6,170 articles mezi dny 1.8.2020 a 31.8.2020
Bamboozling the bark beetles
The forest is struggling to cope with the largest bark beetle plague in 70 years. While the trees are suffering due to the heat and the drought, the pests are proliferating rampantly in the warm weather: A pair of European spruce bark beetles, for example, can produce up to 30,000 offspring. Starting in 2004 and most recently in the joint project "bioProtect" (2015-2020), Professor Michael...
Study advances research of cycads as an ecotoxin
University of Guam research has revealed that younger cycad seeds pose a greater risk for toxicity when consumed than more mature seeds, bringing the scientific community one step closer to understanding the origins of a neurodegenerative disease prevalent on Guam in World War II and closer to understanding related neurological disorders elsewhere. The research was the cover story of the June 2020...
Researchers design continuous-scanning sky brightness monitor in 2.5- to 5-μm band
A research group led by Prof. Wang Jian from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) proposed a continuous-scanning near-infrared sky brightness monitor (CNISBM). It can measure 2.5 to 5 μm infrared sky brightness based on an InSb detector and a linear variable filter.
Hots dogs, chicken wings and city living helped wetland wood storks thrive
Natural wetlands continue to disappear due to city and human development and are being replaced with manmade swales, ponds and canals. This degradation and replacement of natural wetlands suggest that urban areas may be imperative to wetland species, especially when natural conditions are unpredictable. Wetland birds are often seen in and around cities; however, they have been largely ignored in...
How weather affects crawfish harvests
The life cycle of a crawfish can be fairly straight forward. In the summer months, crawfish reproduce in underground mud burrows with a plug of mud on top of the burrow to protect them from predators. In late summer and early fall, rain softens the mud plugs so the crawfish can push their way out of the burrows and enter ponds, where they feed, molt and grow throughout Louisiana's typically mild...
Demonstrating the dynamics of electron-light interaction originating from first principle
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/31 18:42
Quantum-physical fundamentals can be studied particularly well by the interactions between electrons and photons. Excited with laser light, for example, the energy, mass or velocity of the electrons changes. A professor has invented a new toolbox to extend the theoretical description of electron-light interactions to the highest accurate level possible.
Molecule to store solar energy developed
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/31 18:42
Researchers have developed a molecule that absorbs energy from sunlight and stores it in chemical bonds. A possible long-term use of the molecule is to capture solar energy efficiently and store it for later consumption.
Researchers develop dustbuster for the moon
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/31 18:42
A new solution to the problem of spring cleaning on the moon: Why not zap away the grime using a beam of electrons?
Biocompatible TeSex nano-alloys for PT/PA/CT/PET imaging-guided NIR-II-photothermal therapy
Nanotheranostics, integrating diagnostic and therapeutic functions by nanoplatform, exhibits a great potential in precision and personalized medicine, and also raises the requirement on multifunctional nanomaterials in pursuit of both good biocompatibility and high theranostic performance.
True holographic movies are within grasp
Holographic movies, like the one R2D2 projected of Princess Leia in "Star Wars: A New Hope," have long been the province of science fiction, but for most of us, the extent of our experience with holograms may be the dime-sized stamps on our passports and credit cards. By using 'metasurface' materials that can manipulate light in ways that natural materials cannot, researchers reckon they have...
Citizen scientists bring surprising insights into cowslip mating system
About half of the individuals of cowslip (Primula veris) have flowers with a short style, while the other half of individuals produce flowers with a long style. Recent discoveries have suggested that the loss and fragmentation of habitats may shake this optimal balance of morphologically different plants. This, in turn, decreases the reproductive success of plants and jeopardizes their future...
Eating your vegetables is easier said than done
"Food systems have the potential to nurture human health and support environmental sustainability; however, they are currently threatening both." This sentence, the opening statement of the EAT-Lancet Report published last year, reflects a growing consensus among global experts on food, nutrition and the environment: Our food system is broken and we need to fix it, fast.
Amid the covid-19 pandemic, shifting business priorities
Remember all those articles you read in January with headlines like “2020 trends to watch in your industry?” You tossed those predictions out long ago. But while everyone knows that the coronavirus pandemic changed everything, none of us is sure how.
This content was produced by Insights, the custom content arm of MIT Technology Review. It was not written by MIT Technology Review’s...
Following African elephant trails to approach conservation differently
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/31 17:23
Elephant trails may lead the way to better conservation approaches. 'Think of elephants as engineers of the forests. Elephants shape the landscape in many ways that benefit humans. We're talking thousands of miles of trails. If we think about the loss of elephants over time, then we will see the forest structure change and human activities also would shift.'
Warmer, acidifying ocean brings extinction for reef-building corals, renewal for relatives
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/31 17:23
A new study finds that reef-building corals emerged only when ocean conditions supported the construction of these creatures' stony skeletons, whereas diverse softer corals and sea anemones flourished at other times. Without a significant change to anthropogenic carbon emissions, the new findings present stark implications for the present and future of hard-bodied corals while suggesting a silver...
Cell phone location used to estimate COVID-19 growth rates
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/31 17:23
Cell phone location data shows that in counties where activity declined at workplaces and increased at home, coronavirus infection rates were lower.
Prior exposure to powdery mildew makes plants more vulnerable to subsequent disease
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/31 17:23
A key to surviving in the wild is fighting off infection -- and not just once. For plants, as with humans, one infection may or may not leave a plant with lasting immunity. Biologists conducted a series of elegant experiments that capture how pathogen strains naturally accumulate on plants over a growing season. Their findings reveal the importance of understanding interactions among pathogens...
Insight on how to build a better flu vaccine
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/31 17:23
Repeated exposure to influenza viruses may undermine the effectiveness of the annual flu vaccine. A team of researchers has developed an approach to assess whether a vaccine activates the kind of immune cells needed for long-lasting immunity against new influenza strains. The findings could aid efforts to design an improved flu vaccine.
Researchers discover a specific brain circuit damaged by social isolation during childhood
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/31 17:23
Researchers have identified specific sub-populations of brain cells in the prefrontal cortex, a key part of the brain that regulates social behavior, that are required for normal sociability in adulthood and are profoundly vulnerable to juvenile social isolation in mice.
Early rhythm control therapy improves outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/31 17:23
Patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation benefit from early rhythm control therapy, according to new results.
Microgel immuno-acceptance method could improve pancreatic islet transplant success
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/31 17:23
Researchers have developed a new microgel drug delivery method that could extend the effectiveness of pancreatic islet transplantations -- from several years to possibly the entire lifespan of a recipient.
Research shows how a diet change might help US veterans with Gulf War illness
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/31 17:23
A new study shows the results from a dietary intervention in U.S. veterans suffering from Gulf War Illness, a neurological disorder in veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War from 1990 to 1991.
Wearable device could help EMTs, surgeons assess hemorrhage blood loss
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/31 17:23
Emergency medical technicians (EMTs), military medics, and emergency room physicians could one day be better able to treat victims of vehicular accidents, gunshot wounds, and battlefield injuries thanks to a new device under development that may more accurately assess the effects of blood loss due to hemorrhage.
Astrophysics: A direct view of star/disk interactions
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/31 17:23
Astronomers have for the first time directly observed the columns of matter that build up newborn stars. This was observed in the young star TW Hydrae system located approximately 163 light years from Earth.
Serengeti leopard population densities healthy but vary seasonally, study finds
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/31 17:23
A study of camera-trap data from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania found that leopard population densities in the 3.7-million-acre park are similar to those in other protected areas but vary between wet and dry seasons. The fluctuations appear to be driven by the abundance of prey and how this affects interactions with other large carnivores like lions, researchers report.