110 articles from FRIDAY 14.1.2022
Environmental disasters are fueling migration: Why international law must recognize climate refugees
When hurricanes Eta and Iota barrelled into Central America in November 2020, they flooded towns and cities, caused catastrophic losses in the agricultural sector and contributed to food insecurity. In all, 4.7 million Hondurans were affected, and tens of thousands decided to leave, forming migrant caravans in a desperate attempt to rebuild their lives in the United States.
Strong quake shakes Indonesia's capital; no tsunami alert
A powerful earthquake shook parts of Indonesia's main island of Java on Friday, damaging buildings and houses and sending people into the streets, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. Officials said there was no danger of a tsunami.
Mathematical model may help improve treatments and clinical trials of patients with COVID-19 and other illnesses
- ScienceDaily
- 22/1/14 16:30
A mathematical model revealed that the optimal time to initiate immune-modulating therapy in COVID-19 differed according to patients' medical history and risk factors. Different patients also required different types of immunomodulation for optimal therapy.
Systematically examining the way spatial structure influences the evolution of cancer
- ScienceDaily
- 22/1/14 16:30
Characterizing the way, manner or pattern of evolution in tumors may be important for clinical forecasting and optimizing cancer treatment. Researchers are systematically examining how spatial structure influences tumor evolution. To do this the group developed a computational model with the flexibility to simulate alternative spatial structures and types of cell dispersal.
Meet a colorful but colorblind spider
- ScienceDaily
- 22/1/14 16:30
An international team of researchers found that the brightly colored jumping spider Saitis barbipes could not see its own vivid reds.
The first AI breast cancer sleuth that shows its work
- ScienceDaily
- 22/1/14 16:30
Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence platform to analyze potentially cancerous lesions in mammography scans to determine if a patient should receive an invasive biopsy. But unlike its many predecessors, the algorithm is interpretable, meaning it shows physicians exactly how it came to its conclusions.
In a pandemic, ignoring science affects everyone. Citizenship education can help
Since early 2020, our way of life has changed dramatically. COVID-19 has transformed how we study, learn and work—even how we shop, eat and gather.
Ambitious tree planting goals in Asia lack diverse tree seeds from native species
Four Asian countries—the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and India—aim to restore 47.5 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. This is roughly equal to the size of Sumatra, Indonesia's third biggest island.
Teaching kids about money pays off—in finances and relationships
From the first piggy bank to the first credit card, teaching children proper money management and budgeting habits takes both time and patience. But the value of helping kids develop financial literacy shouldn't be understated.
Image: Dedicated satellites to collect solar energy
Sunlight up in Earth orbit is 10 times more intense than down on Earth's surface, so the idea is to fly dedicated satellites to capture solar energy, then beam it down to Earth—and potentially the Moon or other planets further into the future.
What COVID-19 can teach fish farms
When it comes to the business of seafood, COVID-19 hasn't been nearly as damaging as the ecological havoc caused by humans, a recent global survey of fish farms found.
Groundwater measurements of herbicide may underestimate human exposure
Atrazine ranks as a common herbicide in the United States—where it's popular to elevate corn and sorghum yields by curbing weed growth.
Turning long-term savings goals into a game can increase consumer financial well-being
Consumers could be 20 percent more likely to reach their saving goals if they are offered psychological rewards by banks and financial institutions.
Recovering mantle memories from river profiles
The continent of Africa has a distinctive physical geography—an "egg carton" pattern of basins and swells—that researchers attribute to plumes of mantle rocks rising beneath a tectonic plate. Marine fossils on mountaintops in African and Arabian deserts suggest that until about 30 million years ago, those portions of the landscape were at or below sea level. But the spatial and temporal...
Generous paid sick leave provisions boost company productivity and profitability
New research from Bayes Business School (formerly Cass) shows companies that offer effective paid sick leave entitlement can significantly increase employee productivity and become more profitable.
Plato exoplanet mission gets green light for next phase
Plato, ESA's next-generation planet hunting mission, has been given the green light to continue with its development after the critical milestone review concluded successfully on 11 January 2022.
Coastal erosion may force retreat from the sea
Giving up land to the sea needs to be one of the options considered for responding to serious erosion events along our coastline, says a University of the Sunshine Coast researcher.
Ocean heat is at record levels, with major consequences
The world witnessed record-breaking climate and weather disasters in 2021, from destructive flash floods that swept through mountain towns in Europe and inundated subway systems in China and the U.S., to heat waves and wildfires. Typhoon Rai killed over 400 people in the Philippines; Hurricane Ida caused an estimated US$74 billion in damage in the U.S.
Technological solutions to droughts
Perennial water shortages in California will likely only grow worse due to climate change. But emerging technologies offer hope—if Californians can stop taking water for granted, says David Feldman, UCI professor of urban planning & public policy and director of Water UCI.
Hostile takeover in the cell: Pathogens hijack host mitochondria
- ScienceDaily
- 22/1/14 15:28
A research team reports that a parasite tricks mitochondria into shedding large structures from their 'skin', thus turning off their defenses.
Earth's interior is cooling faster than expected
Researchers at ETH Zurich have demonstrated in the lab how well a mineral common at the boundary between the Earth's core and mantle conducts heat. This leads them to suspect that the Earth's heat may dissipate sooner than previously thought.
Newly formed massive contact binary in hierarchical triple system
A research team led by Prof. Qian Shengbang from Yunnan Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered a newly formed massive contact binary in a hierarchical triple system. Its third body is also a massive star obtained for the first time.
Surface mode coupling used to adjust thermal coefficient of delay of photonic-bandgap hollow-core fiber
Recently, a research team from Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has proposed a new method of using surface mode (SM) coupling to adjust the thermal coefficient of delay (TCD) of photonic-bandgap hollow-core fiber (PBG-HCF) in an extended range. The relevant results have been published in Optics Express.
New study shows novel crystal structure for hydrogen under high pressure
Elements in the periodic table can take up multiple forms. Carbon, for example, exists as diamond or graphite depending on the environmental conditions at the time of formation. Crystal structures that have been formed in ultra-high-pressure environments are particularly important as they provide clues to the formation of planets. However, recreating such environments in a laboratory is difficult,...