245 articles from MONDAY 29.6.2020
India bans TikTok—plus 58 other Chinese apps
On Monday, India banned TikTok and dozens of other apps made in China, escalating tension between the countries two weeks after a long-simmering border dispute in the Himalayas turned deadly.
The news: In a statement, India said the apps “engaged in activities which [are] prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.” Messaging and...
Cartwheeling light reveals new optical phenomenon
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/29 22:42
Researchers have discovered details about a novel type of polarized-light matter interaction with light that literally turns end over end as it propagates from a source.
Understanding of relaxor ferroelectric properties could lead to many advances
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/29 22:41
A new fundamental understanding of polymeric relaxor ferroelectric behavior could lead to advances in flexible electronics, actuators and transducers, energy storage, piezoelectric sensors and electrocaloric cooling, according to a team of researchers.
Researchers look for answers as to why western bumblebees are declining
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/29 22:41
The decline of the Western bumblebee is likely not limited to one culprit but, instead, due to several factors that interact such as pesticides, pathogens, climate change and habitat loss.
Even when women outnumber men, gender bias persists among science undergrads
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/29 22:41
Increasing gender diversity has been a long-sought goal across many of the sciences, and interventions and programs to attract more women into fields like physics and math often happen at the undergraduate level. But is representation enough to improve gender diversity in science? In a new study, researchers say there's more to the story: They've found that even when undergraduate women outnumber...
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood... or is it?
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/29 22:41
Contrary to what many would think, characteristics of your neighborhood have little to do with how satisfied you are with it.
New treatment for common form of muscular dystrophy shows promise in cells, animals
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/29 22:41
Researchers have designed a potential new treatment for one of the most common forms of muscular dystrophy. Medical researchers have created and tested synthetic DNA-like molecules that interfere with the production of a toxic protein that destroys the muscles of people who have facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD).
Coronavirus: Worst could be yet to come, WHO warns
The pandemic "is not even close to being over", the World Health Organization's chief says.
Array of radio telescopes reveals explosion on the surface of a hot dead star
An international group of researchers observed a source of variable gamma rays identified in 2010 by the NASA satellite Fermi. They used a technique called VLBI, that combines data from several radio telescopes on Earth, to produce the sharpest images to date. Surprisingly, the source of gamma rays was a symbiotic nova, a peculiar stellar system known to astronomers as V407 Cyg. The result, with...
Osmotic stress identified as stimulator of cellular waste disposal
Cellular waste disposal, where autophagy and lysosomes interact, performs elementary functions, such as degrading damaged protein molecules, which impair cellular function, and reintroducing the resulting building blocks such as amino acids into the metabolic system.
Wildfire burns homes in Southern California desert town
A wind-driven wildfire destroyed homes and forced evacuations as it tore through a rural Southern California desert town near the Salton Sea, authorities said Monday.
Astronaut says losing mirror on spacewalk was 'real bummer'
The commander of the International Space Station said Monday that losing a mirror during last week's otherwise successful spacewalk was "a real bummer."
Understanding of relaxor ferroelectric properties could lead to many advances
A new fundamental understanding of polymeric relaxor ferroelectric behavior could lead to advances in flexible electronics, actuators and transducers, energy storage, piezoelectric sensors and electrocaloric cooling, according to a team of researchers at Penn State and North Carolina State.
Researcher tackles long-standing mysteries about membrane protein structure
Ion channels and membrane transporters are in the business of moving ions and small molecules across cellular membranes. They are essential for metabolic and cellular homeostasis, and for a host of biological signaling pathways.
Researchers discover unknown consumer base for unsustainable bear product use
In their efforts to better understand ongoing wildlife trafficking and the dynamics of unsustainable bear product use by consumers in Cambodia, a team of researchers led by San Diego Zoo Global made an unexpected discovery: The use of bear bile and body parts in traditional remedies consumed by new and pregnant mothers.
Study finds gay and bisexual youth more likely to abandon churchgoing as they reach adulthood
Religious beliefs have shaped societal attitudes toward sexual minorities, with many religious denominations vocally opposing expanded sexual minority rights. Because of this stigmatization, lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals are less likely to affiliate with a religious group—but research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Old Dominion University suggests they are not abandoning...
New leaders emerge as organizations go to virtual work spaces, says study
When work meetings shifted online this spring, some may have noticed new standouts among their colleagues. According to new research, members of virtual teams identify leaders in significantly different ways compared to members of in-person teams.
Preterm delivery increases long-term risks of ischemic heart disease in women throughout their life
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/29 21:05
Women who gave birth before their 37th week of pregnancy are at an increased risk of developing ischemic heart disease (IHD) over the course of their life independent of other risk factors such as BMI or smoking, according to a new study. The study findings suggest reproductive history should be routinely included in cardiovascular risk assessments of women.
Ethnolinguistic diversity slows down urban growth
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/29 21:05
Where various ethnic groups live together, cities grow at a slower rate. That is the conclusion based on worldwide data that shows how the diversity of language groups in 1975 has influenced urban growth 40 years later.
Asteroid impact, not volcanoes, made the Earth uninhabitable for dinosaurs
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/29 21:05
Modelling of the Chicxulub asteroid impact 66 million years ago shows it created a world largely unsuitable for dinosaurs to live in.
Closer threats inspire a more primitive kind of fear
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/29 21:05
Your brain handles a perceived threat differently depending on how close it is to you. If it's far away, you engage more problem-solving areas of the brain. But up close, your animal instincts jump into action and there isn't as much reasoning. And that is probably what makes it harder to extinguish the fear of a close-up threat and more likely that you'll have some long-term stress from the...
Team dramatically reduces image analysis times using deep learning, other approaches
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/29 21:05
Scientists have devised deep-learning and other approaches that dramatically reduce image-analysis times by orders of magnitude -- in some cases, matching the speed of image data acquisition itself.
Dinosaurs wiped out by asteroid, not volcanoes, researchers say
Study says surge in volcanic activity could not have caused Cretaceous/Paleogene extinction eventA 66m-year-old murder mystery has finally been solved, researchers say, revealing an enormous asteroid struck the killer blow for the dinosaurs.The Cretaceous/Paleogene extinction event resulted in about 75% of plants and animals – including non-avian dinosaurs – being wiped out. But the driving...
Power outage: Research offers hint about heart weakness in Barth syndrome
Barth syndrome is a rare condition that occurs almost exclusively in males. Symptoms include an enlarged and weakened heart. The condition is present at birth or becomes evident early in life. Life expectancy is shortened and there is no treatment.
Asteroid impact, not volcanoes, made the Earth uninhabitable for dinosaurs
Modelling of the Chicxulub asteroid impact 66 million years ago shows it created a world largely unsuitable for dinosaurs to live in.
Cartwheeling light reveals new optical phenomenon
A scientist might want to do cartwheels upon making a discovery, but this time the discovery itself relies on cartwheels.
With Flights Banned, Son Sails Solo Across Atlantic to Reach Father, 90
BUENOS AIRES -- Days after Argentina canceled all international passenger flights to shield the country from the new coronavirus, Juan Manuel Ballestero began his journey home the only way possible: He stepped aboard his small sailboat for what turned out to be an 85-day odyssey across the Atlantic.The 47-year-old sailor could have stayed put on the tiny Portuguese island of Porto Santo, to ride...
South Pole warmed 3 times the global rate over the past 30 years, new study suggests
At the South Pole, considered the coldest point on Earth, temperatures are rising fast, which scientists say is a cause for...
Worldwide slowdown in fishing unlikely to save rare species
Commercial fishing taking place worldwide has dipped since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but scientists and conservation experts say it's unclear if the slowdown will help endangered species of marine life recover.
Older adults share fewer memories as they age
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/29 20:00
Researchers used a smartphone app to 'eavesdrop' on older adult conversations. They found that the older a person is, the less likely they are to share memories of past experiences.