New fire containment research addresses risk and safety
As 2020 has shown, wildfire frequency, size and severity is threatening communities and natural resources across the western U.S. As a result, there is a high demand for decision-making to mitigate risk, improve firefighter safety and increase fire containment efficiency.
California wine country faces long battle as fire explodes
Two California wildfires that ravaged Napa's famous wine region and killed three people exploded in size Tuesday as firefighters faced a weeks-long battle to contain the blazes.
What's the matter with the Universe? Scientists have the answer
A team of US astrophysicists has produced one of the most precise measurements ever made of the total amount of matter in the Universe, a longtime mystery of the cosmos.
'I'll sleep when I'm dead': The sleep-deprived masculinity stereotype
In the United States, the average American sleeps less than the minimum seven hours of sleep per night recommended by the Center for Disease Control, and nearly half of Americans report negative consequences from insufficient sleep. This problem appears to be especially prevalent in men, who report getting significantly less sleep, on average, than women.
Researchers use membranes that remove salt from water to help 'split' sea water into fuel
The power of the sun, wind and sea may soon combine to produce clean-burning hydrogen fuel, according to a team of Penn State researchers. The team integrated water purification technology into a new proof-of-concept design for a sea water electrolyzer, which uses an electric current to split apart the hydrogen and oxygen in water molecules.
Microcomb-injected, pulsed lasers as variable microwave gears
Low-noise microwave signals are of critical importance in numerous applications such as high-speed telecommunication and ultrafast data processing. Conventionally, such signals are generated with bulky and delicate microwave oscillators that are not suitable for out-of-door applications. But recently, physicists have been exploring a possible alternative: high-quality microwave generation using...
Nutritious millet crop could be genetically improved for large-scale agriculture
A nutritious millet crop grown mainly in West Africa could be genetically improved for large-scale agriculture in Saudi Arabia.
Students used their mobile phones for over 8 hours a day during lockdown
A recent study published by researchers from the University of Seville shows that university students make excessive use of their mobile phones. The study relates the number of hours that young people spend sitting down, their level of physical activity and state of mind when using a mobile phone. Students with lower levels of physical activity used their mobile phones almost three times more than...
Using drones to better predict urban flooding
The University of Luxembourg and the start-up RSS-Hydro are working together to optimize the prediction of flooding in Burange in the south of Luxembourg. Supported by the City of Dudelange, the project aims at building a unique and precise urban terrain model with the help of drones, aerial and satellite images to feed state-of-the art flood models.
Shifts in butterfly mating preferences
In their efforts to identify the genetic basis for differences in mate choice that keep two co-existing species of butterfly separate, evolutionary biologists at LMU have identified five candidate genes that are associated with divergence in visual mating preferences.
Facultative epiphytes exploit nutrients of rock outcrops and host barks in karst forest
Facultative epiphytes can use different substrates simultaneously, such as trees, rocks, or soil. They are ecotypes of the same species present on different substrates.
Applying human-centered design to voting places
As the United States prepares for November's general election, almost every step of the voting process is being revamped and reevaluated to ensure that COVID-19 will not spread in local communities when millions of Americans cast their ballot in the fall.
Battling harmful insects by understanding their sense of smell
In NTNU's Dragvoll laboratory in Trondheim, researchers keep different things in the closet than most of us do. Jars of moths stand in rows. The insects are actually pretty cute, but the Norwegian name for them suggests that they may be a little annoying: "Pest phage fly" is not exactly a name you give to a friend.
'Blue Planet II' may not have caused a change in plastic preference
The BBC documentary "Blue Planet II" raised environmental awareness, but may not have discouraged people from choosing plastic, says new research.
Understanding the secretive networks used to move money offshore
In 2016, the world's largest ever data leak dubbed "The Panama Papers" exposed a scandal, uncovering a vast global network of people—including celebrities and world leaders, who used offshore tax havens, anonymous transactions through intermediaries and shell corporations to hide their wealth, grow their fortunes and avoid taxes.
New research provides clues on optimizing cell defenses when viruses attack
Science's pursuits of unraveling how human cells fight viral infections kicked into high gear in 2020 with the devastating emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
NASA's infrared view of typhoon Kujira
NASA's Terra satellite used infrared light to identify strongest storms and coldest cloud top temperatures in Typhoon Kujira as it tracked through the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
Titan's lakes can stratify like those on Earth
Lakes on Saturn's moon Titan, composed of methane, ethane, and nitrogen rather than water, experience density driven stratification, forming layers similar to lakes on Earth. However, whereas lakes on Earth stratify in response to temperature, Titan's lakes stratify solely due to the strange chemical interactions between its surface liquids and atmosphere, says a paper by Planetary Science...
Redefining drought in the U.S. Corn Belt
As the climate trends warmer and drier, global food security increasingly hinges on crops' ability to withstand drought. But are scientists and producers focusing on the right metric when measuring crop-relevant drought? Not exactly, according to new research from University of Illinois scientists, who urge the scientific community to redefine the term.
Providing accurate modeling of climate change impacts on water resources
To better document the repercussions of climate change on regional water resources, researchers from around the world now have access to HYSETS, a database of hydrometric, meteorological and physiographic data created by a team at the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), which contains 70 years' worth of data on 14,425 North American watersheds.
Russia reports 'non-standard' air leak on Space Station
Russia said Tuesday that astronauts had found an air leak in its section of the International Space Station, with a senior space official calling the air loss beyond expected levels.
Is it one or two species? The case of the cluster anemones
If you dive in the Mediterranean Sea, the cluster anemone is among the most fascinating and magnificent corals you could see. You can find it on rocks or sponges, in scarcely lit areas such as sea caves and gorges, where it clusters in dense agglomerations resembling yellow and orange carpets. In a study published in Scientific Reports, a research group of the University of Bologna found evidence...
Novel Drosophila-based disease model to study human intellectual disability syndrome
The researchers from the TalTech molecular neurobiology laboratory headed by professor Tõnis Timmusk used the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster to develop a novel disease model for Pitt-Hopkins syndrome (PTHS). Their study was reported in the July issue of Disease Models and Mechanisms.
Vessel noise present year-round at Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary
The environment in the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of San Francisco is not a refuge from the noise generated by ship traffic, the first underwater marine acoustic study of the region has shown.
Study aims to use microbial information to inform global climate change models
Jizhong Zhou, the Director of the Institute for Environmental Genomics, a George Lynn Cross Research Professor in the OU College of Arts and Sciences and the lead for the study, tackles a problem that has challenged scientists for more than a decade.