193 articles from FRIDAY 26.6.2020

Alumni in the coronavirus conversation

The virus “I am very wary of simplistic projections about the ongoing outbreak based solely off of its current growth patterns” —Maimuna Majumder, SM ’15, PhD ’18, faculty, Boston Children’s Hospital Computational Health Informatics Program, and research associate, Harvard Medical School (ABC News, March 16)  “Closing schools, bars, and movie theaters...

Agricultural fires in central Africa light up in Suomi NPP satellite image

Fires have spread across the majority of the landscape in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in this NOAA/NASA Suomi NPP satellite image using the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instrument from June 25, 2020. Fires of this number are not uncommon at this time of year in Africa. During the agricultural season of clearing field and planting new ones, farmers set fire...

Suomi NPP satellite analyzes Saharan dust aerosol blanket

Dust storms from Africa's Saharan Desert traveling across the Atlantic Ocean are nothing new, but the current dust storm has been quite expansive and NASA satellites have provided a look at the massive June plume. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite showed the blanket of dust had moved over the Gulf of Mexico and extended into Central America and over part of the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Growing polymers of different lengths

Researchers have developed a new method for producing polymers with different lengths. This paves the way for new classes of polymer materials to be used in previously inconceivable applications.

Ancient Maya reservoirs contained toxic pollution

Reservoirs in the heart of an ancient Maya city were so polluted with mercury and algae that the water likely was undrinkable. Researchers found toxic levels of pollution in two central reservoirs in Tikal, an ancient Maya city that dates back to the third century B.C. in what is now northern Guatemala. New findings suggest droughts in the ninth century likely contributed to the depopulation and...

Researcher dives to Challenger Deep

A Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution researcher became one of just a handful of people to visit the deepest part of the ocean following a successful dive in the deep-submergence vehicle Limiting Factor on Monday.

Pattern analysis of phylogenetic trees could reveal connections between evolution, ecology

In biology, phylogenetic trees represent the evolutionary history and diversification of species—the "family tree" of Life. Phylogenetic trees not only describe the evolution of a group of organisms but can also be constructed from the organisms within a particular environment or ecosystem, such as the human microbiome. In this way, they can describe how this ecosystem evolved and what its...

Suomi NPP satellite sees Tropical Storm Boris form

NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided forecasters with visible image of the Eastern Pacific Ocean's second tropical storm of the season, Boris. Boris formed just east of the Central Pacific Ocean's boundary as it was moving into that region.

Designer peptides show potential for blocking viruses, encourage future study

Chemically engineered peptides could prove valuable in the battle against some of the most persistent human health challenges. New findings demonstrate how researchers can engineer peptides capable of selectively and specifically binding to polysialic acid (PSA) -- a carbohydrate that is present in many human cells and plays a key role in various physiological and pathological processes, including...

Case for axion origin of dark matter gains traction

In a new study of axion motion, researchers propose a scenario known as ''kinetic misalignment'' that greatly strengthens the case for axion/dark matter equivalence. The novel concept answers key questions related to the origins of dark matter and provides new avenues for ongoing detection efforts.

Pattern analysis of phylogenetic trees could reveal connections between evolution, ecology

In biology, phylogenetic trees represent the evolutionary history and diversification of species -- the ''family tree'' of Life. Phylogenetic trees not only describe the evolution of a group of organisms but can also be constructed from the organisms within a particular environment or ecosystem, such as the human microbiome. In this way, they can describe how this ecosystem evolved and what its...

Genome study opens pathway toward sustainable edible seaweed

Since the 1980s, in seaweed farms dotted along the coastline of the subtropical islands of Okinawa, farmers have cultivated the edible brown alga Okinawa mozuku (Cladosiphon okamuranus). Popular in Japanese cuisine, this superfood produces high levels of fucoidan—a slimy substance that has a myriad of health benefits, including the suppression of blood clots and tumors.

Old pine trees witness the rewilding in Mediterranean mountain forests in consequence of late-medieval pandemics

Subalpine ecosystems are natural laboratories to study the evolution of global warming, since their dynamics are particularly sensitive to temperature changes. However, the impacts of past pandemics and land-use changes on mountain forest dynamics are still overlooked. An international study based on the establishment date of pine trees shows that a large-scale rewilding occurred after the...

'Simulation microscope' examines transistors of the future

Since the discovery of graphene, two-dimensional materials have been the focus of materials research. Among other things, they could be used to build tiny, high-performance transistors. Researchers at ETH Zurich and EPF Lausanne have now simulated and evaluated one hundred possible materials for this purpose and discovered 13 promising candidates.

Unknown currents in Southern Ocean have been observed with help of seals

Using state-of-the-art ocean robots and scientific sensors attached to seals, researchers in Marine Sciences at the University of Gothenburg have for the first time observed small and energetic ocean currents in the Southern Ocean. The currents are critical at controlling the amount of heat and carbon moving between the ocean and the atmosphere—information vital for understanding our global...

Life-emulating molecules show basic metabolism

In a system with self-replicating molecules, previously shown to have the capability to grow, divide and evolve, chemists from the University of Groningen have now discovered catalytic capabilities that result in a basic metabolism. Furthermore, they linked a light-sensitive dye to the molecules, which enabled them to use light energy to power growth. These findings, which bring artificial life...

Light nucleus predicted to be stable despite having two strange quarks

Adding an exotic particle known as a Xi hyperon to a helium nucleus with three nucleons could produce a nucleus that is temporarily stable, calculations by RIKEN nuclear physicists have predicted. This result will help experimentalists search for the nucleus and provide insights into both nuclear physics and the structure of neutron stars.

Case for axion origin of dark matter gains traction

In a new study of axion motion, researchers propose a scenario known as "kinetic misalignment" that greatly strengthens the case for axion/dark matter equivalence. The novel concept answers key questions related to the origins of dark matter and provides new avenues for ongoing detection efforts. This work, published in Physical Review Letters, was conducted by researchers at the Institute for...

The geological record of mud deposits

The nature of the sediments on the Basque continental shelf is very heterogeneous. From the point of view of distribution, two clearly differentiated sectors can be picked out in terms of grain size. "In the area of Bizkaia medium to coarse-sized sands predominate, whereas on the coast of Gipuzkoa there is a predomination of deposits of very fine sand, silts and clays, currently known as the...

New compounds from starfish of Kuril basin show efficacy against cancer cells.

Russian scientists from Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU), G. B. Elyakov Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry (PIBOC FEB RAS), and A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center for Marine Biology (NSCMB FEB RAS) have discovered four new steroid substances which target cells of human breast cancer, and colorectal carcinoma. They were extracted from the starfish Ceramaster patagonicus, a Kuril...

The nature of nuclear forces imprinted in photons

IFJ PAN scientists together with colleagues from the University of Milano (Italy) and other countries confirmed the need to include the three-nucleon interactions in the description of electromagnetic transitions in the 20O atomic nucleus. Vital for validating the modern theoretical calculations of the nuclear structure was the application of state-of-the-art gamma-ray detector systems and the...

Traffic density, wind and air stratification influence concentrations of air pollutant nitrogen dioxide

In connection with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, satellite measurements made headlines showing how much the air pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO2) had decreased in China and northern Italy. In Germany, traffic density is the most important factor. However, weather also has an influence on NO2 concentrations, according to a study by the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS),...

Templating S100A9 amyloids on Aβ fibrillar surfaces revealed

A research team lead by Ludmilla Morozova Roche at Umeå University, Sweden, has provided the mechanistic insight into protein co-aggregation in Alzheimer's disease. The templating mechanism of S100A9 amyloids on Aβ fibrillar surfaces during co-aggregation process was revealed by synergy of biophysical methods including charge detection mass spectrometry, microscopy, kinetic and microfluidic...

An electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction in water splitting

The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources strongly depends on an availability of effective systems for energy conversion and storage. Considering hydrogen as a carrier molecule, proton exchange membrane electrolysis offers numerous advantages, like operation at high current densities, low gas crossover, compact system design etc. However, its wide implementation is hindered by...

Taste similarity of food products can be compared with the help of electroencephalography

Marina Domracheva and Sofya Kulikova, researchers from HSE University's campus in Perm, have discovered a new approach to analyze the perceived similarity of food products, based on electroencephalography (EEG) signals. They note that the power of gamma oscillations can reflect similarities in a cross-modal approach. Their paper was published in the journal Food Quality and Preference.