289 articles from WEDNESDAY 13.5.2020
Designing flexible and stretchable single crystal electronic systems
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/13 23:11
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.
Aerobics may be a smart workout for your brain at any age
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/13 23:11
It's never too late to lace up some sneakers and work up a sweat for brain health, according to a new study. The study suggests older adults, even couch potatoes, may perform better on certain thinking and memory tests after just six months of aerobic exercise.
Signs of fetal alcohol syndrome detected in womb
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/13 23:11
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.
Researchers find even small disturbances can trigger catastrophic storms
You've probably seen the satellite images that show a hurricane developing: thick white clouds clumping together, arms spinning around a central eye as it heads for the coast.
A new, highly sensitive chemical sensor uses protein nanowires
Writing in the journal NanoResearch, a team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst reports this week that they have developed bioelectronic ammonia gas sensors that are among the most sensitive ever made.
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...
Researchers create durable, washable textile coating that can repel viruses
Masks, gowns, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) are essential for protecting healthcare workers. However, the textiles and materials used in such items can absorb and carry viruses and bacteria, inadvertently spreading the disease the wearer sought to contain.
Older, larger companies benefit from not investing in worker safety, study finds
Companies best equipped to provide safe workplaces are the least likely to do so, because they benefit financially from forgoing the cost of enacting workplace safety practices, a recent study found. In some cases, companies with worker injury claims were more than 50% more likely to survive than their safer counterparts.
T. rex's long legs were made for marathon walking
Long legs may make good runners, but they're great for walking, too. Scientists have generally assumed that long-limbed dinosaurs evolved their leggy proportions for speed to catch prey and avoid predators.
NASA finds Vongfong at typhoon strength Philippine warnings up
NASA's Terra satellite revealed powerful storms in Vongfong as it ramped up from a tropical storm to a typhoon. Vongfong is known locally in the Philippines as Typhoon Ambo.
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.
Low proportion of individuals with autism receive recommended genetic tests, study finds
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/13 21:01
A new study found that only 3 percent of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder reported having fully received clinical genetic tests recommended by medical professional societies.
Planetary exploration rover avoids sand traps with 'rear rotator pedaling'
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/13 20:38
Built with wheeled appendages that can be lifted and wheels able to 'wiggle,' a new robot known as the 'Mini Rover' has developed and tested complex locomotion techniques robust enough to help it climb hills covered with granular material -- and avoid the risk of getting ignominiously stuck on some remote planet or moon.
Is video game addiction real?
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/13 20:38
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
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/13 20:37
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.
Microscopic feather features reveal fossil birds' colors and explain why cassowaries shine
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/13 20:34
Some birds are iridescent because of the physical make-up of their feathers, but scientists had never found evidence of this structural color in the group of birds containing ostriches and cassowaries -- until now. Researchers have discovered both what gives cassowary feathers their glossy black shine and what the feathers of birds that lived 52 million years ago looked like.
A new, highly sensitive chemical sensor uses protein nanowires
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/13 20:34
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...
T. rex was a champion walker, highly efficient at lower speeds
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/13 20:33
A new study suggests that long legs evolved among the biggest dinosaurs to help them conserve energy as they ambled along searching for prey, rather than for speed as previously assumed.
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...
Scientists successfully develop 'heat resistant' coral to fight bleaching
The team included researchers from CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the University of Melbourne.
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...