232 articles from FRIDAY 28.5.2021
Curiosity rover captures shining clouds on Mars
Cloudy days are rare in the thin, dry atmosphere of Mars. Clouds are typically found at the planet's equator in the coldest time of year, when Mars is the farthest from the Sun in its oval-shaped orbit. But one full Martian year ago—two Earth years—scientists noticed clouds forming over NASA's Curiosity rover earlier than expected.
Depressive symptoms linked to rapid kidney function decline
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 23:17
Among individuals with healthy kidneys, those with more frequent depressive symptoms were more likely to show signs of rapid kidney function decline over a median follow-up of 4 years.
Candy-like models used to make STEM accessible to visually impaired students
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 23:17
A breakthrough study aims to make science more accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired through small, candy-like models.
Climate change-resistant corals could provide lifeline to battered reefs
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 23:17
Corals that withstood a severe bleaching event and were transplanted to a different reef maintained their resilient qualities, according to a new study.
Russian rocket launches UK telecom satellites after delay
A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying 36 UK telecommunication and internet satellites blasted off from the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia's Far East on Friday, the space agency said.
Go vegan to save planet? UK show looks at eco cost of meat
Science and art collide in a new British exhibition which opened on Friday and hopes to raise awareness about the environmental impact of eating meat, while promising a guilt-free look at the "difficult problem".
Unusual bobcat tree den found in California fire burn zone
Biologists studying Southern California bobcats found a mother and three kittens this spring in an unusual den in a cavity up in a tree in an area intensely burned by a huge 2018 wildfire west of Los Angeles, the National Park Service said.
Climate change-resistant corals could provide lifeline to battered reefs
In 2015, nearly half of Hawaii's coral reefs were affected by the most severe bleaching event to date. Coral bleaching occurs when warmer-than-normal ocean temperatures prompt corals to expel the algae that normally live inside them and on which the corals rely for food.
Study uses candy-like models to make STEM accessible to visually impaired students
About 36 million people have blindness including 1 million children. Additionally, 216 million people experience moderate to severe visual impairment. However, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education maintains a reliance on three-dimensional imagery for education. Most of this imagery is inaccessible to students with blindness. A breakthrough study by Bryan Shaw, Ph.D.,...
SpaceX CRS-22 mission to space station launches water bears, squid, solar panels
The 22nd SpaceX cargo resupply mission carrying scientific research and technology demonstrations launches to the International Space Station from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than June 3. Experiments aboard include studying how water bears tolerate space, whether microgravity affects symbiotic relationships, analyzing the formation of kidney stones, and more.
Researchers develop better ways to culture living heart cells on the International Space Station
As part of preparing for an experiment aboard the International Space Station, researchers explored new ways to culture living heart cells for microgravity research. They found that cryopreservation, a process of storing cells at -80°C, makes it easier to transport these cells to the orbiting lab, providing more flexibility in launch and operations schedules. The process could benefit other...
A fiery past sheds new light on the future of global climate change
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 21:25
Centuries-old smoke particles preserved in the ice reveal a fiery past in the Southern Hemisphere and shed new light on the future impacts of global climate change.
Declining biodiversity in wild Amazon fisheries threatens human diet
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 21:25
A new study of dozens of wild fish species commonly consumed in the Peruvian Amazon says that people there could suffer major nutritional shortages if ongoing losses in fish biodiversity continue. Furthermore, the increasing use of aquaculture and other substitutes may not compensate.
New tool activates deep brain neurons by combining ultrasound, genetics
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 21:05
A team has developed a new brain stimulation technique using focused ultrasound that is able to turn specific types of neurons in the brain on and off and precisely control motor activity without surgical device implantation.
Lessening the cost of strategies to reach the Paris Agreement
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 20:48
A team of researchers offer new insight on conversion factors of greenhouse gases into their CO2 equivalent. The publication puts forward the economic benefits of reassessing periodically conversion factors according to scenarios of global warming.
Same difference: Two halves of the hippocampus have different gene activity
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 20:48
A study of gene activity in the brain's hippocampus has identified marked differences between the region's anterior and posterior portions. The findings could shed light on a variety of brain disorders that involve the hippocampus and may eventually help lead to new, targeted treatments.
Exoskeleton-assisted walking may improve bowel function in people with spinal cord injury
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 20:48
A team of researchers has shown that physical intervention plans that included exoskeleton-assisted walking helped people with spinal cord injury evacuate more efficiently and improved the consistency of their stool.
New CRISPR tools help contain mosquito disease transmission
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 20:48
Scientists have developed a genetics toolkit that helps pave the way to a gene drive designed to stop Culex mosquitoes from spreading disease. Much less studied than other genera, Culex mosquitoes spread devastating afflictions stemming from West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis virus and the pathogen causing avian malaria.
Planetary Defense By the Numbers: May 2021
How many near-Earth objects have been found thus far? How big are they? Are there any left to discover? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this month's Planetary Defense: By the Numbers video.
Video...
Lessening the cost of strategies to reach the Paris Agreement
A team of researchers offer new insight on conversion factors of greenhouse gases into their CO2 equivalent. The publication in Science Advances puts forward the economic benefits of periodically reassessing conversion factors according to scenarios of global warming.
A fiery past sheds new light on the future of global climate change
Centuries-old smoke particles preserved in the ice reveal a fiery past in the Southern Hemisphere and shed new light on the future impacts of global climate change, according to new research published in Science Advances.
Declining biodiversity in wild Amazon fisheries threatens human diet
A new study of dozens of wild fish species commonly consumed in the Peruvian Amazon says that people there could suffer major nutritional shortages if ongoing losses in fish biodiversity continue. Furthermore, the increasing use of aquaculture and other substitutes may not compensate. The research has implications far beyond the Amazon, since the diversity and abundance of wild-harvested foods is...
CN Rail fined $100K for spraying herbicide on tracks without clearance, damaging vegetation
CN Rail has been fined $100,000 for spraying harmful pesticide over hundreds of kilometres of track in northwestern B.C., damaging vegetation near the Skeena...
Exoskeleton therapy improves mobility, cognition and brain connectivity in people with MS
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 19:34
A team of multiple sclerosis (MS) experts led a pilot randomized controlled trial of robotic-exoskeleton assisted exercise rehabilitation (REAER) effects on mobility, cognition, and brain connectivity in people with substantial MS-related disability. Their results showed that REAER is likely an effective intervention, and is a promising therapy for improving the lives of those with MS.
Homes set to be heated by sewage plants in future
Heat from industry and warmth from the sea feature in advice to government on future home heating.
Climate change makes West Nile virus outbreaks 'plausible' in UK
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 18:59
Climate change will make outbreaks of West Nile virus more likely in the UK within the next 20-30 years, a new study has found. A new scientific model shows the risk of the mosquito-borne pathogen spreading to the country will increase as temperatures rise.
Researchers discover drug that blocks multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants in mice
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 18:59
A small molecule STING agonist was highly protective against the virus that causes COVID-19 and likely other coronaviruses, researchers have found.
Image: Hubble captures a captivating spiral
This image shows the spiral galaxy NGC 5037, in the constellation of Virgo. First documented by William Herschel in 1785, the galaxy lies about 150 million light-years away from Earth. Despite this distance, we can see the delicate structures of gas and dust within the galaxy in extraordinary detail. This detail is possible using Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), whose combined exposures...
Climate change makes West Nile virus outbreaks 'plausible' in UK
Climate change will make outbreaks of West Nile virus more likely in the UK within the next 20-30 years, scientists say.
Kazakhstan sees rare antelope rebound after mass die off
The population of the critically endangered Saiga antelope has more than doubled since 2019, Kazakhstan said Friday, giving conservationists fresh hope for the steppe-dwelling animal's long-term survival.
Endangered Iberian lynx population keeps growing
Once on the verge of extinction, the Iberian lynx population in Spain and Portugal has risen more than 10-fold over the past 18 years, the Spanish government said Friday.
NASA Selects Proposals to Conduct Fluid Physics Flow Boiling Experiments on the International Space Station
May 28, 2021
NASA Physical Sciences Research Program has selected two flight proposals to conduct experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) using a new flow boiling module for the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE) in support of in-space cryogenic propellant tank transfer research.
Research from the selected proposals will develop fundamental understanding of...
Researchers prepare to send fungi for a ride around the moon
Microbiologists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory are preparing experimental samples of fungi to send for a ride around the moon tentatively scheduled for later in 2021 or early 2022.
Academic who helped change No 10 Covid policy in first wave warns of easing risk
Exclusive: Prof Sir Tim Gowers says ‘things will get bad very quickly’ after June if variant spread underestimatedGowers’ herd immunity document sent to Dominic CummingsSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Cambridge professor whose argument against a herd immunity strategy helped trigger England’s first lockdown has voiced concerns about the risks of easing restrictions next month.Prof Sir...
Open, expressive family life may reduce social deprivation effects among adopted children
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 17:41
An environment in which family members support one another and express their feelings can reduce the effects of social deprivation on cognitive ability and development among adopted children, suggests a small study. In contrast, rule-driven households where family members are in conflict may increase an adopted child's chances for cognitive, behavioral and emotional difficulties.
Natural gas pipeline density higher overall in more vulnerable US counties
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 17:41
An analysis found counties with more socially vulnerable populations had a higher density of natural gas pipelines overall.
Scientists develop transparent electrode that boosts solar cell efficiency
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 17:41
Developing new ultrathin metal electrodes has allowed researchers to create semitransparent perovskite solar cells that are highly efficient and can be coupled with traditional silicon cells to greatly boost the performance of both devices, said an international team of scientists. The research represents a step toward developing completely transparent solar cells.
Video platforms normalize exotic pets
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 17:41
Researchers are concerned video sharing platforms could be contributing to the normalization of exotic pets and encouraging the exotic pet trade.
Tiniest of moments proves key for baby's healthy brain
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 17:41
The new findings identify a potential contributor to microcephaly, a birth defect in which the head is underdeveloped and abnormally small.
Waking just one hour earlier cuts depression risk by double digits, study finds
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 17:41
A genetic study of 840,000 people found that shifting sleep time earlier by just an hour decreases risk of major depression by 23 percent.
Reef-building corals and the microscopic algae within their cells evolve together
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/28 17:41
The microscopic algae that live inside and provide nutrients to their reef-building coral hosts may be evolving in tandem with the corals they inhabit. A new study by biologists reveals that genetic differences within a species of these microalgal symbionts correspond to the coral species they inhabit, a discovery that could have implications for the conservation of these endangered corals.