131 articles from WEDNESDAY 17.11.2021
EXPLAINER: Why India has repeated air pollution problems
New Delhi struggles with pollution year-round, but the problem becomes acute during fall and winter months. On Wednesday, the concentration of tiny pollution particles was nearly 30 times above the level deemed safe over a 24-hour period by the World Health Organization.
Exploding and weeping ceramics provide path to new shape-shifting material
An international team of researchers from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and Kiel University in Germany have discovered a path that could lead to shape-shifting ceramic materials. This discovery could improve everything from medical devices to electronics.
Using virtual fluid for the description of interfacial effects in metallic materials
Liquids containing ions or polar molecules are ubiquitous in many applications needed for green technologies such as energy storage, electrochemistry or catalysis. When such liquids are brought to an interface such as an electrode—or even confined in a porous material—they exhibit unexpected behavior that goes beyond the effects already known. Recent experiments have shown that the properties...
Twin of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover begins terrain tests
On a recent day in November, the car-size rover rolled slowly forward, then stopped, perched on the threshold of a Martian landscape. But this rover, named OPTIMISM, wasn't on the Red Planet. And the landscape was a boulder-strewn mock-up of the real Mars—the Mars Yard at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Genetic changes in Bronze Age southern Iberia
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/17 22:14
The third millennium BCE brought about substantial transformations that are visible in the cultures of Bronze Age Europeans. A new study documents the arrival of new genetic ancestry to southern Iberia, concomitant with the rise of the Early Bronze Age El Argar culture around 2,200 BCE.
'Volcanic winter' likely contributed to ecological catastrophe 250 million years ago
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/17 22:14
A team of scientists has identified an additional force that likely contributed to a mass extinction event 250 million years ago. Its analysis of minerals in southern China indicate that volcano eruptions produced a 'volcanic winter' that drastically lowered earth's temperatures -- a change that added to the environmental effects resulting from other phenomena at the time.
Brief 5:2 diet advice is as effective as traditional GP advice, but people like it better, according to new study
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/17 22:14
A clinical trial has found people prefer receiving information on the 5:2 diet than standard GP weight management advice despite both interventions achieving similar modest weight loss results.
Alien organisms – hitchhikers of the galaxy?
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/17 22:14
Scientists warn, without good biosecurity measures 'alien organisms' on Earth may become a reality stranger than fiction. Scientists are calling for greater recognition of the biosecurity risks ahead of the space industry.
Food scientists create zinc index for human body
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/17 22:14
Zinc deficiency is prevalent around the world, and among children, these mineral shortfalls can lead to stunting, embryonic malformations and neurobehavioral abnormalities. Over several decades, science has improved understanding of zinc metabolism, but an accurate, comprehensive assessment tool for its physiological status within a human body has remained elusive. Until now.
Chemistry breakthrough leads way to more sustainable pharmaceuticals
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/17 22:13
Chemistry researchers have developed a new method using blue light to create pharmaceuticals in a more sustainable way, significantly reducing the amount of energy needed and the chemical waste created in the manufacture process.
Study challenges standard ideas about piezoelectricity in ferroelectric crystals
For years, researchers believed that the smaller the domain size in a ferroelectric crystal, the greater the piezoelectric properties of the material. However, recent findings by Penn State researchers have raised questions about this standard rule.
Researchers reveal structure of itch receptors on cells
- ScienceDaily
- 21/11/17 21:55
Scientists have conducted research showing in precise detail how chemicals bind to mast cells to cause itch, and the scientists figured out the detailed structure of receptor proteins on the surface of these cells when a compound is bound to those proteins.
Contrary to popular belief, no great migration in pandemic
Contrary to popular belief, there has been no great migration in the U.S. during the pandemic.
When the gut's internal ecosystem goes awry, could an ancient but gross-sounding treatment make it right?
Dr. Cathy Williams knew something wasn't right. The veterinarian had felt off for weeks after her 2014 trip to Madagascar.
DIY radiative cooler developed to serve as a research standard
The term "greenhouse effect" became part of public lexicon decades ago, thanks to the ongoing discourse on climate change. A natural phenomenon, the greenhouse effect describes how heat from the sun, in the form of radiation, is trapped by gases in the Earth's atmosphere. But a large amount of radiation is still lost to outer space, because these wavelengths are poorly absorbed by atmospheric...
New knowledge towards increasing carbon dioxide uptake in plants
Imagine being able to grow plants that could absorb even more CO2 from Earth's atmosphere and thereby help solve the world's climate problems. Humans have selected, bred and optimized plants to increase food production and ensure for our survival for thousands of years.
Different kinds of marine phytoplankton respond differently to warming ocean temperatures, say researchers
Tiny marine plants called phytoplankton are the foundation of most food webs in the ocean, and their productivity drives commercial fisheries, carbon sequestration, and healthy marine ecosystems. But little is known about how they will respond to increasing ocean temperatures resulting from the changing climate. Most climate models assume they will all respond in a similar way.
Florida surpasses a grim milestone: One thousand dead manatees
Since July, every weekly update from state wildlife officials has set a new record for the most manatee deaths counted in a single year. On Wednesday, Florida crossed an especially tragic threshold: More than 1,000 manatees dead.
After her best friend died, this programmer created an AI chatbot from his texts to talk to him again
Eugenia Kuyda’s project was the spark behind virtual friend app Replika that’s used by more than 10 million people around the...
Visualizing temperature transport: An unexpected technique for nanoscale characterization
As devices continue to shrink, new challenges in their measurement and design present themselves. For devices based on molecular junctions, in which single molecules are bound to metals or semiconductors, we have a variety of techniques to study and characterize their electric transport properties. In contrast, probing the thermal transport properties of such junctions at the nanoscale has proven...
Magnetic symmetry is not just like looking in a mirror
When you think about how rapidly computers filled our homes, our cars and even ourselves through watches and earpieces, it might be hard to believe that there is a massive gap between computer's processing power and the speed, capacity and reliability of our brains. But, by 2040, it is predicted that this gap will pose a critical problem for energy consumption, because by one estimate all the...
Genetic changes in Bronze Age Southern Iberia
The third millennium BCE is a highly dynamic period in the prehistory of Europe and western Asia, characterized by large-scale social and political changes. In the Iberian Peninsula, the Copper Age was in full swing in around 2500 years BCE with substantial demographic growth, attested by a large diversity of settlements and fortifications, monumental funerary structures, as well as ditched...
'Volcanic winter' likely contributed to ecological catastrophe 250 million years ago: study
A team of scientists has identified an additional force that likely contributed to a mass extinction event 250 million years ago. Its analysis of minerals in southern China indicate that volcano eruptions produced a "volcanic winter" that drastically lowered earth's temperatures—a change that added to the environmental effects resulting from other phenomena at the time.
Exploring links between financial knowledge, age and gender in Japan
Analysis of results from a survey conducted in Japan reveals how financial literacy and financial behaviors are associated with age and gender, suggesting potential targets for policies to improve financial health. Shohei Okamoto of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology and Kohei Komamura of Keio University in Tokyo, Japan, present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on...
Magnetene: Graphene-like 2D material leverages quantum effects to achieve ultra-low friction
A team of researchers from University of Toronto Engineering and Rice University have reported the first measurements of the ultra-low-friction behavior of a material known as magnetene. The results point the way toward strategies for designing similar low-friction materials for use in a variety of fields, including tiny, implantable devices.