166 articles from THURSDAY 28.7.2022

U.S. Senate calls for hefty research spending in 2023

The U.S. Senate’s spending panel today unveiled its proposed 2023 budgets for every federal agency. Science agencies do well, thanks to an overall allocation of $1.7 trillion that allowed the panel to provide a 10% increase to all domestic agencies and a 9% boost to military programs. The numbers represent the latest turn in an annual budget cycle that is unlikely to be...

From dazzled to doubtful: New U.S. climate deal draws range of reactions

Yesterday, Senator Joe Manchin (D–WV) stunned observers of U.S. politics with an announcement that he had agreed to back a sweeping tax and spending plan that would, among many other things, pour $369 billion into promoting clean energy sources and fighting climate change over up to a decade. Just weeks ago, a similar but bigger plan—known as Build Back Better—...

Inefficient building electrification risks prolonging fossil fuel use

A new study finds that decarbonization pathways need to incorporate more efficient electric heating technologies and more renewable energy sources to minimize strain on the U.S. electric grid during increased electricity usage from heating in December and January. Otherwise, harmful fossil fuels will continue to power these seasonal spikes in energy demand.

No 'safe space' for 12 key ocean species on North American West Coast

For the generations who grew up watching Finding Nemo, it might not come as a surprise that the North American West Coast has its own version of the underwater ocean highway—the California Current marine ecosystem (CCME). The CCME extends from the southernmost tip of California up through Washington. Seasonal upward currents of cold, nutrient-rich water are the backbone to a larger food web of...

Changing the perspective on the origin of enzymatic catalytic power

The enzymes found in living organisms have impressive catalytic power. Thanks to enzymes, the chemical reactions that sustain life happen millions of times faster than they would occur without them. Enzymes speed up reactions by helping to lower the activation energy needed to start them, but for more than 70 years, how enzymes achieve this has been the subject of intense debate.

Researchers track movement of charred detritus dispersed from Goleta Beach after 2018 debris flow in California

The catastrophic debris flow that affected Montecito, Calif., in early January, 2018 was the result of a rare confluence of severe events. The Thomas Fire had been raging for weeks in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and an unusually strong winter storm dumped half an inch of rain in five minutes on the newly-charred hills above the suburban enclave. With the tough vegetation that holds the...

Researchers take first-ever cryo-EM images of nitrogenase in action

Previously, it has been impossible to capture the high-resolution images of nitrogenase, the only enzyme capable of reducing nitrogen into ammonia, during catalytic action. Now, for the first time, researchers at the University of California San Diego report near-atomic-resolution snapshots of nitrogenase during catalysis using cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM). The results were published in...

Here are the biggest technology wins in the breakthrough climate bill

Two weeks after blowing up hopes of a US climate deal, Senator Joe Manchin announced on Wednesday that he and Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic majority leader, had struck a compromise agreement that would provide nearly $400 billion for climate and energy projects. It remains to be seen whether the sprawling spending package proposed by the Senate Democrats will pass in its current form,...

As pandemics collide, push to end AIDS stumbles

The world’s response to the 5-decade-old HIV/AIDS pandemic is faltering badly in the face of declines in spending and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to annual update from the Joint United Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). “The data we are sharing today bring painful but vital news,” said the director of UNAIDS, Winnie Byanyima, at a press conference yesterday to discuss the release...

Teaching computers to predict efficient catalysis

Researchers have developed a machine-learning algorithm that can teach computers to predict how molecules will bind to the surface and how strongly they will bind. The algorithm can assist in predicting efficiently and accurately whether a given material lends itself as a catalyst for chemical reactions involving many different complex molecules.

Some types of stress could be good for brain functioning

It may feel like an anvil hanging over your head, but that looming deadline stressing you out at work may actually be beneficial for your brain, according to new research. The study found that low to moderate levels of stress can help individuals develop resilience and reduce the risk of developing mental health disorders, like depression and antisocial behaviors. Low to moderate stress can also...

Decoding 'photoplethysmograms' to broaden the scope of health monitoring technologies

Advancing the potential applications of photoplethysmography, an optical technique used to measure heart rate, in cardiovascular and mental health monitoring requires the analysis of complex nonlinear data from photoplethysmograms (PPGs). Circumventing traditional analytical methods of resolving the complex and dynamic PPG signals, researchers have used nonlinear analysis to determine the accuracy...

Data from elephant seals reveal new features of marine heatwave 'the Blob'

The North Pacific Blob, a marine heatwave that began in late 2013 and continued through 2015, was the largest and longest-lasting marine heatwave on record. A new study using data collected by elephant seals reveals that in addition to the well documented surface warming, deeper warm-water anomalies associated with the Blob were much more extensive than previously reported.

A small crustacean acts as the sea's bees

The crucial role of insects in the pollination of flowering plants is well known, but algal fertilization assisted by marine animals was hitherto deemed non-existent. A team has now discovered that small crustaceans known as idoteas contribute to the reproductive cycle of the red alga Gracilaria gracilis. The scientists' findings suggest that animal-mediated fertilization is much older than once...

Specialized brain regions recognize vocal cues that don't involve speech

New research finds that specific parts of the brain recognize complex cues in human vocal sounds that do not involve speech, such as crying, coughing or gasping. Insights into the organization of the brain voice-recognition system will enable researchers to better understand neurological disorders where voice perception is altered or missing and even help create better voice assistant devices.

New hardware offers faster computation for artificial intelligence, with much less energy

Researchers have created protonic programmable resistors -- the building blocks of analog deep learning systems -- that can process data 1 million times faster than the synapses in the human brain. These ultrafast, low-energy resistors could enable analog deep learning systems that can train new and more powerful neural networks rapidly, which could then be used for novel applications in areas...

Why Twitter still has those terrible Trends

When Twitter introduced a new feature called Trends in mid-2008, the company’s cofounder Jack Dorsey described it as an evolution of the morning media diet. Where he might once have gained a sense of what was important in the world by reading newspapers or online media, Dorsey wrote in a short blog post, Trends, “at a glance,” allowed him to “see what the world considers important in this...