177 articles from FRIDAY 31.7.2020

The need for progressive national narratives

The recent rise of authoritarian nationalist movements has reinforced the tendency of many on the left, and some on the right, to reject all forms of nationalism, writes Rogers M. Smith in "Toward Progressive Narratives of American Identity," published in Polity's May Symposium on the Challenges Facing Democrats.

A rebranding of 'freedom'?

According to recent Gallup polls, socialism is now more popular than capitalism among Democrats and young people, and support for "some form of socialism" among all Americans is at 43% (compared to 25% in 1942). Policies that went unmentioned or were declared out-of-bounds in elections four years ago—a federal jobs guarantee, single-payer health care, free college, massive tax hikes on the rich,...

Going viral: five of the most important things we’ve learnt about Covid-19 so far | Hassan Vally

The past few weeks in Victoria highlight how quickly things can turn. We have a long way to go Even though it’s been only six months since we first heard about a novel coronavirus circulating in China, so much has happened that it’s all a bit of a blur. What we do know is that we have a long way to go and there are many challenges that lie ahead of us. Although many countries have managed to...

When Dirac meets frustrated magnetism

Scientists have discovered one of the largest anomalous Hall effects (15,506 siemens per centimeter at 2 Kelvin) ever observed in the new compound, KV3Sb5. This material has a never-before-seen combination of properties: Dirac physics, frustrated magnetism, 2D exfoliatability, and chemical stability. Aside from future fundamental research studying the interplay of these ingredients, the unique...

Physicists find misaligned carbon sheets yield unparalleled properties

A material composed of two one-atom-thick layers of carbon has grabbed the attention of physicists worldwide for its intriguing -- and potentially exploitable -- conductive properties. University of Texas at Dallas physicists are studying how the ability of twisted bilayer graphene to conduct electrical current changes in response to mid-infrared light.

When Dirac meets frustrated magnetism

The fields of condensed matter physics and materials science are intimately linked because new physics is often discovered in materials with special arrangements of atoms. Crystals, which have repeating units of atoms in space, can have special patterns which result in exotic physical properties. Particularly exciting are materials which host multiple types of exotic properties because they give...

NASA sun data helps new model predict big solar flares

Scientists have developed a new model that successfully predicted seven of the Sun's biggest flares from the last solar cycle, out of a set of nine. With more development, the model could be used to one day inform forecasts of these intense bursts of solar radiation.

'Little brain' or cerebellum not so little after all

When we say someone has a quick mind, it may be in part thanks to our expanded cerebellum that distinguishes human brains from those of macaque monkeys, for example. High-res imaging shows the cerebellum is 80% of the area of the cortex, indicating it has grown as human behavior and cognition evolved.

NASA's Webb Telescope will study Jupiter, its rings, and two intriguing moons

Jupiter, named for the king of the ancient Roman gods, commands its own mini-version of our solar system of circling satellites; their movements convinced Galileo Galilei that Earth is not the center of the universe in the early 17th century. More than 400 years later, astronomers will use NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to observe these famous subjects, pushing the observatory's instruments to...

Delay to easing English lockdown may not be enough, experts say

Scientists suggest move may stabilise infections, but stricter rules needed to reduce ratesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageApplying a handbrake to lockdown easing in England is welcome, but may not be enough to stop a rise in infections, experts have said.Sage, the government’s scientific advisory group, said on Friday that it did not have confidence that the...

NASA Sun Data Helps New Model Predict Big Solar Flares

Portal origin URL: NASA Sun Data Helps New Model Predict Big Solar FlaresPortal origin nid: 463252Published: Friday, July 31, 2020 - 11:36Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: Using data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, scientists have developed a new model that successfully predicted seven of the Sun’s biggest flares from the last solar...

New COVID-19 notification app rolls out in Ontario

Residents of Ontario can now download a new app that can tell them whether they have been around someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 over the previous two weeks. But while government officials say the goal is to make the contact notification app available across the country, they can't say yet when it will be available in other...

Way, shape and form: Synthesis conditions define the nanostructure of manganese dioxide

Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology explore a novel and simplistic method to synthesize manganese dioxide with a specific crystalline structure called β-MnO2. Their study sheds light on how different synthesis conditions can produce manganese dioxide with distinct porous structures, hinting at a strategy for the development of highly tuned MnO2 nanomaterials that could serve as catalysts...

Short wind turns with strong cooling effect

Sea surface temperatures in the tropics have a major influence on the climate in the tropics and the adjacent continents. For example, they determine the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and the beginning and strength of the West African monsoon. Therefore, it is important to understand the variability of sea surface temperatures for climate predictions. Until now, the seasonal cycle...

Sharing a secret... the quantum way

Researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, have demonstrated a record setting quantum protocol for sharing a secret amongst many parties. The team created an 11-dimensional quantum state and used it to share a secret amongst 10 parties. By using quantum tricks, the secret can only be unlocked if the parties trust one another. The work sets a new record for...

A new synthesis method for three-dimensional nanocarbons

A team of scientists led by Kenichiro Itami, Professor and Director of the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM), has developed a new method for the synthesis of three-dimensional nanocarbons with the potential to advance materials science.

The field of natural language processing is chasing the wrong goal

At a typical annual meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL), the program is a parade of titles like “A Structured Variational Autoencoder for Contextual Morphological Inflection.” The same technical flavor permeates the papers, the research talks, and many hallway chats. At this year’s conference in July, though, something felt different—and it wasn’t just the...

Memory loss reversed or abated in those with cognitive decline

Researchers sought to determine whether a comprehensive and personalized program, designed to mitigate risk factors of Alzheimer's disease could improve cognitive and metabolic function in individuals experiencing cognitive decline. Findings provided evidence that this approach can improve risk factor scores and stabilize cognitive function.

A new synthesis method for three-dimensional nanocarbons

A team has developed a new method of synthesis for three-dimensional nanocarbons, utilizing a catalytic reaction to connect benzene rings and create an eight-membered ring structure. This represents a breakthrough in the synthesis of these nanocarbons, which are expected to be valuable next-generation functional materials.

Tinkering with roundworm proteins offers hope for anti-aging drugs

Researchers have been able to dial up and down creatures' lifespans by altering the activity of proteins found in roundworm cells that tell them to convert sugar into energy when their cellular energy is running low. Humans also have these proteins, offering up the intriguing possibilities for developing longevity-promoting drugs.

Short wind turns with strong cooling effect

Why is the sea surface temperature of the northern tropics in the summer months often lower than expected? New research shows that a short-term, wind-driven wave phenomenon provides very efficient vertical mixing and cooling of the upper water layer.

Nanoparticle meta-grid for enhanced light extraction from light-emitting devices

A tailored layer of plasmonic nanoparticles can be introduced into the epoxy casing of a light-emitting diode (LED) to improve the device's light output, to benefit energy savings and boost the LED lifetime. In a new report on Nature Light: Science & Applications, Debrata Sikdar and a team of scientists in chemistry, electronics and physics at the Imperial College London and the Indian Institute...

Wales to ease Covid-19 lockdown restrictions despite England 'pause'

First minister allows families to be reunited and says there are no plans to close borderCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageFurther lockdown restrictions are being lifted in Wales to allow families and friends to be reunited, though the government admitted the new regime in northern England had given it pause for thought.The Labour-led government said it had no plans to...

Monitoring whales from space

Scientists have found that studying high-resolution images of whales from space is a feasible way to estimate their populations. A team, led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), compared satellite images to data collected from traditional ship-based surveys. Reported this week in the journal Scientific Reports, this study is a big step towards developing a cost-effective method to study whales in...