183 articles from FRIDAY 24.7.2020
US and Russia to hold talks on regulating militarisation of space
US claims Russia tested satellite-launched weapon this monthNegotiators to meet in Vienna on MondayUS and Russian officials will meet in Vienna on Monday to discuss whether and how to regulate the militarisation of space, in the wake of an alleged Russian satellite-launched missile test.The two governments agreed to hold a “space security exchange” in January, but the meeting was put off as a...
A stunning new photo of Saturn reveals the planet's summer and winter in remarkable clarity
Astronomers released a gorgeous photo of Saturn this week, the planet's third annual portrait by NASA's Hubble Space...
Alaska is getting wetter: That's bad news for permafrost and the climate
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/24 22:14
Alaska is getting wetter. A new study spells out what that means for the permafrost that underlies about 85% of the state, and the consequences for Earth's global climate.
Well-preserved mammoth skeleton found in Siberian lake
Russian scientists are working to retrieve the well-preserved skeleton of a woolly mammoth, which has some ligaments still attached to it, from a lake in northern Siberia.
NASA animation tracks Tropical Storm Hanna's progression
NASA's Aqua satellite obtained visible imagery as Tropical Storm Hanna formed in the Gulf of Mexico and continued to organize. A new animation from NASA shows how Hanna developed and intensified as it heads toward landfall in Texas this weekend.
Manipulating non-magnetic atoms in a chromium halide enables tuning of magnetic properties
The magnetic properties of a chromium halide can be tuned by manipulating the non-magnetic atoms in the material, a team, led by Boston College researchers, reports in the most recent edition of Science Advances.
Quantum loop: US unveils blueprint for 'virtually unhackable' internet
US officials and scientists have begun laying the groundwork for a more secure "virtually unhackable" internet based on quantum computing technology.
Virus, hurricane season delay removal of wrecked cargo ship
Efforts to cut apart and remove a capsized cargo ship off the Georgia coast are being delayed for more than two months because of hurricane season and challenges posed by the coronavirus, project leaders said Friday.
Study: Black entrepreneurship in the United States
A steady stream of media reports detailing the deaths of unarmed Black Americans at the hands of police. False 911 calls aimed at bringing harm to African Americans engaged in innocuous, everyday activities. Street protests calling for an end to discrimination and police brutality.
Portland State University releases nationwide guidance on bike share equity programs
Last year, Portland State University's Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) released a 130 page evaluation comparing equity-oriented programs from over 70 U.S. bike share systems across the U.S. Bike share being a relative newcomer to the transportation system, the research team was not surprised to find that approaches to equity programs ranged widely. In the latest installment,...
Machine learning reveals recipe for building artificial proteins
Proteins are essential to the life of cells, carrying out complex tasks and catalyzing chemical reactions. Scientists and engineers have long sought to harness this power by designing artificial proteins that can perform new tasks, like treat disease, capture carbon, or harvest energy, but many of the processes designed to create such proteins are slow and complex, with a high failure rate.
NASA's tracking Hawaii-bound Major Hurricane Douglas
Hurricane Douglas is a major hurricane tracking through the Central Pacific Ocean on a forecast track to Hawaii. NASA's Aqua satellite used infrared light to identify strongest storms and coldest cloud top temperatures and found them surrounding the eyewall of the powerful hurricane. In addition, images from NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite were used to generate an animated track of Douglas'...
Alaska is getting wetter. That's bad news for permafrost and the climate
Alaska is getting wetter. A new study spells out what that means for the permafrost that underlies about 85% of the state, and the consequences for Earth's global climate.
Two meteor showers coming to a sky near you next week
Comet Neowise may be fading away, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to look at it in the night...
Scientists reveal first-ever photo of a solar system like ours
The incredibly rare family portrait highlights two baby exoplanets orbiting a very young, sun-like...
Genetic mutations help super bug become highly resistant to antibiotics
Scientists from the University of Sheffield have found that genetic mutations in MRSA allow it to evolve and become more resistant to antibiotics such as penicillin.
Comments on the Citizen Science Seed Funding Program Are Due July 30th
Eyebrow: Citizen Science NewsBody: Comments on the draft text for ROSES-2020 Amendment 39 releases for community comment draft text for E.9 Citizen Science Seed Funding Program are due July 30, 2020.
Link: Learn...
Genetic mutations help MRSA to become highly resistant to antibiotics
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/24 20:30
Scientists have found that genetic mutations in MRSA allow it to evolve and become more resistant to antibiotics such as penicillin.
An origin story for a family of oddball meteorites
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/24 20:13
Most meteorites that have landed on Earth are fragments of planetesimals, the very earliest protoplanetary bodies in the solar system. Scientists have thought that these primordial bodies either completely melted early in their history or remained as piles of unmelted rubble. But a family of meteorites has befuddled researchers since its discovery in the 1960s. The diverse fragments, found all...
Antiviral method against herpes paves the way for combating incurable viral infections
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/24 20:13
Researchers have discovered a new method to treat human herpes viruses. The new broad-spectrum method targets physical properties in the genome of the virus rather than viral proteins, which have previously been targeted. The treatment consists of new molecules that penetrate the protein shell of the virus and prevent genes from leaving the virus to infect the cell. It does not lead to resistance...
Big brains and dexterous hands
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/24 20:10
Primates with large brains can master more complex hand movements than those with smaller brains. However, fine motor skills such as using tools can take time to learn, and humans take the longest of all. Large-brained species such as humans and great apes do not actually learn more slowly than other primates but instead start later, researchers have shown.
More realistic computer graphics
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/24 20:10
New software techniques make lighting in computer-generated images look more realistic for use in video games, extended reality, and scientific visualization tools.
How COVID-19 causes smell loss
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/24 20:10
Loss of smell, or anosmia, is one of the earliest and most commonly reported symptoms of COVID-19. A new study identifies the olfactory cell types most vulnerable to infection by the novel coronavirus. Surprisingly, sensory neurons involved in smell are not among the vulnerable cell types.
Sputum testing provides higher rate of COVID-19 detection
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/24 20:10
In a meta-analysis, researchers found that sputum was more accurate than nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swabs. The study also shows early testing increased rates of COVID-19 diagnosis.