153 articles from TUESDAY 25.1.2022

Confirming liquid water beneath Martian south polar cap

A Southwest Research Institute scientist measured the properties of ice-brine mixtures as cold as -145 degrees Fahrenheit to help confirm that salty water likely exists between grains of ice or sediment under the ice cap at Mars' south pole. Laboratory measurements conducted by SwRI geophysicist Dr. David Stillman support oddly bright reflections detected by the MARSIS subsurface sounding radar...

Where legal, voting by those in prison is rare, study shows

The voting rights of people with felony convictions is a controversial issue across many U.S. states—not least because many people assume expanding those rights could significantly affect election outcomes. A study by MIT scholars of voting patterns among the imprisoned now suggests that is unlikely to be the case.

A molecular framework to bridge experimental and computer sciences for peptide-based materials engineering

Researchers in the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, Gallogly College of Engineering, at the University of Oklahoma have developed a framework published in Science Advances that solves the challenge of bridging experimental and computer sciences to better predict peptide structures. Peptide-based materials have been used in energy, security and health fields for the past two decades.

Southern Ocean storms cause outgassing of carbon dioxide

Storms over the waters around Antarctica drive an outgassing of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, according to a new international study with researchers from the University of Gothenburg. The research group used advanced ocean robots for the study, which provides a better understanding of climate change and can lead to better global climate models.

Forward-thinking gym lifts weights, shifts attitudes

A gym in Boston, Massachusetts, with an inventive vocational path that prepares students to work as personal trainers serves as a telling example for how community-based programs can develop anti-racism practices within organizations that contribute to the cultivation of racial unity, according to a paper published by a University at Buffalo Social Work researcher.

How the timing of dinner and genetics affect individuals’ blood sugar control

Eating dinner close to bedtime, when melatonin levels are high, disturbs blood sugar control, especially in individuals with a genetic variant in the melatonin receptor MTNR1B, which has been linked to an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes. The high melatonin levels and food intake associated with late eating impairs blood sugar control in carriers of the MTNR1B genetic risk variant through a defect...

Liquid water beneath Martian south polar cap?

Scientists measured the properties of ice-brine mixtures as cold as -145 degrees Fahrenheit to help confirm that salty water likely exists between grains of ice or sediment under the ice cap at Mars' south pole. Laboratory measurements support oddly bright reflections detected by the MARSIS subsurface sounding radar aboard ESA's Mars Express orbiter.

Vision loss and retinal changes in Stargardt disease

Researchers developed and validated an artificial-intelligence-based method to evaluate patients with Stargardt, an eye disease that can lead to childhood vision loss. The method quantifies disease-related loss of light-sensing retina cells, yielding information for monitoring patients, understanding genetic causes of the disease, and developing therapies to treat it.

Physicist solves century old problem of radiation reaction

A physicist has proposed a radical solution to the question of how a charged particle, such as an electron, responded to its own electromagnetic field. This question has challenged physicists for over 100 years but a mathematical physicist has suggested an alternative approach, with controversial implications.

Five risks of moving your database to the cloud

Moving to the cloud is all the rage. According to an IDC Survey Spotlight, Experience in Migrating Databases to the Cloud, 63% of enterprises are actively migrating their databases to the cloud, and another 29% are considering doing so within the next three years. This article discusses some of the risks customers may unwittingly encounter when moving their database to a database as a service...

Lead lurking in your soil? New Chicago project maps distribution

Lead haunts old homes in chipping paint and pipes, but it also lurks outside, in soil. It's the stuff of mud pies and garden plots, crumbling from boot treads to join household dust in forgotten corners. It's easily overlooked, but soil can be an important source of lead where children live and play.

Simulations shed significant light on janus particles

Researchers use dissipative particle dynamics simulations to examine the translational diffusion of Janus nanoparticles at the interface between two immiscible fluids. The simulations shed light on the dynamic behavior of the nanoparticles at a water-oil interface, and the work reveals a strong influence of their shape on their orientation at the interface as well as on their mobility. In theory,...