245 articles from WEDNESDAY 8.7.2020

NeMO-Net Citizen Science Project Gets a 4.9 Star Rating

Users have submitted over 56K classifications of coral at the new, highly rated, NeMO-Net app. NASA's new citizen science project, NeMO-Net is making waves! NeMO-Net is a game where players help NASA classify coral reefs by painting 3D and 2D images of coral. Players embark on a virtual research vessel and travel the oceans by analyzing actual images of corals on the sea floor. As you...

Indigenous Americans had contact with Polynesians 800 years ago, DNA reveals

Study shows groups crossed vast ocean in about the year 1200 Proof of encounter found in DNA of present-day populations Indigenous Americans and Polynesians bridged vast expanses of open ocean around the year 1200 and mingled, leaving incontrovertible proof of their encounter in the DNA of present-day populations, new studies have revealed.Whether peoples from what is today Colombia or Ecuador...

Researchers develop mobile rapid test to assess coral thermotolerance

Coral death is impacting oceans worldwide as a consequence of climate change. The concern is that corals cannot keep pace with the rate of ocean warming. In particular, because a temperature increase of only one degree Celsius can make the difference between healthy and dying coral reefs. Some corals, however, are more resistant to increasing temperatures. In order to effectively protect coral...

"Protect 30% of the planet for nature," scientists urge in new report

In the most comprehensive report to date on the economic implications of protecting nature, over 100 economists and scientists find that the global economy would benefit from the establishment of far more protected areas on land and at sea than exist today. The report considers various scenarios of protecting at least 30% of the world's land and ocean to find that the benefits outweigh the costs...

Stress testing 'coral in a box'

Coral death is impacting oceans worldwide as a consequence of climate change. The concern is that corals cannot keep pace with the rate of ocean warming. In particular, because a temperature increase of only one degree Celsius can make the difference between healthy and dying coral reefs. Some corals, however, are more resistant to increasing temperatures. In order to effectively protect coral...

Study reveals how bacteria build essential carbon-fixing machinery

Scientists from the University of Liverpool have revealed new insight into how cyanobacteria construct the organelles that are essential for their ability to photosynthesise. The research, which carried out in collaboration with the University of Science and Technology of China, has been published in PNAS.

'Bystander Effect' not exclusive to humans

A rat is less likely to help a trapped companion if it is with other rats that aren't helping, according to new research that showed the social psychological theory of the ''bystander effect'' in humans is present in these long-tailed rodents.

COVID-19 brain complications found across the globe

Cases of brain complications linked to COVID-19 are occurring across the globe, a new review has shown. The research found that strokes, delirium and other neurological complications are reported from most countries where there have been large outbreaks of the disease.

We Persevere

NASA's next Mars rover has a name – Perseverance. Like every exploration mission before, our rover is going to face challenges, and it’s going to make amazing discoveries. The time at hand is hard. We have already surmounted many obstacles on our way to Red Planet, but as humans we will not give up. We will always persevere. Targeted for launch in July 2020, NASA’s Mars Perseverance...

How carbon-sucking machines could cut aviation emissions

Two companies have teamed up on a project that could provide a key test of our ability to use synthetic fuel, made from carbon dioxide captured from the air, to cut emissions from aviation. Carbon Engineering, a direct air capture company based in British Columbia, has signed a deal with Aerion, a startup based in Reno, Nevada, that is developing a supersonic business jet known as the AS2, to...

Helping drug-delivering particles squeeze through a syringe

Microparticles offer a promising way to deliver multiple doses of a drug or vaccine at once, because they can be designed to release their payload at specific intervals. However, the particles, which are about the size of a grain of sand, can be difficult to inject because they can get clogged in a typical syringe.