202 articles from THURSDAY 13.1.2022

Compost is a major source of pathogenic aspergillus spores

Fourteen percent of Aspergillus fumigatus isolates cultured from garden soils were resistant to an agricultural triazole antifungal drug, tebuconazole. Tebuconazole resistance confers resistance to medical triazoles that are used to treat aspergillosis, a lung infection that can be serious, which results from inhalation of A. fumigatus spores. The research is published in Applied and Environmental...

The Mekong Delta in Vietnam is sinking. Can sediment save it?

In Vietnam's Mekong Delta, home to about 17 million people, large areas of land have been poldered for the cultivation of crops such as rice and shrimp. At the moment, the delta is on average less than a meter above sea level. But due to accelerated land subsidence, mainly caused by groundwater extraction, a shortage of river sediment, and rising sea levels, researchers from Wageningen University...

Astronomers confront massive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A*

At the center of the Milky Way is a supermassive black hole, 4.3 million times bigger than the sun, known as Sagittarius A*. Until recently, it was not clear how much of the matter at the heart of the galaxy was Sagittarius A*. Astronomers measured the velocities of four distant stars around the black hole. The movement of the stars indicates the mass at the galaxy's center is composed almost...

Citizen Scientists Spot Jupiter-like Planet in NASA TESS Data

Portal origin URL: Citizen Scientists Spot Jupiter-like Planet in NASA TESS DataPortal origin nid: 476584Published: Thursday, January 13, 2022 - 16:15Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: Citizen Scientists Spot Jupiter-like Planet in NASA TESS DataPortal image: A Jupiter-like...

Western Digital’s journey to build business resiliency through cloud and ERP transformations

Thank you for joining us on “The cloud hub: From cloud chaos to clarity.” Read this exclusive story featuring Jahidul Khandaker, CIO at Western Digital, who talks about how Infosys transformed Western Digital post-merger and acquisition of two other companies, leveraging Infosys solutions on Oracle Cloud, part of Infosys Cobalt. Click here to continue....

Fuzzy molecular threesome is basis of gene expression

Specific nuclear proteins act as a glue to pack genetic material in an absurdly small space in the human body. Proteins "gluing" DNA are called linker histones, and hold their secret in their electric charge. They are strongly positively charged, fusing to the strongly negatively charged DNA.

Cybersecurity and the new era of ecosystems

Thank you for joining us on “The cloud hub: From cloud chaos to clarity.” Digital transformation demands more than updated technology and business efficiency. This article discusses how chief information security officers are under increasing pressure to secure their companies’ platforms, evaluate ecosystems, and find new ways to communicate risk to the rest of the...

New photonic technology effect could speed drug development

Twisted nanoscale semiconductors manipulate light in a new way, researchers at the University of Bath and the University of Michigan have shown. The effect could be harnessed to accelerate the discovery and development of life-saving medicines as well as photonic technologies.

Cybersecurity is now a boardroom priority

Thank you for joining us on “The cloud hub: From cloud chaos to clarity.” Chief information security officers (CISOs) are responsible for ensuring low vulnerability scores and minimal attacks, yet board members often do not understand the business benefits of these outcomes. This paper discusses how CISOs can engage with board members for better alignment of goals. Click...

Study reveals how to break symmetry in colloidal crystals

Nature keeps a few secrets. While plenty of structures with low symmetry are found in nature, scientists have been confined to high-symmetry designs when synthesizing colloidal crystals, a valuable type of nanomaterial used for chemical and biological sensing and optoelectronic devices.

Two new species of freshwater goby fish discovered in the Philippines

A team of biologists from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) in Japan and Western Philippines University (WPU) in the Philippines have found two new species of goby fish in Palawan, a Philippine archipelago. The goby fish, both belonging to the genus Rhinogobius, were described recently in the journal Zootaxa.

New research advocates a basic strategy for native fish recovery: Access to water

Rivers need water—a fact that may seem ridiculously obvious, but in times of increasing water development, drought, and climate change, the quantity of natural streamflow that remains in river channels is coming into question, especially in the Colorado River basin. Newly published research poses a tough question in these days of falling reservoir levels and high-stakes urban development:...

Automation journey of Bupa Global

Thank you for joining us on “The cloud hub: From cloud chaos to clarity.” Steve Williams, head of IT Strategy and Architecture, Bupa Global, discusses the automation journey of the insurance giant in this exclusive podcast. AI is an important agenda for Bupa Global to ensure they define the problem they are targeting and the solution they need to build. Click here to...

COVID variant siblings show different levels of virulence

New research outlines key information about omicron's older variant sibling, alpha, which emerged late in 2020. It turns out that the mutation that birthed alpha in the first place is very similar to the one that created omicron, but with very different results for the severity of each one.

Copper-based chemicals may be contributing to ozone depletion

As Earth's ozone layer recovers from past emissions of now-banned CFCs and halons, other chemicals are emerging as major causes of stratospheric ozone depletion. Atmospheric scientists have been searching for the sources of about one-third of the major threats, methyl bromide and methyl chloride. New research shows that copper-based compounds in common use generate these compounds when interacting...

Unlocking the mysteries of the pecking order

Dominance hierarchies were first described in chickens a century ago by a Norwegian zoologist who coined the term 'pecking order.' Since then researchers have examined the intricacies of conflict and competition in species as diverse as primates, whales, birds and insects.

Newly-found planets on the edge of destruction

Astronomers have found three Jupiter-like exoplanets that are dangerously close to being 'swallowed up' by their host stars. The discovery gives new insight into how planetary systems evolve over time, helping to reveal the fate of solar systems like our own.

New research advocates a basic strategy for native fish recovery: Access to water

Rivers need water -- a fact that may seem ridiculously obvious, but in times of increasing water development, drought, and climate change, the quantity of natural streamflow that remains in river channels is coming into question, especially in the Colorado River basin. Newly published research poses a tough question in these days of falling reservoir levels and high-stakes urban development:...

Plants: RNA notes to self

Plants need an internal communication system to coordinate their development and growth. Within a plant, cells message each other with pieces of RNA. A professor discovered a protein that carries these RNA messages between cells. Tinkering with this communication system may help crops grow better and adapt faster to their environment.