151 articles from FRIDAY 14.8.2020

Modern Alchemy – Turning Metal into Glass

Basic atomic structure Metals and glass don't seem to have anything in common. Glass is generally transparent and fragile while metals are opaque and extremely strong; but under the right conditions, metals can form glass, and when they do, what results is an opaque, durable, scratch- and corrosion-resistant material that is often stronger than steel. Metallic glass is so versatile it can...

Traces of ancient life tell story of early diversity in marine ecosystems

If you could dive down to the ocean floor nearly 540 million years ago just past the point where waves begin to break, you would find an explosion of life—scores of worm-like animals and other sea creatures tunneling complex holes and structures in the mud and sand—where before the environment had been mostly barren.

Native trees thrive in teak plantations and may protect the Panama Canal

Native to India, teak is the go-to species for reforestation in Central America. But teak often underperforms in the nutrient poor soils that dominate tropical landscapes. To discover if the timber value of teak plantations grown on poor soils can be increased, scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute interplanted rosewood and amarillo, both economically valuable native tree...

Aurora mysteries unlocked with NASA's THEMIS mission

A special type of aurora, draped east-west across the night sky like a glowing pearl necklace, is helping scientists better understand the science of auroras and their powerful drivers out in space. Known as auroral beads, these lights often show up just before large auroral displays, which are caused by electrical storms in space called substorms. Previously, scientists weren't sure if auroral...

Computer scientists set benchmarks to optimize quantum computer performance

Computer scientists have shown that existing compilers, which tell quantum computers how to use their circuits to execute quantum programs, inhibit the computers' ability to achieve optimal performance. Specifically, their research has revealed that improving quantum compilation design could help achieve computation speeds up to 45 times faster than currently demonstrated.

UK ministers were warned local lockdowns could fuel racial tensions

Government accused of being ‘tone deaf’ for imposing restrictions in the north of England despite warningsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe government has been accused of being “tone deaf” for its sudden introduction of further lockdown restrictions in the north of England last month shortly after being warned that local interventions could fuel racial...

A light bright and tiny: Scientists build a better nanoscale LED

A new design for light-emitting diodes achieves a dramatic increase in brightness as well as the ability to create laser light -- characteristics that could make it valuable in a range of applications. The device shows an increase in brightness of 100 to 1,000 times over conventional submicron-sized LED designs.

Watching changes in plant metabolism -- live

Almost all life on Earth, e.g. our food and health, depend on metabolism in plants. To understand how these metabolic processes function, researchers are studying key mechanisms in the regulation of energy metabolism. A new method of in vivo biosensor technology has enabled them to monitor in real time what effects environmental changes have on the central metabolism of the model plant Arabidopsis...

A light bright and tiny: Scientists build a better nanoscale LED

A new design for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) developed by a team including scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) may hold the key to overcoming a long-standing limitation in the light sources' efficiency. The concept, demonstrated with microscopic LEDs in the lab, achieves a dramatic increase in brightness as well as the ability to create laser light—all...

The Guardian view on record-breaking weather: the heat is on | Editorial

What better time than the UK’s hottest-ever week for ministers to commit to bold climate action? The hottest week in the UK since records began offers further proof that our weather is changing. Climate change and global heating are not predictions, but facts of life that we must deal with now. Ten of the UK’s warmest-ever years have been since 2002, while the temperature of 36.4C recorded at...

An AI algorithm to help identify homeless youth at risk of substance abuse

While many programs and initiatives have been implemented to address the prevalence of substance abuse among homeless youth in the United States, they don't always include data-driven insights about environmental and psychological factors that could contribute to an individual's likelihood of developing a substance use disorder. Now, an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm could help predict...

Study explores the association of malaria, HIV with anemia during pregnancy

Pregnant women from sub-Saharan Africa with malaria and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have a higher prevalence of anemia than pregnant women without infections, according to researchers. The findings may have implications for reducing the risk of death in pregnant women and preventing low birth weights and neurocognitive impairment in their children as a result of anemia.

Seeing a fluid behaving like a solid

Researchers using a high-speed camera have captured the moments a fluid reacts like a solid, through a new method of fluid observation under pressurized conditions. They examined fluids that have a solid-like response to stress, a phenomenon called Discontinuous Shear Thickening (DST). This is when liquid abruptly thickens and becomes solid when disturbed. DST is being researched for engineering...

Source of pathogen that causes bitter rot disease

Fungal spores responsible for bitter rot disease, a common and devastating infection in fruit, do not encounter their host plants by chance. Turns out, they have a symbiotic association with the plant, often living inside its leaves. The new way of looking at the fungal pathogen, Colletotrichum fioriniae, as a leaf endophyte -- bacterial or fungal microorganisms that colonize healthy plant tissue...

Social connection is the strongest protective factor for depression

Researchers have identified a set of modifiable factors from a field of over 100 that could represent valuable targets for preventing depression in adults. The team named social connection as the strongest protective factor for depression, and suggested that reducing sedentary activities such as TV watching and daytime napping could also help lower the risk of depression.