276 articles from MONDAY 22.6.2020
Hamsters develop protective immunity to COVID-19 and are protected by convalescent sera
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/22 23:20
In an animal model for COVID-19 that shares important features of human disease, scientists show that prior infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus provides protection against reinfection, and treatment with convalescent serum limits virus replication in their lungs.
Milk River slows to trickle and could dry up entirely due to U.S. canal collapse
The Milk River has slowed to a trickle and could dry up completely this summer due to a canal collapse in the U.S., raising fears of millions of dollars in crop damage and other problems for dozens of farms and communities in southern...
Massive prehistoric circle near Stonehenge
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/22 22:46
Archaeologists have discovered a major new prehistoric monument only a short distance away from Stonehenge. Fieldwork and analysis have revealed evidence for 20 or more massive, prehistoric shafts, measuring more than 10 metres in diameter and 5 metres deep. These shafts form a circle more than 2 kilometres in diameter and enclose an area greater than 3 square kilometres around the Durrington...
Team unveils catalyst that can break problematic C-F bonds
Rice University engineers have created a light-powered catalyst that can break the strong chemical bonds in fluorocarbons, a group of synthetic materials that includes persistent environmental pollutants.
'Off-the-charts warm': Siberian town hits 100 degrees
The milestone comes as Siberia — and the Asian continent as a whole — have experienced unusually warm conditions since the start of...
Scientists home in on pairs of atoms that boost a catalyst's activity
Replacing the expensive metals that break down exhaust gases in catalytic converters with cheaper, more effective materials is a top priority for scientists, for both economic and environmental reasons. Catalysts are required to perform chemical reactions that would otherwise not happen, such as converting polluting gases from automotive exhaust into clean compounds that can be released into the...
Fluorocarbon bonds are no match for light-powered nanocatalyst
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/22 22:38
Engineers have created a light-powered catalyst that can break the strong chemical bonds in fluorocarbons, a group of synthetic materials that includes persistent environmental pollutants.
Study finds new mentoring model supports underrepresented minority women faculty in STEM
Over the last 20 years, many academic institutions have conducted surveys in STEM disciplines, seeking ways to address and increase awareness of discrimination and racism that are major obstacles to attracting and retaining women—particularly underrepresented minority women—to diversify the STEM workforce.
Research in land plants shows nanoplastics accumulating in tissues
As concern grows among environmentalists and consumers about micro- and nanoplastics in the oceans and in seafood, they are increasingly studied in marine environments, say Baoshan Xing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and colleagues in China. But "little is known about the behavior of nanoplastics in terrestrial environments, especially agricultural soils," they add.
Apple switches to own chips for Macs; adds features, privacy controls
Apple Inc on Monday said it will switch to its own chips for its Mac computers, saying the first machines will ship this year and ending a nearly 15-year reliance on Intel Corp to supply processors for its flagship laptops and...
Siberian town hits record 38C over weekend amid heat wave
A Siberian town with the world's widest temperature range has recorded a new high amid a heat wave that is contributing to severe forest...
New class of precision medicine strips cancer of its DNA defenses
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/22 22:03
A new precision medicine targeting cancer's ability to repair its DNA has shown promising results in the first clinical trial of the drug class. The new study, designed to test the drug's safety, found that half of patients given the new drug either alone or with platinum chemotherapy saw their cancer stop growing, and two patients saw their tumours shrink or disappear completely.
Immune cells infiltrating tumors may play bigger cancer role than previously thought
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/22 22:02
Researchers uncovered in mice how a molecule involved in cells' response to stress determines whether macrophages promote inflammation in the tumor microenvironment. Inflammation is known to promote tumor growth, making this molecule an attractive target for drug development.
New design for 'optical ruler' could revolutionize clocks, telescopes, telecommunications
Just as a meter stick with hundreds of tick marks can be used to measure distances with great precision, a device known as a laser frequency comb, with its hundreds of evenly spaced, sharply defined frequencies, can be used to measure the colors of light waves with great precision.
US beekeepers reported lower winter losses but abnormally high summer losses
Beekeepers across the United States lost 43.7% of their managed honey bee colonies from April 2019 to April 2020, according to preliminary results of the 14th annual nationwide survey conducted by the nonprofit Bee Informed Partnership (BIP). These losses mark the second highest loss rate the survey has recorded since it began in 2006 (4.7 percentage points higher than the average annual loss rate...
Oil forecasting technique adapted for spreadsheets may cut shale operator costs
Porous rock containing oil and natural gas are buried so deep inside the earth that shale operators rely on complex models of the underground environment to estimate fossil fuel recovery. These simulations are notoriously complex, requiring highly-skilled operators to run them. These factors indirectly impact the cost of shale oil production and ultimately, how much consumers pay for their fuel.
The 2016 US presidential election coverage a 'game changer' for reporters
The 2016 U.S. presidential election is considered a "game changer" for journalists covering the U.S. presidential elections by causing them to dramatically reconsider how they view their role—either as neutral disseminators of information or impassioned advocates for the truth—according to researchers at the University of Missouri's School of Journalism.
Nanoplastics accumulate in land-plant tissues
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/22 21:25
As concern grows among environmentalists and consumers about micro- and nanoplastics in the oceans and in seafood, they are increasingly studied in marine environments. But little was known about nanoplastics in agricultural soils. Researchers now have direct evidence that nanoplastics are internalized by terrestrial plants.
Eruption of Alaska's Okmok volcano linked to period of extreme cold in ancient Rome
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/22 21:25
Scientists and historians have found evidence connecting an unexplained period of extreme cold in ancient Rome with an unlikely source: a massive eruption of Alaska's Okmok volcano, located on the opposite side of the Earth. A new study uses an analysis of tephra (volcanic ash) found in Arctic ice cores to link this period of extreme climate in the Mediterranean with the caldera-forming eruption...
Social and behavioral factors most closely associated with dying
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/22 21:25
Smoking, divorce and alcohol abuse have the closest connection to death out of 57 social and behavioural factors analyzed in this study. The researchers analyzed data collected from 13,611 adults in the U.S. between 1992 and 2008, and identified which factors applied to those who died between 2008 and 2014. They intentionally excluded biological and medical factors.
Super-strong surgical tape detaches on demand
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/22 21:25
Engineers have designed a super-strong, detachable adhesive that may someday replace surgical sutures.
Oil forecasting technique adapted for spreadsheets may cut shale operator costs
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/22 21:25
Porous rock containing oil and natural gas are buried so deep inside the earth that shale operators rely on complex models of the underground environment to estimate fossil fuel recovery. These simulations are notoriously complex, requiring highly-skilled operators to run them. These factors indirectly impact the cost of shale oil production and ultimately, how much consumers pay for their fuel.
Scientists home in on pairs of atoms that boost a catalyst's activity
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/22 21:25
A study identified which pairs of atoms in a catalyst nanoparticle are most active in a reaction that breaks down a harmful exhaust gas in catalytic converters. The most active particles contained the biggest proportion of one particular atomic configuration -- one where two atoms, each surrounded by seven neighboring atoms, form pairs to carry out the reaction steps. The results are a step toward...
Geometry of intricately fabricated glass makes light trap itself
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/22 21:25
Laser light traveling through ornately microfabricated glass has been shown to interact with itself to form self-sustaining wave patterns called solitons.
New design for 'optical ruler' could revolutionize clocks, telescopes, telecommunications
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/22 21:25
Just as a meter stick with hundreds of tick marks can be used to measure distances with great precision, a device known as a laser frequency comb, with its hundreds of evenly spaced, sharply defined frequencies, can be used to measure the colors of light waves with great precision.
Young giant planet offers clues to formation of exotic worlds
For most of human history our understanding of how planets form and evolve was based on the eight (or nine) planets in our solar system. But over the last 25 years, the discovery of more than 4,000 exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system, changed all that.
Simple interventions can help people spot false headlines
The avalanche of online content available to people around the world has outpaced humans' ability to separate fact from what can be highly toxic and even dangerous fiction.
Microbubbles controlled by acoustical tweezers for highly localized drug release
Microbubbles are used every day as contrast agents in medical sonography, and are the subject of intense research for the delivery of therapeutic agents. There are a number of options available to manipulate these microbubbles, including the use of light and sound, although the potential of the latter remains largely unexplored.
Eruption of Alaska's Okmok volcano linked to period of extreme cold in ancient Rome
An international team of scientists and historians has found evidence connecting an unexplained period of extreme cold in ancient Rome with an unlikely source: a massive eruption of Alaska's Okmok volcano, located on the opposite side of the Earth.
Arctic Circle sees 'highest-ever' recorded temperatures
Temperatures are believed to have hit 38C (100F) in one Siberian town after a persistent...