164 articles from TUESDAY 21.9.2021

Moths use acoustic decoys to dodge bat attacks

In dark skies around the world there unfolds a nightly battle between bats and the nocturnal insects upon which they feast. You'd have thought bats, equipped as they are with echolocation, in which they navigate using sound, would have no trouble gobbling up the apparently clueless insects you see banging against your windows after dusk.

NASA Study Examines Houston-area Air Quality Issues

Portal origin URL: NASA Study Examines Houston-area Air Quality IssuesPortal origin nid: 474075Published: Tuesday, September 21, 2021 - 08:12Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: NASA scientists are in Houston this month for an intensive air quality study exploring the effects of emissions and weather on air pollution, as well as the relationship between...

Compact amplifier could revolutionize optical communication

Researchers present a unique optical amplifier that is expected to revolutionize both space and fiber communication. The new amplifier offers high performance, is compact enough to integrate into a chip just millimeters in size, and -- crucially -- does not generate excess noise.

Japanese Knotweed extract could cut cancer risk of processed meat

Scientists have developed processed red meat that includes added natural substitutes which reduces the carcinogenic compound nitrite added to preserve meats. The range of sausages and hams had a mixture of plants and fruits added to them which included rosemary, green tea, and resveratrol -- an extract taken from Japanese Knotweed.

Trials begin on Covid booster jab hoped to protect against new variants

Self-amplifying mRNA jab aims to trigger immune response towards virus’s spike and non-spike proteinsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe first trials have begun of a Covid booster jab that it is hoped will offer good protection against a wide range of variants, researchers have revealed.Covid jabs currently used in the UK trigger an immune response towards the...

Insects are vanishing from our planet at an alarming rate. But there are ways to help them | Dave Goulson

In Germany, flying insects have declined by 76% in 26 years. In the UK, common butterfly populations have fallen by 46% since 1976. We should be alarmed by this insect apocalypseInsects have been around for more than 400m years, their ancestors crawling from the oceans to colonise the land long before dinosaurs appeared. They have been enormously successful, evolving into a staggering diversity of...