390 articles from THURSDAY 14.1.2021

Cotton quality mapping as a tool for growers

Modern cotton-harvesting equipment can identify and track modules created during harvest down to the subfield. By combining these data with information such as yield maps and fiber quality results, producers can identify practices, conditions, and varieties that result in increased fiber quality and bale value.

Research breaks new ground in understanding how a molecular motor generates force

A team of biophysicists from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Penn State College of Medicine set out to tackle the long-standing question about the nature of force generation by myosin, the molecular motor responsible for muscle contraction and many other cellular processes. The key question they addressed—one of the most controversial topics in the field—was: how does myosin...

Understanding future species distribution: New data for biogeographers

Climate change impacts, affecting primarily ecosystems' functions and consequently human sectors, have become a crucial topic. Observed and expected variations in climate conditions can in fact undermine the ecosystems' ecological equilibrium: average climate patterns, mainly represented by intra-annual (monthly to seasonal) temperature and precipitation cycle, directly influence the distribution,...

Presidential inaugurations boost tourism, but not this year

While new research from West Virginia University economists finds that presidential inaugurations have gained popularity as must-see tourist events in recent years, major security threats will keep visitors away for the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden.

Toadlet peptide transforms into a deadly weapon against bacteria

Researchers at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and EMBL Hamburg have discovered remarkable molecular properties of an antimicrobial peptide from the skin of the Australian toadlet. The discovery could inspire the development of novel synthetic drugs to combat bacterial infections.

Keeping the costs of superconducting magnets down using ultrasound

Superconductivity already has a variety of practical applications, such as medical imaging and levitating transportation like the ever-popular maglev systems. However, to ensure that the benefits of applied superconductors keep spreading further into other technological fields, we need to find ways of not only improving their performance, but also making them more accessible and simpler to...

Reverse engineering 3-D chromosome models for individual cells

Genome analysis can provide information on genes and their location on a strand of DNA, but such analysis reveals little about their spatial location in relation to one another within chromosomes—the highly complex, three-dimensional structures that hold genetic information.

Lack of managers keeps India's businesses small

In today's economy, American businesses often tap into professional management to grow, but most firms in India and other developing countries are family owned and often shun outside managers. A new study co-authored by Yale economist Michael Peters explores the effects that the absence of outside professional management has on India's businesses and the country's economy.

Geologic history written in garnet sand

On a beach on a remote island in eastern Papua New Guinea, a country located in the southwestern Pacific to the north of Australia, garnet sand reveals an important geologic discovery. Similar to messages in bottles that have traveled across the oceans, sediments derived from the erosion of rocks carry information from another time and place. In this case the grains of garnet sand reveal a story...

NASA and USDA: A Bountiful Partnership

Data captured by Landsat 8, operated by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, was combined to make this natural color composite image of the Delmarva Peninsula on the U.S. East Coast July 20, 2019. These images are used to assess agriculture production and its interactions with the environment. Images like this false-color composite show agricultural crops, seen as vibrant green, and...

Experts remain divided over merits of mass Covid tests in schools

Analysis: some say lateral flow tests could help cut outbreaks, but others argue they offer false reassuranceRegulator refuses to approve mass Covid testing at schools in EnglandCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe education secretary, Gavin Williamson, has put mass testing for coronavirus at the heart of his strategy to reopen schools after the lockdown. It is a...

AIs that read sentences can also spot virus mutations

Galileo once observed that nature is written in math. Biology might be written in words. Natural-language processing (NLP) algorithms are now able to generate protein sequences and predict virus mutations, including key changes that help the coronavirus evade the immune system. The key insight making this possible is that many properties of biological systems can be interpreted in terms of...