276 articles from TUESDAY 8.9.2020

NASA's ECOSTRESS Takes Surface Temperature Around California Fires

Portal origin URL: NASA's ECOSTRESS Takes Surface Temperature Around California FiresPortal origin nid: 464279Published: Tuesday, September 8, 2020 - 17:12Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: On Sept. 6, NASA’s ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) imaged active fires across CaliforniaPortal image: Map of...

California offshore winds show promise as power source

One of the challenges of moving toward fully renewable energy in California by 2045 is matching production to demand. Consumer demand peaks in the evening when solar energy is no longer available. Offshore wind energy has the potential to help meet this demand.

A new method may make tomatoes safer to eat

When vegetable farmers harvest crops, they often rely on postharvest washing to reduce any foodborne pathogens, but a new study shows promise in reducing these pathogens -- as well as lowering labor costs -- by applying sanitizers to produce while it is still in the fields.

Linking calorie restriction, body temperature and healthspan

Cutting calories significantly may not be an easy task for most, but it's tied to a host of health benefits ranging from longer lifespan to a much lower chance of developing cancer, heart disease, diabetes and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's. A new study illuminates the critical role that body temperature plays in realizing these diet-induced health benefits.

Engineering speciation events in insects may be used to control harmful pests

Species typically evolve over the course of eons, but researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a way to do it in less than a year. A team of scientists led by Mike Smanski, Ph.D., in the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) has generated speciation events in fruit flies so that engineered strains can reproduce normally with each other, but mating with unmodified flies results in...

Researchers make tiny, yet complex fiber optic force sensor

Researchers have developed a tiny fiber optic force sensor that can measure extremely slight forces exerted by small objects. The new light-based sensor overcomes the limitations of force sensors based on micro-electro-mechanical sensors (MEMS) and could be useful for applications from medical systems to manufacturing.

Plant Science Research Network releases decadal vision 2020-2030

Plant science research has tremendous potential to address pressing global issues including climate change, food insecurity and sustainability. However, without sustained investment in plant science, the necessary research to solve these urgent problems is at risk. The Plant Science Research Network (PSRN) released its Plant Science Decadal Vision 2020-2030, a report that outlines bold, innovative...

Unique anatomy helps the African wild dog sustain its life on the run

The African wild dog distinguishes itself from rival predators like lions and hyenas by using the unique hunting style of chasing prey over long distances until the target collapses from exhaustion, instead of relying upon speed, strength or stealth. A comprehensive new anatomical study of this endangered species, also known as the African painted dog or Cape hunting dog, has identified crucial...

Researchers make tiny, yet complex fiber optic force sensor

Researchers have developed a tiny fiber optic force sensor that can measure extremely slight forces exerted by small objects. The new light-based sensor overcomes the limitations of force sensors based on micro-electro-mechanical sensors (MEMS) and could be useful for applications from medical systems to manufacturing.

Meteorites show transport of material in early solar system

New studies of a rare type of meteorite show that material from close to the Sun reached the outer solar system even as the planet Jupiter cleared a gap in the disk of dust and gas from which the planets formed. The results, published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, add to an emerging understanding of how our Solar System formed and how planets form around other...

NASA satellites catch Typhoon Haishen before and after landfall

Formerly a typhoon, Tropical Storm Haishen made landfall in South Korea on Monday, Sept. 2 and continued moving north toward China. NASA's Aqua satellite provided an infrared view of Haishen as a typhoon before landfall and a visible image after landfall as an extra-tropical storm.

Detecting soil-surface ozone early can help prevent damage to grapes and apples

Farmers and fruit growers are reporting that climate change is leading to increased ozone concentrations on the soil surface in their fields and orchards—an exposure that can cause irreversible plant damage, reduce crop yields and threaten the food supply, say materials chemists led by Trisha Andrew at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Researchers use waveguides for sensitive protease monitoring

For the first time, researchers have detected protease activity with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) performed using a tiny waveguide. The work paves the way to real-time, label-free lab-on-a-chip protease monitoring, which could offer a high-throughput approach to screen for new drugs that inhibit proteases involved in disease.

7 Ways the Pandemic Has Changed How We Shop for Food

When the coronavirus hit, even the most enthusiastic cooks had to adjust to a new, more complicated relationship with their kitchens.For the first time in a generation, Americans began spending more money at the supermarket than at places where someone else made the food. Grocers saw eight years of projected sales growth packed into one month. Shopping trends that were in their infancy were...