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...

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.

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.

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

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.

Study finds hidden emotions in the sound of words

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.

Quantum body scanner? What happens when vector vortex beams meet scattering media

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

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?

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...

Imaging of sequential potential distribution changes in electrodes during charge/discharge

NIMS has succeeded for the first time in visualizing sequential changes in electrical potential distribution across a composite electrode during charge/discharge reactions in all-solid-state lithium ion batteries. This distribution was previously measureable only before and after the occurrence of charge/discharge reactions. Microscopic understanding of charge/discharge reaction mechanisms in...

The geographies of COVID-19

A pneumonia of unknown cause was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on 31 December 2019 in China's Hubei Province.

29,000 years of Aboriginal history

The known timeline of the Aboriginal occupation of South Australia's Riverland region has been vastly extended by new research led by Flinders University in collaboration with the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation (RMMAC).

Huge Atlas statue to guard Sicily's Temple of Zeus once more

Eight-metre statue built in 5th century BC had been buried among ancient ruinsA colossal statue of Atlas, buried for centuries among ancient ruins, will soon take its rightful place among the ancient Greek temples of Agrigento on Sicily.The city’s archaeological park announced that the artwork, one of the most celebrated sculptures on the island, will be raised upright in front of the Temple of...

Coalition backs 'cloud-brightening' trial on Great Barrier Reef to tackle global heating

Greens deride $4.7m funding for technologies that may shade corals and make clouds more reflective as ‘Band-Aid solutions’ A government-backed research program to make the Great Barrier Reef more resilient to global heating will spend $4.7m this financial year developing technologies that could shade corals and make clouds more reflective during marine heatwaves.The announcement confirms the...

A new path for electron optics in solid-state systems

In combined theoretical and experimental work, physicists introduce and demonstrate a novel mechanism for electron optics in two-dimensional solid-state systems. The discovery opens up a route to engineering quantum-optical phenomena in a variety of materials and devices.

Underused part of the electromagnetic spectrum gets optics boost from metamaterial

Terahertz radiation, or T-rays, has barely been exploited compared to most of the rest of the electromagnetic spectrum. Yet T-rays potentially have applications in next-generation wireless communications (6G/7G), security systems, biomedicine, and even art history. A new device for controlling T-rays using a specially designed 'metasurface' with properties not found in nature could begin to...

Covid-19 outbreaks up to 20 times more likely in large care homes, study finds

Exclusive: likelihood of UK homes being infected triples with every additional 20 bedsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCoronavirus outbreaks are up to 20 times more likely in large care homes, according to a major study seen by the Guardian, prompting calls to divide them into “bubbles” before any second wave hits.In research that will increase scrutiny of private...

Keeping innocent people out of jail using the science of perception

People wrongfully accused of a crime often wait years -- if ever -- to be exonerated. Many of these wrongfully accused cases stem from unreliable eyewitness testimony. Now, scientists have identified a new way of presenting a lineup to an eyewitness that could improve the likelihood that the correct suspect is identified and reduce the number of innocent people sentenced to jail.

How to See Comet NEOWISE

Portal origin URL: How to See Comet NEOWISEPortal origin nid: 462743Published: Tuesday, July 14, 2020 - 11:53Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: How to See Comet NEOWISEPortal image: Comet NEOWISE - Credit: Bill...

Review of progress towards advanced Lithium-sulfur batteries

How should one design porous carbon materials for advanced Li-S batteries cathodes? What electrolytes are extensively studied for high-safety Li-S batteries? In a paper published in Nano, a group of researchers from Qingdao, China have reviewed the recent progress in sulfur/carbon cathode materials and high safety electrolytes towards advanced Li-S batteries. Some potential issues and possible...