234 articles from FRIDAY 20.11.2020

A biochemical random number

Scientists have generated a huge true random number using DNA synthesis. It is the first time that a number of this magnitude has been created by biochemical means.

Light-controlled nanomachine controls catalysis

The vision of the future of miniaturization has produced a series of synthetic molecular motors that are driven by a range of energy sources and can carry out various movements. A research group has now managed to control a catalysis reaction using a light-controlled motor.

New insights into memristive devices by combining incipient ferroelectrics and graphene

Scientists are working to create neuromorphic computers, with a design based on the human brain. A crucial component is a memristive device, the resistance of which depends on the history of the device - just like the response of our neurons depends on previous input. Materials scientists analyzed the behavior of strontium titanium oxide, a platform material for memristor research and used the 2D...

Rare species of small cats inadequately protected

The Indian subcontinent is a hotspot for wild felines. A new study now shows that only 6-11 per cent of the areas where three rare cat species have their habitat are protected. Lack of knowledge about these species has been an obstacle to understanding their needs for reserves.

A step closer to practical solar hydrogen production via elaborately modified hematite photoanode

With the increasing pressure on global carbon emissions and climate change, it is urgent to develop cleaner energy alternatives instead of fossil fuels. Hydrogen is a clean fuel with zero carbon emission because it produces only harmless water when it combusts. However, a technology to produce so-called "green hydrogen" needs to be developed further for practical applications, which employs on...

Middle Stone Age populations repeatedly occupied West African coast

Although coastlines have widely been proposed as potential corridors of past migration, the occupation of Africa's tropical coasts during the Stone Age is poorly known, particularly in contrast to the temperate coasts of northern and southern Africa. Recent studies in eastern Africa have begun to resolve this, detailing dynamic behavioral changes near the coast of Kenya during the last glacial...

Chinese flower has evolved to be less visible to pickers

Fritillaria delavayi, used in traditional medicine, turning grey to blend into rocksFor thousands of years, the dainty Fritillaria delavayi has grown slowly on the rocky slopes of the Hengduan mountains in China, producing a bright green flower after its fifth year.But the conspicuous small plant has one deadly enemy: people, who harvest the flower for traditional Chinese medicine. Continue...

There are microplastics near the top of Mount Everest too

Researchers analyzing snow and stream samples from the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition have found evidence of microplastic pollution on Mount Everest. While the highest concentrations of microplastics were around Base Camp where hikers and trekkers spend the most time, the team also found microplastics as high up as 8,440 meters above sea level, just below the...

Highly efficient, long-lasting electrocatalyst to boost hydrogen fuel production

When hydrogen is consumed in a fuel cell, which takes the water molecule H2O and separates it into oxygen and hydrogen, a process called electrolysis, it produces only water, electricity and heat. As a zero-carbon energy source, the range of its potential use is limitless in transportation, commercial, industrial, residential and portable applications.

How role-playing a dragon can teach an AI to manipulate and persuade

An AI that completes quests in a text-based adventure game by talking to the characters has learned not only how to do things, but how to get others to do things. The system is a step toward machines that can use language as a way to achieve their goals. Pointless prose: Language models like GPT-3 are brilliant at mimicking human-written sentences, churning out stories, fake blogs, and Reddit...

Glyphosate may affect human gut microbiota

Glyphosate is the most commonly used broad-spectrum herbicide. Researchers from the University of Turku in Finland have developed a new bioinformatics tool to predict if a microbe, e.g. a human gut bacterium, is sensitive to glyphosate.

Philosophical thoughts for the future

Science, philosophy, and religion all attempt to distill the essence of reality, the essence of being—albeit from very different points of departure. Writing in the International Journal of Foresight and Innovation Policy, Austrian scientist Franz Moser presents a foresight paper that looks at humanity's path from ignorance to knowledge and how ego structures have evolved into truth. Moser...

Measuring pH locally with terahertz spectroscopy

Researchers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum have developed a new method to determine a local pH value near a specific site of a biomolecule. A reliable measurement with a pH meter is only been possible in a larger ensemble, or homogeneous bulk. The new procedure, which is based on terahertz spectroscopy, is described by the team from Resolv in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition,...

Rare species of small cats inadequately protected

The Indian subcontinent is a hotspot for wild felines. A new study headed by Uppsala University now shows that only 6–11 per cent of the areas where three rare cat species have their habitat are protected. Lack of knowledge about these species has been an obstacle to understanding their needs for reserves. The research is presented in the journal Scientific Reports.