275 articles from FRIDAY 13.11.2020
East African Rift System is slowly breaking away, with Madagascar splitting into pieces
- ScienceDaily
- 20/11/13 18:40
The African continent is slowly separating into several large and small tectonic blocks along the diverging East African Rift System, continuing to Madagascar - the long island just off the coast of Southeast Africa - that itself will also break apart into smaller islands.
Australia forecasts prolonged wildfire seasons, more droughts from climate change
Australia's climate will continue to warm, resulting in prolonged wildfire seasons and less rain in the southeast and southwest that will lead to more frequent droughts, the country's weather bureau said on Friday. Australia's changing climate patterns can be attributed to an increase in greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere triggering more extreme weather events, the Bureau...
Predators form an unusual coexistence in the central Chilean Andes
In the high plains of the central Chilean Andes, an ecosystem consisting of only a few animal species is providing researchers with new insights into how predators coexist in the wild.
Handles and holes in abstract spaces: How a material conducts electricity better
A sphere and a cube can be deformed into one another without cuts or stitches. A mug and a glass cannot because, to deform the first into the second, the handle needs to be broken. Topology is the branch of mathematics that formalizes this difference between mugs and glasses, extending it also to abstract spaces with many dimensions. A new theory developed by scientists at SISSA in Trieste has...
Researchers describe a new beam scanning device utilizing 'photonic crystals
Scanning lasers—from barcode scanners at the supermarket to cameras on newer smartphones—are an indispensable part of our daily lives, relying on lasers and detectors for pinpoint precision.
Covid-19 vaccines shouldn’t get emergency-use authorization
I really want a covid-19 vaccine. Like many Americans, I have family members and neighbors who have been sickened and killed by the new coronavirus. My sister is a nurse on a covid-19 ward, and I want her to be able to do her job safely. As a health-care lawyer, I have the utmost confidence in the career scientists at the US Food and Drug Administration who would ultimately determine whether to...
Pfizer's vaccine relies on a 'cold chain' that keeps the shots colder than a freezer. Here's how it works.
The vaccine needs to be kept so cold that regular freezers won't cut it. Pfizer built a special vaccine briefcase that can be outfitted with dry...
B.C. biotech company working on Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
A Vancouver-based biotech company brought its genetic know-how to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine development. Thomas Madden, president and CEO of Acuitas Therapeutics, explains his company's contribution to the vaccine...
Cytokinetics heart failure drug succeeds but slightly higher death rate seen - study
Details presented at annual meeting of the American Heart Association (AHA) held virtually this year follow the release in October of initial results for the 8,256-patient trial. The benefit, while deemed statistically significant, was not dramatic, with those events occurring in 37% of trial patients treated with the medicine versus 39.1% of the placebo group. Patients in the study were...
Cytokinetics heart failure drug succeeds but slightly higher death rate seen: study
Details presented at annual meeting of the American Heart Association (AHA) held virtually this year follow the release in October of initial results for the 8,256-patient trial. The benefit, while deemed statistically significant, was not dramatic, with those events occurring in 37% of trial patients treated with the medicine versus 39.1% of the placebo group. Patients in the study were...
Understanding the 'membrane' in membraneless organelles
Organelles within cells are tiny engines encapsulating processes that allow the cells to live.
Diet affects skin gene expression in both healthy and atopic dogs
Researchers from the University of Helsinki, Finland examined 48 Staffordshire Bull Terriers, of which eight dogs—four healthy and four atopic—were selected for RNA sequencing where their skin gene expression was compared between both atopic and healthy dogs as well as between dogs that ate dry food or raw food. The diet appears to make a great difference in skin gene expression.
Defining which types of forests can store the most carbon and under what conditions
An international team led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has studied which types of forest, in terms of biodiversity, are the most effective in storing carbon. Inventory data from natural forests on five continents show that species diversity is optimal for equatorial and tropical rainforests, and that, conversely, in forests located in cold or dry regions, it is the abundance of trees and...
How nitrogen is transferred by a catalyst
The development of new drugs or innovative molecular materials with new properties requires specific modification of molecules. Selectivity control in these chemical transformations is one of the main goals of catalysis. This is particularly true for complex molecules with multiple reactive sites in order to avoid unnecessary waste for improved sustainability. The selective insertion of individual...
Early-life diet and canine atopy can have a connection
Researchers from the international multidisciplinary research group "DogRisk" at the University of Helsinki have found novel early-life risk factors that impact the prevalence of atopic dermatitis in adult dogs. The results are also interesting for human medicine as the disease, atopy, is very similar in young dogs and in children.
Success in controlling perovskite ions' composition paves the way for device applications
Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites have received much attention as potential next generation solar cells and as materials for light-emitting devices.
Researchers develop virus live stream to study virus infection
Researchers from the Hubrecht Institute and Utrecht University have developed an advanced technique to monitor a virus infection live. The researchers from the groups of Marvin Tanenbaum and Frank van Kuppeveld expect that the technique can be used to study a wide variety of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2—the virus responsible for the current pandemic. The technique named VIRIM (virus infection...
Aurora-Chasing Citizen Scientists Help Discover A New Feature of STEVE
Portal origin URL: Aurora-Chasing Citizen Scientists Help Discover A New Feature of STEVEPortal origin nid: 465324Published: Friday, November 13, 2020 - 11:00Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: A new finding about the formation of streaks within the aurora-like STEVE phenomenon brings scientists one step closer to solving the mystery.Portal image: A...
Zinc-ion hybrid capacitors with ideal anions in the electrolyte show extra-long performance
- ScienceDaily
- 20/11/13 16:58
Metal-ion hybrid capacitors combine the properties of capacitors and batteries. One electrode uses the capacitive mechanism, the other the battery-type redox processes. Scientists have now scrutinized the role of anions in the electrolyte. The results reveal the importance of sulfate anions. Sulfate-based electrolytes gave zinc-ion hybrid capacitors outstanding performance and extra-long...
Drawing the line to answer art's big questions
- ScienceDaily
- 20/11/13 16:58
Algorithms have shown that the compositional structure of Western landscape paintings changed 'suspiciously' smoothly between 1500 and 2000 AD, potentially indicating a selection bias by art curators or in art historical literature.
What type of forest to choose for better CO2 storage?
- ScienceDaily
- 20/11/13 16:58
An international team has studied which types of forest are the most effective in storing carbon. Inventory data from natural forests on five continents show that species diversity is optimal for equatorial and tropical rainforests, and that, conversely, in forests located in cold or dry regions, it is the abundance of trees and not their diversity that favours the recapture of CO2.
Chemistry: How nitrogen is transferred by a catalyst
- ScienceDaily
- 20/11/13 16:58
Catalysts with a metal-nitrogen bond can transfer nitrogen to organic molecules. In this process short-lived molecular species are formed, whose properties critically determine the course of the reaction and product formation. The key compound in a catalytic nitrogen-atom transfer reaction has now been analysed in detail by chemists. The detailed understanding of this reaction will allow for the...
Researchers develop ultra-fast polymer modulators that can take the heat
Datacenters could benefit from lower cooling costs due in part to ultra-fast electro-optic modulators developed by researchers in Japan using a polymer that is stable even at temperatures that would boil water.
Study identifies the undersea origins of mysterious love waves, decoding some of Earth's continuous vibrations
Vibrations travel through our planet in waves, like chords ringing out from a strummed guitar. Earthquakes, volcanoes and the bustle of human activity excite some of these seismic waves. Many more reverberate from wind-driven ocean storms.
Leaders at a loss as coronavirus catches up with central Europe
Politicians struggle to explain why a region so much less affected in spring is so badly hit nowIn the countries of central Europe, which during spring seemed to provide a best-practice model for keeping coronavirus at bay, case numbers have risen sharply, and governments in the region fear that their health systems are close to capacity and may struggle to cope. Central Europe is now just as...