291 articles from TUESDAY 23.2.2021

Nonconscious brain modulation to remove fears, increase confidence

Machine learning-based training of brain activity has led to exciting developments: reduce fears, change one's preferences, or even increase one's confidence. Unfortunately, data to better understand the mechanisms of brain self-regulation remain scarce. A group of researchers from Japan, the US and Canada have joined forces to release the largest existing dataset of the sort.

Oxidation processes in combustion engines and in the atmosphere take the same routes

Alkanes, an important component of fuels for combustion engines and an important class of urban trace gases, react via another reaction pathways than previously thought. These hydrocarbons, formerly called paraffins, thus produce large amounts of highly oxygenated compounds that can contribute to organic aerosol and thus to air pollution in cities. The results of this interdisciplinary work...

Parasitic plants conspire to keep hosts alive

The plant that encourages kissing at Christmas is in fact a parasite, and new research reveals mistletoe has an unusual feeding strategy. When two mistletoes invade the same tree, they increase photosynthesis to get the nutrients they need, essentially sharing the tree and causing it less harm.

Protective ship coatings as an underestimated source of microplastic pollution

Shipping traffic can be a major source of microplastics, especially out in the open ocean. In a new study, a team of environmental geochemists from the University of Oldenburg (Germany) for the first time provides an overview of microplastics mass distribution in the North Sea. The scientists found that most of the plastic particles in water samples taken in the south-eastern North Sea originate...

Recent progress in heterogeneous III-V-on-silicon photonic integration

Silicon (Si) photonics is a disruptive technology on the fast track to revolutionise integrated photonics. As an indispensable branch thereof, heterogeneous Si integration, has evolved from a science project 15 years ago to a growing business and compelling research field today. We review recent progress in III-V compoundsemiconductors heterogeneously integrated on Si substrates including the...

Reclusive neutron star may have been found in famous supernova

Since astronomers captured the bright explosion of a star on February 24, 1987, researchers have been searching for the squashed stellar core that should have been left behind. A group of astronomers using data from NASA space missions and ground-based telescopes may have finally found it.

Researchers use new tool to study stress in root-colonizing bacteria

One solution to agriculture's many challenges is to develop smarter fertilizers that aim not only to nourish the plant but also to maximize soil bacteria's positive effects on the plant. Researchers at Utah State University analyzed the effects of potential fertilizers on a health-promoting bacterium native to the roots of dryland wheat in Northern Utah, bringing the "microbiome revolution" to...

Saki monkeys get screen time for more control over their lives in captivity

Scientists have designed and built an on-demand video device for white-faced saki monkeys to activate as and when they like. It's up to the animals to decide whether they want to step inside the device - the equivalent of pressing play - to watch the video of the week, from sealife like fish and jellyfish to wiggly worms and other zoo animals to abstract art and lush forests.

School of Community Health Sciences publishes study on sugar-sweetened beverage taxes

A new research study out of the University of Nevada, Reno's School of Community Health Sciences has just been published by the American Journal of Public Health and addresses state preemption of local sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes, issuing an emerging public health threat. Assistant Professor Eric Crosbie examines commercial determinants of health and public health policy, specifically in...

Scientists found in marine mold substance that antidotes paraquat

Biologically active compounds from the marine fungus Penicillium dimorphosporum protect cells from paraquat, the highly toxic herbicide with no remedy, and might enhance the action of some drugs. The fungus was isolated from soft coral collected in the South China Sea during an expedition on the Akademik Oparin research vessel. Scientists of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) and G. B. Elyakov...

Scientists propose a new heavy particle similar to the Higgs boson

Unlike the Higgs boson, discovered at CERN's Large Hadron Collider in 2012 after a 40-year quest, the new particle proposed by these researchers is so heavy that it could not be produced directly even in this colliderThe University of Granada is among the participants in this major scientific advancement in Theoretical Physics, which could help unravel the mysteries of dark matter