205 articles from WEDNESDAY 10.11.2021
Unraveling the eclipses of millisecond pulsars in a compact binary
A group of scientists working at the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), Pune have for the first time unraveled the eclipse mechanisms for the millisecond pulsars in compact binary systems using the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT). Eclipses in millisecond pulsars have been known since the 1980's, but the exact cause of these eclipses have not been understood till now....
New method to detect Tatooine-like planets validated
A new technique developed in part by University of Hawaiʻi astronomer Nader Haghighipour has allowed scientists to quickly detect a transiting planet with two suns.
New ways for dynamical prediction of extreme heat waves
Over the past decade, several extreme heat waves and heat domes have had a catastrophic impact on society and the biosphere. In 2021, all regions of the northern hemisphere have been affected. In late June and July, we saw simultaneous extreme heat waves in the Pacific Northwest, persistent heat waves in Siberia that fueled massive wildfires, and temperatures and humidity in Pakistan, northern...
The future of face masks
Building better air filters could help head off the next pandemic. At the 74th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics, scientists will present the latest results on how future face masks may work, what happens when masks get wet, and why improper mask usage can sometimes be worse than no mask at all.
How to COVID-proof the grocery line, classroom, and orchestra
Despite effective vaccines, it has become clear that SARS-CoV-2 will not fully disappear anytime soon. At the 74th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics, physicists and engineers will present innovative ways to avoid clouds of coronavirus whether waiting in line, going to class, listening to the opera, or encountering people elsewhere.
Extracting high-quality magnesium sulphate from seawater desalination brine
Given that mining to extract high-grade mineral ores is wastefully energy intensive, exhaustible, and bad for the environment, scientists have been scouting for alternatives. A group of Korean researchers, led by Professor Myoung-Jin Kim, from Korea Maritime and Ocean University, have now succeeded in extracting high-quality minerals from just seawater. Specifically, they have achieved the...
Image: Hubble surveys a snowman sculpted from gas and dust
The Snowman Nebula is an emission nebula that resides in the constellation Puppis in the southern sky, about 6,000 light-years away from Earth. Emission nebulae are diffuse clouds of gas that have become so charged by the energy of nearby massive stars that they glow with their own light. The radiation from these massive stars strips electrons from the nebula's hydrogen atoms in a process called...
New way to detect coronavirus through building ventilation systems
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:16
Researchers have found a new way to detect the virus that causes COVID-19 by testing the air passing through building ventilation systems. The discovery could lead to earlier detection of the virus, improved quarantine protocols, reduced transmission and fewer outbreaks.
New scalable method resolves materials joining in solid-state batteries
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:16
Scientists have developed a scalable, low-cost method to improve the joining of materials in solid-state batteries, resolving one of the big challenges in the commercial development of safe, long-lived energy storage systems.
Reversing new-onset type 1 diabetes with pyramid-like DNA: Mouse study
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:16
Usually diagnosed in children, teens and young adults, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys insulin-secreting beta-cells in the pancreas. As a result, people with type 1 diabetes can't regulate their blood sugar levels and require insulin treatment for survival. Now, researchers have reversed new-onset type 1 diabetes in mice with pyramid-like...
When algorithms get creative
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:16
Uncovering the mechanisms of learning via synaptic plasticity is a critical step towards understanding how our brains function and building truly intelligent, adaptive machines. Researchers propose a new approach in which algorithms mimic biological evolution and learn efficiently through creative evolution.
Student’s research upends understanding of upper atmospheric wind
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:16
A doctoral student has confirmed that the cross-polar jet, a well-known wind in the upper atmosphere, sometimes inexplicably stops or is deflected or reversed when it reaches the region above Alaska. The finding upends previous understanding.
Female bushbabies more stressed, may be more vulnerable to changing environment
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:16
Life isn't always easy for small primates in the Soutpansberg Mountains of South Africa -- foraging for food, contending with cold temperatures and fighting off rivals. A new study explores how they may weather the environmental changes ahead.
Zika virus-specific therapy protects the fetal mouse brain
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:16
A gene-silencing therapy protected against Zika virus transmission from pregnant mice to the mouse fetuses, finds a new study. The treatment, which harnesses nanoparticles called small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) for drug delivery, crossed the placenta and blood-brain barrier to greatly reduce fetal neurological damage, including virus-induced brain shrinkage.
How do we learn to learn? New research offers an education
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:16
Cognitive training designed to focus on what's important while ignoring distractions can enhance the brain's information processing, enabling the ability to 'learn to learn,' finds a new study on mice.
Sleep disorders linked with more severe outcomes from COVID-19, study suggests
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:16
Research shows a 31 percent increased risk for hospitalization and mortality in patients with sleep-disordered breathing and sleep-related hypoxia.
Spread of Transeurasian languages was due to agriculture
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:16
By triangulating data from linguistics, archaeology and genetics, a new study by an international team of researchers proposes a 'Farming Hypothesis' for the spread of Transeurasian languages, tracing the origins of Japonic, Koreanic, Tungusic, Mongolic and Turkic to the movements of Neolithic millet farmers from the region of the West Liao River.
Adding sound to quantum simulations
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:16
Aiming to emulate the quantum characteristics of materials more realistically, researchers have figured out a way to create a lattice of light and atoms that can vibrate -- bringing sound to an otherwise silent experiment.
Global temperatures over last 24,000 years show today's warming 'unprecedented'
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:16
An effort to reconstruct Earth's climate since the last ice age, about 24,000 years ago, highlights the main drivers of climate change and how far out of bounds human activity has pushed the climate system.
Striking difference between neurons of humans and other mammals
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:16
Human neurons have a lower density of ion channels than expected, compared to neurons of other mammals, according to a new study. The researchers hypothesize that a lower channel density may have helped the human brain evolve to operate more efficiently.
New target for COVID-19 vaccines identified
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:16
Next generation vaccines for COVID-19 should aim to induce an immune response against 'replication proteins', essential for the very earliest stages of the viral cycle, researchers say.
Back-to-back hurricanes expected to increase in the Gulf Coast
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:15
By the end of the century, Louisiana and Florida could be twice as likely to experience two tropical storms that make landfall within nine days of each other, according to new model estimates. Being hit by two storms in quick succession gives communities and infrastructure less time to recover between disasters.
Needle free glucose monitoring a step closer for diabetics
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:15
A needle-free technology that would allow people with diabetes to measure blood sugar levels without having to stick a needle into their fingertips is a step closer to reality.
Apple chips moisture analysis made easy with near-infrared spectroscopy
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:15
Dried snack foods such as apple chips are a convenient alternative to fresh fruit, providing longer shelf life and easier storage. Consumers increasingly demand product variety, so companies coat such snack foods with fruit and vegetable powders to enhance taste and sensory appeal. A new study explores the drying process of coated and uncoated apple chips using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to...
Immune system early responder can combat COVID-19
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/10 19:15
A simple RNA molecule jumpstarts the immune system's 'first responders' to viral infection and can even eradicate the SARS-CoV-2 virus in mice with chronic cases of COVID-19, a new study finds.