166 articles from THURSDAY 15.9.2022

“Fingerprints” of climate change are clear in Pakistan’s devastating floods

Climate change very likely intensified the South Asian monsoon that flooded Pakistan in recent weeks, killing more than 1,000 people and destroying nearly 2 million homes. That’s according to a new analysis by World Weather Attribution, a network of scientists who use climate models, weather observations, and other tools to determine whether global warming increased the likelihood or severity...

Researchers discover expanding and intensifying low-oxygen zone in the Arabian gulf

A team of researchers from the Arabian Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences (ACCESS) at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) studied the evolution of dissolved oxygen in the Arabian Gulf over three decades and discovered a significant decline in oxygen concentrations and the expansion of the seasonal near-bottom hypoxic zone (lower oxygen levels near the bottom of the Gulf in certain seasons). The...

Cracking the secrets to earthquake safety, one shake simulation at a time

To make sure our buildings and infrastructure are earthquake-safe, we must understand how seismic activity affects different structures. Miniature models and historical observations are helpful, but they only scratch the surface of understanding and quantifying a geological event as powerful and far-reaching as a major earthquake.

Researchers use purified liquid xenon to search for mysterious dark matter particles

Sitting a mile below ground in an abandoned gold mine in South Dakota is a gigantic cylinder holding 10 tons of purified liquid xenon closely watched by more than 250 scientists around the world. That tank of xenon is the heart of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment, an effort to detect dark matter—the mysterious invisible substance that makes up 85% of the matter in the universe.

Study shows potential of Southern cattail for phytoremediation of areas contaminated by mine tailings

Typha domingensis, the Southern cattail, a reedy marsh plant that inhabits fresh to slightly brackish waters and is about 2.5 m tall, can scavenge up to 34 times more manganese from contaminated soil than other plants found in similar environments. In a recent study, it accumulated between 10 and 13 times more manganese than other naturally occurring wetland plants such as hibiscus, sedges and...

Fireball seen over UK confirmed as meteor after day of confusion

Experts revise initial assumption that sighting was space junk linked to Elon Musk’s satellite programmeA fireball seen over many parts of the northern UK has been confirmed as a meteor after a day of confusion about its identity.The fireball was visible above northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland as it blazed across the clear night sky just after 10pm on Wednesday night. Continue...

Researchers attempt to print thin-film transistors with metal oxides onto heat-sensitive materials

Within the Functional Oxides Printed on Polymers and Paper (FOXIP) project, researchers form Empa, EPFL and the Paul Scherrer Institute attempted to print thin-film transistors with metal oxides onto heat-sensitive materials such as paper or PET. The goal was ultimately not achieved, but those involved consider the project a success—because of a new printing ink and a transistor with "memory...

Beyond AlphaFold: A.I. excels at creating new proteins

Over the past two years, machine learning has revolutionized protein structure prediction. Now there's a similar revolution in protein design. Biologists show that machine learning can be used to create protein molecules much more accurately and quickly than previously possible. By creating new, useful proteins not found in nature, they hope this advance will lead to many new vaccines,...

RiverProAnalysis, an open-source set of Matlab scripts for river longitudinal profile analysis

The erosional landscape evolves as the joint product of both tectonic activity and climate. The morphology of the long profiles of active rivers has been proven to be an archive to preserve and record the relationship of topographic relief, temporary and/or differential rock uplift rate, and climatically and/or lithologically related erosional efficiency. A simple but universal equation of the...

PDGFR kinase inhibitor found to protect against septic death via regulation of BTLA

In a study was led by Dr. Jianxin Jiang (Institute of Department of Trauma Medical Center, Daping Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Army Medical University), a team screened a highly selective kinase inhibitor library and found that CP-673451 can upregulate BTLA expression on immunocytes and reduce sepsis-related mortality.

Greener and more 'walkable' urban areas encourage physical activity

Urban areas with more "walkable" and greener environments favor the practice of physical activity among citizens. This is the result of a study conducted by researchers from the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB) of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona that provides public decision-makers with valuable indications on how to design healthy urban environments in the...

Researchers pave the way for large-scale, efficient organic solar cells with water treatment

Organic solar cells (OSCs), which use organic polymers to convert sunlight into electricity, have received considerable attention for their desirable properties as next-generation energy sources. These properties include its lightweight nature, flexibility, scalability, and a high power conversion efficiency (>19%). Currently, several strategies exist for enhancing the performance and stability of...

NASA's Perseverance rover investigates geologically rich Mars terrain

NASA's Perseverance rover is well into its second science campaign, collecting rock-core samples from features within an area long considered by scientists to be a top prospect for finding signs of ancient microbial life on Mars. The rover has collected four samples from an ancient river delta in the Red Planet's Jezero Crater since July 7, bringing the total count of scientifically compelling...

Millions of farmers 'replumb' the world's largest delta

Collective groundwater pumping by millions of farmers in Bangladesh in the dry season each year has created vast natural reservoirs underground that, over a 30-year-period, rival the world's largest dams—these sustain irrigation that has transformed this previously famine-prone country to a food-secure nation, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

Scientists resolve the structure of the human bitter taste receptor TAS2R46

A team of scientists led by the iHuman Institute of ShanghaiTech University has determined and analyzed the cryo-electron microscopy structures of human bitter taste receptor TAS2R46 complexed with G protein, in both strychnine-bound and apo forms, providing the first three-dimensional image of a human taste receptor. This study was published as the research article in the latest issue of Science.

‘Moderately weak’ ties best for moving jobs, study finds

Research using LinkedIn finds most useful acquaintances share a handful of mutual contactsWhether it’s the friend of a friend or a new contact from a conference, arms-length acquaintances have long been thought more useful than close chums when it comes to switching jobs.Now researchers say they have finally found a way to test the theory, revealing that while such “weak ties” do seem to...

Saturn's rings and tilt could be the product of an ancient, missing moon

Swirling around the planet's equator, the rings of Saturn are a dead giveaway that the planet is spinning at a tilt. The belted giant rotates at a 26.7-degree angle relative to the plane in which it orbits the sun. Astronomers have long suspected that this tilt comes from gravitational interactions with its neighbor Neptune, as Saturn's tilt precesses, like a spinning top, at nearly the same rate...

Saturn’s rings the remnants of a moon that strayed too close, say scientists

Theory of inner satellite ripped apart by gas giant’s gravity 100m-200m years ago also explains rings’ relative youthSaturn’s famous rings could be the aftermath of a moon that was ripped apart by the planet’s gravity, according to scientists.The research, based on data from the final stage of Nasa’s Cassini mission, suggests that Saturn may have been ringless for almost all of its...