308 articles from MONDAY 17.8.2020

Research team is first to observe new equatorial wind patterns in Antarctica

A CIRES-led team has uncovered a critical connection between winds at Earth's equator and atmospheric waves 6,000 miles away at the South Pole. The team has found, for the first time, evidence of a Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO)—an atmospheric circulation pattern that originates at the equator—at McMurdo, Antarctica.

Reopen Mapping Project shows health and job tradeoffs for policies in US cities

As states and cities grapple with how to reopen businesses, schools, and other staples of everyday life amid surges in COVID-19 infections, Asst. Prof. Abhishek Nagaraj and a team of researchers across four universities are building an interactive website that shows how different policies affect employment and the number of deaths from the virus.

NASA finds short-lived Fausto faded fast

Post-Tropical Storm Fausto faded fast in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. NASA's Terra satellite provided an infrared look at the storm, which showed no areas of heavy rainfall, and the storm was classified as a remnant low-pressure area.

Methane emissions from northern lakes are higher during the daytime

Methane fluxes from lakes are considerably higher during the day than the night, according to a study conducted by LiU researchers. Consequently, the research group says that the contribution of northern lakes to global methane emissions is 15% lower than previously estimated. The study is published in PNAS, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

New method of biofortification that transforms leaves into nutrient stores

A new collaborative study led by researchers from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) at the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) in Barcelona and the Institute for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMCP) in Valencia describes a promising strategy to improve the nutritional benefits of crops.

What if 'Herd Immunity' Is Closer Than Scientists Thought?

We've known from the beginning how the end will arrive. Eventually, the coronavirus will be unable to find enough susceptible hosts to survive, fading out wherever it briefly emerges.To achieve so-called herd immunity -- the point at which the virus can no longer spread because there are not enough vulnerable humans -- scientists have suggested that perhaps 70% of a given population must be...

Equatorial winds ripple down to Antarctica

A team has uncovered a critical connection between winds at Earth's equator and atmospheric waves 6,000 miles away at the South Pole. The team has found, for the first time, evidence of a Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) -- an atmospheric circulation pattern that originates at the equator -- at McMurdo, Antarctica.

Remote workers want to recreate those watercooler moments, virtually

Tom Malone refused to believe that watercooler conversations were dead just because so many people were suddenly working from home during the pandemic. He knew that random workplace chatter can help people build trust and form bonds. And as a researcher who studies technology and organizational design, he says, “it seemed obvious to me that there should be ways to support informal...

Firm advised by Christopher Pyne wins federal government grants worth almost $7m

Saber Astronautics chief says former defence minister does not lobby on their behalf and there is ‘no conflict of interest’A firm that uses former defence minister Christopher Pyne as a strategic advisor won two federal government grants worth almost $7m to help develop Australia’s space capabilities, prompting questions from Labor.Saber Astronautics, an Australian space operations company,...

Are Planets with Oceans Common in the Galaxy? It’s Likely, NASA Scientists Find

Several years ago, planetary scientist Lynnae Quick began to wonder whether any of the more than 4,000 known planets beyond our solar system might resemble some of the watery moons around Jupiter and Saturn. Though some of these moons don’t have atmospheres and are covered in ice, they are still among the top targets in NASA’s search for life beyond Earth. Saturn’s moon Enceladus...

Designer bacteria produce coral antibiotic

Thomas Brück saw the sea whip Antillogorgia elisabethae for the first time 17 years ago while diving on a research trip to the Bahamas. He still remembers this encounter vividly, which took place 18 meters below the water's surface: "Their polyp-covered, violet branchlets moved gently in the current. A fascinating living organism!" As it also contains various biologically active compounds, the...

Flies and mosquitoes beware, here comes the slingshot spider

Running into an unseen spiderweb in the woods can be scary enough, but what if you had to worry about a spiderweb—and the spider—being catapulted at you? That's what happens to insects in the Amazon rain forests of Peru, where a tiny slingshot spider launches a web—and itself—to catch unsuspecting flies and mosquitoes.

Global warming is changing our plant communities

Although Live Oak trees are common in South Florida today, Ken Feeley, a University of Miami biology professor, said their time here may be fleeting. With climate change pushing up temperatures, the oaks, which favor cooler conditions, could soon decline in the region and be replaced with more tropical, heat-loving species such as Gumbo Limbo or Mahogany trees.

New superlattice material for future energy efficient devices

A team of international physicists including Jennifer Cano, Ph.D., of Stony Brook University, has created a new material layered by two structures, forming a superlattice, that at a high temperature is a super-efficient insulator conducting current without dissipation and lost energy. The finding, detailed in a paper published in Nature Physics, could be the basis of research leading to new,...