292 articles from TUESDAY 20.7.2021
Some drought-imposed fishing limits lifted on Colorado River
Colorado lifted some fishing restrictions along a stretch of the Colorado River on Tuesday, but biologists warn that historically low water flows caused by a drought in the U.S. West, high water temperatures and wildfire sediment that all starve trout of oxygen could force future bans.
New technology shows promise in detecting, blocking grid cyberattacks
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/20 22:08
Researchers have designed and demonstrated a technology that can block cyberattacks from impacting the nation's electric power grid.
Novel method for glucagon delivery
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/20 22:08
A chemical and biomolecular engineer is rethinking the traditional use of glucagon as an emergency response by administering it as a preventive measure.
COVID-19 shutdowns reveal racial disparities in exposure to air pollution
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/20 22:08
A new study of COVID-19 shutdowns in the United States reveals pronounced disparities in air pollution -- with disenfranchised, minority neighborhoods still experiencing more exposure to a harmful air pollutant compared to wealthier, white communities.
Monster wildfire tests years of forest management efforts
Ecologists in a vast region of wetlands and forest in remote Oregon have spent the past decade thinning young trees and using planned fires to try to restore the thick stands of ponderosa to a less fire-prone state.
Research shows microbes play critical role boosting vigor of hybrid corn
A new paper appearing the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences gives new detail and understanding to the cultivation of corn, one of the United States' biggest cash crops.
Signs of life on Mars? Perseverance rover begins the hunt
NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover has begun its search for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. Flexing its 7-foot (2-meter) mechanical arm, the rover is testing the sensitive detectors it carries, capturing their first science readings. Along with analyzing rocks using X-rays and ultraviolet light, the six-wheeled scientist will zoom in for closeups of tiny segments of rock surfaces that...
Researchers develop novel method for glucagon delivery
For children with Type 1 diabetes, the risk of experiencing a severe hypoglycemic episode is especially common—and for parents, the threat of that happening in the middle of the night is especially frightening. Sudden and critical drops in blood sugar can go undetected overnight when the child is asleep, resulting in coma and death—an event known as "dead in bed syndrome."
COVID-19 shutdowns reveal racial disparities in exposure to air pollution
A new study of COVID-19 shutdowns in the United States reveals pronounced disparities in air pollution—with disenfranchised, minority neighborhoods still experiencing more exposure to a harmful air pollutant compared to wealthier, white communities. This first-of-a-kind study published today by researchers at the George Washington University looks at how air pollution changed after schools and...
NASA Study Finds Tropical Forests’ Ability to Absorb Carbon Dioxide Is Waning
Portal origin URL: NASA Study Finds Tropical Forests’ Ability to Absorb Carbon Dioxide Is WaningPortal origin nid: 472650Published: Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - 15:54Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: The finding comes out of an effort to map where vegetation is emitting and soaking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.Portal image: Amazon rain...
Using snakes to monitor Fukushima radiation
Ten years after one of the largest nuclear accidents in history spewed radioactive contamination over the landscape in Fukushima, Japan, a University of Georgia study has shown that radioactive contamination in the Fukushima Exclusion Zone can be measured through its resident snakes.
New evidence of menopause in killer whales
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/20 21:12
Scientists have found new evidence of menopause in killer whales - raising fascinating questions about how and why it evolved.
Microbes play critical role boosting vigor of hybrid corn, research shows
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/20 21:08
A news study shows soil microbes boost 'hybrid vigor,' a well-known phenomenon where crosses between inbred lines of corn and other crops produce offspring that outperform their parents in yield, drought resistance and other desirable qualities.
Using snakes to monitor Fukushima radiation
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/20 21:07
Ten years after one of the largest nuclear accidents in history spewed radioactive contamination over the landscape in Fukushima, Japan, a new study has shown that radioactive contamination in the Fukushima Exclusion Zone can be measured through its resident snakes.
New insight into 'training' highly reactive chemical compounds
Highly reactive molecules cannot survive for long in nature. If researchers want to study them more closely, they must produce them under very specific laboratory conditions. Compared to "normal" molecules, many of these tiny particles have a distinguishing feature: They simply bind with everything around them and are therefore very difficult to direct.
Bezos says 'awestruck' by Earth's beauty as seen from space
Jeff Bezos said the "most profound" aspect of his brief journey to space was the spectacular view he saw of Earth, which left him amazed by its beauty and fragility.
Panda loaned to France by China is pregnant again: zoo
Huan Huan, a giant panda on loan to France by Beijing since 2012, is pregnant again and could soon grace the country with her second cub, the Beauval zoo in central France said Tuesday.
DNA assay aids in identifying and protecting North American wolves, coyotes
Forensics specialists can use a commercial assay targeting mitochondrial DNA to accurately discriminate between wolf, coyote and dog species, according to a new study from North Carolina State University. The genetic information can be obtained from smaller or more degraded samples, and could aid authorities in prosecuting hunting jurisdiction violations and preserving protected species.
15,000-year-old viruses discovered in Tibetan glacier ice
Scientists who study glacier ice have found viruses nearly 15,000 years old in two ice samples taken from the Tibetan Plateau in China. Most of those viruses, which survived because they had remained frozen, are unlike any viruses that have been cataloged to date.
Fish friends help in a crisis
It's good to have friends.
Wally Funk fulfills lifelong dream to go to space with Blue Origin flight
The 82-year-old became the oldest person to go to space, six decades after being denied by the US governmentBezos hails ‘best day ever’ after successful Blue Origin flightWally Funk, a pilot who was denied the chance to go into space in the 1960s because she was a woman, said “I want to go again, fast”, after returning from a successful flight with the Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos.With...
SARS-CoV-2: Achilles' heel of viral RNA
When SARS-CoV-2 infects a cell, it introduces its RNA into it and re-programs it in such a way that the cell first produces viral proteins and then whole viral particles. In the search for active substances against SARS-CoV-2, researchers have so far mostly concentrated on the viral proteins and on blocking them, since this promises to prevent, or at least slow down, replication. But attacking the...
Blue Origin takes its first passengers to space
This time, there was a blastoff.
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos and three other civilians watched the sky turn from blue to black this morning as the company’s reusable rocket and capsule system New Shepard passed the Kármán line, the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space.
Around 9:25 a.m. US Eastern time, Bezos and his fellow...
Unleashing Treg cells may lead to treatments for multiple sclerosis
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/20 19:52
In a new study, researchers found that a certain protein prevented regulatory T cells (Tregs) from effectively doing their job in controlling the damaging effects of inflammation in a model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a devastating autoimmune disease of the nervous system.
Long-term prognosis for some patients with severe brain injury better than expected, study finds
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/20 19:52
New research adds to a body of evidence indicating decisions about withdrawing life-sustaining treatment for patients with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) should not be made in the early days following injury.
DNA assay aids in identifying and protecting North American wolves, coyotes
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/20 19:52
Forensics specialists can use a commercial assay targeting mitochondrial DNA to accurately discriminate between wolf, coyote and dog species. The genetic information could aid authorities in prosecuting hunting jurisdiction violations and preserving protected species.
'Springing forward' affects early birds less than night owls
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/20 19:52
Every spring, the Daylight Saving Time shift robs people of an hour of sleep - and a new study shows that DNA plays a role in how much the time change affects individuals. People whose genetic profile makes them more likely to be 'early birds' can adjust to the time change in a few days. But those who tend to be 'night owls' could take more than a week to get back on track.
Spinal fluid biomarkers detect neurodegeneration, Alzheimer's disease in living patients
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/20 18:23
Alzheimer's disease and other forms of neurodegeneration can be identified using a combination of biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid of living patients, researchers find.
Fish friends help in a crisis
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/20 18:23
To better understand how familiarity impacts social fishes, a group of research scientists studied this idea using schooling coral reef fish.