139 articles from MONDAY 25.5.2020

Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit Fails on First Rocket Launch Attempt

(LOS ANGELES) — Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit failed Monday on its first attempt to launch a test satellite into space aboard a rocket carried aloft by a Boeing 747 and released over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California. The inaugural launch had appeared to be going well until moments after the rocket was dropped from beneath the left wing of the jumbo jet dubbed...

Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket misses going to space during its first air launch

A new breed of launch vehicle had a shaky first outing today when Virgin Orbit released its LauncherOne rocket from a modified Boeing 747 jumbo jet flying over the Pacific Ocean for its first blastoff. "We've confirmed a clean release from the aircraft," Virgin Orbit reported in a tweet. "However, the mission terminated shortly into the flight." In a follow-up Twitter...

Researchers discover new sex hormone

When University of Ottawa biologists Kim Mitchell and Vance Trudeau began studying the effects of gene mutations in zebrafish, they uncovered new functions that regulate how males and females interact while mating. We sat down with senior author Professor Trudeau, Research Chair in Neuroendocrinology at the Faculty of Science, to learn more.

Solving the space junk problem

Space is getting crowded. Aging satellites and space debris crowd low-Earth orbit, and launching new satellites adds to the collision risk. The most effective way to solve the space junk problem, according to a new study, is not to capture debris or deorbit old satellites: it's an international agreement to charge operators "orbital-use fees" for every satellite put into orbit.

Galactic crash may have triggered solar system formation

The formation of the Sun, the Solar System and the subsequent emergence of life on Earth may be a consequence of a collision between our galaxy, the Milky Way, and a smaller galaxy called Sagittarius, discovered in the 1990s to be orbiting our galactic home.

Eating local and plant-based diets: how to feed cities sustainably

How do you feed a city? It is one of the great questions of our time. After all, for a species that ultimately depends on plants to feed ourselves, we do tend to cram ourselves into places that are rather unfriendly towards them. Our cities are built around cars, offices and perhaps the odd park—not fields of crops.

WHO halts hydroxychloroquine trial for coronavirus amid safety fears

Malaria drug taken by Trump could raise risk of death and heart problems, study showsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe World Health Organization has said it will temporarily drop hydroxychloroquine — the malaria drug Donald Trump said he is taking as a precaution — from its global study into experimental coronavirus treatments after safety concerns.The WHO’s...

SpaceX and NASA Are Set for a Historic Crewed Launch This Week. Here’s How to Watch

It’s been a long time since the country that once flew nine crewed missions to the moon has been able to launch even a single human being to space aboard its own rockets from its own soil. Ever since the final flight of the space shuttle in July 2011, the U.S. has been dependent on buying rides aboard Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft—at a current $80 million a seat—if it wants...

Johnson and Cummings have revealed their flawed view of what strong leadership is | Suzanne Moore

The question is not whether the prime minister will forgive his adviser, but whether people will forgive this government for failing to keep us safeWe must shield the vulnerable. This is what most of us have understood for the past 10 weeks. Most families have been split apart, often in dire circumstances. For adults and parents of children with compromised immune systems, this remains a...

How drones can monitor explosive volcanoes

Due to high risk for researchers, the imaging of active volcanoes has so far been a great challenge in volcanology. Scientists used a drone for a series of repeated survey flights with optical and thermal imaging cameras at the Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala. A regular and systematic survey of dangerous volcanoes with drones seems to be close.

New double-contrast technique picks up small tumors on MRI

Early detection of tumors is extremely important in treating cancer. A new technique developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis offers a significant advance in using magnetic resonance imaging to pick out even very small tumors from normal tissue. The work is published May 25 in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

Marine species are outpacing terrestrial species in the race against global warming

Global warming is causing species to search for more temperate environments to which to migrate, but it is marine species that are leading the way by moving up to six times faster towards the poles than their terrestrial congeners, according to the latest results of a Franco-American study mainly involving scientists from the CNRS, Ifremer, the Université Toulouse III—Paul Sabatier and the...

How well do Germans understand weather risks?

Many Germans have difficulty gauging the negative impact of weather conditions such as ground frost, heat, or UV radiation. This is one of the key results of a representative survey conducted by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, published in Weather, Climate, and Society. The study's authors advocate new impact forecasts that predict not only what the weather will be,...

RDE-3 found to add pUG tails to targets of RNA interference and to transposon RNAs

A team of researchers from Harvard Medical School, Nanjing Agricultural University and the University of Wisconsin has found that the protein RDE-3 in nematode worms adds pUG tails to targets of RNA interference and transposon RNAs. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describe their findings and the ways their work could impact the study of gene silencing through generations....

Watching single protons moving at water-solid interfaces

The H+ proton consists of a single ion of hydrogen, the smallest and lightest of all the chemical elements. These protons occur naturally in water where a tiny proportion of H2O molecules separate spontaneously. Their amount in a liquid determines whether the solution is acidic or basic. Protons are also extremely mobile, moving through water by jumping from one water molecule to another.

Worth their salt: Researchers report first case of hexagonal NaCl

Skoltech and MIPT scientists have predicted and then experimentally confirmed the existence of exotic hexagonal thin films of NaCl on a diamond surface. These films may be useful as gate dielectrics for field effect transistors in electric vehicles and telecommunication equipment. The research, supported by the Russian Science Foundation, was published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry...

Process to produce well-aligned CNT arrays on a 10-centimeter silicon wafer

A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in China has developed a new process to produce well-aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays on a 10-centimeter silicon wafer. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their process and how well it compared to similar type silicon designs.