3,290 articles from FEBRUARY 2022

Two new species of potentially invasive hammerhead flatworms from Europe and Africa

One of the consequences of globalization is the inadvertent spread of invasive plant and animal species. Land flatworms have invaded the entire world, principally via the plant trade. More than ten species are now widespread, such as Obama nungara (originally from Argentina), Platydemus manokwari (from New Guinea) and Bipalium kewense (from Southeast Asia).

New analysis leads to a fundamentally different view of supermassive black holes

In the center of most galaxies lies a supermassive black hole. Some of these are actively feeding on the gas and dust around them, expelling excess energy as powerful jets that are seen as quasars across the entire observable Universe. A new study led by astronomers at the Cosmic Dawn Center reviewed this process using new techniques—and the results may change how we think about the diets of...

Media literacy can reduce stereotypes; mass communication research samples lack diversity

The media that people consume inform a large part of their everyday life, including how they view others. A pair of recent studies from the University of Kansas shows that a media literacy intervention can help reduce stereotypes people hold about Black Americans and that a majority of journalism and mass communications studies have lacked diversity with overly homogenous samples.

Tracking inequality in real time

UC Berkeley economists have launched a powerful new web tool that allows users to track, almost in real time, how economic growth and public policy affect the distribution of income and wealth among classes in the United States.

The excellent heat dissipation properties of layered semiconductors revealed down to one layer

A study published in Advanced Materials reveals the thermal transport properties of ultrathin crystals of molybdenum diselenide, a two-dimensional material of the transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) family. Outperforming silicon, TMD materials prove to be outstanding candidates for electronic and optoelectronic applications, such as flexible and wearable devices. This research, which involved...

ESA determines new 'space time'

Since November 2021, ESA's satellites and ground stations have been running on a newly defined, incredibly precise "ESOC time." Measured by two atomic clocks in the basement of the ESOC mission control center in Germany, this new time determination will bring wide-reaching operational benefits for all ESA missions, making new feats possible in space while adding to our global definition of "now."

Stepwise magnetic self-assembly of micropillar arrays with long range order

Magnetically responsive microtextured surfaces have the advantage of being controlled remotely (i.e., no contact is required) at ambient conditions and short response times. Previously, synchronized bending or twisting actuations of micropillar arrays were demonstrated by programming the arrangement of the magnetic particles and by employing anisotropic micropillar geometry. In this case, magnetic...

Analysis and containment of defect formation in Zn3P2 crystals: A nanoscale approach

A study published in Nanoscale demonstrates that high-quality Zn3P2 crystals, free of interface defects, can be fabricated with a nanoscale approach. It consists in using selective area epitaxy to grow nanowires of Zn3P2, a material of interest for application in solar and photovoltaic cells. This work, coordinated by ICN2 group leader ICREA Prof. Jordi Arbiol, also employs state-of-the-art...

In simulated mission, astronauts obtained direct haptic feedback from robots they control on the ground

Astronauts in orbit could soon be using robots to explore lunar or planetary surfaces without having to expose themselves to the dangers of the extraterrestrial environment. A paper by Kjetil Wormnes and his colleagues based at the European Space Agency (ESA), Noordwijk, The Netherlands, published in the De Gruyter journal Open Astronomy, presents a simulated geological exploration mission in...

Nano- and microstructures incorporated into surfaces using lasers to create biomimetic effects

Nano- and microstructures can now be incorporated into surfaces in an instant using lasers. The technology is being developed and marketed by the Dresden-based start-up Fusion Bionic, a spin-off from the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS. The possibilities are virtually endless when it comes to laser structuring. It has the advantage of being fast and much more versatile...