255 articles from TUESDAY 20.10.2020
Plantwatch: Australia's giant stinging trees – 35m tall with a poison that can last for months
Scientists are hoping that research into Dendrocnide excelsa could lead to new painkillersIt sounds like something out of The Day of the Triffids: a stinging nettle the size of a large tree, with a sting so vicious it inflicts excruciating pain that can last for days, weeks or even months. But this is no science fiction, these are the stinging trees of Australia.Dendrocnide excelsa can grow up to...
The myth of the immortal Twinkie is dead, thanks to a new analysis of moldy snack cakes
After eight years, a Twinkie in Colin Purrington's basement "was chewy, unsweet, and smelled like rotting ginkgo fruit," he...
How initiatives empowering employees can backfire
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/20 22:12
Strategies meant to motivate people in the workplace may have unintended consequences -- depending on who's in charge. Recent research shows that empowerment initiatives aren't necessarily the answer for business leaders hoping to motivate their employees.
Light pollution may increase biting behavior at night in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/20 22:12
Artificial light abnormally increases mosquito biting behavior at night in a species that typically prefers to bite people during the day, according to new research.
Tradition of petrified birds in the Dome of the Rock
On the southern exterior wall of the Dome of the Rock, a very important Islamic shrine in Jerusalem's Old City, there are two marble slabs, both carved from the same stone and placed side by side to form a symmetrical pattern, that depicts two birds. In a recent article published in the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, "Solomon and The Petrified Birds on the Dome of the Rock," author Elon Harvey...
Window opens for Virgin Galactic's final round of testing
The window for the final round of testing of Virgin Galactic's rocket-powered spacecraft opens later this week as the company inches toward commercial flights.
Peru unveils giant cat etching at famous Nazca site
A giant 2,000-year-old figure of a feline that was on the brink of disappearing will be the new cat's meow when Peru's remarkable Nazca Lines attraction reopens to tourists in November.
Invasive species of jellyfish seen off three North Carolina beaches, experts say
Jellyfish native to the other side of the world have been seen off multiple North Carolina beaches, prompting some experts to tell beachgoers to kill the invasive species if the opportunity arises.
Repairing the photosynthetic enzyme Rubisco
Manajit Hayer-Hartl, head of the research group "Chaperonin-assisted Protein Folding," has a long-standing interest in the central enzyme of photosynthesis called Rubisco. Her team has already reported on many of the interacting partners of Rubisco that are required for the folding and assembly of this highly abundant protein. In the current study, they have elucidated how Rubisco activase works....
Predicting tornadoes on UK cold fronts for the first time
Weather forecasters can more accurately predict when a tornado is likely to hit the UK thanks to a new tool devised in a partnership between the University of Leeds and the Met Office.
Geologists 'resurrect' missing tectonic plate
The existence of a tectonic plate called Resurrection has long been a topic of debate among geologists, with some arguing it was never real. Others say it subducted—moved sideways and downward—into the earth's mantle somewhere in the Pacific Margin between 40 and 60 million years ago.
New evidence for geologically recent earthquakes near Portland, Oregon metro area
A paleoseismic trench dug across the Gales Creek fault, located about 35 kilometers (roughly 22 miles) west of Portland, Oregon, documents evidence for three surface-rupturing earthquakes that took place about 8,800, 4,200 and 1,000 years ago.
Inside the information war on Black voters
In August, about 12,000 cell phones with Detroit area code 313 got recorded messages from “Tamika Taylor.” She claimed to be a member of a civil rights organization called Project 1599, and said she was calling to warn that applying to vote by mail could lead people’s personal information to be entered into a public government database. Her tone and language led listeners to believe she was...
'Incredibly rare' white baby sea turtle pops out of the sand on South Carolina beach
An "extremely rare" white baby sea turtle was found Sunday on a beach 25 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina, according to Kiawah Island town officials.
After 2 Hurricanes, Lake Charles Fears Its Cries for Help Have Gone Unheard
LAKE CHARLES, La. -- That first drive through Lake Charles after Hurricane Laura had been a gut punch. Trinette Thomas felt a barrage of surprise and despair as she strained to absorb the destruction surrounding her and imagine the lengths it would take to stagger back. Then, another storm hit.The shock subsided quickly, replaced by the tedium and exasperation that accompany the slog toward...
PM, health officials warn Canadians against believing COVID-19 'internment camps' disinformation
Canadians will not be forced into COVID-19 internment or containment camps, a spokesperson for Health Minister Patty Hajdu said Tuesday — taking aim at a disinformation campaign that has been circulating on social media for...
New evidence for geologically recent earthquakes near Portland, Oregon metro area
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/20 21:05
A paleoseismic trench dug across the Gales Creek fault, located about 35 kilometers (roughly 22 miles) west of Portland, Oregon, documents evidence for three surface-rupturing earthquakes that took place about 8,800, 4,200 and 1,000 years ago.
Repairing the photosynthetic enzyme Rubisco
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/20 21:05
Researchers have elucidated how Rubisco activase works. As the name indicates, this enzyme is critical for repairing Rubisco once it has lost its activity.
Hot-button words trigger conservatives and liberals differently
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/20 21:05
Researchers have linked a brain region to what they call neural polarization, offering a glimpse into the partisan brain in the weeks leading up to what is arguably the most consequential U.S. presidential election in modern history.
The Orionids meteor shower peaks this week. Here's how to see shooting stars from the dust of Halley's Comet.
Halley's Comet left behind a trail of dust that Earth plows through each year, producing a display of shooting stars and, sometimes,...
3 dietitians debunk 18 weight loss myths, from cutting carbs to fad diets
Should you cut fat or carbs from your diet to lose weight? Are all calories equal? Here are some of the most common weight loss myths,...
US spacecraft diving to asteroid for rare rubble grab
A NASA spacecraft descended Tuesday toward the surface of an asteroid 200 million miles away to collect a handful of rubble for return to Earth. The Osiris-Rex spacecraft dropped out of orbit around asteroid Bennu right on time, beginning a 4 1/2-hour plunge to the rough, boulder-covered face of the ancient space rock. It was America's first attempt to gather samples from an asteroid, something...
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Successfully Touches Asteroid
Portal origin URL: NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Successfully Touches AsteroidPortal origin nid: 465629Published: Tuesday, October 20, 2020 - 14:09Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft unfurled its robotic arm Tuesday, and in a first for...
A new material for separating CO2 from industrial waste gases, natural gas, or biogas
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/20 19:56
With a new material, the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) can be specifically separated from industrial waste gases, natural gas, or biogas, and thereby made available for recycling. The separation process is both energy efficient and cost-effective.
New anti-AB vaccine could help halt Alzheimer's progression, preclinical study finds
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/20 19:56
A preclinical study by neuroscientists indicates that an antigen-presenting dendritic vaccine with a specific antibody response to oligomeric A-beta may be safer and offer clinical benefit in treating Alzheimer's disease. The vaccine uses immune cells known as dendritic cells loaded with a modified A beta peptide as the antigen.