- PhysOrg
- 22/9/8 23:35
Red dwarfs are the most abundant stars in the Milky Way, making up 70% of all stars.
179 articles from THURSDAY 8.9.2022
Red dwarfs are the most abundant stars in the Milky Way, making up 70% of all stars.
A yearlong study examining ethnic and racial diversity in forensic science has found that the varying disciplines, which frequently work closely with law enforcement, are also generally whiter than the U.S. population it serves.
Early in its history, shortly after the Big Bang, the universe was filled with equal amounts of matter and 'antimatter' -- particles that are matter counterparts but with opposite charge. But then, as space expanded, the universe cooled. Today's universe is full of galaxies and stars which are made of matter. Where did the antimatter go, and how did matter come to dominate the universe? This...
Researchers developed a system that streamlines the process of federated learning, a technique where users collaborate to train a machine-learning model in a way that safeguards each user's data. The system reduces communication costs of federated learning and boosts accuracy of a machine-learning model trained using this method, which would make federated learning more feasible to implement in...
While on missions without access to clean water, U. S. Marines face the challenge of procuring and storing enough drinking water to sustain them. Chemical engineers are working toward a realistic purification option that is portable, lightweight and easy to operate.
Stars are the machines that sculpt the universe, yet scientists don't fully know how they form. To understand the frenzied 'baby boom' of star birth that occurred early in the universe's history, researchers turned to the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. This nearby galaxy has a simpler chemical composition than the Milky Way, making it similar to the galaxies found in...
One of the most upsetting aspects of age-related memory decline is not being able to remember the face that accompanies the name of a person you just talked with hours earlier. While researchers don't understand why this dysfunction occurs, a new study has provided some important new clues.
Weedy rice is a closely related cousin of crop rice. It aggressively competes with cultivated rice in the field, leading to loss of yield and reductions in harvest quality that compromise market value. Biologists used whole-genome sequences of 48 contemporary weedy rice plants to show how herbicide resistance evolved by gene flow from crop rice. Almost all other cases of herbicide resistance in...
Agriculture drives more than 90 percent of tropical deforestation. Halting deforestation will require a step-change in approach and to be effective measures must address underlying and indirect roles of agriculture, says a new study.
Multiple climate tipping points could be triggered if global temperature rises beyond 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, according to a major new analysis. Even at current levels of global heating the world is already at risk of passing five dangerous climate tipping points, and risks increase with each tenth of a degree of further warming.
A household microwave oven modified by an engineering professor is helping to cook up the next generation of cellphones, computers and other electronics after the invention was shown to overcome a major challenge faced by the semiconductor industry.
The question of what makes modern humans unique has long been a driving force for researchers. Comparisons with our closest relatives, the Neanderthals, therefore provide fascinating insights. The increase in brain size, and in neuron production during brain development, are considered to be major factors for the increased cognitive abilities that occurred during human evolution. However, while...
A new study suggests that many more planets may have large amounts of water than previously thought--as much as half water and half rock. The catch? All that water is probably embedded in the rock, rather than flowing as oceans or rivers on the surface.
Many models predict that climate change will fuel stronger and more frequent El Niño events. However, our knowledge of ENSO and its influence on ecosystems only extends back about 200 years, making it difficult to understand what the long-term future will hold. In the new study, the authors leveraged a coastal rockshelter site called Abrigo de los Escorpiones, one of the largest and best-dated...
A team of interdisciplinary researchers has developed techniques to improve the efficiency of CRISPR-Cas9, the genome editing technique that earned the Nobel Prize in 2020.
Early in its history, shortly after the Big Bang, the universe was filled with equal amounts of matter and "antimatter"—particles that are matter counterparts but with opposite charge. But then, as space expanded, the universe cooled. Today's universe is full of galaxies and stars that are made of matter. Where did the antimatter go, and how did matter come to dominate the universe? This cosmic...
The brain is arguably one of the most complex structures in the known universe.
Over a six-year period in southcentral Pennsylvania, measures of biodiversity among wild bee communities declined and one-third of species experienced decreases in abundance, according to a team of researchers.
Higher high tides, supercharged by rising sea levels, could flood all or parts of an estimated $34 billion worth of real estate along the nation's coasts within just 30 years, a new report concludes.
For most of his career, David Hondula worked as a professor and environmental science researcher at Arizona State University studying the impact of the changing climate.
The remains of a female "vampire" have been unearthed by archaeologists at a cemetery in Europe, Polish researchers announced this week.
Current rates of warming put the Earth on a path of runaway climate change, according to a new analysis.
It is sometimes said that science is about truth, while engineering is about compromise.
Supplementing the feed of dairy cattle with enzymes from two fungi simultaneously has a positive effect on the animals' lactational performance, according to Penn State researchers, who studied the concept in an experiment with cows.
Humans prefer their weather in something of a Goldilocks zone—a not-too-hot, not-too-cold temperature window which not only affects our physical comfort, but also our mood. During heat waves or deep freezes, tempers fray, patience wears thin, and behavior can suffer. Now, a new study in The Lancet Planetary Health, has found that this holds true not only in our in-person interactions, but...
Shale oil, a type of crude oil similar to petroleum, is found between layers of organic-rich shale. It can be refined into petrol, diesel, and other products, making it a sought-after resource. The Qingshankou Formation in the Gulong Sag of the Songliao Basin in China is a large geological body of shale deposits formed at the bottom of an ancient lake. These deposits contain about 15.3 billion...
Recent advances in imaging technology have made it possible to visualize intracellular dynamics, which offers a better understanding of several key biological principles for accelerating therapeutic development. Fluorescent labeling is one such technique that is used to identify intracellular proteins, their dynamics, and dysfunction. Both internal as well as external probes with fluorescent dyes...
A Penn State-led team of interdisciplinary researchers has developed techniques to improve the efficiency of CRISPR-Cas9, the genome editing technique that earned the Nobel Prize in 2020. While CRISPR-Cas9 is faster, less expensive and more accurate than other gene-editing methods, according to project leader Xiaojun "Lance" Lian, associate professor of biomedical engineering and biology at Penn...
Just two weeks after announcing the development of a mouse embryo model, complete with beating hearts and the foundations for a brain and other organs, from mouse stem cells, researchers in the laboratory of Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, Bren Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering, have published new findings about another mouse embryo model reaching similar developmental stages, but created...
Charging and discharging a battery cell transforms its electrode material into a "super" material.
Researchers have developed a thin lens with a continuously tunable focal length. The new lens could one day make visual fatigue from augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) devices a thing of the past.
Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) and the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) have conducted the most comprehensive genetic analysis ever of the American bullfrog (Aquarana catesbeiana) in Brazil, concluding that there are two populations of the species here, living on frog farms or invading local ecosystems. Bullfrogs are considered the world's main invasive amphibian.
Greece has ratified a complex deal for the return, over coming decades, of 161 striking ancient Greek artifacts from a U.S. billionaire's collection after Athens conceded it had no evidence they'd been illegally excavated and exported.
States are acting to decriminalize possession of most or all controlled substances, according to updated data released today by the Temple University Center for Public Health Law Research on LawAtlas.org that provide a high-level overview of legislation seeking to decriminalize personal drug possession.
Membrane technology is widely applied in water treatment for removing suspended particles, colloids, and organic pollutants from polluted water. As a typical representative of inorganic membrane with advantages such as high flux and chemical resistance, ceramic membrane has massive potential value in the treatment of surface water, municipal wastewater, and drinking water.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Latinas left their jobs in large numbers as they were forced to shoulder an unequal share of household and child care responsibilities, and most haven't reentered the workforce despite an economic rebound, according to a report published today by the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute.
Solid-aqueous interfaces are ubiquitous and essential in a diverse range of natural and man-made systems and processes, from mineral formation, rock weathering and metal corrosion, to the intricate functioning of biological membranes and ion channels.
Stable isotopes in precipitation are important indicators for studying changes in the Earth's water cycle and reconstructing the paleoclimate history. Previous studies have shown that the precipitation stable isotopes in Asia recorded in stalagmites and other sediments have prominent periodic change patterns on the 10,000-year scale (orbital scale) in geological periods, but in the scientific...
When the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, many people turned to online sources to find health information. That was also largely the case for racial and ethnic minority populations in the United States, and a new study from the University of Kansas found they faced many of the same challenges such as encountering misinformation online, but also unique factors such as harassment, hostility and...
A review paper by scientists at Zhejiang University summarized the development of continuum robots from the aspects of design, actuation, modeling and control. The new review paper, published on Jul. 26 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems, provided an overview of the classic and advanced technologies of continuum robots, along with some prospects urgently to be solved.
A new study published September 8 in Science finds that between 90 and 99% of all deforestation in the tropics is driven directly or indirectly by agriculture. Yet only half to two-thirds of this results in the expansion of active agricultural production on the deforested land.
Results believed to be first compelling evidence that modern humans were cognitively better than NeanderthalsNeanderthals have long been portrayed as our dim-witted, thuggish cousins. Now groundbreaking research has – while not confirmed the stereotype – revealed striking differences in the brain development of modern humans and Neanderthals.The study involved inserting a Neanderthal brain...
Giant ice sheets, ocean currents and permafrost regions may already have passed point of irreversible changeThe climate crisis has driven the world to the brink of multiple “disastrous” tipping points, according to a major study.It shows five dangerous tipping points may already have been passed due to the 1.1C of global heating caused by humanity to date. Continue...
Water is the one thing all life on Earth needs, and the cycle of rain to river to ocean to rain is an essential part of what keeps our planet's climate stable and hospitable. When scientists talk about where to search for signs of life throughout the galaxy, planets with water are always at the top of the list.
The donkey has shaped the history of humankind, both as a source of power for farm work, and of transportation in sometimes hard to reach areas.
Lugging around a tapeworm that's one third your body weight can be a real drag. So threespine stickleback fish evolved resistance to tapeworms—but resistance has costs of its own, a team of researchers show in Science on September 8.