202 articles from FRIDAY 14.5.2021
Synthesizing a new class of bio-inspired, light-capturing nanomaterials
Inspired by nature, researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), along with collaborators from Washington State University, created a novel material capable of capturing light energy. This material provides a highly efficient artificial light-harvesting system with potential applications in photovoltaics and bioimaging.
Researchers trace path of light in photosynthesis
Three billion years ago, light first zipped through chlorophyll within tiny reaction centers, the first step plants and photosynthetic bacteria take to convert light into food.
New technology enables rapid sequencing of entire genomes of plant pathogens
Next-generation sequencing technology has made it easier than ever for quick diagnosis of plant diseases. "It's really exciting to see how sequencing technologies have evolved and how this new technology facilitates sequencing of entire genomes in such a short amount of time," said Yazmín Rivera, a plant pathologist with the United States Department of Agriculture's Plant Protection and...
Interested in Becoming a NASA Citizen Scientist?
Eyebrow: Citizen Science NewsBody: Meet Us Virtually at CitSciCon
Learn how you can help NASA conduct scientific research at CitSciCon, a virtual event with interactive activities taking place May 21 – 22, 2021.
Link: Learn...
Teachers' gender, sexuality, and age affect perceptions of sexual misconduct of students
The United States has witnessed a steep rise in reports, arrests, and media coverage of teachers' sexual misconduct with students. A new study investigated the impact of perpetrators' gender, sexuality, and age on perceptions of teacher sexual misconduct. The study found that responses to teachers' misconduct varied according to certain characteristics, which can influence whether victims report...
Glaciologists measure, model hard glacier beds, write slip law to estimate glacier speeds
The field photos show the hard, rough country that some glaciers slide over: rocky domes and bumps in granite, rocky steps and depressions in limestone. The glacier beds dwarf the researchers and their instruments. (As do the high mountains pictured on the various horizons.)
Scientists discover faster way to manufacture vascular materials
Developing self-healing materials is nothing new for Nancy Sottos, lead of the Autonomous Materials Systems Group at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
New cyanobacteria species spotlights early life
Cyanobacteria are one of the unsung heroes of life on Earth. They first evolved to perform photosynthesis about 2.4 billion years ago, pumping tons of oxygen into the atmosphere—a period known as the Great Oxygenation Event—which enabled the evolution of multicellular life forms.
New research shows: Antoni van Leeuwenhoek led rivals astray
A microscope used by Antoni van Leeuwenhoek to conduct pioneering research contains a surprisingly ordinary lens, as new research by Rijksmuseum Boerhaave Leiden and TU Delft shows. It is a remarkable finding, because Van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) led other scientists to believe that his instruments were exceptional. Consequently, there has been speculation about his method for making lenses for...
Fibre-optics used to take the temperature of Greenland Ice Sheet
Scientists have used fibre-optic sensing to obtain the most detailed measurements of ice properties ever taken on the Greenland Ice Sheet. Their findings will be used to make more accurate models of the future movement of the world's second-largest ice sheet, as the effects of climate change continue to accelerate.
New evidence of recent volcanic activity on Mars raises the possibilities of subterranean life
Bob McDonald's blog: Recent volcanic eruption and ongoing seismic activity in the same region on Mars suggests the planet is far from a cold, inactive...
New pre-clinical model could hold the key to better HIV treatments
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/14 19:42
Researchers have developed a unique pre-clinical model that enables the study of long-term HIV infection, and the testing of new therapies aimed at curing the disease.
Sensors can identify threats at the molecular level
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/14 19:42
New sensors developed by researchers can identify explosive materials, particles from a potentially deadly virus and illegal drugs at the part-per-quadrillion level.
New research optimizes body's own immune system to fight cancer
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/14 19:42
A new study shows how engineered immune cells move faster to attack tumors.
Virtual reality warps your sense of time
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/14 19:42
Psychology researchers found that playing games in virtual reality creates an effect called 'time compression,' where time goes by faster than you think. The research team compared time perception during gameplay using conventional monitors and virtual reality to determine that this effect is uniquely linked to the virtual reality format.
Our dreams' weirdness might be why we have them, argues new AI-inspired theory of dreaming
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/14 19:42
Why we dream is a divisive topic within the scientific community, and the neuroscience field is saturated with hypotheses. Inspired by techniques used to train deep neural networks, a neuroscience researcher argues for a new theory of dreams: the overfitted brain hypothesis. The hypothesis suggests that the strangeness of our dreams serves to help our brains better generalize our day-to-day...
Mammals can use their intestines to breathe
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/14 19:42
Rodents and pigs share with certain aquatic organisms the ability to use their intestines for respiration, finds a study publishing May 14th in the journal Med. The researchers demonstrated that the delivery of oxygen gas or oxygenated liquid through the rectum provided vital rescue to two mammalian models of respiratory failure.
Earth's oldest minerals date onset of plate tectonics to 3.6 billion years ago
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/14 19:41
Scientists provide new evidence that modern plate tectonics, a defining feature of Earth and its unique ability to support life, emerged roughly 3.6 billion years ago. The study uses zircons, the oldest minerals ever found on Earth, to peer back into the planet's ancient past.
Climate change threatens one-third of global food production
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/14 19:41
New research assesses just how global food production will be affected if greenhouse gas emissions are left uncut.
Ion transporters in chloroplasts affect the efficacy of photosynthesis
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/14 19:41
A study uncovers a new role for ion transporters: they participate in gene regulation in chloroplasts.
Researchers develop 3D-printed jelly
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/14 19:41
3D-printable gels with improved and highly controlled properties can be created by merging micro- and nano-sized networks of the same materials harnessed from seaweed. The findings could have applications in biomedical materials - think of biological scaffolds for growing cells - and soft robotics.
Above the noise: Nanopore sensing
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/14 19:41
Researchers use deep learning to reduce noise in the electrical current data collected from nanopores, which may lead to higher precision measurements when working with very tiny experiments or medical diagnostics.
Herbivores developed powerful jaws to digest tougher plants after the mass extinctions
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/14 19:41
The evolution of herbivores is linked to the plants that survived and adapted after the 'great dying', when over 90% of the world's species were wiped out 252 million years ago.