339 articles from WEDNESDAY 9.9.2020
A scan of 10.3 million stars turns up no sign of aliens - yet
Scientists have completed the broadest search to date for extraterrestrial civilizations by scanning roughly 10.3 million stars using a radio telescope in Australia, but have found nothing - not yet, at least. Seeking evidence of possible life beyond our solar system, the researchers are hunting for "technosignatures" such as communications signals that may originate from intelligent alien...
Massive smoke clouds, thick air darken Western US skies
People from San Francisco to Seattle woke Wednesday to hazy clouds of smoke lingering in the air, darkening the sky to an eerie orange glow that kept street lights illuminated into midday, all thanks to dozens of wildfires throughout the West.
Baboon matriarchs enjoy less stress
You know the type: Loud. Swaggering. Pushy. The alpha male clearly runs the show. Female alphas are often less conspicuous than their puffed up male counterparts, but holding the top spot still has its perks.
Did Columbus really introduce syphilis to Europe?
Explorer Christopher Columbus, long blamed for bringing syphilis to Europe from the New World, may have gotten a bad rap, new research suggests.
6 Western states blast Utah plan to tap Colorado River water
Six states in the U.S. West that rely on the Colorado River to sustain cities and farms rebuked a plan to build an underground pipeline that would transport billions of gallons of water through the desert to southwest Utah.
Think 2020's disasters are wild? Experts see worse in future
A record amount of California is burning, spurred by a nearly 20-year mega-drought. Meanwhile, the Atlantic’s 16th and 17th named tropical storms are swirling, a record number for this time of year. Phoenix keeps setting triple-digit heat records, while Colorado went through a weather whiplash of 90-degree heat to snow this...
Nasa prepares to test SLS rocket to moon as costs rise to $9.1bn
First uncrewed mission of the Space Launch System now scheduled for November 2021Nasa has quietly made public that the development of its giant rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), is now budgeted at $9.1 bn (£7bn). Ground systems to support the mission are budgeted at a further $2.4bn. As pointed out by Ars Technica, the new development cost represents a 33% increase in the cost of the...
NASA infrared imagery shows Tropical Storm Rene's seesaw of strength
Tropical Storm Rene weakened to a tropical depression late on Sept. 8 but regained tropical storm status on Sept. 9. Infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite captured Rene as it was twice transitioning.
NASA infrared imagery shows wind shear affecting Tropical Storm Paulette
Tropical Storm Paulette has run into wind shear that is pushing the bulk of clouds and showers away from its center of circulation, and that is apparent on infrared imagery from NASA.
Massive smoke clouds, thick air darken Western US skies
People from San Francisco to Seattle woke Wednesday to hazy clouds of smoke lingering in the air, darkening the sky to an eerie orange glow that kept street lights illuminated into midday, all thanks to dozens of wildfires throughout the West. “It's after 9 a.m. and there's still no sign of the sun,” the California Highway Patrol's Golden Gate division tweeted, urging drivers to turn on...
Scientists decipher role of a stress response gene
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/9 21:45
A team of scientists is shedding new light on the gene regulatory pathways activated by cortisol, a hormone secreted in response to stress. Their research helps explain why exposure to chronic stress early in life shortens lifespan and contribute to age-related chronic diseases later in life -- long after the source of stress has been removed.
Velcro-like food sensor detects spoilage and contamination
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/9 21:45
Engineers have designed a Velcro-like food sensor, made from an array of silk microneedles, that pierces through plastic packaging to sample food for signs of spoilage and bacterial contamination.
Episode 18 - Science in the Time of Coronavirus
Our planet is facing an unprecedented crisis as we continue to wrestle with the impacts of coronavirus. With its unparalleled technical and scientific expertise, NASA has joined the fight against the pandemic. Join us Thursday, June 25 at 3 p.m. EDT on #NASAScience Live to learn about the ideas and developments that NASA has contributed to confront this global health crisis.
Video...
Mexican airport site emerges as major graveyard of Ice Age mammoths
Amid busy construction crews racing to build an airport in Mexico, scientists are unearthing more and more mammoth skeletons in what has quickly become one of the world's biggest concentrations of the now-extinct relative of modern elephants. More than 100 mammoth skeletons have been identified spread across nearly 200 excavation sites, along with a mix of other Ice Age mammals, in the area...
Designed antiviral proteins inhibit SARS-CoV-2 in the lab
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/9 20:03
Computer-designed miniproteins have now been shown to protect lab-grown human cells from SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The lead antiviral candidate rivals the best-known SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies in its protective actions. The synthetic antiviral candidates were designed to prevent infection by interfering with the mechanism that coronaviruses use to break into and enter...
Rise in sea level from ice melt in Greenland and Antarctica match worst-case scenario: study
A recent study says melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are the main contributor to sea level rise around the world and the rate of their melt matches the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's worst-case climate warming...
Sound waves replace human hands in petri dish experiments
Mechanical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a set of prototypes for manipulating particles and cells in a Petri dish using sound waves. The devices, known in the scientific community as "acoustic tweezers," are the first foray into making these types of tools, which have thus far been relegated to laboratories with specific equipment and expertise, available for use in a wide array...
Phasing out a microscope's tricks
An instrument error can lead to complete misidentification of certain crystals, reports a KAUST study that suggests researchers need to exercise caution when using electron microscopes to probe two-dimensional (2-D) semiconductors.
Study shows Latin America twice as rich in plant species as tropical Africa
Latin America is more than twice as rich in plant species as tropical Africa and is home to a third of the world's biodiversity, a new paper published today in Science Advances confirms.
The Guardian view on the coronavirus surge: no quick fix | Editorial
With Covid-19 cases rising sharply, clarity and rigour are needed rather than visions of technological breakthroughsEven as the government imposed new restrictions to halt the surge in infections, the prime minister could not help claiming that life might look closer to normal by Christmas. Operation Moonshot – the pursuit of mass testing, to be deployed on a bigger scale than in any other...
Physicists use classical concepts to decipher strange quantum behaviors in an ultracold gas
There they were, in all their weird quantum glory: ultracold lithium atoms in the optical trap operated by UC Santa Barbara undergraduate student Alec Cao and his colleagues in David Weld's atomic physics group. Held by lasers in a regular, lattice formation and "driven" by pulses of energy, these atoms were doing crazy things.
Some scientists spot 'unlikely' patterns in Russia vaccine data: letter
Twenty-six scientists, most of them working at universities in Italy, have signed an open letter questioning the reliability of the data presented in the early-stage trial results of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, named "Sputnik-V". Addressing the editor of The Lancet, the international peer-reviewed medical journal in which Moscow's Gamaleya Institute published its early-stage trial results, the...
Seeing objects through clouds and fog
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/9 19:21
Using a new algorithm, researchers have reconstructed the movements of individual particles of light to see through clouds, fog and other obstructions.
Physicists explain mysterious dark matter deficiency in galaxy pair
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/9 19:21
A new theory about the nature of dark matter helps explain why a pair of galaxies about 65 million light-years from Earth contains very little of the mysterious matter.
Physicists use classical concepts to decipher strange quantum behaviors in an ultracold gas
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/9 19:20
There they were, in all their weird quantum glory: ultracold lithium atoms in the optical trap. Held by lasers in a regular, lattice formation and 'driven' by pulses of energy, these atoms were doing crazy things.
Amazon survey finds more than half of US workers say coronavirus has left them underemployed
More than half of the U.S. workers seeking work say their job hunt is due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Climate change, infectious disease seen as major threats: survey
Climate change and the spread of infectious disease are seen as the top threats by the majority of people in 14 economically advanced nations surveyed by the Pew Research Center.
Physicists explain mysterious dark matter deficiency in galaxy pair
A new theory about the nature of dark matter helps explain why a pair of galaxies about 65 million light-years from Earth contains very little of the mysterious matter, according to a study led by a physicist at the University of California, Riverside.
Prediction of protein disorder from amino acid sequence
Structural disorder is vital for proteins' function in diverse biological processes. It is therefore highly desirable to be able to predict the degree of order and disorder from amino acid sequence. Researchers from Aarhus University have developed a prediction tool by using machine learning together with experimental NMR data for hundreds of proteins, which is envisaged to be useful for...
Coronavirus: ‘rule of six’ to apply in England from Monday
Boris Johnson restricts gatherings in attempt to prevent second national lockdownCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTough new rules that restrict gatherings to just six people could be in place until the spring to stop a winter surge of the virus, the government’s chief medical officer has warned.Prof Chris Whitty said the period “between now and spring is going to...
UN report: Increased warming closing in on agreed upon limit
The world is getting closer to passing a temperature limit set by global leaders five years ago and may exceed it in the next decade or so, according to a new United Nations report.
How small particles could reshape Bennu and other asteroids
In January 2019, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was orbiting asteroid Bennu when the spacecraft's cameras caught something unexpected: Thousands of tiny bits of material, some just the size of marbles, began to bounce off the surface of the asteroid—like a game of ping-pong in space. Since then, many such particle ejection events have been observed at Bennu's surface.
When will we see ordinary people going into space?
Every week, the readers of our space newsletter, The Airlock, send in their questions for space reporter Neel V. Patel to answer. This week: How the average person can go to space.
What are the opportunities for ordinary citizens to go into space? If there is so much being done to help make space more accessible, why aren’t we seeing a bigger push to see the average person go...
New tracking technology will help fight rhino poaching in Namibia
Interactive software that 'reads' and analyzes footprints left by black rhinoceroses can be used to monitor the movements of the animals in the wild, giving conservationists a new way to keep watch on the endangered species and help keep it safe from poachers, according to a Duke University-led study.
Caffeine shot delivers wakeup call on antifungal drug resistance
The management of fungal infections in plants and humans could be transformed by a breakthrough in understanding how fungi develop resistance to drugs.
Land development in New Jersey continues to slow
Land development in New Jersey has slowed dramatically since the 2008 Great Recession, but it's unclear how the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to fight societal and housing inequality will affect future trends, according to a Rutgers co-authored report.
'Devastation': Wildfires ravage western United States
"Unprecedented" wildfires fueled by strong winds and searing temperatures were raging cross a wide swathe of California, Oregon and Washington on Wednesday, destroying scores of homes and businesses in the western US states and forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate.
New tracking technology will help fight rhino poaching in Namibia
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/9 18:40
Interactive software that 'reads' and analyzes footprints left by black rhinoceroses can be used to monitor the movements of the animals in the wild, giving conservationists a new way to keep watch on the endangered species and help keep it safe from poachers, according to a new study.
Caffeine shot delivers wake-up call on antifungal drug resistance
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/9 18:40
The management of fungal infections in plants and humans could be transformed by a breakthrough in understanding how fungi develop resistance to drugs. It was previously thought that only mutations in a fungi's DNA would result in antifungal drug resistance. Current diagnostic techniques rely on sequencing all of a fungi's DNA to find such mutations. Scientists have now discovered that fungi can...
National parks preserve more than species
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/9 18:40
National parks are safe havens for endangered and threatened species, but an analysis by data scientists finds parks and protected areas can preserve more than species.