163 articles from WEDNESDAY 1.9.2021

Study shows a whale of a difference between songs of birds and humpbacks

Decades of research have been dedicated to understanding humpback whale songs. Why do they sing? What and where is the intended audience of these songs? To help uncover the answers, many scientists have framed whale songs as something similar to bird songs: vocalizations designed for attracting potential mates, or warnings to competitors.

Palm tree disease in Florida transmitted by traveling bug from Jamaica

What began as a curious survey of an insect in Florida revealed a much larger network of movement across the Caribbean basin. Haplaxius crudus, commonly known as the American palm cixiid, transmits phytoplasmas (bacteria that cause plant diseases) in palm. The American palm cixiid is known to transmit lethal yellowing disease and lethal bronzing disease, both of which are lethal to a variety of...

Beyond dopamine: New reward circuitry discovered

The key to overcoming addictions and psychiatric disorders lives deep inside the netherworld of our brains and the circuitry that causes us to feel good. Just like space, this region of the brain needs more exploration. Researchers have now pushed the science forward on our reward pathways and found there is another pathway beyond dopamine.

Having MS plus depression may be tied to increased risk of early death

Depression is common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and a new study shows that people with both conditions may be more likely to die over the next decade than people with just one or neither condition. The study also found that people with MS and depression have an increased risk of developing vascular disease such as heart attack and stroke.

Physicists find 'magnon' origins in 2D magnet

Rice physicists have confirmed the topological origins of magnons, magnetic features they discovered three years ago in a 2D material that could prove useful for encoding information in the spins of electrons.

Long-lasting disinfectant promises to help fight pandemics

University of Central Florida researchers have developed a nanoparticle-based disinfectant that can continuously kill viruses on a surface for up to seven days—a discovery that could be a powerful weapon against COVID-19 and other emerging pathogenic viruses.

Organic 2-oxocarboxylic acids provide link to formation of radicals and reactive oxygen species in atmospheric particles

When the humidity in the atmosphere is relatively high, the particles naturally present, also known as aerosol droplets, grow to play a significant role in the chemistry and climate of Earth. These particles are produced from either clean or polluted air, after emissions of gases that nucleate and condense while in the atmosphere. Many times this process is affected by the presence of organic...

NASA's Deep Space Network looks to the future

When NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover touched down on the Red Planet, the agency's Deep Space Network (DSN) was there, enabling the mission to send and receive the data that helped make the event possible. When OSIRIS-REx took samples of asteroid Bennu this past year, the DSN played a crucial role, not just in sending the command sequence to the probe, but also in transmitting its stunning...

Nasal cartilage relieves osteoarthritis in the knee

Cartilage cells from the nasal septum can not only help repair cartilage injuries in the knee -- according to researchers, they can also withstand the chronic inflammatory tissue environment in osteoarthritis and even counteract the inflammation.

Bionic arm restores natural behaviors in patients with upper limb amputations

Researchers have engineered a bionic arm for patients with upper-limb amputations that allows wearers to think, behave and function like a person without an amputation, according to new findings. The bionic system combines three important functions - intuitive motor control, touch and grip kinesthesia, the intuitive feeling of opening and closing the hand.

NASA at Your Table: Climate Change and Its Environmental Impacts on Crop Growth

Portal origin URL: NASA at Your Table: Climate Change and Its Environmental Impacts on Crop GrowthPortal origin nid: 473691Published: Wednesday, September 1, 2021 - 14:16Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: The Earth is heating up. The effects of human-caused global climate change are becoming more and more apparent as we see more record-breaking heat...

Vanity plates in Greece may be a form of 'conspicuous corruption'

In Greece, drivers cannot legally purchase custom vanity plates. However, a new study confirms an open secret: that the country has an illegal market for acquiring license plates with distinctive number patterns, perhaps as a form of "conspicuous corruption." Panos Louridas and Diomidis Spinellis of the Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece, report their findings in the open-access...

Illegal cannabis farms infringe on crucial habitat for sensitive birds and mammals

Sites favored by illegal cannabis farmers on the West Coast of the United States overlap with the habitat ranges of three threatened predators, potentially exposing them to toxic pesticides, according to a study by Greta Wengert at the Integral Ecology Research Center in California and colleagues, publishing September 1 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

Improving Food Security Through Capacity Building

Portal origin URL: Improving Food Security Through Capacity BuildingPortal origin nid: 473687Published: Wednesday, September 1, 2021 - 13:28Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the challenges of food security; however, each region has a common ally: a fleet of Earth observing satellites working around the clock to...

Dutch probe mystery porpoise deaths

Dutch scientists were on Wednesday probing the mysterious deaths of dozens of harbour porpoises whose carcasses have been washing up on the country's northern beaches since last week.

What young stars teach us about the birth of our solar system

The familiar star at the center of our solar system has had billions of years to mature and ultimately provide life-giving energy to us here on Earth. But a very long time ago, our sun was just a growing baby star. What did the sun look like when it was so young? That's long been a mystery that, if solved, could teach us about the formation of our solar system—so-named because sol is the Latin...

One in seven children with Covid still suffering three months later – study

Researchers also find no difference in mental health scores between children who test positive or negativeCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageUp to one in seven children who test positive for coronavirus could still have symptoms linked to the disease three months later, according to a study that suggests the prevalence of long Covid in young people is lower than...

Britons with severely weak immune systems to be offered third Covid jab

Health officials say shots are not boosters but part of vaccination schedule for half a million patientsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHalf a million people with severely weakened immune systems are to be offered third Covid vaccine shots in a move that will increase debate over the rollout of booster jabs for the wider population.The NHS will provide third doses for...

Deadwood in the global carbon cycle

Living trees absorb a considerable amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and therefore play an important role in the protection of our climate. Little is known about the role of dead trees in the global carbon cycle, though. The decomposition of wood and the recycling of the nutrients it contains are among the most important processes to take place in forests.