153 articles from TUESDAY 24.8.2021
Understanding Antarctic ice historic changes could reveal future changes
The Antarctic Ice Sheet, Earth's southern polar ice sheet, has grown and receded and grown again over millions of years. This changing mass influences the planet's climate and sea levels, with historic data recorded in sediment, meltwater and surrounding oceans. However, the remote and difficult nature of the sheet leaves researchers with limited access to collect samples and data that may reveal...
Human, swine waste pose dual threats to water quality after flooding
A study that monitored surface waters in the wake of 2018's Hurricane Florence finds that waters contaminated by fecal bacteria were affected by both human and swine waste.
Rise of the robo-drama: Young Vic creates new play using artificial intelligence
Inspired by a Guardian article, the theatre’s surreal and spellbinding show AI is a collaboration between humans and the system GPT-3Last autumn, a deep-learning computer programme wrote an essay for the Guardian. The GPT-3 system argued that humans had nothing to fear from robots. Kwame Kwei-Armah, artistic director of the Young Vic, read it and felt inspired. Could there be a future in...
Cosmic rays may be key to understanding galactic dynamics
Cosmic rays are charged subnuclear particles that move close to the speed of light, constantly raining down on the Earth. These particles are relativistic, as defined by Albert Einstein's special relativity, and manage to generate a magnetic field that controls the way they move within the galaxy.
Farmed carnivores may become 'disease reservoirs' posing human health risk
Carnivorous animals lack key genes needed to detect and respond to infection by pathogens, a study has found. Farming large numbers of carnivores, like mink, could allow the formation of undetected 'disease reservoirs', in which a pathogen could spread to many animals and mutate to become a risk to human health.
Geneticists map the rhinoceros family tree
There's been an age-old question going back to Darwin's time about the relationships among the world's five living rhinoceros species. One reason answers have been hard to come by is that most rhinos went extinct before the Pleistocene. Now, researchers reporting in the journal Cell on August 24 have helped to fill the gaps in the rhino evolutionary family tree by analyzing genomes of all five...
Research shows children have natural ability to survive, thrive and learn during lockdowns
A new report released today by Rangahau Mātauranga o Aotearoa | NZCER and Te Kura o Te Mātauranga, Institute of Education, at Massey University shows children have a natural ability to survive, thrive and learn during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Women leaders less likely than men to receive support following major terrorist attacks
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, U.S. President George W. Bush's approval ratings shot up from near 50 percent to over 80 percent. High-profile, international terrorist attacks typically produce this effect, which political scientists call a "rally 'round the flag"—constituents increase their support for incumbent presidents and prime ministers when their country is met with a serious national...
How will the global community react if vulnerable nations pioneer solar radiation geoengineering?
Jonathan Gilligan, associate professor of Earth and environmental sciences and civil and environmental engineering, and a group of international researchers have illustrated potential international conflicts over climate change.
Helping engineers better predict clay landslides
Norway experiences dangerous landslides due to its clay-rich soil. For her Master's thesis in civil engineering at EPFL, Mathilde Metral outlined steps that the country's geotechnical engineers can take to improve the predictive computer model they're currently developing.
Breast milk of mothers who received COVID-19 vaccine contains antibodies that fight illness
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/24 16:41
The breast milk of lactating mothers vaccinated against COVID-19 contains a significant supply of antibodies that may help protect nursing infants from the illness, according to new research.
Human, swine waste pose dual threats to water quality after flooding
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/24 16:41
A study that monitored surface waters in the wake of 2018's Hurricane Florence finds that waters contaminated by fecal bacteria were affected by both human and swine waste.
Age-related decline in two sirtuin enzymes alters mitochondrial dynamics, weakens cardiac contractions
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/24 16:41
The potential protective effect of sirtuin enzymes in age-related diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, remains an area of intense investigation. Now, researchers has determined that sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) levels decline in aging hearts, disrupting the ability of cardiac muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) to contract in response to ischemia-reperfusion injury.
Food claiming to have 'wild mushrooms' rarely does, study finds
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/24 16:41
Harvesting wild mushrooms requires an expert eye to distinguish between the delicious and the poisonous, which makes products with truly wild mushrooms expensive. However, due to minimal regulations around the harvest and sale of wild fungi, it's nearly impossible to know what mushroom species are included in the product. A new study used DNA barcoding to show that 16 food products labeled with...
Viruses leave traces long after infection, research finds
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/24 16:41
Viruses do not always kill the cells they infect. Researchers have discovered in experiments with mice that cells have the power to self-heal and eliminate viruses. However, these cells undergo long-term changes. The findings may provide a hint as to why cured hepatitis C patients are more susceptible to liver cancer for years after.
Drinking sufficient water could prevent heart failure
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/24 16:41
Staying well-hydrated throughout life could reduce the risk of developing heart failure, according to new research.
Report shows adult brain tumor incidence rates are decreasing but 5-year survival rates remain low
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/24 16:41
A new study found that incidence rates for malignant brain and other central nervous system (CNS) tumors declined by 0.8% annually during 2008 through 2017 in the United States for all ages combined.
How adolescents used drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/24 16:41
Among adolescents ages 10 to 14 in the U.S, the overall rate of drug use remained relatively stable in the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, one change was a decreased use of alcohol, but an increased use of nicotine and misuse of prescription drugs.
Stress from rising population numbers may cause a decline in human fertility
- ScienceDaily
- 21/8/24 16:41
A predicted population drop at the end of the century could be explained by stress from meaningless social interactions.
In situ extraction and detection of DNA using nanopores
Being able to detect DNA from a single cell is important for the detection of diseases and genetic disorders. Measuring single DNA molecules has been possible for some time; however, directly detecting samples at the point of extraction with no need for subsequent steps has not. Now, researchers at SANKEN, Osaka University have demonstrated a method of releasing DNA at the point of measurement....
With a focus on deterrence, the first police force was a success
The world's first professional police force, The London Metropolitan Police, deterred crime and brought a significant reduction in violent crimes when it was introduced nearly 200 years ago. By using historical data, a new economics study examines the relationship between policing and crime levels.
One Year Out: NASA’s Psyche Mission Moves Closer to Launch
Portal origin URL: One Year Out: NASA’s Psyche Mission Moves Closer to Launch Portal origin nid: 473463Published: Tuesday, August 24, 2021 - 10:33Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: As part of NASA’s Discovery Program, the mission to explore a metal-rich asteroid is well on its way to an August 2022 launch.Portal image: NASA’s Psyche...
I’m Supposed To Be in a Wedding. Will I Risk Bringing COVID-19 Home to My Kids?
Welcome to COVID Questions, TIME’s advice column. We’re trying to make living through the pandemic a little easier, with expert-backed answers to your toughest coronavirus-related dilemmas. While we can’t and don’t offer medical advice—those questions should go to your doctor—we hope this column will help you sort through this stressful and confusing time. Got...
Cockatoos and rainbow lorikeets battle for nest space as the best old trees disappear
The housing market in most parts of Australia is notoriously competitive. You might be surprised to learn we humans are not the only ones facing such difficulties.
Male Y chromosome facilitates the evolution of sex differences in body size
Females and males differ in many ways and yet they share the same genome. The only exception is the male Y chromosome. Using beetles as a study system, new research from Uppsala University, now published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, shows that despite the Y chromosome containing very few genes, it can dramatically change male body size and thus facilitate the evolution of sex differences.