89 articles from MONDAY 5.9.2022

Chilean voters resoundingly reject a new ‘ecological’ constitution

To the dismay of many scientists in Chile, voters resoundingly rejected a draft constitution that would have had major impacts on research, environmental policies, and Indigenous rights. Sixty-two percent of voters said “no” during a referendum yesterday on the new charter, which would have steered the country sharply leftward. “I’m still a bit shocked,” says Olga...

Data from Israel: myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccines remain rare, highest risk in young males

An examination of data of people who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Israel found males 14 to 30 years of age were the most susceptible to myocarditis after a second or third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, however, the overall risk remains relatively low. Among males ages 16 to 19 years, approximately 1 in 15,000 developed myocarditis after a booster dose of the...

Cross-species cell landscape constructed at single-cell level

Thanks to high-throughput single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), it is possible to construct single-cell transcriptomic atlases at the organic level. For example, cell atlases for vertebrate and invertebrate systems have been successfully generated, such as the Human Cell Landscape (HSC), Mouse Cell Atlas (MCA), Zebrafish Cell Landscape (ZCL) and Drosophila embryo. However, most of these studies...

New U.K. Prime Minister brings worries about research funding and climate measures

The election of Liz Truss as the United Kingdom’s next Prime Minister has stirred unease in the already-troubled U.K. scientific community and concern among environment advocates. Truss, whose election was announced by the Conservative Party today and who previously served as foreign secretary under outgoing leader Boris Johnson, has said little about science. But she has said she wants...

Soil temperature can predict pest spread in crops

A new study from North Carolina State University shows soil temperature can be used to effectively monitor and predict the spread of the corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea), a pest that ravages corn, cotton, soybeans, peppers, tomatoes and other vegetable crops. The ability to better monitor the pest and make predictions about where it will appear could help farmers control the pest more effectively,...

Networking virus detectors that can protect humans from animal pathogens

A biosensor network that can detect airborne viral particles could be put in place on animal farms and livestock markets. With appropriate analysis of the data from these internet-of-things (IoT) devices it might be possible to detect the earliest presence of a putative infectious agent that has undergone zoonosis and so made the leap from animal pathogen to a virus that can cause human disease,...

Training astronauts to be scientists on the moon

Astronauts with their sights on the moon are receiving world-class geology training during the fifth edition of ESA's Pangaea campaign. From choosing landing sites for a future Artemis mission, to designing science operations for the lunar surface, the course challenges space explorers to become field scientists.

Organic thin-film sensors for light-source analysis and anti-counterfeiting applications

In a recent publication in the journal Advanced Materials, a team of physicists and chemists from TU Dresden presents an organic thin-film sensor that describes a completely new way of identifying the wavelength of light and achieves a spectral resolution below one nanometer. As integrated components, the thin-film sensors could eliminate the need for external spectrometers in the future. A patent...

Floodplains improve the water quality of rivers

Riverine floodplains are among the most species-rich ecosystems on earth. Because they form the interface between land and water, they are hotspots of nutrient turnover and biodiversity. Along many rivers, however, numerous floodplains have been cut off from waterways or converted to other uses. At the same time, too many nutrients enter the water, especially nitrogen. Both degrade water quality...

Storms are getting worse. What does that mean for our health?

As adverse weather events like heavy rainfall, subsequent flooding and heat waves grow more severe and increase in frequency, checking the weather forecast means much more than knowing if you need an umbrella: Extreme weather is inextricably linked to our safety and well-being.

Good loser messages support democracy

Citizens sometimes just have to live with political decisions they dislike or think are unfair. But if their preferred party leaders communicate that the decisions have been made properly, the feeling of unfairness can diminish according to research from the University of Gothenburg.

Only South Africa's elite benefits from black economic empowerment—and COVID-19 proved it

More than two decades ago the South African government put in place a policy designed to redress racial imbalances in the country's economy. But, as I suggest in a recent paper, the policy—known as broad-based black economic empowerment)—has been hijacked and repurposed by individuals and factions within the ruling African National Congress (ANC) for the purpose of corruption and...

Researchers succeed in coupling two types of electron-hole pairs

Two-dimensional van der Waals materials have been the focus of work by numerous research groups for some time. Standing just a few atomic layers thick, these structures are produced in the laboratory by combining atom-thick layers of different materials (in a process referred to as "atomic Lego"). Interactions between the stacked layers allow the heterostructures to exhibit properties that the...

Physicists discover new rule for orbital formation in chemical reactions

Squeaky, cloudy or spherical—electron orbitals show where and how electrons move around atomic nuclei and molecules. In modern chemistry and physics, they have proven to be a useful model for quantum mechanical description and prediction of chemical reactions. Only if the orbitals match in space and energy can they be combined—this is what happens when two substances react with each other...

What fossils reveal about hybridization of early humans

Many people living today have a small component of Neanderthal DNA in their genes, suggesting an important role for admixture with archaic human lineages in the evolution of our species. Paleogenetic evidence indicates that hybridization with Neanderthals and other ancient groups occurred multiple times, with our species' history resembling more a network or braided stream than a tree. Clearly the...