355 articles from WEDNESDAY 21.4.2021
Collaborative research could help fine-tune the production of antimalarials, chemo drugs
Much of common pharmaceutical development today is the product of laborious cycles of tweaking and optimization. In each drug, a carefully concocted formula of natural and synthetic enzymes and ingredients works together to catalyze a desired reaction. But in early development, much of the process is spent determining what quantities of each enzyme to use to ensure a reaction occurs at a specific...
Canada to hasten efforts to reduce carbon footprint: report
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will announce stepped up efforts to reduce Canada's carbon footprint when he meets other world leaders at a virtual climate summit hosted by US President Joe Biden this week, a media report said Wednesday.
Warming seas might also look less colorful to some fish. Here's why that matters.
When marine biologist Eleanor Caves of the University of Exeter thinks back to her first scuba dives, one of the first things she recalls noticing is that colors seem off underwater. The vivid reds, oranges, purples and yellows she was used to seeing in the sunlit waters near the surface look increasingly dim and drab with depth, and before long the whole ocean loses most of its rainbow leaving...
Why climate change is driving some to skip having kids
When deciding whether to have children, there are many factors to consider: finances, support systems, personal values. For a growing number of people, climate change is also being added to the list of considerations, says a University of Arizona researcher.
Host, management, or microbial traits: Which is dominant in plant microbiome assemblage?
We've all heard the news stories of how what you eat can affect your microbiome. Changing your diet can shift your unique microbial fingerprint. This shift can cause a dramatic effect on your health. But what about the microbiome of the plants you eat? Scientists are beginning to see how shifts in plant microbiomes also impact plant health. Unlocking the factors in plant microbial assemblage can...
California's worst wildfires are helping improve air quality prediction
UC Riverside engineers are developing methods to estimate the impact of California's destructive wildfires on air quality in neighborhoods affected by the smoke from these fires. Their research, funded by NASA and the results published in Atmospheric Pollution Research, fills in the gaps in current methods by providing air quality information at the neighborhood scales required by public health...
Study provides detailed look at intriguing property of chiral materials
In nature, many molecules possess a property called chirality, which means that they cannot be superimposed on their mirror images (like a left and right hand).
The intricate dance between waves, wind, and gliding pelicans is worked out for the first time
It's a common sight: pelicans gliding along the waves, right by the shore. These birds make this kind of surfing look effortless, but actually the physics involved that give them a big boost are not simple.
Antibiotics protect apples from fire blight, but do they destroy the native microbiome?
Like humans, certain plants are treated with antibiotics to ward off pathogens and protect the host. Saving millions, antibiotics are one of the 20th century's greatest scientific discoveries, but repeated use and misuse of these life-saving microbial products can disrupt the human microbiome and can have severe effects on an individual's health. Overuse has led to several microbes developing...
What leads young women to disclose abuse in their first relationships?
Women who experience partner violence at a young age don't always show physical signs of abuse and don't always disclose—or recognize—the dangerous position they're in. A new study from Michigan State University is one of the first to examine multiple factors that influence young women's disclosure of partner violence that occurred during their first relationships, when they were just under 15...
Right to food strategy could eliminate food waste on farms
A national strategy to ensure that families have access to food could revolutionize Canada's farms, according to a new study from Simon Fraser University's Food Systems Lab. The study proposes implementing a "right to food" framework that would support the needed funding, infrastructure, and stability that can reduce losses of edible food at the farm, while creating better access to local foods...
The intricate dance between waves, wind, and gliding pelicans explored
- ScienceDaily
- 21/4/21 22:00
It's a common sight: pelicans gliding along the waves, right by the shore. These birds make this kind of surfing look effortless, but actually the physics involved that give them a big boost are not simple. Researchers have recently developed a theoretical model that describes how the ocean, the wind and the birds in flight interact.
Detailed look at intriguing property of chiral materials
- ScienceDaily
- 21/4/21 22:00
A new study is advancing scientists' understanding of magneto-chiral dichroism. The research focuses on light-matter interactions in chiral materials under a magnetic field.
Study explains 'cocktail party effect' in hearing impairment
- ScienceDaily
- 21/4/21 22:00
Plenty of people struggle to make sense of a multitude of converging voices in a crowded room. Commonly known as the 'cocktail party effect,' people with hearing loss find it's especially difficult to understand speech in a noisy environment. New research suggests that, for some listeners, this may have less to do with actually discerning sounds. Instead, it may be a processing problem in which...
Why climate change is driving some to skip having kids
- ScienceDaily
- 21/4/21 22:00
A new study finds that overconsumption, overpopulation and uncertainty about the future are among the top concerns of those who say climate change is affecting their reproductive decision-making.
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover extracts first oxygen from Red Planet
- ScienceDaily
- 21/4/21 21:49
The milestone, which the MOXIE instrument achieved by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen, points the way to future human exploration of the Red Planet.
Turkey claims it no longer needs Canadian military drone tech
Stung by the federal government’s decision to ban the export of state-of-the-art Canadian drone optics and targeting systems to Turkey, the country’s largest drone producer says Turkish arms manufacturers have developed their own technology and no longer need the Canadian...
Using floodwaters to weather droughts
- ScienceDaily
- 21/4/21 21:12
Using a new computer framework, scientists are able to project future floodwaters under a changing climate. The approach could help California water managers plan for and redirect floodwaters toward groundwater aquifers, alleviating both flood and drought risks.
Carbon dioxide-rich liquid water in ancient meteorite
- ScienceDaily
- 21/4/21 21:12
Scientists detect small pockets of carbon dioxide-rich liquid water in a meteorite dating from the early solar system.
Scientists capture image of an electron's orbit within an exciton
- ScienceDaily
- 21/4/21 21:12
Researchers have captured an image showing the internal orbits, or spatial distribution, of particles in an exciton - a goal that had eluded scientists for almost a century.
Cracking the code of the Dead Sea Scrolls
- ScienceDaily
- 21/4/21 21:12
The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered some seventy years ago, are famous for containing the oldest manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and many hitherto unknown ancient Jewish texts. But the individual people behind the scrolls have eluded scientists, because the scribes are anonymous. Now, by combining the sciences and the humanities, researchers have cracked the code, which enables them...
Mechanical engineers develop new high-performance artificial muscle technology
- ScienceDaily
- 21/4/21 21:12
Researchers have developed a new, high-performance artificial muscle technology. The new technology enables more human-like motion due to its flexibility and adaptability, but outperforms human skeletal muscle in several metrics.
AI algorithms can influence people's voting and dating decisions in experiments
- ScienceDaily
- 21/4/21 21:12
Researchers have found that artificial intelligence algorithms can influence people's preferences for fictitious political candidates or potential romantic partners, depending on whether recommendations were explicit or covert.
Air pollution data in five Chinese cities: Local vs. U.S. monitoring stations
- ScienceDaily
- 21/4/21 21:12
When air quality in China is poor, locally reported air pollution measurements diverge from U.S. embassy-reported measurements more than would be expected by random chance, finds an analysis of air pollution data from five large Chinese cities.
Fast material manipulation through a laser
- ScienceDaily
- 21/4/21 21:12
Researchers have found out that ultrafast switches in material properties can be prompted by laser pulses -- and why. This knowledge may enable new transistor concepts.
Aerial photos uncover an invisible fault in Chinese city
- ScienceDaily
- 21/4/21 21:12
Decades-old aerial photos of Yudong District, Datong City in Shanxi Province, Northern China have helped researchers in their search for a fault hidden underneath the city's buildings and cement roads, researchers said.
Lighting it up: Fast material manipulation through a laser
Researchers from the Physical Chemistry Department of the Fritz Haber Institute and the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter in Hamburg have found out that ultrafast switches in material properties can be prompted by laser pulses—and why. This knowledge may enable new transistor concepts.