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...
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.
Solar wind from the center of the Earth
High-precision noble gas analyses indicate that solar wind particles from our primordial Sun were encased in the Earth's core over 4.5 billion years ago. Researchers from the Institute of Earth Sciences at Heidelberg University have concluded that the particles made their way into the overlying rock mantle over millions of years. The scientists found solar noble gases in an iron meteorite they...
Using captured carbon dioxide in everyday products could help fight climate change, but will consumers want them?
Would you drink carbonated beverages made with carbon dioxide captured from the smokestack of a factory or power plant?
Earth's oldest minerals date onset of plate tectonics to 3.6 billion years ago
Scientists led by Michael Ackerson, a research geologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, 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.
Maternal stress during pregnancy may shorten lifespans of male lizard offspring
Mother fence lizards that experience stress during pregnancy give birth to male offspring with shortened telomeres, or bits of non-coding DNA that cap the ends of chromosomes, according to a Penn State-led study. Shorter telomeres are associated with decreased lifespan in humans; therefore, the team's findings may have implications for human longevity.
Climate change threatens one-third of global food production
Climate change is known to negatively affect agriculture and livestock, but there has been little scientific knowledge on which regions of the planet would be touched or what the biggest risks may be. New research led by Aalto University assesses just how global food production will be affected if greenhouse gas emissions are left uncut. The study is published in the prestigious journal One Earth...
India probes death of 18 elephants 'hit by lightning'
Indian authorities launched a probe Friday into the deaths of at least 18 elephants, as a leading conservationist raised doubts that the animals were killed by lightning.
6.6 magnitude quake hits off Indonesia's Sumatra: USGS
A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Friday, the United States Geological Survey said, triggering panic on the nearest island but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Microfluidics: The tiny, beautiful tech hidden all around you
When you think of micro- or nanotechnology, you likely think of small electronics like your phone, a tiny robot or a microchip. But COVID-19 tests—which have proven to be central to controlling the pandemic—are also a form of miniaturized technology. Many COVID-19 tests can give results within hours without the need to send a sample to a lab, and most of these tests use an approach called...
Vandenberg Air Force Base to be renamed Space Force Base
California's Vandenberg Air Force Base will be renamed as a U.S. Space Force Base on Friday.
China rover to attempt Mars landing over coming days
China's "Zhurong" rover, part of its ambitious space programme to send a probe to Mars, is set to attempt the challenging landing on the Red Planet in the next five days, Beijing's space agency said Friday.
Mammals can breathe through anus in emergencies: study
A team of Japanese scientists has shown it is possible for mammals to absorb oxygen via the anus.
Kazakhstan says 350 rare antelopes killed by lightning
Kazakhstan said Friday that around 350 critically endangered Saiga antelopes had been killed, probably by lightning, after villagers found their bodies in steppe land in the west of the country.
Using micro-sized cut metal wires, team forges path to new uses for terahertz waves
Japanese researchers successfully tested reflectionless, highly refractive index metasurface that may eventually be used in practical applications to send, receive, and manipulate light and radio waves in the terahertz waveband (THz). THz is measured in millionths of a meter, known as micrometers. The metasurface, an artificial two-dimensional flat material, was made of micro-sized cut metal wires...
Nanophotonics enhanced coverslip for phase imaging in biology
The ability to visualize transparent objects such as biological cells is of fundamental importance in biology and medical diagnostics. Conventional approaches to achieve this include phase-contrast microscopy and techniques that rely on chemical staining of biological cells. These techniques, however, rely on expensive and bulky optical components or require changing, and in some cases damaging,...
Getting ready to rocket
The pieces are stacking up for the launch of Artemis 1 mission around the moon and back. The massive Space Launch Systems (SLS) rocket that will launch the first crewless test flight of the Orion spacecraft, powered by the European Service Module, is being integrated at the Vehicle Assemble Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, U.S..
Sharp decline in women's labor force participation in Illinois due to COVID-19
A new paper co-written by a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researcher who studies labor issues affecting low-wage workers finds that almost 40% of working mothers in the state of Illinois lost jobs or were working fewer hours due to the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.