277 articles from WEDNESDAY 20.5.2020

Quantum leap: Photon discovery is a major step toward at-scale quantum technologies

A team of physicists has developed the first integrated photon source with the potential to deliver large-scale quantum photonics. The development of quantum technologies promises to have a profound impact across science, engineering and society. Quantum computers at scale will be able to solve problems intractable on even the most powerful current supercomputers, with many revolutionary...

A new understanding of everyday cellular processes

We use cells to breathe, to moderate body temperature, to grow and many other every day processes, however the cells in these processes are so complex its left scientists perplexed into how they develop in different environments. Researchers say future research needs to look into the bioelectrical composition of cells for answers.

A new algorithm predicts the difficulty in fighting fire

Fires are one of the greatest threats to forest heritage. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, on average more than 17,000 fires occur per year in Spain, affecting 113,000 hectares and causing enormous financial and scenic losses.

4-D electric circuit network with topology

In recent years, topology has emerged as an important tool to classify and characterize properties of materials. It has been found that many materials exhibit a number of unusual topological properties, which are unaffected by deformations, e.g., stretching, compressing, or twisting. These topological properties include quantized Hall currents, large magnetoresistance, and surface excitations that...

Researchers breaking new ground in 2-D materials

A study by a team of researchers from Canada and Italy recently published in Nature Materials could usher in a revolutionary development in materials science, leading to big changes in the way companies create modern electronics.

This could be the first direct evidence of a planet being born

The news: Astronomers have made what are possibly the first ever observations of a planet in the process of being born. The newly-released images are of a very young star system called AB Aurigae, about 520 light-years away. They feature a massive disc of swirling gas and dust. The disc features a prominent twist that could indicate where a new planet is being born. The findings were reported...

Going nuclear on the moon and Mars

It might sound like science fiction, but scientists are preparing to build colonies on the moon and, eventually, Mars. With NASA planning its next human mission to the moon in 2024, researchers are looking for options to power settlements on the lunar surface. According to a new article in Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, nuclear fission...

Women entrepreneurs are more motivated by social impact than money

Entrepreneurial motivation is important to economic growth because entrepreneurs create companies that produce new products and services, which in turn, boost productivity. But we know little about what motivates innovative entrepreneurs and how their motivations differ by gender, culture and other characteristics. A new study from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Columbia Business...

Scientists find out which of the metazoans has the smallest known genome

"Orthonectida is a group of parasitic creatures that was discovered long ago—in 1877. However, their position in the animal system until recently remained a mystery," said George Slyusarev, Professor at St Petersburg University and Doctor of Biology. "Initially, they were considered extremely primitive animals that occupy an intermediate position between Protozoans and Metazoans. Hence, their...

Large shift of the Pacific Walker Circulation across the Cenozoic

Fluctuations in the Pacific Walker circulation (PWC), a zonally-oriented overturning cell across the tropical Pacific, can cause widespread climatic and biogeochemical perturbations. It remains unknown how the PWC developed during the Cenozoic era, with its substantial changes in greenhouse gases and continental positions.

New technique separates industrial noise from natural seismic signals

For the first time, seismologists can characterize signals as a result of some industrial human activity on a continent-wide scale using cloud computing. In two recently published papers in Seismological Research Letters, scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory demonstrate how previously characterized "noise" can now be viewed as a specific signal in a large geographical area thanks to an...

Molecule-plasmon coupling strength tunes surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectral lineshapes

Plasmon-enhanced molecular spectroscopies have attracted tremendous attention as powerful detection tools with ultrahigh sensitivity down to the single-molecule level. The optical response of molecules in the vicinity of nanostructures with plasmon resonance would be dramatically enhanced through interactions with plasmons. However, beyond the signal amplification, the molecule-plasmon interaction...

Construction of hollow nanoreactors for enhanced photo-oxidations

Oxidation of primary alcohols to carboxylic acids is of importance in both organic chemistry and the chemical industry because the oxidation products can be used to prepare various pharmaceuticals and useful chemicals. The photocatalytic oxidation process has been considered as a sustainable technology to achieve the selective oxidation under ambient conditions with irradiation from solar light....

Heating poppy seeds, but not baking them in muffins, reduces opiate levels

You might have heard the advice to avoid eating a poppy seed bagel or muffin before a drug screen, lest you test positive for opiates. This urban legend is rooted in truth because the tiny black seeds contain small amounts of morphine and codeine that can show up in a drug test. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have studied how different treatments...

Carl Linnaeus's household laid the foundation for his scientific work

Without a wife and a well-functioning household, Carl Linnaeus would have had difficulty becoming the prominent scientist that he was. Mastering social codes, like clothing and hosting guests for dinners, was crucial for having a career in the 18th century. These are the conclusions of a recently defended thesis at Uppsala University.

UK scientists must not be blamed for giving advice, says Royal Society head

Exclusive: intervention comes after minister appeared to scapegoat scientists over Covid-19 errorsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageScientists must be allowed to take independent decisions without fear of recriminations, the head of the Royal Society has warned after a cabinet minister appeared to blame “wrong” science for mistakes made in tackling the coronavirus...