149 articles from WEDNESDAY 14.9.2022
DART’s Small Satellite Companion Takes Flight Ahead of Impact
Portal origin URL: DART’s Small Satellite Companion Takes Flight Ahead of ImpactPortal origin nid: 482789Published: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 - 17:59Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: Team members on NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) — the world’s first planetary defense test mission — confirmed the spacecraft’s own...
Removing turf-grass saves water. But will it increase urban heat?
As Las Vegas and other Southwestern cities look for ways to reduce water use during a historic drought, the removal of grass lawns and other areas of "nonfunctional turf" has been recommended by the Southern Nevada Water Authority and written into Nevada state law with AB356. But, will this change from turf-grass to other landscaping types result in other unintended climate impacts in urban areas,...
Using artificial intelligence to improve tuberculosis treatments
Imagine you have 20 new compounds that have shown some effectiveness in treating a disease like tuberculosis (TB), which affects 10 million people worldwide and kills 1.5 million each year. For effective treatment, patients will need to take a combination of three or four drugs for months or even years because the TB bacteria behave differently in different environments in cells—and in some...
Can the brain recover after boxers, MMA fighters stop fighting?
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/14 22:40
Boxers and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters may see some recovery in their thinking and memory skills as well as brain structure after they stop fighting, according to a new study.
Seven healthy lifestyle habits may reduce dementia risk for people with diabetes
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/14 22:40
A combination of seven healthy lifestyle habits including sleeping seven to nine hours daily, exercising regularly and having frequent social contact was associated with a lower risk of dementia in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the September 14, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Discrimination causes nearly instantaneous spikes in stress hormones
There’s clear evidence that racial discrimination negatively affects the health of people of color over the course of their lives. It’s associated with
depression, anxiety, and psychological stress
; it
increases blood pressure
;
and it has been shown to
weaken the immune system
. However, few studies have linked single...
Typhoon Muifa makes second landfall on China's coast
Typhoon Muifa on Thursday made landfall for a second time on China's densely populated east coast, after causing the cancelation of all passenger flights at Shanghai's two international airports as it hit land.
Beyond sound: Red-eyed treefrogs use sound and vibration in calls for mates and aggression
One would be hard-pressed to take a walk outside without hearing the sounds of calling animals. During the day, birds chatter back and forth, and as night falls, frogs and insects call to defend territories and to attract potential mates. For several decades, biologists have studied these calls with great interest, taking away major lessons about the evolution of animal displays and the processes...
Scientist discovers new oxidation state of rhodium
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/14 21:26
Chemists have discovered a new oxidation state of rhodium. This chemical element is one of the most catalytically important platinum-group metals and is used, for example, in catalytic converters for automobiles. Rhodium is actually already well studied.
Researchers develop a new way to predict droughts
Scientists looking at the meteorological impacts of climate change have typically looked at increases in severe weather and hurricanes. Now, they are studying another consequence of global warming that will have significant economic ramifications: drought.
Humans and parrots battle in an ‘arms race’ over trash in Australia
In the suburbs of Sydney, garbage bins are the front lines of a messy battle between humans and birds. On one side are raven-size dumpster-diving parrots called sulfur-crested cockatoos; on the other are homeowners who’d like to stop cleaning up after the sloppy eaters. In a new study, researchers detail the arms race between pillaging parrots and frustrated residents, noting both...
Using eyes in the sky to locate seals in a rapidly changing Arctic
This summer, researchers managed to collect stunning drone images of both ringed seals and walruses. In one fjord, the St. Jonsfjorden, twelve ringed seals were found spread out throughout the fjord, resting on the fast ice. However, approaching and identifying these individuals is very challenging. Since ringed seals are hunted by polar bears, any mammal—either walking on four or two...
University of Michigan's ZEUS will be most powerful laser in US
A newly constructed University of Michigan facility that will be home to the most powerful laser in the United States is hosting its first experiment this week as the nation seeks to become competitive again in the realm of high-power laser facilities.
Biomimetic dual-color domes programmable for encryption
Many organisms in nature have evolved spots with two structural colors on their bodies, like the Papilio Palinurus butterfly. The green color on its wings derives from the turquoise-yellow dual color spots.
Kebnekaise's southern peak once again lower than the northern peak
Since September 2019, Sweden has had a new official highest point. Researchers at Stockholm University's research station in Tarfala established that the southern peak of the Kebnekaise mountain, at 2095.6 meters, was now lower than the northern peak, with a height of 2096.8 meters. Scientists had long predicted that the south peak, consisting of a snow-covered glacier, would shrink due to the...
Research finds educators need mental health support following hurricanes
After Hurricanes Harvey and Matthew hit Texas and North Carolina, it was the custodians who removed debris and damaged supplies from the athletic fields. It was the principals who stayed in the building for 24 hours while their schools operated as shelters. It was the teachers who ran to the local pharmacy to retrieve students' lifesaving medicine while communication was limited.
The origin of life in an RNA pocket
This story begins several billion years ago. There's only chemistry, no biology—that is, plenty of chemical compounds exist on Earth, but life hasn't yet emerged. Then, among myriads of randomly self-assembled chemical structures, one tiny RNA molecular machine reveals itself as perfectly suitable for creating bonds between activated amino acids, the building blocks of future proteins.
DART spacecraft prepares to collide with asteroid target later this month
As NASA prepares to usher in a new form of planetary defense, one Johns Hopkins engineer will be eagerly awaiting the big collision that she is helping orchestrate.
New multi-channel visible light communication system uses single optical path
Researchers have demonstrated a new visible light communication system that uses a single optical path to create a multi-channel communication link over the air. This approach could be used as a backup communication link or for connecting Internet of Things devices.
Above and belowground traits vary in response to soil moisture availability and plant competition
Functional traits have been used to explain plant responses to alterations in water availability. Our understanding of plant responses to biotic and abiotic drivers are largely based on aboveground plant traits. Due to the limited consideration of belowground plant traits, a general view of plant water use strategies remains elusive.
Why banks don't diversify their foreign assets enough
A new paper links portfolio diversification and information production, explaining why banks concentrate their holdings of foreign assets.
Better screening could predict and prevent sudden cardiac death in young people
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/14 20:10
Nearly nine in ten cases of sudden cardiac death (SCD) due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in young people are preceded by symptoms, ECG abnormalities or a positive family history, according to a new study. Those findings suggest that expanding cardiac screening beyond competitive athletes could aid in the prevention of SCD in the young population with HCM.
What ancient dung reveals about Epipaleolithic animal tending
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/14 20:10
Tiny crystals in ancient animal dung serve as key evidence in a new analysis suggesting the possibility that hunter-gatherers at Abu Hureyra, Syria, may have tended small numbers of animals just outside their dwellings between 12,800 and 12,300 years ago.
The bolder bird gets (and keeps) the girl
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/14 20:10
Researchers demonstrate a clear connection between personality in wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) and the likelihood of divorce. Though the link between personality and relationship outcomes in humans is well-established, this is the first study to do so with animals.