325 articles from TUESDAY 18.8.2020
Cover crop mixtures must be 'farm-tuned' to provide maximum ecosystem services
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/18 23:54
Researchers, in a recent study, were surprised to learn that they could take the exact same number of seeds from the same plants, put them in agricultural fields across the Mid-Atlantic region and get profoundly different stands of cover crops a few months later.
OCT-based technique captures subtle details of photoreceptor function
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/18 23:54
Researchers have developed a new instrument that has, for the first time, measured tiny light-evoked deformations in individual rods and cones in a living human eye. The new approach could one day improve detection of retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in people over 55 worldwide.
Cryo-EM study yields new clues to chicken pox infection
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/18 23:54
Scientists studying the varicella zoster virus found that an antibody that blocks infection doesn't work exactly as they'd thought.
Researchers explore self-healing materials
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/18 23:54
Researchers developed a new material that can autonomously heal in air and underwater.
Songbirds, like people, sing better after warming up
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/18 23:54
If you've ever been woken up before sunrise by the chirping of birds outside your window, you may have wondered: why do birds sing so loud, so early in the morning? The cacophony is mostly males, whose songs are meant to impress potential mates and rivals. Researchers say there may be a good reason why birds are most vocal at first light. By singing early and often, birds perform better during the...
Citizen Scientists Discover Dozens of New Cosmic Neighbors in NASA Data
Eyebrow: Citizen Science NewsBody: Members of the public helped make 95 discoveries through Backyard Worlds: Planet 9, a NASA-funded citizen science project that is a collaboration between volunteers and professional scientists.
Link: Read...
Citizen Scientists Discover Dozens of New Cosmic Neighbors in NASA Data
We’ve never met some of the Sun’s closest neighbors until now. In a new study, astronomers report the discovery of 95 objects known as brown dwarfs, many within a few dozen light-years of the Sun. They’re well outside the solar system, so don’t experience heat from the Sun, but still inhabit a region astronomers consider our cosmic neighborhood. This collection represents some of the...
Plantwatch: how a miraculous moss keeps cool in the Mojave desert
Sheltering under translucent quartz stones shields the moss from heat, cold, drought and intense ultraviolet raysA small moss growing in the Mojave desert in California uses a remarkable protection from the desert sun – it shelters under translucent quartz stones. It is a miniature greenhouse that shields the moss from heat, cold, drought and intense ultraviolet rays.The desert gets extremely...
Enzyme cocktail developed in Brazil powers production of second-generation ethanol
Researchers at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) have genetically engineered a fungus to produce a cocktail of enzymes that break down the carbohydrates in biomass, such as sugarcane trash (tops and leaves) and bagasse, into fermentable sugar for industrially efficient conversion into biofuel.
Machine learning unearths signature of slow-slip quake origins in seismic data
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/18 22:09
Combing through historical seismic data, researchers using a machine learning model have unearthed distinct statistical features marking the formative stage of slow-slip ruptures in the earth's crust months before tremor or GPS data detected a slip in the tectonic plates.
More eggs harvested from last 2 northern white rhinos
An international team of scientists said they successfully extracted eggs from the last two remaining northern white rhinos, a step on the way to possibly saving the subspecies from extinction.
Machine learning unearths signature of slow-slip quake origins in seismic data
Combing through historical seismic data, researchers using a machine learning model have unearthed distinct statistical features marking the formative stage of slow-slip ruptures in the earth's crust months before tremor or GPS data detected a slip in the tectonic plates. Given the similarity between slow-slip events and classic earthquakes, these distinct signatures may help geophysicists...
Cold-weather accounts for almost all temperature-related deaths
With the number of extreme weather days rising around the globe in recent years due to global warming, it is no surprise that there has been an upward trend in hospital visits and admissions for injuries caused by high heat over the last several years. But cold temperatures are responsible for almost all temperature-related deaths, according to a new study published in the journal Environmental...
COVID-19 pandemic likely to cause sales tax loss for Ohio municipalities
Small municipalities in Ohio that rely on retail sales taxes from apparel, vehicle sales, restaurants and tourism could see as much as a 50 percent decline in tax revenue because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study has found.
Exploding stars may have caused mass extinction on Earth, study shows
Imagine reading by the light of an exploded star, brighter than a full moon—it might be fun to think about, but this scene is the prelude to a disaster when the radiation devastates life as we know it. Killer cosmic rays from nearby supernovae could be the culprit behind at least one mass extinction event, researchers said, and finding certain radioactive isotopes in Earth's rock record could...
NASA-NOAA satellite snaps image of tropical storm Higos in South China Sea
NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed over the South China Sea and captured a visible image of Tropical Storm Higos. Higos is headed for landfall in southeastern China.
Using a public restroom? Mask up!
Think you don't need to worry about COVID-19 while using a public restroom? A group of researchers from Yangzhou University in China recently reported that flushing public restroom toilets can release clouds of virus-laden aerosols for you to potentially inhale.
Concordia student maps global primate habitat endangered by climate change
Stewart began looking at the effects of climate change on primate habitats with spatial data from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5, which estimates regional and seasonal temperature change per unit of CO2 emission, and range data of 426 separate primate species and subspecies, courtesy of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Using these figures, she was able to...
Horse skeletons provide clues to preventing racehorse injuries
In an anatomical comparison of the third metacarpal, or cannon bone, among Thoroughbred racehorses, American Quarter Horses and feral Assateague Island ponies, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have found that fostering adaptations in these bones through training might help horses better endure the extreme conditions of racing and prevent serious, often life-ending injuries on the track.
Microplastic in Atlantic Ocean 'could weigh 21 million tonnes'
There are 12-21 million tonnes of tiny plastic fragments floating in the ocean, scientists...
Microplastic in Atlantic Ocean 'could weigh 21 million tonnes'
There are 12-21 million tonnes of tiny plastic fragments floating in the ocean, scientists say.
Under pressure, nontoxic salt-based propellant performs well
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/18 20:21
In smaller spacecraft such as CubeSat satellites, a salt-based monopropellant is showing promise. It can be used both in high-thrust chemical propulsion for fast time-sensitive maneuvers, and electric mode for slow maneuvers, such as orbit maintenance. Now, researchers have more knowledge about how it performs under pressure to inform rocket design.
Cold-weather accounts for almost all temperature-related deaths
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/18 20:21
With the number of extreme weather days rising around the globe in recent years due to global warming, it is no surprise that there has been an upward trend in hospital visits and admissions for injuries caused by high heat over the last several years. But cold temperatures are responsible for almost all temperature-related deaths, according to a new study.
Why doesn't Ebola cause disease in bats, as it does in people?
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/18 20:21
A new study uncovered new information on why the Ebola virus can live within bats without causing them harm, while the same virus wreaks deadly havoc to people.
Surprising coral spawning features revealed
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/18 20:21
When stony corals have their renowned mass spawning events, in sync with the moon's cycle, colonies simultaneously release an underwater 'cloud' of sperm and eggs for fertilization. But how do the sperm and eggs survive several hours as plankton, given threats from predators, microbes and stresses such as warming waters? A team has discovered some surprising features in coral sperm and eggs...