179 articles from FRIDAY 8.5.2020

New 'planetary quarantine' report reviews risks of alien contamination of Earth

In Michael Crichton's 1969 novel The Andromeda Strain, a deadly alien microbe hitches a ride to Earth aboard a downed military satellite and scientists must race to contain it. While fictional, the plot explores a very real and longstanding concern shared by NASA and world governments: that spacefaring humans, or our robotic emissaries, may unwittingly contaminate Earth with extraterrestrial life...

Space age for metals, foams and the living

Astronauts donned gloves on the International Space Station to kick off two European experiments on metals and foams, while preparing spacesuits for future work outside their home in space.

New method captures early viral-host protein interactions

More than 70% of all viruses known to cause human disease, including the one that causes COVID-19, are RNA viruses. They invade the body by hijacking the internal machinery of cells. Yet little is known about how viral RNA commandeers host proteins to replicate the virus.

Growing back the lymph system

A team including University of Georgia researchers has for the first time documented the regrowth of surgically removed pathways in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels designed to pump away inflammatory fluids and defend the body against infection.

A tool to provide policymakers with real-time economic data

An interactive tool that uses real-time data to measure the depth of the economic downturn and give evidence of any recovery was launched today by Opportunity Insights, a Harvard-based institute of social scientists and policy analysts that harnesses big data for policy solutions.

Researchers map tiny twists in magic-angle graphene

Made of a single layer of carbon atoms linked in a hexagonal honeycomb pattern, graphene's structure is simple and seemingly delicate. Since its discovery in 2004, scientists have found that graphene is in fact exceptionally strong. And although graphene is not a metal, it conducts electricity at ultrahigh speeds, better than most metals.

When baby planets melt: Searching for the histories of planetesimals

Let's start at the beginning. Before humans, before Earth, before any of the planets existed, there were baby planets—planetesimals. Coalesced from dust exploded outward by the solar nebula, these blobs of material were just a few kilometers in diameter. Soon, they too aggregated due to gravity to form the rocky planets in the innermost part of the solar system, leaving the early details about...

Researchers develop an artificial chloroplast

Over billions of years, microorganisms and plants evolved the remarkable process we know as photosynthesis. Photosynthesis converts sun energy into chemical energy, thus providing all life on Earth with food and oxygen. The cellular compartments housing the molecular machines, the chloroplasts, are probably the most important natural engines on earth. Many scientists consider artificially...

Scientists measure electrical conductivity of pure interfacial water

Skoltech scientists in collaboration with researchers from the University of Stuttgart, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the Russian Quantum Center have achieved the first systematic experimental measurements of the electrical conductivity of pure interfacial water, producing new results that significantly expand the knowledge of interfacial water.

South Africa's MeerKAT solves mystery of 'X-galaxies'

Many galaxies far more active than the Milky Way have enormous twin jets of radio waves extending far into intergalactic space. Normally these go in opposite directions, coming from a massive black hole at the centre of the galaxy. However, a few are more complicated and appear to have four jets forming an 'X' on the sky.

NASA's Perseverance rover spacecraft put in launch configuration

Engineers working on NASA's Perseverance rover mission at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida have begun the process of placing the Mars-bound rover and other spacecraft components into the configuration they'll be in as they ride on top of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The launch period for the mission opens on July 17—just 70 days from now.

Dendrimers finally have what it takes to break into the laser scene

Advances in optical devices are supported by the development of new materials. Microcrystallites of luminescent organic compounds can act as tiny laser sources for such devices, for example, in displays and other components. Dendrimers offer numerous advantages as luminescent materials, but so far, they have not been used as microcrystallites owing to their fragility and poor crystallinity. Now, a...

Dendrimers finally have what it takes to break into the laser scene

A team has produced a family of dendrimers that form single-crystals and can harvest non-polarized light and transform it into polarized emission. The dendrimer crystals are both optically and mechanically stable to optical pumping, making them the first example of a crystalline material combining dendrimer properties and laser performance. The crystals are expected to have numerous applications...

Newly discovered mechanism can explain increased risk of dementia

Millions of people around the world use acid suppressants called proton pump inhibitors for conditions like heartburn, gastritis and stomach ulcers. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now report that how the long-term use of these drugs could increase the risk of developing dementia. Their results are published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia.

How a molecular 'alarm' system in plants protects them from predators

Some plants, like soybean, are known to possess an innate defense machinery that helps them develop resistance against insects trying to feed on them. However, exactly how these plants recognize signals from insects has been unknown until now. Scientists have now uncovered the cellular pathway that helps these plants to sense danger signals and elicit a response, opening doors to a myriad of...