254 articles from TUESDAY 14.7.2020
‘Disk Detective’ Needs Your Help Finding Disks Where Planets Form
Eyebrow: Citizen Science NewsBody: Planets form from gas and dust particles swirling around baby stars in enormous spinning disks. But because this process takes millions of years, scientists can only learn about these disks by finding and studying a lot of different examples. Through a project called Disk Detective, you can help.Link: Learn...
‘Disk Detective’ Needs Your Help Finding Disks Where Planets Form
News Article Type: Homepage ArticlesPublished: Tuesday, July 14, 2020 -...
Experimental COVID-19 vaccine safe, generates immune response
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/14 23:13
An investigational vaccine, mRNA-1273, designed to protect against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was generally well tolerated and prompted neutralizing antibody activity in healthy adults, according to interim results.
Biden steps up his clean-energy plan, in a nod to climate activists
Joe Biden has raised the ambitions of his climate plan, in a clear sign his campaign is responding to demands for greater action among the progressive flank of his party.
In a speech on Tuesday, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president announced proposals to spend $2 trillion on clean-energy projects and eliminate carbon emissions from the electricity sector by 2035, stepping up his...
Could the willow help us fight cancer?
An ingredient in its bark led to aspirin, now researchers are looking into the properties of another compound in the treeWillow trees are a pharmaceutical treasure trove. The ancient Egyptians used its bark for relieving pain, inflammation and fevers, and science has since shown these medical powers came from an ingredient called salicin, named after salix, the Latin name for the tree. That...
The plight of the Kalahari San
Over the past few decades, San (Bushmen) communities in southern Africa, former hunter-gatherers, have developed new adaptive strategies to cope with climate change, the presence of other groups on their land, and the impacts of globalization. While San have likely lived in southern Africa for 20,000 to 40,000 years, they remain politically and economically marginalized in relation to other social...
A biologist and a historian are looking for art to trace fruit and vegetable evolution
Plant geneticists seeking to understand the history of the plants we eat can decode the genomes of ancient crops from rare, well-preserved samples. However, this approach leaves significant gaps in the timelines of where and when many modern-day fruits, vegetables, and cereal crops evolved, and paints an incomplete picture of what they looked like. A Science & Society article publishing July 14th...
Scientists achieve first complete assembly of human X chromosome
Although the current human reference genome is the most accurate and complete vertebrate genome ever produced, there are still gaps in the DNA sequence, even after two decades of improvements. Now, for the first time, scientists have determined the complete sequence of a human chromosome from one end to the other ('telomere to telomere') with no gaps and an unprecedented level of accuracy.
Ancient oyster shells provide historical insights
An interdisciplinary team of scientists studying thousands of oyster shells along the Georgia coast, some as old as 4,500 years, has published new insights into how Native Americans sustained oyster harvests for thousands of years, observations that may lead to better management practices of oyster reefs today.
NASA infrared view finds small areas of strength in new depression 6E
NASA's Aqua satellite used infrared light to identify the strongest storms and coldest cloud top temperatures in Tropical Depression 6E. Aqua found a few small areas of strength but cooler sea surface temperatures are expected to weaken them.
Innovative catalytic reaction for low-cost synthesis of aromatic esters
Aromatic esters are chemicals that contain an aromatic ring consisting of functional groups called esters. These organic compounds are widely used as chemical feedstock in industries like food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Thus, finding efficient reactions for their synthesis is an important area of research in organic chemistry.
For chimpanzees, salt and pepper hair not a marker of old age
Silver strands and graying hair is a sign of aging in humans, but things aren't so simple for our closest ape relatives—the chimpanzee. A new study published today in the journal PLOS ONE by researchers at the George Washington University found graying hair is not indicative of a chimpanzee's age.
Converting female mosquitoes to non-biting males with implications for mosquito control
Virginia Tech researchers have proven that a single gene can convert female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes into fertile male mosquitoes and identified a gene needed for male mosquito flight.
What determines a warbler's colors?
A new study has narrowed down the region of the genome that drives the black color in throat and face of warblers by studying the hybrid offspring produced when two species mate. The hybrids of golden-winged and blue-winged warblers have a mix of coloration from the parent species, which allows researchers to identify which regions of the genome are associated with which color patterns. The study,...
Physicists introduce novel mechanism for electron optics in solid-state systems
Electrons can interfere in the same manner as water, acoustical or light waves do. When exploited in solid-state materials, such effects promise novel functionality for electronic devices, in which elements such as interferometers, lenses or collimators could be integrated for controlling electrons at the scale of mirco- and nanometres. However, so far such effects have been demonstrated mainly in...
COVID-19 may attack patients' central nervous system
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/14 20:47
A new study finds that depressed mood or anxiety exhibited in COVID-19 patients may be a sign the virus affects the central nervous system. These two psychological symptoms were most closely associated with a loss of smell and taste rather than the more severe indicators of the novel coronavirus such as shortness of breath, cough or fever.
Vision scientists discover why people literally don't see eye to eye
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/14 20:47
We humans may not always see eye to eye on politics, religion, sports and other matters of debate. And now it turns out we also cannot agree on the location and size of objects in our physical surroundings, according to new research.
Study finds hidden emotions in the sound of words
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/14 20:47
New research shows that some sound combinations, like those in the word 'virus,' elicit more emotionally intense responses than others. This may play a role in both children's language acquisition and how we might have evolved language in the first place.
Converting female mosquitoes to non-biting males with implications for mosquito control
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/14 20:47
Researchers have proven that a single gene can convert female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes into fertile male mosquitoes and identified a gene needed for male mosquito flight.
No evidence that predator control will save mountain caribou, study says
Addressing potential threats from predators has not slowed the dramatic decline of mountain caribou in British Columbia and Alberta, according to a new study by scientists from the University of Alberta and two other western Canadian universities.
Quantum body scanner? What happens when vector vortex beams meet scattering media
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/14 20:30
Propagate light through any kind of medium -- be it free space or biological tissue -- and light will scatter. Robustness to scattering is a common requirement for communications and for imaging systems. Structured light, with its use of projected patterns, is resistant to scattering, and has therefore emerged as a versatile tool. In particular, modes of structured light carrying orbital angular...
A Raspberry Pi-based virtual reality system for small animals
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/14 20:30
The Raspberry Pi Virtual Reality system (PiVR) is a versatile tool for presenting virtual reality environments to small, freely moving animals (such as flies and fish larvae). The use of PiVR, together with techniques like optogenetics, will facilitate the mapping and characterization of neural circuits involved in behavior.
What determines a warbler's colors?
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/14 20:30
A new study has narrowed down the region of the genome that drives the black color in throat and face of warblers by studying the hybrid offspring produced when two species mate. The hybrids of golden-winged and blue-winged warblers have a mix of coloration from the parent species, which allows researchers to identify which regions of the genome are associated with which color patterns. The study...
Researchers cast doubt on earlier COVID-19 origins study citing dogs as possible hosts
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/14 20:30
A study published earlier this year claiming the coronavirus may have jumped from dogs to humans is scientifically flawed, offering no direct evidence to support its conclusions, according to a collaborative group of international researchers.
China rushes to contain floods after record rainfall
Soldiers erected sandbag flood barriers in a city near China's largest freshwater lake after the heaviest rainfall in nearly six decades drenched the swollen Yangtze River basin.