153 articles from THURSDAY 23.9.2021

NASA satellites show how clouds respond to Arctic sea ice change

Clouds are one of the biggest wildcards in predictions of how much and how fast the Arctic will continue to warm in the future. Depending on the time of the year and the changing environment in which they form and exist, clouds can both act to warm and cool the surface below them.

Telescope in Chile captures a doomed galaxy falling into the heart of the Fornax Cluster

The Fornax Cluster—which, as the name suggests, lies primarily in the constellation Fornax (the Furnace)—is a relatively nearby galaxy cluster, only about 60 million light-years from Earth. This means that it looms large in the night sky, stretching across an area more than 100 times larger than the full moon. With over 600 member galaxies, the Fornax Cluster is the second "richest" (most...

Human footprints thought to be oldest in North America discovered

Ancient tracks found in New Mexico are believed to be between 21,000 and 23,000 years old, study saysNew scientific research conducted by archaeologists has uncovered what they believe are the oldest known human footprints in North America.Research done at the White Sands national park in New Mexico discovered the ancient footprints, with researchers estimating that the tracks were between 21,000...

A new solid-state battery surprises the researchers who created it

Engineers created a new type of battery that weaves two promising battery sub-fields into a single battery. The battery uses both a solid state electrolyte and an all-silicon anode, making it a silicon all-solid-state battery. The initial rounds of tests show that the new battery is safe, long lasting, and energy dense. It holds promise for a wide range of applications from grid storage to...

Wide heads help sperm swim together

Researchers used machine learning to discover that sperm with a wide head relative to length are more likely to clump together and swim collectively, a rare behavior that sometimes helps them reach an egg faster. The study provides a new method for understanding how form and function are related in cells with complex behaviors in all animals, including humans.

Dual action: RNA binding protein also binds DNA and acts as a damage sensor across the genome

Cancer is a devastating disease and is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. One of the hallmarks of cancer is genomic instability, or the tendency to accumulate mutations and damage to the DNA that leads to genome alterations during cell division. DNA mutations can arise from exposure to ultraviolet or X-ray radiation or from certain chemicals known as carcinogens; however, our cells have...

Ancient DNA analysis sheds light on a dark event in medieval Spain

An international team of researchers led by the University of Huddersfield's Archaeogenetics Research Group, including geneticists, archeological scientists, and archeologists, has published the genome sequence of a unique individual from Islamic medieval Spain—al-Andalus—the results of which have shed light on a brutal event that took place in medieval Spain.

Mapping words to colors

While the range of colors your eyes may perceive extends beyond the words language provides, languages around the globe are remarkably similar in how they partition the space of colors into a vocabulary. Yet differences exist. In a study examining 130 diverse languages around the world, researchers developed an algorithm to infer the communicative needs that different linguistic communities place...

Decoding birds’ brain signals into syllables of song

Researchers can predict what syllables a bird will sing -- and when it will sing them -- by reading electrical signals in its brain, reports a new study. The work is an early step toward building vocal prostheses for humans who have lost the ability to speak.

NASA Satellites Show How Clouds Respond to Arctic Sea Ice Change

Portal origin URL: NASA Satellites Show How Clouds Respond to Arctic Sea Ice ChangePortal origin nid: 474148Published: Thursday, September 23, 2021 - 14:53Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: New NASA research shows that by releasing heat and moisture through a large hole in sea ice known as a polynya, the exposed ocean fuels the formation of more clouds...

Laser treatment shows potential for reducing industrial chemical processing for vehicles

Long-lasting protection from corrosion is essential for materials used for vehicles and aircraft to ensure structural integrity amid extreme operating conditions. Two chemical pre-treatment processes are widely used in industrial settings to prepare for coating adhesion and protect aluminum alloy surfaces against corrosion. While highly regulated, both processes use large quantities of hazardous...

Times we didn't act like ourselves can be helpful in the long run, study finds

When we reflect on our past behavior and decisions, we can normally identify both occasions where we have been true to ourselves, i.e. acted authentically, as well as times when we have done things in a way that doesn't align with who we believe we are. However, how do these recollections translate onto the story of who we are that we tell ourselves every day?

Team proposes microprinting a fiber-tip polymer clamped-beam probe for high-sensitivity nanoforce measurements

The control and measurement of asserted forces on small objects are frequently seen in micromanipulation, material science, and biological and medical applications. Researchers in China have proposed for the first time the microprinting of a novel fiber-tip-polymer clamped-beam probe micro-force sensor for the examination of biological samples. This approach opens new avenues towards the...

Doctor’s ‘brilliant’ new first aid technique can stem blood loss after shark attack

Described by another expert as a ‘fantastic life-saving idea’, the simple procedure could save lives by stopping catastrophic blood loss from shark bitesGet our free news app; get our morning email briefing An emergency department doctor says he has developed a simple new way to help save the lives of shark attack victims in the crucial moments after a bite.The technique is described in a...

More support needed for pollination services in agriculture

The global decline of pollinators threatens the reproductive success of 90 per cent of all wild plants globally and the yield of 85 per cent of the world's most important crops. Pollinators -- mainly bees and other insects -- contribute to 35 per cent of the world's food production. The service provided by pollinators is particularly important for securing food produced by the more than two...

Common-path off-axis digital holography: Towards high stable optical instrument manufacturing

High stable common-path digital holographic interferometers can be widely applied in long-term time-lapsing interferometric measurements, three-dimensional imaging, and quantitative phase imaging. Scientists in China reviewed the common-path off-axis digital holography and categorized the common-path models into lateral shearing, point diffraction and other types, and summarized the progress of...

More support needed for pollination services in agriculture

The global decline of pollinators threatens the reproductive success of 90 per cent of all wild plants globally and the yield of 85 per cent of the world's most important crops. Pollinators—mainly bees and other insects—contribute to 35 per cent of the world's food production. The service provided by pollinators is particularly important for securing food produced by the more than two billion...

Grabbing magic tin by the tail

Atomic nuclei have only two ingredients, protons and neutrons, but the relative number of these ingredients makes a radical difference in their properties. Certain configurations of protons and neutrons, with "magic numbers" of protons or neutrons arranged into filled shells within the nucleus, are more strongly bound than others. The rare nuclei with complete proton and neutron shells, which are...