3,290 articles from FEBRUARY 2022
Research finds little genetic basis for some sea stars staying healthy amid deadly wasting syndrome
Healthy-looking ochre sea stars have minimal genetic difference from those displaying symptoms of sea star wasting syndrome, say Oregon State University researchers who examined whether genetic variation was the reason some animals went unaffected during an epidemic of the deadly disease.
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).
Tiger breeding, exports flourish in S.Africa: charity
South Africa's legal lion breeding has spawned a tiger farming industry for commercial exports, potentially posing a threat to the species already in decline, an animal welfare group warned Tuesday.
Scientists list most likely places on Earth to discover thousands of new tree species
The Earth boasts roughly 73,300 tree species, and 9,000 remain unknown to science, a new study estimates. But they're not spread evenly around the globe — here's where the most species are found, and where new species are most likely to be...
In space race, Europe faces choice: passenger or pilot
As the race to send people to the Moon and beyond heats up, Europe faces calls to make a choice: Keep paying for seats on spacecraft or finally fly its own manned vehicle.
Twitter's algorithm favors the political right, a recent study finds
If you're a Twitter user, you'll know that when scrolling through your home feed, in between posts from accounts you follow, you'll sometimes see tweets tagged "you might like." In other words, Twitter is recommending content to you that it deems may appeal to you.
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...
How the production of chemicals is interfering with nature calculated in absolute figures
For the first time, researchers at ETH Zurich have calculated in absolute figures the extent to which the production of chemicals is currently interfering with nature worldwide—and the results are staggering. In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, the new method also takes land use and freshwater consumption into account.
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.
Diversifying crop rotation improves soil, reduces fertilizer costs
Farmers who have used a three- or four-crop rotation system for more than 10 years are most likely to reap the benefits of improved soil health and higher yields, according to a survey of producers in eastern South Dakota.
Ancient helmets, temple ruins found at dig in southern Italy
Archaeologists in southern Italy have discovered ancient warrior helmets and the ruins of a painted brick wall at a site that might have been a forerunner of a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, officials said Tuesday.
Dark matter travelling through stars could produce potentially detectable shock waves
Dark matter, a hypothetical material that does not absorb, emit or reflect light, is thought to account for over 80 percent of the matter in the universe. While many studies have indirectly hinted at its existence, so far, physicists have been unable to directly detect dark matter and thus to confidently determine what it consists of.
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...
Increased storminess may give rise to North Atlantic's 'cold blob'
While climate change is making much of the world warmer, temperatures in a subpolar region of the North Atlantic are getting cooler. A team of researchers report that changes in the wind pattern, among other factors, may be contributing to this "cold blob."
Study of ants shows better biodiversity conservation needed across agricultural land in the tropics
A new study, led by CABI scientist Dr. Elizabeth Finch, is the first to investigate the impacts of swidden agriculture on ant communities across the full degradation gradient, highlighting the utmost importance of the conservation of existing closed canopy forests.
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...
Compounds made from 'digested' molecules for greener pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals
A method of producing vital chemical building blocks for use in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries that mimics how plants manufacture them has been developed by University of Warwick scientists.
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...
The impact of learning from ancestors on the rate of natural selection
Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo studied the impact of learning from ancestors on the rate of natural selection, and found that the evolutionary process can be accelerated, which may assist in the design of future evolutionary algorithms.
A possible explanation for the difference in the blue hues of Uranus and Neptune
A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in the U.K. and the U.S. has found a possible explanation for the difference in the blue hues of Uranus and Neptune. They have published a paper outlining their findings on the arXiv preprint server.