184 articles from FRIDAY 27.3.2020

Quantum copycat: Researchers find a new way in which bosons behave like fermions

Bosons and fermions, the two classes into which all particles—from the sub-atomic to atoms themselves—can be sorted, behave very differently under most circumstances. While identical bosons like to congregate, identical fermions tend to be antisocial. However, in one dimension—imagine particles that can only move on a line—bosons can become as stand-offish as fermions, so that no two...

SpaceX wins NASA contract to send cargo to lunar Gateway with new Dragon XL craft

NASA has tapped a type of SpaceX cargo craft that hasn't yet been built to deliver supplies to a moon-orbiting outpost that hasn't yet been launched. SpaceX's robotic Dragon XL, a cylindrical, supersized version of its workhorse Dragon spacecraft, will handle shipments to the Gateway space platform as the first commercial provider to receive a Gateway Logistics Services contract from...

Frontline NHS staff first to receive new Covid-19 antigen tests

Tests due next week will confirm whether self-isolating healthcare workers can return to workCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTests for healthcare workers will be rolled out next week, allowing them to confirm whether they have been infected or are safe to work, the government has announced.Michael Gove – standing in for the prime minister at the daily briefing after...

In Earth's largest extinction, land animal die-offs began long before marine extinction

Because of poor dates for land fossils laid down before and after the mass extinction at the end of the Permian, paleontologists assumed that the terrestrial extinctions from Gondwana occurred at the same time as the better-documented marine extinctions. But a new study provides more precise dates for South African fossils and points to a long, perhaps 400,000-year period of extinction on land...

Coronavirus and volunteering: how can I help in the UK?

From lending a hand to local charities to bolstering the efforts of the NHS, there are many ways to get involvedAll our coronavirus coverageI want to help. Where can I find about about volunteering?There are plenty of ways to get involved. Many local charities will be keen to attract new volunteers – especially as older stalwarts are forced to stay at home. Or there are national schemes, such as...

Dangerous cures and viral hoaxes: common coronavirus myths busted

With so much misinformation about Covid-19 circulating online, we’ve factchecked some of the more common fallaciesCoronavirus Australia news: live updatesSign up for Coronavirus: Australia at a glance, our daily email newsletterCoronavirus Australia maps and cases: live numbers and statisticsThe spread of Covid-19 has been matched only by the spread of misinformation circulating in response to...

Copper boosts pig growth, and now we know why

Pigs have better feed conversion rates with copper in their diets, but until now, scientists didn't fully understand why. Existing research from the University of Illinois shows copper doesn't change fat and energy absorption from the diet. Instead, according to new research, the element seems to enhance pigs' ability to utilize fat after absorption, resulting in increased energy utilization of...

A lifesaving reason to have more women on boards: ensuring consumer safety

In a study published online yesterday focused on the medical products industry—which includes medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biologics—a group of researchers found that, compared to firms with all-male boards, firms with female directors announced high-severity product recalls 28 days sooner. This is a 35% reduction in the time between when a firm was first made aware of the defect and...

Waitrose to set aside quarter of delivery slots for elderly shoppers

Supermarket says it will prioritise deliveries amid concern over food supplies for vulnerable peopleCoronavirus – latest UK updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWaitrose is setting aside at least a quarter of its online grocery delivery slots for elderly and vulnerable shoppers amid rising concern about food supplies for those isolated at home.The supermarket is also expanding its online...

Bubbles go with the flow

Scientists have developed a new computer simulation model that includes microbubble nucleation to explain the flow slippage of fluids inside pipes. This work may help improve the flow rate of viscous fluids in commercial applications, as in the energy industry.

Copper boosts pig growth, and now we know why

Pigs have better feed conversion rates with copper in their diets, but until now, scientists didn't fully understand why. Existing research from the University of Illinois shows copper doesn't change fat and energy absorption from the diet. Instead, according to new research, the element seems to enhance pigs' ability to utilize fat after absorption, resulting in increased energy utilization of...

Bubbles go with the flow: Simulating behavior of fluids moving through pipes

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, used a sophisticated physical model to simulate the behavior of fluids moving through pipes. By including the possibility of shear-induced bubble formation, they find that, contrary to the assumptions of many previous works, fluids can experience significant slippage when in contact with fixed boundaries. This research...

Multi-stage deformation process in high-entropy alloys at ultra-low temperatures revealed

An international research team led by scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has recently discovered that high-entropy alloys (HEAs) exhibit exceptional mechanical properties at ultra-low temperatures due to the coexistence of multiple deformation mechanisms. Their discovery may hold the key to designing new structural materials for applications at low temperatures.

Trump's narcissism has taken a new twist. And now he has American blood on his hands | Jonathan Freedland

The US president has been exposed by the coronavirus crisis. The only small comfort for the rest of the world is that he’s not their leaderPity the people of America. They do battle now with one of the greatest challenges in their history, led by a man who is not only among the worst ever occupants of the White House but whose character makes him the last person on the face of the Earth you...

Vital drug for people with lupus running out after unproven Covid-19 link

Italy and France now prescribing hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus despite fact its effectiveness is unknownCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA stampede for an unproven “cure” for Covid-19 is clearing the pharmacy shelves of a medicine that is vital for up to 5 million people around the world suffering from lupus, as countries bow to populist pressure and abandon...

Faster way to replace bad info in networks

Researchers have demonstrated a new model of how competing pieces of information spread in online social networks and the Internet of Things (IoT). The findings could be used to disseminate accurate information more quickly, displacing false information about anything from computer security to public health.

Researchers take a big step towards a comprehensive single-cell atlas

A large team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in and around Hangzhou, China, has taken a very large step toward the creation of a comprehensive human single-cell atlas. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes how they sequenced the RNA of over a half-million single cells donated by volunteers and processed the information to present it in a way that...

Researchers catch light in a funnel

Professor Ronny Thomale holds a chair for theoretical condensed matter physics, the TP1, at the Julius-Maximilian University of Würzburg. The discovery and theoretical description of new quantum states of matter is a prime objective of his research. "Developing a theory for a new physical phenomenon which then inspires new experiments seeking after this effect is one of the biggest moments in a...

Animals keep viruses in the sea in balance

A variety of sea animals can take up virus particles while filtering seawater for oxygen and food. Sponges are particularly efficient. That was written by marine ecologist Jennifer Welsh from NIOZ this week, in a publication in Nature Scientific Reports. This Monday, Welsh will defend her thesis at the Free University of Amsterdam, through an online connection.

ALMA resolves gas impacted by young jets from supermassive black hole

Astronomers obtained the first resolved image of disturbed gaseous clouds in a galaxy 11 billion light-years away by using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The team found that the disruption is caused by young powerful jets ejected from a supermassive black hole residing at the center of the host galaxy. This result will cast light on the mystery of the evolutionary process...

Free range mitochondria are coming for you

Transfer of mitochondria between cells is a ubiquitously occurring and now universally known phenomenon. For years, researchers have been serially demonstrating that one particular new cell type can transfer its mitos to yet another particular cell type to achieve some specific metabolic goal essential to survival of the meta-host organism. But what happens when the mitochondria come from the...

A new 'gold standard' for safer ceramic coatings

Making your own ceramics can be a way to express your creativity, but some techniques and materials used in the process could spell bad news for your health and the environment. If not prepared properly, some glazed ceramics can leach potentially harmful heavy metals. Scientists now report progress toward a new type of glaze that includes gold and silver nanoparticles, which are less toxic and...

Scientists grow novel Er3+ doped LuSGG mid-infrared laser crystal

A study team has grown an Er3+-doped lutetium scandium gallium garnet crystal with high doping concentration. And this was the first time to grow that kind of crystal by Czochralski method. The team also announced they have achieved 2.79 μm laser with high peak power and high beam quality.

ALMA resolves gas impacted by young jets from supermassive black hole

Astronomers obtained the first resolved image of disturbed gaseous clouds in a galaxy 11 billion light-years away by using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The team found that the disruption is caused by young powerful jets ejected from a supermassive black hole residing at the center of the host galaxy. This result will cast light on the mystery of the evolutionary process...

How to boost immune response to vaccines in older people

Identifying interventions that improve vaccine efficacy in older persons is vital to deliver healthy aging for an aging population. Immunologists have identified a route for counteracting the age-related loss of two key immune cell types by using genital wart cream to boost immune response to vaccination in aged mice. After this validation in mice, the findings offer an attractive intervention to...