287 articles from TUESDAY 9.6.2020
IBM says it is no longer working on face recognition because it’s used for racial profiling
The news: IBM has said the company will stop developing or selling facial recognition software due to concerns the technology is used to promote racism. In a letter to Congress, IBM’s CEO Arvind Krishna said the tech giant opposes any technology used “for mass surveillance, racial profiling, violations of basic human rights and freedoms.”
He called for a “national dialogue” on...
Hope for pangolins as protection boosted in China
China has removed pangolins from its official list of traditional Chinese medicine treatments, reports...
Siberian oil spill contaminates Arctic lake
An oil spill that sparked a state of emergency has contaminated a freshwater lake in the Russian Arctic, an official said Tuesday, after authorities claimed to have contained the pollution.
Presence of airborne dust could signify increased habitability of distant planets
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/9 17:11
Scientists have expanded our understanding of potentially habitable planets orbiting distant stars by including a critical climate component -- the presence of airborne dust.
Paper-based device provides low-power, long-term method for analyzing sweat
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/9 17:11
Researchers have constructed a paper-based device as a model of wearables that can collect, transport and analyze sweat in next-generation wearable technology. Using a process known as capillary action, akin to water transport in plants, the device uses evaporation to wick fluid that mimics the features of human sweat to a sensor for up to 10 days or longer.
Down to the bone: Understanding how bone-dissolving cells are generated
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/9 17:10
Bone-dissolving cells called osteoclasts are derived from a type of immune cells called macrophages. They are necessary for the maintenance and renewal of bones. But the intracellular mechanisms through which macrophages convert to osteoclasts are not fully understood. Recently, scientists have uncovered the role of a protein called Cpeb4 in this process. Their findings suggest potential...
Study reveals birth defects likely caused by flame retardant
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/9 17:10
A new study has shown that exposure to a now-banned flame retardant can alter the genetic code in sperm, leading to major health defects in children of exposed parents.
Parasitic fungi keep harmful blue-green algae in check
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/9 17:10
When a lake is covered with green scums during a warm summer, cyanobacteria -- often called blue-green algae -- are usually involved. Mass development of cyanobacteria is bad for water quality. But cyanobacteria can become sick, when for instance infected by fungal parasites. Researchers found out that these infections do not only kill cyanobacteria, they also make them easier to consume for their...
France's wolf population rises further to 580 adults
France's wild wolf population rose again last year, with officials counting 580 adults at winter's end compared with an average of 530 a year ago, France's OFB biodiversity agency said Tuesday.
NASA astronaut from historic spacewalk becomes first woman to reach deepest point in ocean
Kathy Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space is also the first woman to reach the deepest point in the...
Hope for pangolins as protection boosted in China
China has removed pangolins from its official list of traditional Chinese medicine treatments, reports say.
Amazon risks combusting with twin fire, virus crises
As tens of thousands of fires consumed the Amazon last year, it seemed the world's biggest rainforest could not be in greater peril.
Examining a snapshot of exploding oxygen
For more than 200 years, we have been using X-rays to look inside matter and progressing to ever smaller structures—from crystals to nanoparticles. Now, within the framework of a larger international collaboration on the X-ray laser European XFEL in Schenefeld near Hamburg, physicists at Goethe University have achieved a qualitative leap forward. Using a new experimental technique, they have...
Biohybrid model uses organic lungs, synthetic muscles to re-create respiration mechanics
Benchtop tools for studying the respiratory system misrepresent the interdependence between the diaphragm, abdomen and lungs. Meanwhile, computational models often hide the mechanisms in a black box computation, without a clear picture of what transpires in the process.
Presence of airborne dust could signify increased habitability of distant planets
Scientists have expanded our understanding of potentially habitable planets orbiting distant stars by including a critical climate component—the presence of airborne dust.
Paper-based device provides low-power, long-term method for analyzing sweat
Human sweat contains several biomolecules the research community is exploring for noninvasive medical testing. Analyzing sweat for research, however, is often expensive, and devices typically are reliable for only a limited amount of time.
Team decodes another piece of the histone code puzzle
Inside our cells, DNA is tightly packed and spooled around proteins called histones. Packaging DNA in this way allows large amounts of genetic material to exist inside the cell in a final form called chromatin. Tiny enzymes modify the histones to make sure the genes that are part of the DNA can be accessed and precisely regulated. The result of this is proper gene expression and the production of...
Survival of coronavirus in different cities, on different surfaces
One of the many questions researchers have about COVID-19 is how long the coronavirus causing the disease remains alive after someone infected with it coughs or sneezes. Once the droplets carrying the virus evaporate, the residual virus dies quickly, so the survival and transmission of COVID-19 are directly impacted by how long the droplets remain intact.
Targeting SARS-CoV-2 enzyme with inhibitors
As the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread around the world, many researchers are studying epidemiological models to predict its propagation.
Spontaneous formation of nanoscale hollow structures could boost battery storage
An unexpected property of nanometer-scale antimony crystals—the spontaneous formation of hollow structures—could help give the next generation of lithium ion batteries higher energy density without reducing battery lifetime. The reversibly hollowing structures could allow lithium ion batteries to hold more energy and therefore provide more power between charges.
The state of China's climate in 2019: Warmer and wetter, but less loss
The National Climate Center (NCC) of China has just completed a report in which it provides an authoritative assessment of China's climate in 2019 based on the NCC's operational system. More specifically, it gives a summary of China's climate along with all major weather and climate events throughout the year.
Re-trafficking proteins to fight Salmonella infections
When humans get infected by pathogenic bacteria, the body's immune system tries to eliminate the intruders. One way of doing this is by launching an inflammatory response—a cascade of events that includes the expression of protective proteins, the activation of immune cells, and a process of controlled cell death when infected cells can't be saved.
New research network examines conditions for greater food security
As a result of climate change, cereal crops will undoubtedly be exposed to longer and more frequent periods of drought. How well they survive this depends on their interaction with water, nutrients, bacteria, and fungi in the soil. The new research network "RhizoTraits", coordinated by the University of Bayreuth, is now seeking to get to the bottom of the varying resilience of cereal varieties....
How effective are language learning apps?
Now more than ever, people who want to learn a new language turn to their mobile devices for help as language learning applications have become increasingly available. While these apps allow users to study a new language from anywhere at any time, how effective are they?
California's climate refugia: Mapping the stable places
Some landscapes can hold their own against climate change better than others.A studyfrom the University of California, Davis, maps these places, called "climate refugia," where existing vegetation is most likely to buffer the impacts of climate change through the end of the century.