258 articles from MONDAY 12.7.2021

Improving data-independent acquisition proteomics

Proteomics produces enormous amounts of data, which can be very complex to analyze and interpret. The free software platform MaxQuant has proven to be invaluable for data analysis of shotgun proteomics over the past decade. Now, Jürgen Cox, group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, and his team present the new version 2.0. It provides an improved computational workflow for...

Researchers on quest to understand how different sexes first evolved

For 30 years, University of Tokyo Associate Professor Hisayoshi Nozaki has traveled an hour west of Tokyo to visit the Sagami River and collect algal samples to understand how living things evolved different sexes. Through new analysis of samples collected in 2007 and 2013 from dam lakes along the river, Lake Sagami and Lake Tsukui, researchers identified a species of freshwater algae that evolved...

NASA Lucy Mission’s Message to the Future

Portal origin URL: NASA Lucy Mission’s Message to the FuturePortal origin nid: 472461Published: Monday, July 12, 2021 - 13:45Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: As the first-ever mission to the Trojan asteroids, Lucy will survey this enigmatic population of small bodies that orbit the Sun beyond the main asteroid belt - trapped by Jupiter and the Sun...

Human environmental genome recovered in the absence of skeletal remains

Ancient sediments from caves have already been proven to preserve DNA for thousands of years. The amount of recovered sequences from environmental sediments, however, is generally low, which confounds the analyses performed with these sequences. A study led by Ron Pinhasi and Pere Gelabert of the University of Vienna and published in Current Biology successfully retrieved three mammalian...

Sea-level rise may worsen existing Bay Area inequities

Rather than waiting for certainty in sea-level rise projections, policymakers can plan now for future coastal flooding by addressing existing inequities among the most vulnerable communities in flood zones, according to Stanford research.

UK Covid: Johnson urges people to take unlocking ‘as slowly as we can’ amid 34,471 new cases – as it happened

This live blog is now closed. For more coronavirus news from around the world, head to our global Covid blogPM urges Covid caution as hospitalisations could hit at least 1,000 a dayWhat Sage says about impact of PM’s plan to ease restrictions in EnglandBusinesses urged to check people’s Covid status as reopening confirmedWhitty says there is no ideal time to lift restrictionsJavid confirms...

NASA’s Mars Helicopter Reveals Intriguing Terrain for Rover Team

Portal origin URL: NASA’s Mars Helicopter Reveals Intriguing Terrain for Rover TeamPortal origin nid: 472478Published: Monday, July 12, 2021 - 13:34Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: Ingenuity’s ninth flight provided imagery that will help the Perseverance rover team develop its science plan going forward.Portal image: NASA’s Ingenuity Mars...

Virgin Galactic shares fall after $500m stock sale announcement

Fundraising decision comes only a day after Richard Branson took a flight to the edge of spaceShares in Virgin Galactic have fallen back to earth with a bump after an announcement by the spaceflight firm of its plans to sell up to $500m (£360m) of stock – only a day after the company’s founder, Richard Branson, completed a flight to the edge of space.Virgin Galactic’s share price had risen...

Chinese achieve new milestone with 56 qubit computer

A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in China, working at the University of Science and Technology of China, has achieved another milestone in the development of a usable quantum computer. The group has written a paper describing its latest efforts and have uploaded it to the arXiv preprint server.

The fine nose of storks

The sharp eyes of an eagle, the extraordinary hearing of an owl - to successfully find food, the eyes and ears of birds have adapted optimally to their living conditions. Until now, the sense of smell has played a rather subordinate role. When meadows are freshly mowed, storks often appear there to search for snails and frogs. Researchers have now studied the birds' behavior and discovered that...