144 articles from THURSDAY 23.6.2022

UM study finds microplastic pollution in Flathead Lake

They're in our oceans and rivers. They're in the food we eat and the water we drink. They've even been detected inside the human body. They're called microplastics—particles of plastic so small they can't be seen by the naked eye. While researchers have known for years that these microplastics exist in Flathead Lake, the concentrations and origins of the microplastic pollution have remained a...

Hidden carbon layer may have sparked ancient bout of global warming

There is no perfect parallel in Earth’s past for present-day climate change—human-driven warming is simply happening too fast and furiously. The closest analog came 56 million years ago, when over the course of 3000 to 5000 years, greenhouse gases soared in the atmosphere, causing at least 5°C of warming and pushing tropical species to the poles. The cause of the...

Gravitational wave radar could probe deep space for tiny stellar objects

Theoretical physicists have hit on a new way to test Albert Einstein’s theory of gravity, or general relativity, and—just maybe—probe the distant universe for tiny, hard to detect objects. Gravitational waves —ripples in space set off when massive objects such as black holes whirl together and collide—should bounce off other massive objects to produce echoes of...

Team composition, structure, members' gender influence ability to focus, work together

The ability of team members to work together across a range of tasks, called collective intelligence (CI), varies significantly between teams. Research suggests that the level of collective attention (the quality and coordination of members' focus) a team develops influences its level of CI. A new study examined what factors enhance collective attention, focusing on the influence of teams'...

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter releasing one of its last rainbow-colored maps

Scientists are about to get a new look at Mars, thanks to a multicolored 5.6-gigapixel map. Covering 86% of the Red Planet's surface, the map reveals the distribution of dozens of key minerals. By looking at mineral distribution, scientists can better understand Mars' watery past and can prioritize which regions need to be studied in more depth.

Climate change could lead to a dramatic temperature-linked decrease in essential omega-3 fatty acids, according to new study

The effects of global climate change already are resulting in the loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise, and longer and more intense heat waves, among other threats. Now, a survey of planktonic lipids in the global ocean predicts a temperature-linked decrease in the production of essential omega-3 fatty acids, an important subset of lipid molecules. A significant implication of the survey is...

Automation builds bigger, better ice tower reservoirs for high, dry farming

Towering artificial ice reservoirs called "ice stupas" have emerged since 2014 as an accessible means of storing irrigation water in dry, high-altitude mountain villages. Now, experiments with automated systems have demonstrated that construction of these giant ice cones, which top 30 meters (100 feet), can be accomplished with about one-tenth the volume of water manual methods use, according to...

U.S. science agencies would see budgets rise under draft budget bills

Spending panels for the U.S. House of Representatives kicked off the 2023 federal budget cycle this week by recommending healthy increases for several research agencies. In some cases, however, those increases fall below the much larger boosts President Joe Biden has requested. At the same time, lawmakers bucked that trend by adding to Biden’s meager request for the National Institutes...

Coastal marsh migration may further fuel climate change

As rising sea levels cause marshes to move inland in six mid-Atlantic states, coastal habitats will not serve as a carbon sink but instead will release more carbon into the atmosphere, a new modeling study finds. The research raises questions about the persistence of coastal habitats' carbon benefits in the face of sea level rise.

Microplastic pollution in Montana's flathead lake

Scientists have a greater understanding of the amount of microplastics polluting Flathead Lake, the likely sources of these microplastics and what can be done to prevent more from finding their way into the lake's world-renowned pristine water.

COVID's Catch-22: The paradox of masking and disease

Standard infection models for COVID-19 tend to focus only on disease states, overlooking the dynamics of a complex paradox: While masking reduces transmission rates and consequently disease prevalence, the reduction of disease inhibits mask-wearing -- thereby promoting epidemic revival.

Polluted land can be planted with flowers and tobacco

Zinnia (popular ornamental flowers) and tobacco adapt to copper in the soil. They accumulate heavy metal in the roots and limit the transport of copper to the aerial parts of the plant: stem, leaves, and beyond. At the same time, these plants not only survive in difficult conditions, but also grow better. This feature was revealed by scientists of the Ural Federal University (UrFU). They conducted...

The star that survived a supernova

A supernova is the catastrophic explosion of a star. Thermonuclear supernovae, in particular, signal the complete destruction of a white dwarf star, leaving nothing behind. At least that's what models and observations suggested.

Coastal marsh migration may further fuel climate change

As rising sea levels cause marshes to move inland in six mid-Atlantic states, the coastal zone will not continue to serve as a carbon sink but release more carbon into the atmosphere, a new modeling study led by researchers at Duke University finds.

The ancient Egyptians were concerned with more than just death

When we think about ancient Egypt, the first things that come to mind are usually mummies and sarcophagi. According to researcher and Rijksmuseum van Oudheden curator Lara Weiss, that impression is unjustified. She made an audio tour for the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden that focuses on living Egyptians and their relationship with death and the dead.

New hope to stop spread of antibiotic resistance

A new path to help stop the spread of antibiotic resistance has been uncovered by a team led by University College London (UCL) and Birkbeck researchers, in a move that could impact the lives of millions globally.

Diverse habitats are required for river fish biodiversity restoration

Floodplains must contain a variety of fish habitats, among other things, to restore river fish biodiversity. This is the result of a large-scale study conducted by Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in collaboration with Rijkswaterstaat, which is published in Science of the Total Environment (STOTEN). Additionally, the extent to which the restored floodplain is connected to the river...

A potentially more effective treatment for HER2 mutant metastatic breast cancer

Researchers have identified a HER2 mutation that confers therapeutic resistance and promotes metastatic behavior in lobular breast cancer. Importantly, they also showed that the drug poziotinib, which is already approved for other cancer types, reduced tumor growth and multi-organ metastasis in laboratory tests and animal models. A phase II clinical trial is on the works to determine the value of...

Modeling historical biomass could be key to buffering climate change

A new study paints a vivid image of how forests developed over centuries and contribute to Earth's carbon balance -- a crucial component to maintaining a steady global climate. The study reconstructed the natural pace and pattern of carbon storage in forests of the Midwestern United States over 10,000 years. The findings have the potential to shift ongoing debates about how landscapes can be...

Secrets of aging revealed in largest study on longevity, aging in reptiles and amphibians

An international team of 114 scientists reports the most comprehensive study of aging and longevity to date of reptiles and amphibians worldwide. Among their many findings, they document for the first time that turtles, crocodilians and salamanders have particularly low aging rates and extended lifespans for their sizes. The team also finds that protective phenotypes, such as the hard shells of...

Self-assembled, interlocked threads: Spinning yarn with no machine needed

Researchers unexpectedly discovered that the ability for spirals to form in nature also happens in some non-biological systems that convert chemical energy into mechanical action -- allowing two-dimensional polymer sheets to rise and rotate in spiral helices without the application of external power. This self-assembly into coherent three-dimensional structures represents the group's latest...

Ultra-thin film creates vivid 3D images with large field of view

Researchers have developed a new ultra-thin film that can create detailed 3D images viewable under normal illumination without any special reading devices. The images appear to float on top of the film and can be clearly viewed from all angles. The new imaging film uses a technology known as light-field imaging, which captures the direction and intensity of all rays of light within a scene to...