253 articles from TUESDAY 1.9.2020
Can sunlight convert emissions into useful materials?
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/1 23:54
A team of researchers has designed a method to break CO2 apart and convert the greenhouse gas into useful materials like fuels or consumer products ranging from pharmaceuticals to polymers. Typically, this process requires a tremendous amount of energy. However, in the first computational study of its kind, the research team enlisted a more sustainable ally: the sun.
How to get the upper body of a burrowing frog
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/1 23:54
If you want shredded pecs, you should train like a burrowing frog. Though famously round, these diggers are the unsung bodybuilders of the frog world.
COVID-19 antibodies present in patients four months after recovery: study
In previous studies, antibody levels dropped sharply within a few months after COVID-19, raising questions about the duration of immunity that infection may provide. The new finding may have implications for reinfection risks and vaccine durability, said Kari Stefansson, chief executive of deCode Genetics, which conducted the study. To get a sense of how many people in Iceland had been infected...
Large antibody study offers hope for virus vaccine efforts
Tuesday’s report, from tests on more than 30,000 people in Iceland, is the most extensive work yet on the immune system’s response to the virus and is good news for efforts to develop vaccines. If a vaccine can spur production of long-lasting antibodies like natural infection does, it gives hope that “immunity to this unpredictable and highly contagious virus may not be fleeting,”...
Fish invasions follow Panama and Suez canal expansions
World maritime trade grows each year, aided by canal waterways that connect oceans and reduce shipping time, energy consumption and carbon emissions. Following recent expansions of the Panama and Suez canals, non-native fish species are invading new habitats according to a new report in Nature Ecology and Evolution by researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama and...
Arrests as Extinction Rebellion protests begin across England
Protesters block a road near Parliament and are planning a "walk of shame" near the Bank of England.
Can sunlight convert emissions into useful materials?
Shaama Sharada calls carbon dioxide—the worst offender of global warming—a very stable, "very happy molecule."
As rural western towns grow, so do their planning challenges
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/1 22:44
A new study examines the planning challenges that residents and officials in the rural mountain American West have been watching unfold for years. The researchers specifically looked at over 1,500 'gateway communities' -- rural communities adjacent to national parks, forests, rivers and other outdoor recreational amenities.
Brazilian Amazon fires near level of 2019 crisis
The number of fires in the Brazilian Amazon last month was the second-highest in a decade for August, nearing the crisis levels that unleashed a flood of international condemnation last year, official figures showed Tuesday.
Terrawatch: how much peat is there on Earth?
Swedish researchers measure the scale of peatlands, and the amount of carbon stored in themHow much of the Earth’s landmass is made of peat? We know that peatlands store as much as a quarter of all soil carbon, and if this were to be released we would face climate havoc. Until now, however, no one had made a comprehensive map of where peatlands occurred and how deep they were. Related: Ultimate...
Eye of a fly: Researchers reveal secrets of fly vision for rapid flight control
By examining how fruit flies use eye movements to enhance flight control with a staggeringly fast reaction speed—about 30 times faster than the blink of an eye—Penn State researchers have detailed a framework to mimic this ability in robotics.
As rural western towns grow, so do their planning challenges
Nestled among state parks, red rock buttes and breathtaking mountain vistas, Sedona, Arizona, is one of the most popular resort towns in the American West.
From Space and in the Air, NASA Tracks California's Wildfires
Portal origin URL: From Space and in the Air, NASA Tracks California's WildfiresPortal origin nid: 464099Published: Tuesday, September 1, 2020 - 16:23Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: Earth-observing instruments on satellites and aircraft are mapping the current fires, providing data products to agencies on the ground that are responding to the...
Study identifies effective linguistic styles for restaurant crowdfunding
Online crowdfunding is a multibillion dollar industry, but crafting a compelling pitch that stands out among thousands of projects and lands investors is challenging. This is especially true for small-scale independent restaurant concepts where, due to intense industry competition, risk is high. Kickstarter's food category can have about 30,000 active pitches at any given time, but only about 25%...
Differing diets of bonobo groups may offer insights into how culture is created
Human societies developed food preferences based on a blend of what was available and what the group decided it liked most. Those predilections were then passed along as part of the set of socially learned behaviors, values, knowledge, and customs that make up culture. Besides humans, many other social animals are believed to exhibit forms of culture in various ways, too.
NASA-NOAA satellite provides a nighttime view of new Atlantic tropical depression
NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided a nighttime view of the Atlantic Ocean hurricane season's latest tropical cyclone off the coast of North Carolina. Ocean swells from the depression are affecting coastal North Carolina today, Sept. 1.
Small fish populations accumulate harmful mutations that shorten lifespan
Population bottlenecks contribute to the accumulation of several harmful mutations that cause age-related illnesses in killifish—a finding that may help answer a key question about aging.
Scientists discover earliest fossil evidence of an insect lichen mimic
Scientists have uncovered the earliest known evidence of an insect mimicking a lichen as a survival strategy, according to new findings published today in eLife.
Scientists shed new light on pollen tube growth in plants
New insight on how an enzyme ensures the correct growth of pollen tubes in flowering plants has been published today in the open-access journal eLife.
Aluminum recycling technology boosted by crystallization research
An innovative method for aluminum recycling has been boosted by research showing the microscopic changes that take place when molten alloys cool.
Differing diets of bonobo groups may offer insights into how culture is created
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/1 20:27
Besides humans, many other social animals are believed to exhibit forms of culture in various ways, too. According to primatologists, bonobos, one of our closest living relatives, could be the latest addition to the list.
Study tracks human milk nutrients in infant microbiome
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/1 20:27
A new study in mice helps explain why gut microbiomes of breastfed infants can differ greatly from those of formula-fed infants.
Small fish populations accumulate harmful mutations that shorten lifespan
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/1 19:54
Population bottlenecks contribute to the accumulation of several harmful mutations that cause age-related illnesses in killifish - a finding that may help answer a key question about aging.
Global report: schools across Europe reopen as Covid cases grow
Parents and teachers fear face masks and other measures not enough to prevent second waveCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTens of millions of pupils, most wearing face masks, have headed back to class in France, Belgium, Poland and Russia, as schools across Europe cautiously reopened amid spiralling numbers of new coronavirus cases in several countries.Parents and...
Earliest fossil evidence of an insect lichen mimic
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/1 19:07
Scientists have uncovered the earliest known evidence of an insect mimicking a lichen as a survival strategy.
A surprising opportunity for telehealth in shaping the future of medicine
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/1 19:07
Expanded telehealth services at UT Southwestern have proved effective at safely delivering patient care during the pandemic, leading to an increase in patients even in specialties such as plastic surgery, according to a new study.
Resource sharing affects mortality worldwide
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/1 18:59
The act of giving and receiving increases well-being: the recipient benefits directly from the gift, and the giver benefits indirectly through emotional satisfaction. A new study now suggests that those who share more also live longer. In their analysis, researchers found a strong linear relationship between a society's generosity and the average life expectancy of its members. The researcher...
Scientists identify promising new ALS drug candidates
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/1 18:59
Scientists have taken a significant step forward in the search to find effective new drug candidates for the treatment of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease.
Scientists shed new light on pollen tube growth in plants
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/1 18:59
New insight on how an enzyme ensures the correct growth of pollen tubes in flowering plants has just been published.
Researchers predict location of novel candidate for mysterious dark energy
Astronomers have known for two decades that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, but the physics of this expansion remains a mystery. Now, a team of researchers at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa have made a novel prediction—the dark energy responsible for this accelerating growth comes from a vast sea of compact objects spread throughout the voids between galaxies. This conclusion...
New research provides solution for the 'Dust Bowl paradox'
Almost 100 years ago, there was a strange, slow-motion takeover of the Great Plains. During the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, as a historic heatwave and drought swept the middle of the United States, there was a dramatic shift in the types of plants occupying the region.
Memory in a metal, enabled by quantum geometry
The emergence of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques is changing the world dramatically with novel applications such as internet of things, autonomous vehicles, real-time imaging processing and big data analytics in healthcare. In 2020, the global data volume is estimated to reach 44 Zettabytes, and it will continue to grow beyond the current capacity of computing and storage...
Notice me! Neglected for over a century, Black Sea spider crab re-described
Even though recognised in the Mediterranean Sea, the Macropodia czernjawskii spider crab was ignored by scientists (even by its namesake Vladimir Czernyavsky) in the regional faunal accounts of the Black Sea for more than a century. At the same time, although other species of the genus have been listed as Black Sea fauna, those listings are mostly wrong and occurred either due to historical...
Monitoring and reporting framework to protect World Heritage Sites from invasive species
A team of international scientists have devised a new monitoring and reporting framework to help protect World Heritage Sites from almost 300 different invasive alien species globally including, rats (Rattus spp.), cats (Felis catus), lantana (Lantana camara) and Argentine ants (Linepithema humile).
Study finds gene targets to combat microorganisms binding to underwater surfaces
A group of synthetic biologists at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) have identified new genetic targets that could lead to safe, biologically-based approaches to combat marine biofouling—the process of sea-based microorganisms, plants, or algae binding to underwater surfaces. Biofouling continues to present significant challenges for aquaculture and sea-based commercial activities, with one of the most...
Loggerhead turtles record a passing hurricane
In early June 2011, NOAA Fisheries researchers and colleagues placed satellite tags on 26 loggerhead sea turtles in the Mid-Atlantic Bight. The tagging was part of ongoing studies of loggerhead movements and behavior. The Mid-Atlantic Bight, off the U.S. East Coast, is the coastal region from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to southern Massachusetts. A little more than 2 months later, on August 28,...
Solar telescope GREGOR unveils magnetic details of the sun
The Sun is our star and has a profound influence on our planet, life, and civilization. By studying the magnetism on the Sun, we can understand its influence on Earth and minimize damage of satellites and technological infrastructure. The GREGOR telescope allows scientists to resolve details as small as 50 km on the Sun, which is a tiny fraction of the solar diameter of 1.4 million km. This is as...
UN agency laments summer's 'deep wound' to Earth's ice cover
The United Nations weather agency says this summer will go down for leaving a "deep wound" in the frozen parts of the planet after a heat wave in the Arctic, shrinking sea ice and the collapse of a leading Canadian ice...
Miniature antenna enables robotic teaming in complex environments
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/1 18:07
A new, miniature, low-frequency antenna with enhanced bandwidth will enable robust networking among compact, mobile robots in complex environments.
Researchers predict location of novel candidate for mysterious dark energy
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/1 18:07
New research explains what may be the cause of the universe's accelerating growth.
A multinational study overturns a 130-year old assumption about seawater chemistry
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/1 18:07
There's more to seawater than salt. Ocean chemistry is a complex mixture of particles, ions and nutrients. And for over a century, scientists believed that certain ion ratios held relatively constant over space and time.
Neglected for over a century, Black sea spider crab re-described
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/1 18:07
Even though recognized in the Mediterranean Sea, the Macropodia czernjawskii spider crab was ignored by scientists (even by its namesake, 19th-century biologist Vladimir Czernyavsky) in the regional faunal accounts of the Black Sea for more than a century. Now, scientists re-describe this, most likely, sole species of the genus to occur in the Black Sea.
Swedish workers among Europe's best-paid in late 1800s
In 19th-century Sweden, workers' wages rose faster than in other European countries. By 1900, they were among the highest in Europe, and the steepest rise of all had been for those who earned least. This is shown by new research at Uppsala University: a study published in he Journal of Economic History.
A small number of self-organizing autonomous vehicles significantly increases traffic flow
With the addition of just a small number of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on the road, traffic flow can become faster, greener, and safer in the near future, a new study suggests.
Indigenous custody reporting made more effective
The Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited ('ALS') is collaborating with Rapido Social at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to improve its Custody Notification Service (CNS), following project funding from the National Indigenous Advancement Agency (NIAA).