117 articles from FRIDAY 5.11.2021

NASA, USGS Release First Landsat 9 Images

Portal origin URL: NASA, USGS Release First Landsat 9 ImagesPortal origin nid: 475225Published: Friday, November 5, 2021 - 17:02Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: Landsat 9, a joint mission between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that launched Sept. 27, 2021, has collected its first light images of Earth.Portal image: The first image...

Secondary forests restore fresh water sources in degraded landscapes

New research, published in Scientific Reports by Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) postdoctoral fellow Karina Chavarria and colleagues, shows that bacterial communities in streams adjacent to young secondary forests recover to resemble those of mature forest streams in as little as a decade after cattle has been removed from the land, and that these communities are robust throughout...

When macrophages let off steam

New data shows how inflammatory reactions can be resolved by changes to the metabolism of macrophages. Danger signals released by damaged cells during inflammation play a role during this process. 'Rewiring' the mitochondria in the macrophages protects them against overloading and can thus improve the way in which parts of damaged cells are eliminated and resolve the inflammatory reaction.

The Guardian view on Roman Britain: a constantly shifting picture | Editorial

New discoveries are constantly reshaping and enriching the story of our pastThe novelist and philosopher Iris Murdoch once wrote that the study of early Greek history “sets a special challenge to the disciplined mind. It is a game with very few pieces, where the skill of the player lies in complicating the rules.” The same could be said of the study of Britain’s Roman period, a long, often...

Employment for people with disabilities reaches historic levels

In October, the major employment indicators for people with disabilities reached their highest recorded levels since September 2008, when reporting for this cohort was begun by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), according to today's National Trends in Disability Employment—Monthly Update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability...

Fractured artificial rock helps crack a 54-year-old mystery

Princeton researchers have solved a 54-year-old puzzle about why certain fluids strangely slow down under pressure when flowing through porous materials, such as soils and sedimentary rocks. The findings could help improve many important processes in energy, environmental and industrial sectors, from oil recovery to groundwater remediation.

Electron family creates previously unknown state of matter

An international research team has demonstrated a completely novel state of matter in a metal. It is created by the combination of four electrons-until now, only electron pairs were known. This discovery could lead to a new type of superconductivity, an entirely new research direction, and revolutionary technologies such as quantum sensors.

How cells correctly choose active genes

It is essential for cells to control precisely which of the many genes of their genetic material they use. This is done in so-called transcription factories, molecular clusters in the nucleus. Researchers have now found that the formation of transcription factories resembles the condensation of liquids. Their findings will improve the understanding of causes of diseases and advance the development...

New strategy against treatment-resistant prostate cancer identified

A new study has identified an RNA molecule that suppresses prostate tumors. The scientists found that prostate cancers develop ways to shut down this RNA molecule to allow themselves to grow. According to the new research -- conducted in mice implanted with human prostate tumor samples -- restoring this so-called long noncoding RNA could be a new strategy to treat prostate cancer that has...

Experts master defects in semiconductors

Researchers have discovered a novel way to manipulate defects in semiconductors. The study holds promising opportunities for novel forms of precision sensing, or the transfer of quantum information between physically separate qubits, as well as for improving the fundamental understanding of charge transport in semiconductors.

NASA Selects New Mission to Study Storms, Impacts on Climate Models

Portal origin URL: NASA Selects New Mission to Study Storms, Impacts on Climate ModelsPortal origin nid: 475210Published: Friday, November 5, 2021 - 13:25Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: NASA has selected a new Earth science mission that will study the behavior of tropical storms and thunderstorms, including their impacts on weather and climate...

I Traveled the World to Witness the End of Winter

For a century and a half, melting snow and ice have been the most recognizable visual evidence of climate change. You can see it in the Arctic Ocean, where the first ice-free summer in two and a half million years is predicted by 2035; in the Alps, where half of the range’s iconic glacial ice…

We Asked a NASA Expert: When Was the Last Time an Asteroid Hit Earth?

When was the last time an asteroid hit Earth? Small asteroids and other tiny particles bombard our planet daily, but almost all of them burn up safely in the atmosphere. Bigger impacts are extremely rare, but scientists like Marina Brozovic are keeping their eyes on the sky. Explore more: https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense Producers: Scott Bednar, Jessica Wilde Editor: Matthew Schara...

Does environmental stress drive migration?

With the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, the world is focused on the consequences of a climate crisis and how we can still change course. Yet while climate-driven migration has been deemed a major threat in public discourse and academic research, comprehensive studies that take into account both environmental and social factors globally have been scarce. Now, with the help of machine...

Evolution led to similarities in the melodies of animal vocalizations and human languages

When listening closely, the melodies of human languages and animal vocalizations are very similar. However, it is not yet fully resolved if similar patterns in languages and animal vocalizations also have similar meanings. Researchers of the University of Vienna present a new method to decode the meaning of animal vocalizations: the comparison of their melodies with human languages. The proposal...

'Panicked' response to pandemic made for 'shabby' legislation

A new article co-authored by King's academic Professor Andrew Blick argues that—while there is no doubt that the circumstances of the pandemic called for exceptional safeguarding measures—established contingencies legislation would have served as a better framework.

Creating ultra-diffuse galaxies

Ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) have very low luminosities, comparatively few stars, and little star-formation activity as compared with normal galaxies of similar sizes. Commonly found in galaxy clusters, UDGs come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, many of them being round and smooth like dwarf elliptical galaxies, others showing distorted shapes from having experienced tidal disruptions; some...

Polymer-coated nanoparticles to promote drug delivery to the brain

Treating diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's is a challenge because drugs have to be able to cross the blood–brain barrier. As a result, the doses administered must be high and only a small fraction reaches the brain, which can lead to significant systemic side effects.  To solve this issue, the postdoctoral researcher Jean-Michel Rabanel, under the supervison of Professor Charles...

Researchers positive about open science, but there are still obstacles

Eighty-seven percent of all researchers have a (very) positive attitude about open science. Young scientists are even more enthusiastic with a percentage of 94 percent. But researchers are still coming across obstacles when it comes to practical implementation. This has emerged from a poll commissioned by NWO among researchers from all disciplines.

Pathomechanisms in heart disease discovered

The largest protein in the human body, titin, enables elastic movements of our muscles, including the heart. Mutations in the titin gene (TTN) that impair this function and lead to heart muscle disease. The pathomechanisms behind this -- i.e. why TTN mutations trigger disease -- were unclear until now. A team of experts has now investigated these pathomechanisms in more detail and has gained...