163 articles from WEDNESDAY 28.7.2021
National parochialism widespread, worldwide
In our globalized world, cooperation between citizens of different countries should actually be a matter of course. But around the world, people prefer to cooperate with their own fellow citizens rather than with foreigners. This was the result of a study by an international team of researchers led by Angelo Romano and Matthias Sutter from the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods.
What organizations get wrong about interruptions at work
It comes as no surprise that being interrupted at work by other people can have negative effects, like lowered productivity. But a study shows an upside to these interruptions at work: increased feelings of belonging.
Bacteria from nematodes could be used to kill fire ants
Bacteria-infected nematodes may provide biological control of invasive European fire ants found in Maine, according to a University of Maine-led study.
Hybrid cars are twice as vulnerable to supply chain issues as gas-powered models
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/28 16:57
The global computer chip shortage has hit car manufacturers especially hard, indicating the importance of supply chain resilience. Yet, for hybrid electric vehicles, it isn't clear how their production could be impacted by fluctuating supplies and high prices. To get a grasp of these vulnerabilities compared to those for gas-powered models, researchers conducted a thorough analysis, finding that...
Earth's vital signs worsen amid business-as-usual mindset on climate change
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/28 16:57
Twenty months after declaring a climate emergency and establishing a set of vital signs for the Earth, a coalition headed by two Oregon State University researchers says the updated vital signs "largely reflect the consequences of unrelenting business as usual."
For animal societies, cohesion comes at a cost
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/28 16:57
In a first for wild primates, scientists use 'Fitbit' technology on a troop of baboons to reveal the price of sticking together -- and who pays the most.
Magnetic fields implicated in the mysterious midlife crisis of stars
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/28 16:57
Middle-aged stars can experience their own kind of midlife crisis, experiencing dramatic breaks in their activity and rotation rates at about the same age as our Sun, according to new research. The study provides a new theoretical underpinning for the unexplained breakdown of established techniques for measuring ages of stars past their middle age, and the transition of solar-like stars to a...
Good toothbrushing habits in children linked to mother's wellbeing
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/28 16:56
Researchers have shown that postpartum depression can inhibit a mother's ability to instill healthy tooth brushing habits in children. The study demonstrates the need to foster greater mental support and management for mothers and incorporate these factors when assessing children's oral health.
Hearts from donors who used illicit drugs or overdosed safe for transplant, cuts wait time
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/28 16:56
Tragically, the opioid epidemic has led to an increase in accidental and premature deaths, which has also increased the number of hearts available for potential organ donation. Receiving a heart from a donor who used illicit drugs does not impact the recipient's survival, according to a group of researchers from Virginia, Arizona and Indiana.
Postmenopausal women can dance their way to better health
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/28 16:56
Women often struggle with managing their weight and other health risk factors, such as high cholesterol, once they transition through menopause. A new study suggests that dancing may effectively lower cholesterol levels, improve fitness and body composition and in the process, improve self-esteem.
Common weed could spell bellyache for gluten intolerant
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/28 16:56
New research has identified proteins in a common weed which could play havoc for farmers growing gluten-free crops, such as millet, buckwheat and sorghum, and people suffering from gluten intolerance.
Healthy lifestyle may help mitigate high genetic risk of cancer
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/28 16:56
Healthy lifestyle factors such as abstinence from smoking and drinking, low body mass index, and exercise correlated with decreased cancer incidence, even in individuals with a high genetic risk.
Heart cell protein could lead to new treatments for heart failure and recovery
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/28 16:56
A protein that helps regulate calcium signaling within heart cells could play a key role in preventing chronic heart failure, according to a new study.
3D visualization and quantification of bioplastic PHA in a living bacterial cell
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/28 16:56
A research team has observed how bioplastic granule is being accumulated in living bacteria cells through 3D holographic microscopy. Their 3D imaging and quantitative analysis of the bioplastic 'polyhydroxyalkanoate' (PHA) via optical diffraction tomography provides insights into biosynthesizing sustainable substitutes for petroleum-based plastics.
Making progress in developing probiotic beverages without animal protein
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/28 16:56
A team has demonstrated that fermenting drinks fortified with pea and rice proteins yields the same quality of protein as casein, an animal protein found in milk.
Giant friction experiment at Kilauea volcano
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/28 16:56
A new analysis of the 2018 collapse of Kilauea volcano's caldera helps to confirm the reigning scientific paradigm for how friction works on earthquake faults. The model quantifies the conditions necessary to initiate the kind of caldera collapse that sustains big, damaging eruptions of basaltic volcanoes like Kilauea and could help to inform forecasting and mitigation.
Exercise may boost kids’ vocabulary growth
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/28 16:56
Swimming a few laps likely won't turn your child into the next Katie Ledecky or Michael Phelps, but it just might help them become the next J.K. Rowling or Stephen King. A recent study suggests aerobic exercise, such as swimming, can boost kids' vocabulary growth.
Novel method for fast 3D microscopy
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/28 16:56
Researchers have now developed a method that allows the use of multi-focal images to reconstruct the movement of fast biological processes in 3D.
A reversible male contraceptive, targeted to the testes with magnets
- ScienceDaily
- 21/7/28 16:56
Women have several choices for long-lasting, reversible contraceptives, but most options for men are either single-use, such as condoms, or difficult to reverse, like vasectomies. Now, in a step toward a safe, long-lasting and reversible male contraceptive, researchers have developed magnetic, biodegradable nanomaterials that reduced the likelihood of mice fathering pups for at least 30 days.
Covid vaccine map: how are countries around the world doing?
More than 2bn Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered worldwide. Find out which countries are vaccinating the mostCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageSince the first Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19 was injected into the arm of a British woman in December 2020, hundreds of millions of vaccine doses have been administered worldwide.Dozens of countries now have...
From chemical graphs to structures
3D configurations of atoms dictate all materials properties. Quantitative predictions of accurate equilibrium structures, 3D coordinates of all atoms, from a chemical graph, a representation of the structural formula, is a challenging and computationally expensive task which is at the beginning of practically every computational chemistry workflow. Researchers at the University of Vienna have now...
Typeface decisions grow in importance as a political branding tool
A recent study by Northeastern professor Katherine Haenschen, who researches the intersection of digital media and politics, explores the role of fonts in political branding.
Lessons from segregated schools can help make today's classrooms more inclusive
The intent of school desegregation is clear: Black and white children should attend the same schools, and Black children should not be relegated to inferior buildings, learning materials and extracurricular activities.
Distinguishing genuine patterns from simple human misperceptions
Does the universe follow patterns, or do we humans just see them wherever we look? In a new paper for the Australasian Journal of Philosophy, SFI Program Postdoctoral Fellow Tyler Millhouse proposes a criterion evaluating just how real a pattern is likely to be.
COVID-19-related xenophobia
A lot of entirely unwarranted anti-Asian sentiment in the U.S. and elsewhere has emerged on social media since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had its original source in Wuhan, China, but is a global problem we all must face. Researchers from China and the U.S. have investigated how this xenophobia can be classified on one particularly prominent social media platform, Twitter, with a...