181 articles from THURSDAY 12.8.2021
People in the Philippines have the most Denisovan DNA
Researchers have known from several lines of evidence that the ancient hominins known as the Denisovans interbred with modern humans in the distant past. Now researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on August 12 have discovered that the Philippine Negrito ethnic group known as the Ayta Magbukon have the highest level of Denisovan ancestry in the world. In fact, they carry considerably...
Warfare, not climate, is driving resurgent hunger in Africa, says study
For years, it seemed the world was making progress eliminating hunger. Then, starting in 2014, the trend slid back slowly and reversed in many nations; now, some 700 million people—nearly 9 percent of the world's population—go to bed hungry, according to the UN.
New mechanisms of activity improvement on bimetallic catalysts for hydrogen generation and fuel cells
A group of researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Xiamen University has revealed new understandings of how surface ruthenium atoms can improve the hydrogen evolution and oxidation activities of platinum. This discovery opens a new venue for rational design of more advanced catalysts for electrolyzer and fuel cell applications.
Four things to know about the latest IPCC climate report
The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released the first report of its sixth assessment—known as AR6—which focused on the physical science, the physics and chemistry of the changing climate.
Italy firefighters battle 500 blazes after record heat
Italian firefighters said Thursday they had battled more than 500 blazes overnight as another death was reported, taking the total toll linked to wildfires to four over the past week.
Greece facing 'ecological disaster' from raging wildfires
Hundreds of firefighters battled Thursday to contain new flare-ups in wildfire-ravaged areas of Greece, where summer infernos have caused what the prime minister described as the country's "greatest ecological disaster in decades".
NASA facility in Ohio named for native son Neil Armstrong
A NASA research facility in Ohio has been renamed after astronaut Neil Armstrong, who was born in the state and returned shortly after he became the first man to walk on the moon.
Days of hot weather grip Southern Europe, North Africa
Stifling heat kept its grip on much of Southern Europe on Thursday, driving people indoors at midday, spoiling crops, triggering drinking water restrictions, turning public libraries into cooling "climate shelters" and complicating the already difficult challenge firefighters faced battling wildfires.
Home schooling is hundreds of years old – here's what its history teaches us about learning through play
The UK government's COVID recovery plans for schools have been criticized for prioritizing learning over wellbeing. Education specialists routinely extol the benefits sports, creative activities and the performing arts can bring to children.
Slow and regular earthquakes interact near Istanbul
Earthquakes typically last only a few seconds, although sometimes the shifts in the subsurface occur in slow motion. Understanding these 'slow quakes', known as 'slow slip events', and their interplay with the short—sometimes violent—tremors is critically important to define the seismic hazard and subsequent risk. An international group led by Patricia Martínez-Garzón, Junior Group Leader at...
Expert strategies to mitigate the educational impacts of the pandemic
Parents, students and decision-makers are dealing with more challenges as we move closer to another pandemic school year. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development characterized COVID-19 school closures as the "greatest disruption in educational opportunity worldwide in a generation," affecting 90 percent of the world's student population. Sociology professor Janice Aurini, an...
Effective temperatures connect equilibrium and nonequilibrium systems
What is temperature? A direct understanding of temperature is the specific number shown on thermometers. A much more scientific definition of temperature is a statistical concept in equilibrium systems. However, what about nonequilibrium systems?
Is your home at risk of experiencing a natural disaster?
Reports from the scenes of natural disasters—raging wildfires, unrelenting floods, violent ground shaking, and devastating tornadoes and hurricanes—fill our news feeds every day. These hazards cause deep disruptions to the health of humans and ecosystems and threaten the safety and integrity of buildings and infrastructure.
A fast, accurate system for quickly solving stubborn RNA structures
The single-stranded genetic material RNA is best known for guiding the assembly of proteins in our cells and carrying the genetic code for viruses like SARS-CoV-2 and HIV. But 40 years ago, scientists discovered another hidden talent: It can catalyze chemical reactions in the cell, including snipping and joining RNA strands. This gave new momentum to the idea that RNA was the driving force behind...
Slow and regular earthquakes interact near Istanbul
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/12 16:34
Earthquakes typically last only a few seconds, although sometimes the shifts in the subsurface occur in slow motion. Understanding these 'slow quakes', known as 'slow slip events', and their interplay with the short - sometimes violent - tremors is critically important to define the seismic hazard and subsequent risk.
One-dimensional red phosphorus glows in unexpected ways
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/12 16:34
Researchers have now found that fibrous red phosphorus, when electrons are confined in its one-dimensional sub-units, can show large optical responses -- that is, the material shows strong photoluminescence under light irradiation. The study shows that strong optical properties exist in a 1D van der Waal material.
In HIV prevention, worsening disparities among U.S. states
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/12 16:34
States with low initial use of HIV-prevention drugs are continuing to fall behind in usage among people at risk for the disease, a new study finds.
Treating the 'root' cause of baldness with a dissolvable microneedle patch
Although some people say that baldness is the "new sexy," for those losing their hair, it can be distressing. An array of over-the-counter remedies are available, but most of them don't focus on the primary causes: oxidative stress and insufficient circulation. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have designed a preliminary microneedle patch containing cerium nanoparticles to combat both...
Unexpected functions of the spinal locomotor network
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Columbia University Irving Medical Center have found an unexpected link between spinal locomotor network activity and adult neurogenesis in the adult zebrafish spinal cord. The study has recently been published in Nature Communications.
Phase changing in graphite by interface charge injection
Graphite, as an important material for Li battery anode and graphene preparation, can exist in two phases: the Bernal (2H) phase and the rhombohedral (3R) phase. The 2H phase has relatively low energy and high proportion in graphite powder, while the 3R phase shows the opposite properties. However, the decrease of the flake graphite size gives rise to the proportion of 3R phase up to 50%.
Inequalities in education continued during second period of school closures
A new study has shown that whilst the amount of home lessons increased during the second period of school closures compared to the first, the inequalities of access between advantaged and disadvantaged families remained.
Low-cost 3D method rapidly measures disease impacts on Florida's coral reefs
Stony coral tissue loss disease manifests as lesions of necrotic tissue that spread across coral colonies, leaving behind dead coral skeletons. Since 2014, this highly virulent disease has contributed to substantial declines of reef-building coral in Florida, impacting more than 20 coral species. The need for widespread reef monitoring and novel surveys are imperative for disease mitigation...
Black students disproportionately disciplined with suspensions and detentions in elementary school
A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) reports that among elementary school-aged children, Black children and multiracial children who were at least partly Black, are at a much higher risk of receiving detention or suspension in school even when accounting for typical predictors of school discipline.