210 articles from FRIDAY 7.8.2020
Canada’s Last Remaining Ice Shelf Crumbles Due to Global Warming
Much of Canada’s remaining intact ice shelf has broken apart into hulking iceberg islands thanks to a hot summer and global warming, scientists said.
Canada’s 4,000-year-old Milne Ice Shelf on the northwestern edge of Ellesmere Island had been the country’s last intact ice shelf until the end of July when ice analyst Adrienne White of the Canadian Ice Service noticed that...
Italian valley still in 'red zone' as Mont Blanc glacier threatens collapse
An Italian alpine resort remained on high alert Friday over fears a vast chunk of a glacier on the slopes of the Mont Blanc massif could plummet in high temperatures.
Eye candy: More than 50,000 pink flamingos mass in France
Behold a treat for the eyes! Tens of thousands of pink flamingos have amassed in the wetlands of southern France along with their offspring still lacking flamboyant plumage.
Thousands seek refuge as high heat slams Britain, France
Residents and visitors in Britain sought refuge from searing heat Friday, with thousands mobbing beaches and parks despite warnings to maintain social distance and other precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deep-sea misconceptions cause underestimation of seabed-mining impacts
A new publication on the impacts of deep-seabed mining by 13 prominent deep-sea biologists, led by University of Hawai'i at Mānoa oceanography professor Craig Smith, seeks to dispel scientific misconceptions that have led to miscalculations of the likely effects of commercial operations to extract minerals from the seabed.
Integration of gene regulatory networks in understanding animal behavior
For years, scientists have attributed animal behavior to the coordinated activities of neuronal cells and its circuits of neurons, known as the neuronal network (NN). However, researchers are pushing the boundaries in understanding animal behavior through the integration of gene regulation.
New process fast-tracks drug treatments for viral infections and cancer
Discovering antiviral and anticancer drugs will soon be faster and cheaper thanks to new research from Simon Fraser University chemist Robert Britton and his international team.
Decline in plant breeding programs could impact food security
Public plant breeding programs are declining across the United States.
Highly sensitive dopamine detector uses 2-D materials
A supersensitive dopamine detector can help in the early diagnosis of several disorders that result in too much or too little dopamine, according to a group led by Penn State and including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and universities in China and Japan.
Programmable synthetic materials
Artificial molecules could one day form the information unit of a new type of computer or be the basis for programmable substances. The information would be encoded in the spatial arrangement of the individual atoms—similar to how the sequence of base pairs determines the information content of DNA, or sequences of zeros and ones form the memory of computers.
Inexpensive, accessible device provides visual proof that masks block droplets
Duke physician Eric Westman was one of the first champions of masking as a means to curtail the spread of coronavirus, working with a local non-profit to provide free masks to at-risk and under-served populations in the greater Durham community.
Materials science researchers develop first electrically injected laser
Materials science researchers, led by electrical engineering professor Shui-Qing "Fisher" Yu, have demonstrated the first electrically injected laser made with germanium tin.
How windy is it on Mars? Sand 'megaripples' offer a clue
A new study that monitored the subtle movements of huge ripples of sand on the Martian surface suggests that Mars may actually be windier than researchers...
Decline in plant breeding programs could impact food security
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/7 21:36
A team of scientists led by a horticulture professor who leads a pome fruit (apples and pears) breeding program, found that public plant breeding programs are seeing decreases in funding and personnel.
Advance in programmable synthetic materials
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/7 21:36
DNA information is stored in a sequence of chemical building blocks; computers store information as sequences of zeros and ones. Researchers want to transfer this concept to artificial molecules. Researchers have taken another step toward encoding information in the sequence of metal atoms in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), showing how to read the sequence. Multivariate MOFs could encode digital...
Layer of nanoparticles could improve LED performance and lifetime
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/7 21:36
Adding a layer of nanoparticles to LED designs could help them produce more light for the same energy, and also increase their lifetime.
Highly sensitive dopamine detector uses 2D materials
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/7 21:36
A supersensitive dopamine detector can help in the early diagnosis of several disorders that result in too much or too little dopamine, according to new research.
Authors' 'invisible' words reveal blueprint for storytelling
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/7 21:36
The ''invisible'' words that shaped Dickens classics also lead audiences through Spielberg dramas. And according to new research, these small words can be found in a similar pattern across most storylines, no matter the length or format.
Alberta signs on to help develop nuclear reactor technology
Alberta is joining three other provinces to support the advancement and deployment of nuclear energy through small modular reactors...
Mars may not have been the warm, wet planet we thought it was
Mars today is a cold, dry wasteland—but things were likely much different billions of years ago. Since we started launching robotic missions to Mars in the 1970s, scientists have collected evidence that points to a warmer, wetter past for the Red Planet, where the surface was teeming with lakes and oceans that could have been home to life of some kind. It’s part of the reason NASA built and...
Covid-19 spread may be levelling off in England, say experts
Latest ONS figures appear to show better picture, even as more lockdown measures relaxedCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCommunity spread of Covid-19 in England may be levelling off even as some lockdown measures are relaxed, experts said following the release of official data. Related: Preston added to areas with bans on households mixing due to Covid-19 Continue...
Scientists develop principles for the creation of an 'acoustic diode'
In research published in Science Advances, a group led by scientists from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) have used the principle of magneto-rotation coupling to suppress the transmission of sound waves on the surface of a film in one direction while allowing them to travel in the other. This could lead to the development of acoustic rectifiers—devices that allow waves to...
Authors' 'invisible' words reveal blueprint for storytelling
The "invisible" words that shaped Dickens classics also lead audiences through Spielberg dramas. And according to new research, these small words can be found in a similar pattern across most storylines, no matter the length or format.
Why do so many refugees move after arrival? Opportunity and community
What do you think of when you hear the word "refugee"? For many people, what comes to mind is vulnerability—you might imagine the grim conditions of a refugee camp or the dangers of the desperate journey to safety. So perhaps it's unsurprising that refugees are widely perceived to be especially needy or dependent on public assistance.
NASA drops 'colonial' nicknames for distant cosmic objects
A nebula and a pair of galaxies will now be referred to by a string of numbers as NASA reviews “insensitive” and “actively harmful”...