142 articles from TUESDAY 17.8.2021
Apple says researchers can vet its child safety features. But it’s suing a startup that does just that.
When Apple announced new technology that will check its US iCloud service for known child sexual abuse material, it was met with fierce criticism over worries that the feature could be abused for broad government surveillance. Faced with public resistance, Apple insisted that its technology can be held accountable.
“Security researchers are constantly able to introspect what’s happening...
'Connection with the past': AI to find and preserve Europe's historical smells
There's no sense quite like smell to trigger an emotional response. One whiff of a damp basement, a dusty blanket, a ripe strawberry, or a steaming bowl of pasta can instantly evoke feelings and memories that have their roots in the distant past. Yet when it comes to learning about bygone times, we barely give a thought to the vapors that once prevailed—galleries and museums are the domain of...
Study examines how to use your team's emotions to boost creativity
If you're putting together a team for a project, you might be inclined to pick people with cheerful, optimistic dispositions and flexible thinking. But a new management study indicates your team might also benefit from people who are exactly the opposite, according to experts at Rice University, the University of Western Australia, Bond University and the University of Queensland.
Light can trigger key signaling pathway for embryonic development as well as cancer
Blue light is illuminating new understanding of a key signaling pathway in embryo development, tissue maintenance and cancer genesis.
Study: As cities grow in size, the poor 'get nothing at all'
Cities are hubs of human activity, supercharging the exchange of ideas and interactions. Scaling theory has established that, as cities grow larger, they tend to produce more of pretty much everything from pollution and crime to patents and wealth. On average, people in larger cities are better off economically. But a new study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface builds on...
Humans vs. automation: Service center agents can outperform technology, study shows
In the digital age, service center operations, including call centers and help desks, are increasingly important as main channels for organizations to interact with their customers. Companies are looking for ways to manage service centers more efficiently—including routing calls to appropriate representatives—because service centers have a direct impact on customer satisfaction and firm...
New way of analyzing tree rings confirms unprecedented central Asia warming
A relatively new way of analyzing tree rings has allowed researchers to reconstruct temperatures in Mongolia since 1269 C.E. The new reconstruction confirms that since the 1990s, summer temperatures are the warmest the region has seen in the past eight centuries.
Free electron laser insight: laser-beam interaction in a dipole magnet
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/17 21:26
Researchers contributed to a deeper understanding of free electron laser physics by evaluating the interaction between an ultraviolet laser and a relativistic electron beam in a pure dipole magnet. The team used a 266-nm laser at the soft x-ray FEL test facility to modulate an 800-MeV electron beam....The results showed that a short dipole magnet can serve as an effective tool for introducing...
Vaccine stockpiling by nations could lead to increase in COVID-19 cases, novel variant emergence, study finds
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/17 21:25
The extent of vaccine nationalism, wherein countries stockpile vaccines to prioritize access for their citizenry over equitable vaccine sharing, may strongly impact global trajectories of COVID-19 case numbers and increase the potential emergence of novel variants, according to a new study.
Tennessee: fired vaccine expert denies sending dog muzzle to herself
Dr Michelle Fiscus says muzzle was sent anonymously, perhaps as a warning, before she was fired over efforts to vaccinate teenagersA former Tennessee government official who was fired amid controversy over vaccine access for teenagers has denied sending herself a dog muzzle she told authorities was delivered anonymously, possibly as a warning to be quiet, after investigators determined it was...
'It bit me on my neck and I blacked out': Man recalls polar bear attack in Nunavut
Elijah Kaernerk said he saw one of the women being attacked in a similar manner in which a polar bear catches a seal. He said he started blacking out, but did his best to get up and distract the bear, in an effort to try and save the...
On the road to faster and more efficient data storage
How do magnetic waves behave in antiferromagnets and how do they spread? What role do "domain walls" play in the process? And what could this mean for the future of data storage? These questions are the focus of a recent publication in the journal Physical Review Letters from an international research team led by Konstanz physicist Dr. Davide Bossini. The team reports on magnetic phenomena in...
Astronomers see galaxies in ultra-high definition
Researchers capture some of the most detailed images ever seen of galaxies in deep space.
Dieting: Villain or scapegoat?
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/17 19:14
For decades, there has been an accepted definition of dieting in academia, and in society as a whole. Researchers recently reevaluated the decades of dieting research to redefine the way researchers and the public define -- and therefore understand - dieting and the culture of weight loss.
Bioprocess for converting plant materials into valuable chemicals
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/17 19:14
Scientists have developed a bioprocess using engineered yeast that completely and efficiently converted plant matter consisting of acetate and xylose into high-value bioproducts.
Invasive plants are still for sale as garden ornamentals, research shows
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/17 19:14
Ecologists show that 1,330 nurseries, garden centers and online retailers are still offering hundreds of invasive plant species as ornamental garden plants. This includes 20 species that are illegal to grow or sell nationwide.
New simulation shows how galaxies feed their supermassive black holes
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/17 19:14
While other simulations have modeled black hole growth, new model is the first single computer simulation powerful enough to comprehensively account for the numerous forces and factors that play into the evolution of supermassive black holes. Simulation shows that galaxies' spiral arms 'put the brakes on gas,' enabling it to fall into the black hole and as gas heats up while falling into a black...
Antibodies elicited by COVID-19 vaccination effective against delta variant
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/17 19:14
Researchers have found that the delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 is largely unable to evade antibodies elicited by vaccination. The findings help explain why vaccinated people have been at low risk of getting seriously ill with COVID-19 despite a surge in cases caused by the delta variant.
Fast changes between the solar seasons resolved by new sun clock
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/17 19:14
Violent activity on our Sun leads to some of the most extreme space weather events on Earth, impacting systems such as satellites, communications systems, power distribution and aviation. The roughly 11 year cycle of solar activity has three 'seasons', each of which affects the space weather felt at Earth differently: (i) solar maximum, the sun is active and disordered, when space weather is...
Previously unrecognized genetic mutation may underlie some cases of sudden infant death
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/17 19:14
A previously healthy infant who suffered aborted sudden cardiac death was found to have a de novo genetic mutation in the SOS1 gene. Such mutations are typical of Noonan syndrome and suggests the syndrome may be a cause of unrecognized sudden death in infancy.
Engineers grow 3D bioprinted blood vessel
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/17 19:14
Scientists have designed a 3D-bioprinted model of a blood vessel that mimics its state of health and disease, thus paving the way for possible cardiovascular drug advancements with better precision.
How microbes can exacerbate cognitive decline
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/17 19:13
Recent research has found that changes in the gut microbiota -- the trillions of bacteria and other microbes that live in the intestines -- can alter the brain and behavior. A new study could elucidate how and why that phenomenon occurs.
Contact tracing is key to suppressing COVID-19, research shows
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/17 19:13
New research suggests that officials should prioritize contact tracing and quarantine.
Humanoid robots perform flawless parkour routine
Two Boston Dynamics robots named Atlas push the envelope of human mimicry as they jump, step and flip through a parkour obstacle...