179 articles from THURSDAY 8.9.2022

Gender inequities in mentoring may disproportionately affect women researchers

A new analysis of mentoring relationships in academic research finds that gender inequities in the resources available to women mentors in the life sciences appear to disproportionately affect the subsequent careers of women trainees. Leah Schwartz and colleagues at Oregon Health and Science University present these findings on September 8th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology.

Ecological tipping point: 5+ El Nino events per century controls coastal biotic communities

The El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a global climate phenomenon most famous for the El Niño phase characterized by warm sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean, intense winter storms and high precipitation. El Niño impacts plants, animals and people around the world by devastating Pacific fisheries, sparking droughts in some parts of the world and causing massive flooding...

Modern humans generate more brain neurons than Neandertals

The question of what makes modern humans unique has long been a driving force for researchers. Comparisons with our closest relatives, the Neandertals, 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...

Chiral quasi bound states in the continuum for a high-purity circularly polarized light source

An ultracompact circularly polarized light source is a crucial component for the applications of classical and quantum optics information processing. The development of this field relies on the advances of two fields: quantum materials and chiral optical cavities. Conventional approaches for circularly polarized photoluminescence suffer from incoherent broadband emission, limited DOP, and large...

Risk of multiple climate tipping points escalates above 1.5°C global warming

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 published in the journal Science. 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.

‘Breakthrough’ finding shows how modern humans grow more brain cells than Neanderthals

We humans are proud of our big brains, which are responsible for our ability to plan ahead, communicate, and create. Inside our skulls, we pack, on average, 86 billion neurons—up to three times more than those of our primate cousins. For years, researchers have tried to figure out how we manage to develop so many brain cells. Now, they’ve come a step closer: A new study shows a...

From a single domestication, donkeys helped build empires around the world

Donkeys may lack the popularity and prestige of horses, but these diminutive equines played an outsize role in human history. Now, an extensive analysis of the genomes of both modern and ancient donkeys reveals they were domesticated only once, in East Africa around 5000 B.C.E. Soon after, they rapidly spread throughout Eurasia and became distinctive populations, with limited mixing...

Just a small rise in Earth’s temperature could cause irreversible ecosystem and weather changes

From melting ice sheets to stressed coral reefs, global warming is changing our world in unmistakable ways. But identifying “tipping points,” thresholds past which such transformations become irreversible or self-sustaining, has been more difficult—and controversial. Some researchers argue that emphasizing looming but uncertain points of no return could feed public apathy,...

The link between mental health and social conditions | Letters

Readers and healthcare professionals respond to Dr Sanah Ahsan’s article which argued that for too long, the dominant mental health narrative has located problems in individuals, and not in social injustice or inequalityLike Dr Sanah Ahsan (I’m a psychologist – and I believe we’ve been told devastating lies about mental health, 6 September), I too work as a clinical psychologist and I see...

Research improves upon conventional LED displays

LED lights have become ubiquitous lighting solutions for homes and businesses, but when it comes to large, high-resolution displays, traditional LEDs have documented disadvantages. LED displays use a high voltage and a factor called the internal power conversion efficiency is low, which means the energy costs to run the displays are high, the displays do not last as long, and they can run too hot.

New kit enables study of microplastics in the ocean

New equipment designed by British Antarctic Survey is helping scientists to study the impact of microplastics in the ocean. The Ocean Plastic Incubator Chamber (OPIC) exposes various types of plastics to oceanic conditions for predetermined lengths of time to measure weathering rates. Lots of discarded plastic ends up in the ocean, where it remains, so it's important to understand how plastic may...

Molecular mechanisms of spawning habits for adaptive radiation of endemic East Asian cyprinid fishes

Adaptive radiations represent rapid branching in the tree of life and are recognized as critical drivers of biodiversity. Studies on them is central to understand the mechanisms that drive speciation, diversification, and many associated ecological and evolutionary processes. During adaptive radiations, traits related to ecological and reproductive isolation play a major role in shaping...

Examining the trends Europe's agriculture will have to cope with

Climate change, environmental and animal welfare policies, aging farmers: Europe's agriculture is facing enormous challenges, which vary diametrically depending on the region. Where will farming soon become unprofitable? Where are laws forcing them to change their practices? A study co-led by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL has now investigated this for all...

A new road towards spin-polarized currents

The second half of the 20th century was the age of electronics, electronic devices became miniaturized and even more complex, creating problems for their energy consumption and waste heat. Spintronics promises to store or transport information based on spins alone, which would work faster with much less energy. Unfortunately it is still a challenge to control spin in a material by external fields...

What makes the 'Appalachian truffle' taste and smell delicious?

A hallmark of a truly luxurious meal is a sprinkling of truffle shavings—the fungal kind, not the chocolate. Nicknamed "diamonds" of the culinary world, these fanciful fungi are prized for their unique flavor and scent. But newer truffle species are fighting to achieve that same gourmet status. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Omega have performed the first full aroma characterization of the...