256 articles from MONDAY 10.8.2020
Stronger rains in warmer climate could lessen heat damage to crops, says study
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/10 20:10
Intensified rainstorms predicted for many parts of the United States as a result of warming climate may have a modest silver lining: they could more efficiently water some major crops, and this would at least partially offset the far larger projected yield declines caused by the rising heat itself.
New study confirms the power of Deinosuchus and its 'teeth the size of bananas'
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/10 20:10
A new study, revisiting fossil specimens from the enormous crocodylian, Deinosuchus, has confirmed that the beast had teeth 'the size of bananas', capable to take down even the very largest of dinosaurs.
Explosive nuclear astrophysics
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/10 20:10
An international team has made a key discovery related to 'presolar grains' found in some meteorites. This discovery has shed light on stellar explosions and the origin of chemical elements. It has also provided a new method for astronomical research.
HPV strains may impact cervical cancer prognosis
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/10 20:09
An analysis of cervical cancers in Ugandan women has uncovered significant genomic differences between tumors caused by different strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), signifying HPV type may impact cervical cancer characteristics and prognosis.
Forest growth in drier climates will be impacted by reduced snowpack
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/10 20:09
A new study suggests that future reductions in seasonal snowpack as a result of climate change may negatively influence forest growth in semi-arid climates, but less so in wetter climates.
Biology blurs line between sexes, behaviors
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/10 20:09
Biological sex is typically understood in binary terms: male and female. However, there are many examples of animals that are able to modify sex-typical biological and behavioral features and even change sex. A new study identifies a genetic switch in brain cells that can toggle between sex-specific states when necessary, findings that question the idea of sex as a fixed property.
Dwarf planet Ceres is an ocean world: study
The dwarf planet Ceres—long believed to be a barren space rock—is an ocean world with reservoirs of sea water beneath its surface, the results of a major exploration mission showed Monday.
Deep learning and metamaterials make the invisible visible
By combining purpose-built materials and neural networks, researchers at EPFL have shown that sound can be used in high-resolution imagery.
New study warns: We have underestimated the pace at which the Arctic is melting
Arctic sea ice is melting more quickly than once assumed. Today's climate models have yet to incorporate the steep rise in temperatures that have occurred over the past 40 years. This, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Copenhagen and other institutions.
Exact climate data from the past
Corals precipitate their calcareous skeletons (calcium carbonate) from seawater. Over thousands of years, vast coral reefs form due to the deposition of this calcium carbonate. During precipitation, corals prefer carbonate groups containing specific variants of oxygen (chemical symbol: O). For example, the lower the water temperature, the higher the abundance of a heavy oxygen variant, known as...
Rare 'boomerang' earthquake observed along Atlantic Ocean fault line
Scientists have tracked a 'boomerang' earthquake in the ocean for the first time, providing clues about how they could cause devastation on land.
Forest growth in drier climates will be impacted by reduced snowpack, study finds
A new study suggests that future reductions in seasonal snowpack as a result of climate change may negatively influence forest growth in semi-arid climates, but less so in wetter climates.
NASA finds strong storms in developing Tropical Storm Mekkhala
After Tropical Depression 07W formed close to the western Philippines, it moved away and strengthened into a tropical storm in the South China Sea. NASA's Terra satellite provided a look at the strength of the storms that make up the tropical cyclone.
Breaking molecular traffic jams with finned nanoporous materials
Thousands of chemical processes used by the energy industry and for other applications rely on the high speed of catalytic reactions, but molecules frequently are hindered by molecular traffic jams that slow them down. Now an entirely new class of porous catalysts has been invented, using unique fins to speed up the chemistry by allowing molecules to skip the lines that limit the reaction.
New research reveals previously hidden features of plant genomes
An international team led by the Plant Phenotyping and Imaging Research Centre (P2IRC) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has decoded the full genome for the black mustard plant—research that will advance breeding of oilseed mustard crops and provide a foundation for improved breeding of wheat, canola and lentils.
International team develops new method to determine origin of stardust in meteorites
Analysis of meteorite content has been crucial in advancing our knowledge of the origin and evolution of our solar system. Some meteorites also contain grains of stardust. These grains predate the formation of our solar system and are now providing important insights into how the elements in the universe formed.
Evolutionary assimilation of foreign DNA in a new host
All life is subject to evolution in the form of mutations that change the DNA sequence of an organism's offspring, after which natural selection allows the 'fittest' mutants to survive and pass on their genes to future generations. These mutations can generate new abilities in a species, but another common driving force for evolution is horizontal gene transfer (HGT)—the acquisition of DNA from...
Stronger rains in warmer climate could lessen heat damage to crops, says study
Intensified rainstorms predicted for many parts of the United States as a result of warming climate may have a modest silver lining: they could more efficiently water some major crops, and this would at least partially offset the far larger projected yield declines caused by the rising heat itself. The conclusion, which goes against some accepted wisdom, is contained in a new study published this...
New study confirms the power of Deinosuchus and its 'teeth the size of bananas'
A new study, revisiting fossil specimens from the enormous crocodylian, Deinosuchus, has confirmed that the beast had teeth "the size of bananas," capable of taking down even the very largest of dinosaurs.
Landmarks facing climate threats could 'transform,' expert says
How much effort should be spent trying to keep Venice looking like Venice—even as it faces rising sea levels that threaten the city with more frequent extreme flooding?
Theoretical study shows that matter tends to be ordered at low temperatures
Classical phase transitions are governed by temperature. One of the most familiar examples is the phase transitions of water from solid to liquid to gas. However, other parameters govern phase transitions when temperatures approach absolute zero, including pressure, the magnetic field, and doping, which introduce disorder into the molecular structure of a material.
Seeing chemical reactions with music
Albert Einstein once said, "I see my life in terms of music." Perhaps inspired by his words, scientists at the Center for Self-assembly and Complexity (CSC), within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS, South Korea) now see chemical reactions in the presence of music. The IBS research team has reported that audible sound can control chemical reactions in solution by continuously supplying energy...
New global study shows 'best of the last' tropical forests urgently need protection
The world's 'best of the last' tropical forests are at significant risk of being lost, according to a paper released today in Nature Ecology and Evolution. Of these pristine forests that provide key services—including carbon storage, prevention of disease transmission and water provision—only a mere 6.5 percent are formally protected.
Past evidence supports complete loss of Arctic sea ice by 2035
A new study, published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change, supports predictions that the Arctic could be free of sea ice by 2035.
Fireflies shed light on the function of mitochondria
Tiny factories float inside our cells and provide them with almost all the energy they need: the mitochondria. Their effectiveness decreases when we get older, but also when we face many diseases such as diabetes, cancer or Parkinson's. This is why scientists are increasingly interested in how they work. At EPFL, a team has developed a protocol to measure their activity live in living animals....