316 articles from TUESDAY 2.2.2021
How pandemic lockdowns cleaned the air but resulted in a warmer planet
Earth spiked a bit of a fever in 2020, partly because of cleaner air from pandemic lockdowns, which resulted in fewer cooling aerosols like soot and sulfates blocking light from the sun and creating a temporary warming effect, a new study has...
Meet the hoodwinker, the ocean sunfish we misidentified for years
The Hoodwinker sunfish, or Mola tecta, is the subject of a collaboration between researchers in Canada, New Zealand and California who are working to expose the sunfish that’s been hiding in plain sight, using crowd-sourced data from photographs and sightings along North America’s west...
Remyelinating drug could improve vision in patients with multiple sclerosis
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/2 23:04
Biomedical scientists reports a drug -- an estrogen receptor ligand called indazole chloride (IndCl) -- has the potential to improve vision in patients with multiple sclerosis, or MS. The study was performed on mice induced with a model of MS and the first to investigate IndCl's effect on the pathology and function of the complete afferent visual pathway.
COVID-19 lockdowns temporarily raised global temperatures, research shows
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/2 22:45
The lockdowns and reduced societal activity related to the COVID-19 pandemic affected emissions of pollutants in ways that slightly warmed the planet for several months last year, according to new research. The counterintuitive finding highlights the influence of airborne particles, or aerosols, that block incoming sunlight.
Sea level will rise faster than previously thought
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/2 22:45
There are two main elements to observe when assessing sea level rise. One is the loss of the ice on land and the other is that the sea will expand as it gets warmer. Researchers have constructed a new method of quantifying just how fast the sea will react to warming. Former predictions of sea level have been too conservative, so the sea will likely rise more and faster than previously believed.
Arctic shrubs add new piece to ecological puzzle
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/2 22:45
A 15-year experiment on Arctic shrubs in Greenland lends new understanding to an enduring ecological puzzle: How do species with similar needs and life histories occur together at large scales while excluding each other at small scales? Its findings also reveal trends related to carbon sequestration and climate change as the Arctic becomes both greener and browner.
Textile sensor patch could detect pressure points for amputees
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/2 22:45
A soft, flexible sensor system created with electrically conductive yarns could help map problematic pressure points in the socket of an amputee's prosthetic limb, researchers report in a new study.
Study challenges ecology's 'Field of Dreams' hypothesis
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/2 22:45
A new study challenges the 'Field of Dreams' hypothesis in restoration ecology, which predicts that restoring plant biodiversity will lead to recovery of animal biodiversity. The study of restored tallgrass prairie found the effects of management strategies (specifically controlled burns and bison reintroduction) on animal communities were six times stronger on average than the effects of plant...
Modeling the brain during pain processing
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/2 22:45
Researchers show that inhibitory interneurons, which prevent chemical messages from passing between different regions of the brain, make up 20% of the circuitry in the brain required for pain processing. The discovery represents a significant advance in researchers' understanding of how our bodies and brains respond to pain.
Researchers create novel photonic chip
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/2 22:45
Researchers have developed and demonstrated for the first time a photonic digital to analog converter without leaving the optical domain. Such novel converters can advance next-generation data processing hardware with high relevance for data centers, 6G networks, artificial intelligence and more.
A new hands-off probe uses light to explore electron behavior in a topological insulator
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/2 22:45
Topological insulators are one of the most puzzling quantum materials. Their edges are electron superhighways where electrons flow with no loss, while the bulk of the material blocks electron flow - properties that could be useful in quantum computing and information processing. Researchers used a process called high harmonic generation to separately probe electron behavior in both of those...