160 articles from THURSDAY 20.10.2022

Acidic layer in single-walled carbon nanotubes facilitates confinement of anion impurities

Efficient purification processes that separate impurities from air and water are necessary to sustain life on Earth. To this end, carbon materials have long been used for deodorizing, separating, and removing harmful anion impurities by adsorption. So far, the detailed mechanism by which carbon purifies water has remained a mystery. Additionally, it is not known if the aqueous solution adsorbed on...

Study reveals a broken symmetry in the roughness of elastic interfaces

A large class of problems in non-equilibrium statistical physics deal with driven dynamics of elastic interfaces in random media. Examples include stress-driven propagation of crack fronts in disordered solids, motion of domain walls driven by applied magnetic fields in disordered ferromagnets, and dynamics of fluid fronts invading a porous medium—for example, when coffee spilled on the table is...

Alligators exposed to PFAS show autoimmune effects

A recent study of alligators in the Cape Fear River found the animals had elevated levels of 14 different per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemicals in their blood serum, as well as clinical and genetic indicators of immune system effects. The work adds to the body of evidence connecting PFAS exposure with adverse immune system effects.

Calcium content determines the peak intensity ratio due to iron ions at Mössbauer spectra in pyroxene

Pyroxenes are a major group of rock-forming minerals. Scientists investigated the iron ion status of a calcium-rich pyroxene, using Mössbauer spectroscopy on thin sections of single crystals. The study revealed that in pyroxene crystals consisting of roughly 50% calcium, the tensor that determines the ratios of iron ions at the Mössbauer spectral peaks in the M1 sites -- one of two types of...

The Download: Bill Gates’s new climate plans, and an AI bug bounty

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Bill Gates’s energy venture fund is plowing more money into climate adaptation The news: Bill Gates’s climate-oriented venture capital fund is expanding its mission, adding adaptation to its investment categories and establishing a…

A bias bounty for AI will help to catch unfair algorithms faster

AI systems are deployed all the time, but it can take months or even years until it becomes clear whether, and how, they’re biased.  The stakes are often sky-high: unfair AI systems can cause innocent people to be arrested, and they can deny people housing, jobs, and basic services.   Today a group of AI and machine-learning experts are launching a new bias bounty...

Diphtheria outbreak confirmed at asylum seeker centre in Kent

‘Very small’ number of cases reported at Manston airfield, where about 3,000 people are staying in tentsThere has been an outbreak of diphtheria at an asylum seeker processing centre at a former MoD site in Kent.The Home Office refused to confirm the number of cases of diphtheria at Manston – an airfield in Ramsgate providing tented accommodation for about 3,000 people who have arrived in...

Secret files suggest chemical giant feared weedkiller’s link to Parkinson’s disease

Exclusive: Documents seen by Guardian detail effort to refute scientific research into paraquat and derail nomination of key EPA adviserFor decades, Swiss chemical giant Syngenta has manufactured and marketed a widely used weed-killing chemical called paraquat, and for much of that time the company has been dealing with external concerns that long-term exposure to the chemical may be a cause of...

When you lose weight, where does it go?

What happens when we lose weight? This is really a question about how our bodies store and use the energy we need to function.  In general, we store backup energy in fat cells that are distributed around the body, some in the abdomen around the organs (visceral fat) and some under the skin (subcutaneous fat); lesser amounts of fat can also be deposited in muscle tissue. We also have...

Alligators exposed to PFAS show autoimmune effects

A recent study of alligators in the Cape Fear River found the animals had elevated levels of 14 different per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemicals in their blood serum, as well as clinical and genetic indicators of immune system effects. The work adds to the body of evidence connecting PFAS exposure with adverse immune system effects.

Can rituals help with our grief for the natural world?

Last week, a scientific assessment found wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 69% in just under 50 years. Such rapid and significant losses are leaving many of us with a deep sense of grief and anxiety. To make sense of these emotions and channel them into action, people are increasingly performing rituals and commemorative acts for the natural world.Madeleine Finlay speaks to Prof...