117 articles from MONDAY 27.6.2022

Johnson issues open invitation to Russian scientists ‘dismayed by Putin’s violence’

Prime minister asks disaffected Russian academics to defect to the UK alongside Ukrainian colleaguesRussia-Ukraine war: latest updatesBoris Johnson has issued an open invitation for disaffected Russian scientists to defect to the UK, as he used the G7 summit to argue that allowing Russia to prevail in Ukraine would usher in a highly damaging era of global instability.As part of an expansion to a...

Single-atom tractor beams power chemical catalysis

By trapping light into tiny gaps only a few atoms wide, a team from the NanoPhotonics Center at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge has magnified optical forces a thousand-fold, strong enough to force atoms into positions that drive chemical reactions more efficiently.

In non-volatile memory technologies, 2D materials may drive a major leap forward

Non-volatile memories—which are able to retain information even when power is removed—are largely employed in computers, tablets, pen drives and many other electronic devices. Among the various existing technologies, magnetoresistive random-access memories (MRAM), currently used only in specific applications, are expected to expand considerably on the market in the decade to come.

Studying galaxy growth spurts in the early universe with NASA's Roman

In the American Wild West, high noon was a time for duels and showdowns. When it comes to the history of the universe, cosmic noon featured fireworks of a different sort. Some 2 to 3 billion years after the big bang most galaxies went through a growth spurt, forming stars at a rate hundreds of times higher than we see in our own galaxy, the Milky Way, today. When it launches by May 2027, NASA's...

Top predators could 'trap' themselves trying to adapt to climate change

Over a 30-year period, African wild dogs shifted their average birthing dates later by 22 days, an adaptation that allowed them to match the birth of new litters with the coolest temperatures in early winter. But as a result of this significant shift, fewer pups survived their most vulnerable period because temperatures during their critical post-birth 'denning period' increased over the same time...

Structural racism drives higher COVID-19 death rates in Louisiana, study finds

Higher COVID-19 mortality rates among Black communities in Louisiana can be linked to pervasive health vulnerabilities associated with racism, including the location of many Black neighborhoods near industrial facilities and the higher likelihood among Black families of being uninsured, researchers found. The team identified the spatial distribution of social and environmental stressors across...

Fossils in the 'Cradle of Humankind' may be more than a million years older than previously thought

For decades, scientists have studied these fossils of early human ancestors and their long-lost relatives. Now, a dating method developed by geologists just pushed the age of some of these fossils found at the site of Sterkfontein Caves back more than a million years. This would make them older than Dinkinesh, also called Lucy, the world's most famous Australopithecus fossil.

Southern resident killer whales not getting enough to eat since 2018

The endangered southern resident killer whale population isn't getting enough to eat, and hasn't been since 2018, a new study has determined. The animals have been in an energy deficit, averaged across spring, summer and fall, for six of the last 40 years -- meaning the energy they get from food is less than what they expend. Three of those six years came in the most recent years of the study,...

Amazon landscape change study highlights ecological harms and opportunities for action

A major study into landscape changes in the Brazilian Amazon sheds new light on the many environmental threats the biome faces -- but also offers encouraging opportunities for ecological sustainability in the world's most biodiverse tropical forest. The study's findings are critical because as the Amazon moves closer towards a 'tipping point', they provide a robust evidence base to inform urgently...

Urban density strongly correlates with house sparrow health

House sparrows (Passer domesticus) have adapted to urban environments, which are changing and growing faster than ever before. A range of both biotic and abiotic factors—including habitat fragmentation, changing food availability, heavy metals, nighttime light, noise and urban density—change the way birds live in an urban environment. Understanding how cities affect birds can help scientists...

Love spectacular photos of Jupiter?

A new NASA citizen science project, Jovian Vortex Hunter, seeks your help spotting vortices---spiral wind patterns—and other phenomena in gorgeous photos of the planet Jupiter. Learn...

Love spectacular photos of Jupiter? Become a Jovian Vortex Hunter!

At Jovian Vortex Hunter, you’ll examine gorgeous images of Jupiter like this one. Credit: NASA Help astrophysicists analyze the stunning images from NASA’s Juno spacecraft! https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/main/index.html A new NASA citizen science project, Jovian Vortex Hunter, seeks your help spotting vortices---spiral wind patterns—and other phenomena in gorgeous photos...

Warmer winters could wipe out Antarctica’s only native insect

The Antarctic midge might be smaller than a pea, but it’s the continent’s largest land animal–and only native insect. The midge has clearly evolved to survive in extreme conditions, yet a warming climate could threaten its existence, a new study finds. Unlike temperate-zone midges that swarm around water, the Antarctic midge ( Belgica antarctica ) is...

Destiny of science modeled and explained in new study

What is the common thread among mRNA vaccines, genomic drugs, NASA's mission to the moon and the harnessing of nuclear power? They all have been products of science convergence, where knowledge from multiple scientific disciplines is integrated into new overarching knowledge that propels modern civilization. In the last 70 years, convergence has achieved more than what science achieved in all its...