197 articles from FRIDAY 30.10.2020
Five Supreme Court rulings that signal what to expect next
Things usually move pretty slowly for the US Supreme Court, with cases sometimes taking years to make their way through to a ruling. But these days it’s moving so quickly that the newest justice didn’t even have time to participate in the first two crucial voting-related rulings after her confirmation. The breakneck pace reveals that the nation’s highest court is already shaping the 2020...
How remora 'sucker fish' use physics to surf on their whale hosts
Researchers discover how remoras are able to stay close to their host without being swept off by fast flowing...
Forget fake vampires and ghouls; here's a real life zombie story from nature
The emerald jewel wasp turns the American cockroach into a zombie so it can be manipulated into providing a living meal for its...
U.S. nursing homes still face COVID-19 test delays; you can wash Halloween candy
Most U.S. nursing homes still cannot get prompt results of COVID-19 tests of staff and residents, researchers reported on Friday in JAMA Internal Medicine. This was true "even among homes in hotspot counties supplied with rapid testing machines from the federal government, which implies that these machines are not helping nursing homes with the rapid turnaround they need," he...
Quake strikes Turkish coast and Greek island, killing 14
A strong earthquake struck Friday in the Aegean Sea between the Turkish coast and the Greek island of Samos, killing at least 14 people and injuring over 500 amid collapsed buildings and flooding, officials said.
Asteroid's scars tell stories of its past
By studying impact marks on the surface of asteroid Bennu—the target of NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission—a team of researchers led by the University of Arizona has uncovered the asteroid's past and revealed that despite forming hundreds of millions of years ago, Bennu wandered into Earth's neighborhood only very recently.
China's most important trees are hiding in plain sight
In ecosystems around the globe, the danger of being a common or widespread species is the tendency to be overlooked by conservation efforts that prioritize rarity.
First Australian night bees recorded foraging in darkness
Australian bees are known for pollinating plants on beautiful sunny days, but a new study has identified two species that have adapted their vision for night-time conditions for the first time.
Canada's COVID-19 Alert app updated to include more precise exposure information
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the COVID Alert app can now provide more precise information to people who are exposed to the...
Novel adoptive cell transfer method shortens timeline for T-cell manufacture
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 19:48
Researchers find a new way to generate T-cells faster, making immediate treatment with this therapy possible.
New drone technology improves ability to forecast volcanic eruptions
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 19:48
Specially-adapted drones have been gathering data from never-before-explored volcanoes that will enable local communities to better forecast future eruptions. The cutting-edge research at Manam volcano in Papua New Guinea is improving scientists' understanding of how volcanoes contribute to the global carbon cycle, key to sustaining life on Earth.
Earth Keeps Pulsating Every 26 Seconds. No One Knows Why.
Maybe you can solve this strange seismic...
Bed Bath & Beyond is slashing the coupons that have long been synonymous with the brand after an internal study found they were partially 'ineffective'
Bed Bath & Beyond's famous coupons will be more limited in the future, but won't completely disappear, executives told investors on...
To survive asteroid impact, algae learned to hunt
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 19:21
Tiny, seemingly harmless ocean plants survived the darkness of the asteroid strike that killed the dinosaurs by learning a ghoulish behavior -- eating other living creatures.
Water on ancient Mars
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 19:21
A meteorite that originated on Mars billions of years ago reveals details of ancient impact events on the red planet. Certain minerals from the Martian crust in the meteorite are oxidized, suggesting the presence of water during the impact that created the meteorite. The finding helps to fill some gaps in knowledge about the role of water in planet formation.
New study reveals United States a top source of plastic pollution in coastal environments
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 19:21
The United States ranks as high as third among countries contributing to coastal plastic pollution when taking into account its scrap plastic exports as well as the latest figures on illegal dumping and littering in the country.
Coronavirus mutation may have made it more contagious
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 19:21
A study involving more than 5,000 COVID-19 patients in Houston finds that the virus that causes the disease is accumulating genetic mutations, one of which may have made it more contagious. This mirrors a study published in July that found that around the world, viral strains with the same genetic mutation quickly outcompeted other strains.
Asteroid's scars tell stories of its past
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 19:21
Asteroid Bennu only recently migrated into Earth's neighborhood, according to a detailed analysis of impact marks on boulders on its surface. The report provides a new benchmark for understanding the evolution of asteroids and offers insights into space debris hazardous to spacecraft.
China's most important trees are hiding in plain sight
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 19:21
Scientists have synthesized long-term biodiversity data from 12 immense forest study plots spanning 1,500 miles, from China's far north to its southern tropics. Their results point to maple trees - long appreciated for their autumn foliage and the syrup that graces our tables - as potential foundation species in both China and North America.
Study: 1 to 2 million tons of US plastic trash go astray
The equivalent of as many as 1,300 plastic grocery bags per person is landing in places such as oceans and roadways, according to a new study of U.S. plastic trash. In 2016 — the last year enough data was available and before several countries cracked down on imports of American waste — the United States generated 46.3 million tons (42 million metric tons) of plastic waste, by far the most in...
New study reveals United States a top source of plastic pollution in coastal environments
A study published today in the journal Science Advances has revealed that the United States ranks as high as third among countries contributing to coastal plastic pollution when taking into account its scrap plastic exports as well as the latest figures on illegal dumping and littering in the country. The new research challenges the once-held assumption that the United States is adequately...
To survive asteroid impact, algae learned to hunt
Tiny, seemingly harmless ocean plants survived the darkness of the asteroid strike that killed the dinosaurs by learning a ghoulish behavior—eating other living creatures.
New drone technology improves ability to forecast volcanic eruptions
Specially-adapted drones developed by a UCL-led international team have been gathering data from never-before-explored volcanoes that will enable local communities to better forecast future eruptions.
Study finds faster, wider spread of COVID-19 in US households
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 18:28
COVID-19 spreads faster and more widely throughout US households than previously reported, according to new preliminary research from a multicenter study.
A new spin on atoms gives scientists a closer look at quantum weirdness
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 18:28
A team of researchers has developed a new way to control and measure atoms that are so close together no optical lens can distinguish them.
A new spin on atoms gives scientists a closer look at quantum weirdness
When atoms get extremely close, they develop intriguing interactions that could be harnessed to create new generations of computing and other technologies. These interactions in the realm of quantum physics have proven difficult to study experimentally due the basic limitations of optical microscopes.
Pebble Mine developer promised riches, but expects $1.5 billion subsidy from Alaskans
The company seeking to develop Pebble Mine in the headwaters of Bristol Bay has long promised that the controversial project would bring Alaska jobs, economic growth and tax revenue.
COVID-19 a 'golden opportunity' for terror organisations to intensify their propaganda
The uncertainty and confusion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is being "widely exploited by terror groups for spinning a plethora of sinister schemes", which could lead to a new tide of violence against people and governments.
Future lake food webs in subarctic have more biomass and contain more omega-3 fatty acids
Subarctic regions are facing rapid changes in climate and land-use intensity. An international research team recently completed an investigation to see how these changes are affecting the food webs and fish communities of lakes in northern Finland. Biomasses and omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, were determined from the algal producers at the base of food web to large carnivorous fish from 20...
Dynamic photonic barcodes record energy transfer at the biointerface
Optical barcodes enable detection and tracking via unique spectral fingerprints. They've been widely applied in areas ranging from multiplexed bioassays and cell tagging to anticounterfeiting and security. Yu-Cheng Chen of the Bio+Intelligent Photonics Laboratory at Nanyang Technological University notes that the concept of optical barcodes typically refers to a fixed spectral pattern...
In a hurry to develop drugs? Here's your cHAT
Let's call it the Texas two-step, but for molecules.
How the waters off Catalina became a DDT dumping ground
Not far from Santa Catalina Island, in an ocean shared by divers and fishermen, kelp forests and whales, David Valentine decoded unusual signals underwater that gave him chills.
Assessing the habitability of planets around old red dwarfs
A new study using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope gives new insight into an important question: how habitable are planets that orbit the most common type of stars in the Galaxy? The target of the new study, as reported in our press release, is Barnard's Star, which is one of the closest stars to Earth at a distance of just 6 light years. Barnard's Star is a...
A Subterranean ecosystem in the Chicxulub crater
A new study reveals that the Chicxulub impact crater and its hydrothermal system hosted a subterranean ecosystem that could provide a glimpse of Earth's primordial life.
Halloween costs more than the Canadian space program
Bob McDonald's blog: Canada's contributions in space benefit science, technology and the development of true...
New cause of inflammation in people with HIV identified
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 17:25
A new study examined what factors could be contributing to inflammation, and they identified the inability to control HIV RNA production from existing HIV DNA as a potential key driver of inflammation.
A malformation illustrates the incredible plasticity of the brain
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 17:25
One in 4,000 people is born without a corpus callosum, a brain structure consisting of neural fibers that are used to transfer information between hemisphere. 25% of them do not have any symptoms. Neuroscientists discovered that when the neuronal fibers that act as a bridge between the hemispheres are missing, the brain reorganizes itself and creates an impressive number of connections inside each...
Melding biology and physical sciences yields deeper understanding of cancer
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 17:25
An evolving understanding of cancer that incorporates the physical properties of tumors and their surrounding tissues into existing biologic and genetic models can direct cancer researchers down previously uncharted avenues, potentially leading to new drugs and new treatment strategies, say investigators.
'Green' method for making pharmaceutical intermediates
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 17:25
Scientists develop cHAT to simplify the reduction of alkenes to more useful intermediate molecules for drugs and other useful chemical compounds.
AI teachers must be effective and communicate well to be accepted
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 17:25
The increase in online education has allowed a new type of teacher to emerge -- an artificial one. But just how accepting students are of an artificial instructor remains to be seen. That's why researchers are working to examine student perceptions of artificial intelligence-based teachers.
Future lake food webs in Subarctic have more biomass and contain more omega-3 fatty acids
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 17:25
Subarctic regions are facing rapid changes in climate and land-use intensity. An international research team recently completed an investigation to see how these changes are affecting the food webs and fish communities of lakes in northern Finland. Biomasses and omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, were determined from the algal producers at the base of food web to large carnivorous fish from 20...
Infection by confection: COVID-19 and the risk of trick-or-treating
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 17:25
Researchers determined that COVID-19 transmission risk via Halloween candies is low, even when they are handled by infected people, but handwashing and disinfecting collected sweets reduces risk even further.
Dynamic photonic barcodes record energy transfer at the biointerface
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 17:25
A team recently developed bioresponsive dynamic barcodes, introducing the concept of resonance energy transfer at the interface of the microcavity.
Children with asymptomatic brain bleeds as newborns show normal brain development at age 2
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 17:25
A study finds that neurodevelopmental scores and gray matter volumes at age two years did not differ between children who had MRI-confirmed asymptomatic subdural hemorrhages when they were neonates, compared to children with no history of subdural hemorrhage.
New synthetic DNA vaccine against Powassan virus
- ScienceDaily
- 20/10/30 17:25
Scientists have designed and tested the first-of-its-kind synthetic DNA vaccine against Powassan virus (POWV), targeting portions of the virus envelope protein.