198 articles from MONDAY 28.11.2022
What ancient underwater food webs can tell us about the future of climate change
What a tangled web we weave. When it comes to the impact of the climate crisis on marine food webs, we apparently have not known the half of it. That's according to a new University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) study, which compared ancient and modern ocean ecosystems in a bid to understand how to make them healthier and more resilient.
Artemis: Nasa's Orion capsule breaks distance record
The spacecraft travels further from Earth than any previous vehicle built for astronauts.
Study finds that big rains eventually bring big algae blooms
In the lake-rich regions of the world, algae blooms are a growing problem. Not only are the floating green scums a nuisance for anyone hoping to enjoy the water, they can turn toxic and threaten public health.
Study: Canada geese beat humans in longstanding territory battle
Canada geese collide with aircraft, intimidate unassuming joggers, and leave lawns and sidewalks spattered with prodigious piles of poop. They're widely considered nuisance birds, and municipalities invest considerable time and money harassing geese to relocate the feisty flocks. But new University of Illinois research shows standard goose harassment efforts aren't effective, especially in winter...
NASA's Lunar Flashlight SmallSat readies for launch
When NASA's Lunar Flashlight launches no earlier than Nov. 30, the tiny satellite will begin a three-month journey, with mission navigators guiding the spacecraft far past the moon. It will then be slowly pulled back by gravity from Earth and the sun before settling into a wide science-gathering orbit to hunt for surface water ice inside dark regions on the moon that haven't seen sunlight in...
Image: Hubble glimpses a glittering gathering of stars
This glittering gathering of stars is Pismis 26, a globular star cluster located about 23,000 light-years away. Many thousands of stars gleam brightly against the black backdrop of the image, with some brighter red and blue stars located along the outskirts of the cluster. The Armenian astronomer Paris Pismis first discovered the cluster in 1959 at the Tonantzintla Observatory in Mexico, granting...
Study reveals genomic potential of active soil microbial populations under simulated winter conditions
Scientists estimate that northern peatlands contain one third of the Earth's soil carbon. This makes them important ecosystems for carbon storage, which keeps carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and controls climate change. In northern peatlands, carbon losses from soil during the winter can exceed carbon storage during the warm growing season. This is primarily because of the activity of...
A waste windfall: New process shows promise turning plastic trash into pharmaceuticals
Catalina Island, located 22 miles off the coast of Los Angeles, once collected Hollywood royalty, smugglers and silver miners. Now, it collects trash. Its windward-facing harbor is a collection point of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an enormous spread of microplastics with accumulated larger debris that stretches more 1.6 million square kilometers. It is stark evidence of the impact of...
Hawaii's Mauna Loa erupts, officials warn people to prepare
Waves of orange, glowing lava and smoky ash erupted Monday from the world's largest active volcano and people living on Hawaii's Big Island were warned to be ready should debris threaten communities.
Math approach may make drug discovery more effective, efficient
Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. have devised a computer-based platform for drug discovery that could make the process more effective, more efficient and less costly.
Greta Thunberg sues her native Sweden for failing to take action on climate
A group of children and young adults including Greta Thunberg have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Swedish state for failing to take adequate measures to stop climate change.
Researchers develop programmable optical device for high-speed beam steering
In a scene from "Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope," R2D2 projects a three-dimensional hologram of Princess Leia making a desperate plea for help. That scene, filmed more than 45 years ago, involved a bit of movie magic—even today, we don't have the technology to create such realistic and dynamic holograms.
SpaceX gives Space Coast 52nd launch of the year
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched Saturday from Kennedy Space Center on the 52nd successful flight of the year from the Space Coast.
The task of magnetic classification suddenly looks easier, thanks to machine learning
Knowing the magnetic structure of crystalline materials is critical to many applications, including data storage, high-resolution imaging, spintronics, superconductivity, and quantum computing. Information of this sort, however, is difficult to come by. Although magnetic structures can be obtained from neutron diffraction and scattering studies, the number of machines that can support these...
Researchers reveal how extinct Steller's sea cow shaped kelp forests
For millions of years, the Steller's sea cow, a four-ton marine mammal and relative of the manatee, shaped kelp forests along the Pacific coast of North America by eating massive quantities of kelp fronds from the upper canopies, thus allowing light to spur productivity in the understory.
New analysis finds pandemic didn't dampen deforestation
Despite the massive upheavals in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, deforestation globally proceeded more or less as expected from the trends established over the last 15 years, according to a recent study from researchers at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.
Brexit changes caused 22.9% slump in UK-EU exports into Q1 2022 according to new research
Research by the Centre for Business Prosperity at Aston University has shown that UK exports to the EU fell by an average of 22.9% in the first 15 months after the introduction of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, highlighting the continuing challenges that UK firms are facing.
Canada geese beat humans in longstanding territory battle
- ScienceDaily
- 22/11/28 22:21
Canada geese collide with aircraft, intimidate unassuming joggers, and leave lawns and sidewalks spattered with prodigious piles of feces. They're widely considered nuisance birds, and municipalities invest considerable time and money harassing geese to relocate the feisty flocks. But new research shows standard goose harassment efforts aren't effective, especially in winter when birds should be...
What ancient underwater food webs can tell us about the future of climate change
- ScienceDaily
- 22/11/28 22:21
Have humans wreaked too much havoc on marine life to halt damage? A new analysis challenges the idea that ocean ecosystems have barely changed over millions of years, pointing scientists down a new path on conservation efforts and policy.
Enzyme drives cognitive decline in mice, provides new target for Alzheimer's
- ScienceDaily
- 22/11/28 22:21
Researchers identify the PKC-alpha enzyme as a promising therapeutic target in Alzheimer's disease; a mutation that increases its activity led to biochemical, cellular and cognitive impairments in mice.
Researchers find less-invasive treatment for certain head and neck cancers
- ScienceDaily
- 22/11/28 22:21
A new study has identified a less invasive way to treat a subset of head and neck cancers that could potentially change the standard of care for patients. Combining radiation and immunotherapy primes patients for more successful surgeries, better responses to treatment and better quality of life.
Research unearths obscure heat transfer behaviors
- ScienceDaily
- 22/11/28 22:21
Researchers have found that boron arsenide, which has already been viewed as a highly promising material for heat management and advanced electronics, also has a unique property. After reaching an extremely high pressure that is hundreds of times greater than the pressure found at the bottom of the ocean, boron arsenide's thermal conductivity actually begins to decrease. The results suggest that...
Shaking less salt on your food at the table could reduce heart disease risk
- ScienceDaily
- 22/11/28 22:21
Adding additional salt to foods at a lower frequency is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, heart failure and ischemic heart disease, according to a new study.
Engineers improve electrochemical sensing by incorporating machine learning
- ScienceDaily
- 22/11/28 22:21
Combining machine learning with multimodal electrochemical sensing can significantly improve the analytical performance of biosensors, according to new findings.
Novel sex-determination mechanism revealed in mammals
- ScienceDaily
- 22/11/28 22:21
The Sox9 gene is upregulated in the absence of sex-determining Y chromosome and Sry gene in Amami spiny rat.
The evolution of Asia's mammals was dictated by ancient climate change and rising mountains
- ScienceDaily
- 22/11/28 22:21
A new study compiles data on more than 3,000 species to show how climate and geologic changes across Asia over the last 66 million years have shaped the evolution of the continent's mammals.
Big rains bring big algae blooms ... eventually
- ScienceDaily
- 22/11/28 22:21
A new study shows how soon after a storm phosphorus 'loading' sparks algae explosions, but also describes the many other factors that weigh on when and whether the lake reaches a tipping point.
Calcifying organisms are under threat from a combination of ocean warming and acidification
A new study led by the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), with colleagues from the British Antarctic Survey, the Institute of Oceanology, the Polish Academy of Sciences and the University of Gdańsk, has revealed that global warming and ocean acidification threaten marine organisms that build their skeletons and shells with calcium carbonate (chalk) such as corals, bryozoans, mollusks, sea...
New study is the first to examine what happens when cyclones and fires collide
As strong winds and torrential rains inundate Australia's south-eastern coast, new research suggests that high intensity bushfires might not be too far behind, with their dual effects extending damage zones and encroaching on previously low-risk residential areas.
Social media can be a lifesaver for new international ventures
The use of social media can be beneficial to international new ventures and help them to survive. A new study from the University of Vaasa, Finland, shows that newly established international firms and start-ups with limited resources can effectively use social media to learn about their new foreign markets and customers in a fast and inexpensive way.
One of Europe's most ancient domestic dogs lived in the Basque Country
A humerus analyzed by the UPV/EHU's Human Evolutionary Biology group belonged to a specimen that lived in the Paleolithic period, 17,000 years ago
NASA’s Juno Mission Spots Two Jovian Moons
NASA’s Juno mission completed its 38th close flyby of Jupiter. As the spacecraft sped low over the giant planet’s cloud tops, its JunoCam instrument captured this look at two of Jupiter’s largest moons.
News Article Type: Homepage ArticlesPublished: Monday, November 28, 2022 -...
New research unearths obscure and contradictory heat transfer behaviors
UCLA researchers and their colleagues have discovered a new physics principle governing how heat transfers through materials, and the finding contradicts the conventional wisdom that heat always moves faster as pressure increases.
What may be the largest source of abiotic methane gas on Earth
Methane (CH4), the chief constituent of natural gas, is one of the most widely used "clean" fuels. Although methane is usually considered to originate from organic matter, recently, more and more evidence shows that methane can be produced by abiotic processes.
Talks kick off on global plastic trash treaty
Despite decades of effort, plastic pollution is only getting worse—a gloomy fact that representatives of almost 200 nations meeting in Uruguay Monday are determined to change.
Examining US policy-making and China's efforts in Southeast Asia
Was there effectively a "Chinese problem" in Southeast Asia in the decades following World War II, with millions of Chinese in the region potentially sympathetic to communist China? American policy-makers seem to have thought so at the start of the Cold War, given China's influence around the region. At a time of immense turmoil and upheaval in Asia, including the Vietnam War, US politicians...
Friendly fire: How conflicts can reduce stress in the workplace
Stress and conflict are unavoidable aspects of life and can be highly destructive forces when left unchecked. A survey conducted by the UK government found that work-related stress led to a loss of 17.9 million working days in 2019, which directly affected the country's economic productivity.
Adventurous bird personalities can help population cope with climate change
Red knots of all ages and sexes show behavioral traits. These remain mostly unchanged over time but differ across individuals. Some individuals are more adventurous and show more exploratory behaviors a in new environment than others. Other individuals take less risks and hardly dare to move around in a new environment. These "personalities" have ecological and evolutionary consequences, but to...
Phytoplankton May Be Abundant Under Antarctic Sea Ice, Study Suggests
Portal origin URL: Phytoplankton May Be Abundant Under Antarctic Sea Ice, Study SuggestsPortal origin nid: 484237Published: Monday, November 28, 2022 - 15:10Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: Scientists using underwater instruments and a NASA satellite have found evidence of potentially significant phytoplankton blooms beneath the sea ice encircling...
The evolution of Asia's mammals was dictated by ancient climate change and rising mountains, study reveals
The idea that climate change and geological events can shape evolution isn't a new one: anyone who's heard of dinosaurs knows that a big change in the environment (like, say, a meteor hitting the Earth 66 million years ago and causing a chain reaction of storms, earthquakes, cold, and darkness) can dictate how animals live, die, and evolve.
Americans would rather harm their own political cause than help an opposing one, finds study
Both Democrats and Republicans would rather take away funding from their political party than give money to the other party, reveals a new University of California San Diego Rady School of Management study. The research also assesses people's preferences regarding two other contentious issues—gun rights and reproductive rights—and finds the same result: people would rather hurt the cause they...
Novel sex-determination mechanism revealed in mammals
In mammals, the distinction between male and female at the chromosomal level is due to the X and Y chromosomes. Typically, females have two X chromosomes (XX) while males have an X and a Y chromosome (XY). The Sry gene on the Y chromosome triggers the formation of the testes. However, there exist a handful of rodent species in which the Y chromosome has disappeared, taking with it the Sry gene....
Beavers found to have lived in family clans in the Allgäu for more than 11 million years
For paleontologists, Hammerschmiede in the Allgäu region—the site where the great ape Danuvius was discovered—is a treasure trove unlike any other: More than 140 fossil vertebrate species have been found here. Finds have now also enabled them to outline the way of life and development of an extinct species of beaver: Steneofiber depereti was a little smaller than the modern beaver and settled...
The replication crisis: Researchers reveal a hidden universe of uncertainty
The University of Luxembourg's Department of Social Sciences contributed to a large-scale replication study that aimed to understand the role of decisions that scientists make during the research process. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study highlights the importance of open science and collaboration among scientists.
Offshore wind farms change marine ecosystems, study shows
The expansion of offshore wind farms in the North Sea is making progress. But the consequences for the marine environment they are built in have not yet been fully researched. Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon have already provided valuable insights into the effects of wind farms in past studies.