212 articles from FRIDAY 21.8.2020

Exclusive: Leading climate action investor group turns focus to Mexico's Pemex

One of the world's leading investor groups pushing for more corporate action on climate change said it has added Mexican state-owned oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex)[PEMX.UL] to its list of targets. Climate Action 100+, whose 450 members manage more than $40 trillion in assets and focus on engaging with companies which produce high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, said it would now look...

Rogue planets could outnumber the stars

An upcoming NASA mission could find that there are more rogue planets—planets that float in space without orbiting a sun—than there are stars in the Milky Way, a new study theorizes.

Energy transition away from coal in China will yield benefits

China is the world's largest producer and consumer of coal. A team of international scientists led by Stony Brook University's Gang He, Ph.D., contend that China needs to transition away from coal to help the world achieve global decarbonization and improve the nation's environmental and human health. They outline steps that can be taken for an albeit difficult, yet just and quicker transition...

Revealed: How billions in EU farming subsidies are being misspent

A unique study has analyzed in detail how EU agricultural subsidies flow down to the local level. The new data show that most income support payments go to intensively farmed regions already above median EU income, while climate-friendly and biodiverse farming regions, as well as poorer regions, are insufficiently funded. Consequently, the majority of payments are going to the regions causing the...

Ofqual's A-level algorithm: why did it fail to make the grade?

There is a lot we can learn from the algebraic symbols used to determine results in EnglandA university vice-chancellor’s diary of A-level chaosPkj = (1-rj)Ckj + rj(Ckj + qkj - pkj)For such a short string of algebraic symbols, there is a lot we can learn from Ofqual’s grading algorithm (though really it is an equation) – and a lot we can learn about what went wrong. Continue...

A new molecular guardian of intestinal stem cells

Researchers investigated how intestinal stem cells are controlled at the molecular level to remain stem cells or to develop into one of various intestinal cells. By studying mice lacking the protein IRF2, the researchers found a blunted regenerative response and an increased development of immature Paneth cells upon intestinal inflammation and infection. These findings help clarify the molecular...

'Selfies' could be used to detect heart disease

Sending a 'selfie' to the doctor could be a cheap and simple way of detecting heart disease, according to researchers. Their study is the first to show that it's possible to use a deep learning computer algorithm to detect coronary artery disease (CAD) by analyzing four photographs of a person's face.

Skat and poker: More luck than skill?

Chess requires playing ability and strategic thinking; in roulette, chance determines victory or defeat, gain or loss. But what about skat and poker? Are they games of chance or games of skill in game theory? This classification also determines whether play may involve money. Economists have studied this question and developed a rating system similar to the Elo system used for chess.

More than politics or age, psychological disease avoidance linked to preventative behavior, study finds

More than other factors, strong feelings of germ aversion and pathogen disgust are significantly associated with concern about COVID-19 and preventative behavior, according to a new study. The findings are part of a year-long examination of how behavior and social attitudes change, and what factors influence those changes, when people in the United States are faced with the threat of widespread...

A new molecular guardian of intestinal stem cells

Intestinal stem cells hold a fine balance between two potential forms: remaining as stem cells, or developing into intestinal epithelial cells. In a new study, researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) discovered a novel molecular mechanism that regulates this balance and preserves the stemness of intestinal stem cells—that is, their ability to develop into any intestinal...

A four-state magnetic tunnel junction for novel spintronics applications

A tunnel junction is a device consisting of two conducting layers separated by an insulating layer. Classically, the resistance for driving current across an insulating layer is infinite; however, when the insulating layer is thin (~ 1-2 nanometers), charge carriers may tunnel through the insulating layer, due to their quantum nature. When the conducting layers are magnetic, a magnetic tunnel...

Science foundation discusses funding giant Hawaii telescope

The National Science Foundation has launched an informal outreach to Hawaii about possible funding efforts for the stalled Thirty Meter Telescope project. The effort by the nation’s top funder of basic research could lead to a huge influx of cash for the astronomy project on Mauna Kea with an estimated cost of $2.4 billion, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Thursday. The foundation said...

Metal organic framework (MOF) microcrystals for multicolor broadband lasing

Multicolor single-mode polarized microlasers containing an output range from visible light to the near-infrared have significant applications in photonic integration and multimodal chemical sensing or imaging applications. However, such devices are very difficult to realize in practice. In a new report, Huajun He and a research team in physics, materials science and chemistry in Singapore, China...

Glacier town at risk in next great New Zealand earthquake

Running through the heart of New Zealand's glacier country is the infamous Alpine Fault. The 600 kilometer-long (370 mile) faultline on the boundary of the Eurasian and Pacific tectonic plates beneath the country's South Island produces infrequent but significant earthquakes. In the line of fire is the small town of Franz Josef, just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the often-visited Franz Josef...

Meet hedge fund managers of avian world

New research finds that brood parasites living in more variable and unpredictable habitats tend to parasitize -- or squat and drop their eggs in -- the nests of a greater variety and number of hosts.