113 articles from FRIDAY 15.10.2021
Fast flows prevent buildup of impurities on the edge of tokamak plasmas
Impurities in the plasmas in fusion tokamaks can reduce performance. These impurities are created by interactions between the hot plasma and the metal tokamak walls. These walls are often armored with tungsten. This material resists heat, but degrades over time, releasing impurities into the plasma. Simulations predict how these impurities behave, but they are difficult to measure directly...
A good job for robots found – dealing with our embarrassing problems
Many TV shows have a scene where a customer attempts to buy a potentially embarrassing product—a pornographic magazine perhaps or a diarrhea treatment—only to have the assistant loudly check the price or ask questions for other people to hear.
Greening the gray: Fighting floods with restoration versus riprap
When Hurricane Ida roared to shore in Louisiana last month, a system of flood gates, levees, and pumps largely kept the water out of New Orleans. Natural barriers such as wetlands, islands, and even oyster reefs also played a role by acting as "speed bumps" that damped the storm's impact.
Using quantum Parrondo's random walks for encryption
Assistant Professor Kang Hao Cheong and his research team from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) have set out to apply concepts from quantum Parrondo's paradox in search of a working protocol for semiclassical encryption. In a recent Physical Review Research letter, the team published the paper "Chaotic switching for quantum coin Parrondo's games with application to...
Death penalty can express society's outrage, but biases often taint the verdict
In its hearing on Oct. 13, 2021, the Supreme Court appeared to favor reinstating the death sentence for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was found guilty of planting homemade bombs, with the help of his brother, Tamerlan, along the crowded Boston Marathon route on April 15, 2013. The bombs killed three people and injured 260.
Who's been kissing who? Prairie dog 'greet kisses' reveal complex social networks
Prairie dogs—those chubby little burrowing rodents found in grasslands across the central and western United States—may not have TikTok or Instagram but they do have intricate social networks. Understanding their connections, interactions and surprisingly complex world could help wildlife conservationists more successfully relocate and reintroduce species into the wild, according to a new...
More than 50 percent of farmers remain optimistic about the future of their businesses
RABI's Big Farming Survey results have revealed that despite the farming community facing significant mental and physical health challenges, more than 50% remain optimistic about the future of their farm businesses.
Report highlights opportunities to mitigate climate change to promote human health
A new report involving an Exeter expert shows how action to mitigate climate chance could promote human health.
Mark Hankinson: Top huntsman guilty of encouraging illegal fox hunting
The senior huntsman gave the hunting advice in private webinars that were leaked online.
US firm sees 'exciting' moment as space tourism booms
As competition in the space tourism industry heats up, a US-based firm said Friday it was excited to re-enter the sector with the upcoming launch of a Japanese billionaire.
Russian rocket tests briefly destabilise space station
The International Space Station was briefly destabilised Friday during tests of a Russian-made Soyuz rocket, but the crew and the orbital station were not in danger, Moscow said.
Gulf Stream and Kuroshio Current found to be synchronized on decadal time scale
A team of researchers with members affiliated with a large number of institutions across Japan has found that the Gulf stream and Kuroshio are synchronized on a decadal time scale. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their study of decades of weather satellite data and the link between the two ocean currents. Paola Cessi, with the Scripps Institution of...
Widespread collapse of West Antarctica's ice sheet is avoidable if we keep global warming below 2C
Rising seas are already making storm damage more costly, adding to the impact on about 700 million people who live in low-lying coastal areas at risk of flooding.
China's FAST telescope could detect self-replicating alien probes
One of the most challenging questions to answer when confronting the Fermi paradox is why exponentially scaling technologies haven't taken over the universe by now. Commonly known as von Neumann probes, the idea of a self-replicating swarm of extraterrestrial robots has been a staple of science fiction for decades. But so far, there has never been any evidence of their existence outside the realm...
Japanese billionaire gets ready for December space mission
A forthcoming flight to space by a Japanese billionaire will allow the public to have a closer look at life on board the orbiting outpost, the president of Space Adventures, a company that organized the flight, said Friday.
Fresh concerns for wetland springs
New research led by Flinders University is renewing calls to protect the source of water and aquifers supporting the ecologically significant Doongmabulla Springs Complex in central Queensland from a proposed Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin.
Imminent asteroid missions could reveal our origins, and help save Earth from deadly strike
Asteroids are remnants of the early Solar System, with the potential to reveal secrets of our planet's origins. But they could also bring an end to life on Earth. Now two missions, Lucy and DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) will provide further insights into both of these features—with DART even attempting to redirect the orbit of a moon around an asteroid.
How much will our emissions have an impact on future Antarctic ice loss?
While the impact of emissions on Antarctic ice melt may not become clear for another hundred years, the consequences of the climate decisions made this decade will be felt for centuries.
Big differences found in male and female jojoba plant sex genes
The hot and dry desert environment has led to big genetic differences between male and female jojoba plants, a discovery which could boost jojoba production and shed light on how plants adapt to environmental stress.
Ultrafast optical switching can save overwhelmed datacenters
EPFL and Microsoft Research scientists demonstrated ultrafast optical circuit switching using a chip-based soliton comb laser and a completely passive diffraction grating device. This particular architecture could enable an energy-efficient optical datacenter to meet enormous data bandwidth requirements in future.
Buying early only increases supply shortage and panic
Consumers would be better off in the long run buying more selectively and at their normal time, according to Professor Manmohan Sodhi, Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at Bayes Business School (formerly Cass).
Building a cross-border dark matter experiment deep underground, during a pandemic
In the search for dark matter particles, a tabletop experiment in the heart of a Canadian mine might do the trick. The SENSEI collaboration uses skipper charged-couple devices, or CCDs, which are the most sensitive sensors of their kind, dreamt up decades ago and only recently realized.
Discovery of new role for the brain’s immune cells could have Alzheimer's implications
- ScienceDaily
- 21/10/15 15:48
The immune cells, known as microglia, also help regulate blood flow and maintain the brain's critical blood vessels, researchers have discovered. The findings may prove important in cognitive decline, dementia and stroke, among other conditions linked to diseases of the brain's small vessels.
Contraceptive pill can reduce type 2 diabetes risk in women with polycystic ovary syndrome
- ScienceDaily
- 21/10/15 15:47
A study has revealed for the first time that the contraceptive pill can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by over a quarter in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The research findings also show that women with PCOS have twice the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes (dysglycemia) -- highlighting the urgent need to find treatments to reduce this risk.
Intelligent optical chip to improve telecommunications
- ScienceDaily
- 21/10/15 15:47
Scientists have developed a smart pulse-shaper integrated on a chip.