookout for better ways to measure all kinds of things, researchers have published a detailed study suggesting an "elegant" improved definition for the standard unit of light power, the optical watt. The proposed definition promises a more precise, less expensive and more portable method for measuring this important quantity for science, technology, manufacturing, commerce and...

Could every country have a Green New Deal? Report charts paths for 143 countries

Researchers offer an updated vision of the steps that 143 countries around the world can take to attain 100% clean, renewable energy by the year 2050. The new roadmaps project that transitioning to clean, renewable energy could reduce worldwide energy needs by 57%, create 28.6 million more jobs than are lost, and reduce energy, health, and climate costs by 91% compared with a business-as-usual...

SHAPEIT4: An algorithm for large-scale genomic analysis

Haplotypes are a set of genetic variations that, located side by side on the same chromosome, are transmitted in a single group to the next generation. Their examination makes it possible to understand the heritability of certain complex traits, such as the risk of developing a disease. However, to carry out this analysis, genome analysis of family members (parents and their child) is usually...

Study suggests universal method for measuring light power

Always on the lookout for better ways to measure all kinds of things, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have published a detailed study suggesting an "elegant" improved definition for the standard unit of light power, the optical watt.

The connection between ribosomes and telomeres in plants

Findings from a recent research project, conducted by a Marshall University scientist and assistant professor in the Marshall University College of Science, with researchers in Texas, was recently published in the December issue of the prestigious online journal, Nature Communications.

Luxury consumption can fuel 'impostor syndrome' among some buyers

Purchasing luxury goods can affirm buyers' sense of status and enjoyment of items like fancy cars or fine jewelry. However, for many consumers, luxury purchases can fail to ring true, sparking feelings of inauthenticity that fuel what researchers have labeled the "impostor syndrome" among luxury consumers.

Space-time metasurface makes light reflect only in one direction

Light propagation is usually reciprocal, meaning that the trajectory of light travelling in one direction is identical to that of light travelling in the opposite direction. Breaking reciprocity can make light propagate only in one direction. Optical components that support such unidirectional flow of light, for example isolators and circulators, are indispensable building blocks in many modern...

A step closer to understanding evolution: Mitochondrial division conserved across species

Cellular origin is well explained by the "endosymbiotic theory," which famously states that higher organisms called "eukaryotes" have evolved from more primitive single-celled organisms called "prokaryotes." This theory also explains that mitochondria—energy-producing factories of the cell—are actually derived from prokaryotic bacteria, as part of a process called "endosymbiosis." Biologists...

Plant scientists identify new strategy to enhance rice grain yield

Rice provides daily subsistence for about three billion people worldwide and its output must keep pace with a growing global population. In light of this, the identification of genes that enhance grain yield and composition is much desired. Findings from a research project led by Professor Mee-Len Chye, Wilson and Amelia Wong Professor in Plant Biotechnology from the School of Biological Sciences...

Ecological impacts of palm stearin spill to the coastal ecosystem

In August 2017, a marine accident occurred in the Pearl River Estuary where a cargo vessel accidentally released about 1,000 tonnes of palm stearin into the sea. Over 200 tonnes of palm stearin reached the southwest coasts of Hong Kong. The general public and green groups expressed concerns that such palm oil pollution could adversely affect the marine life and marine ecosystem, yet there was a...

'The Demon in the Machine' is named physics book of the year in UK

Paul Davies' newest book, The Demon in the Machine, takes aim at one of the great outstanding scientific enigmas—what is life, how and why does it emerge and what distinguishes the living from the non-living? The book, which was published this past October in the U.S. has now been named the top physics book of 2019 by Physics World, a publication of the UK Institute of Physics.

Wetlands will keep up with sea level rise to offset climate change

Coastal wetlands provide stunning views and are hosts to a vast array of biodiversity. But they also provide another service to the warming Earth: they capture carbon from the atmosphere and sequester it in their sediment at high rates. In the United States alone, coastal wetlands can offset the yearly carbon dioxide emissions from 800,000 cars. But as sea level rises with climate change, will...

Flood alert: Researchers devise powerful new flood monitoring system for Japan

Flooding accounts for a third of the average annual economic losses caused by natural disasters worldwide. Flood damage resulting from typhoons and torrential rainfall is increasing each year; thus, flood prediction is a valuable strategy for disaster reduction. Predicting floods is the key component of an effective early warning system, giving governments, businesses, and individuals precious...

It's a small (coal-polluted) world, after all

A study published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry underscores that the release of pollutants in one region can have implications beyond its borders; emphasizing the dire need for global collaboration on environmental issues. The study suggests that coal-burning activities in the Asia-Pacific region have influenced environmental conditions in the United States Pacific Northwest.