289 articles from WEDNESDAY 13.5.2020

Designing flexible and stretchable single crystal electronic systems

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in collaboration with a Purdue team have discovered that certain crystals are more flexible and stretchable compared to current materials used for electronic applications. These new materials could therefore be used for making sensors and in robotics.

Signs of fetal alcohol syndrome detected in womb

New images reveal the earliest impairments to nonhuman primate fetal brain development due to alcohol ingested by the mother, in a study involving rhesus macaques. Magnetic resonance imaging showed impairments to brain growth during the third trimester of pregnancy, even though the fetus was exposed to alcohol only during the first trimester.

Designing flexible and stretchable single crystal electronic systems

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in collaboration with a Purdue team have discovered that certain crystals are more flexible and stretchable compared to current materials used for electronic applications. These new materials could therefore be used for making sensors and in robotics.

Atomically thin magnets for next generation spin and quantum electronics

As our smartphones, laptops, and computers get smaller and faster, so do the transistors inside them that control the flow of electricity and store information. But traditional transistors can only shrink so much. Now, researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology have developed a new atomically thin magnetic semiconductor that will allow the development of new transistors that work in a...

Dynamics of gut bacteria follow ecological laws

The seemingly chaotic bacterial soup of the gut microbiome is more organized than it first appears and follows some of the same ecological laws that apply to birds, fish, tropical rainforests, and even complex economic and financial markets, according to a new paper in Nature Microbiology by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Is video game addiction real?

A recent six-year study, the longest study ever done on video game addiction, found that about 90% of gamers do not play in a way that is harmful or causes negative long-term consequences. A significant minority, though, can become truly addicted to video games and as a result can suffer mentally, socially and behaviorally.

Infecting the mind: Burnout in health care workers during COVID-19

Doctors and nurses across the country are experiencing occupational burnout and fatigue from the increased stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. A team of researchers and medical professionals are working together to fight two afflictions: COVID-19 and the mental strain experienced by medical professionals.

A new, highly sensitive chemical sensor uses protein nanowires

Scientists report that they have developed bioelectronic ammonia gas sensors that are among the most sensitive ever made. It uses electric-charge-conducting protein nanowires derived from the bacterium Geobacter to provide biomaterials for electrical devices. They grow hair-like protein filaments that work as nanoscale ''wires'' to transfer charges for their nourishment and to communicate with...

95,000 have entered UK from abroad during coronavirus lockdown

Government chief adviser fails to give estimate of how many have arrived with Covid-19At least 95,000 people have entered the UK from overseas since the coronavirus lockdown was imposed, one of the government’s chief scientific advisers has revealed, while repeatedly failing to provide an estimate of how many of these people had Covid-19.Appearing before MPs on the science and technology...

The Guardian view on the hybrid parliament: unfinished business | Editorial

Digital scrutiny is imperfect but it has proved that the Commons can modernise. Ending the experiment prematurely is a backwards stepThere is still much to be learnt about the coronavirus, but it is clear that transmission is efficient in crowded, enclosed spaces. On that basis a full House of Commons is unsafe.That is why “hybrid scrutiny” was introduced, with most MPs contributing to debates...

How a mint became catmint

Catmint, also known as catnip, is well-known for its intoxicating effect on cats. The chemical responsible for the cats' strange behavior is nepetalactone, a volatile iridoid produced by catmint. An international team of researchers has now found through genome analysis that the ability to produce iridoids had already been lost in ancestors of catmint in the course of evolution. Hence,...

Microscopic feather features reveal fossil birds' colors and explain why cassowaries shine

Cassowaries are big flightless birds with blue heads and dinosaur-looking feet; they look like emus that time forgot, and they're objectively terrifying. They're also, along with their ostrich and kiwi cousins, part of the bird family that split off from chickens, ducks, and songbirds 100 million years ago. In songbirds and their relatives, scientists have found that the physical make-up of...

Virus protein discovery reveals new plant-animal class of cell division disruptors

Viruses are ubiquitous pathogens that can cause severe infectious diseases in both humans and agricultural crops. As most viruses have simple genomes and encode only a few proteins, they must usurp host cell resources for propagation. Understanding what host processes are disrupted and which viral proteins are involved greatly facilitate the design of therapeutic measures for controlling viral...