162 articles from TUESDAY 17.1.2023

Deepfake challenges 'will only grow'

A new report by artificial intelligence (AI) and foreign policy experts predicts that deepfakes technology is on the brink of being used much more widely, including in targeted military and intelligence operations. The experts make recommendations to security officials and policymakers for how to handle the unsettling new technology, including a call to develop a code of conduct for governments'...

Researchers gain deeper understanding of mechanism behind superconductors

Physicists have once again gained a deeper understanding of the mechanism behind superconductors. This brings researchers one step closer to their goal of developing the foundations for a theory for superconductors that would allow current to flow without resistance and without energy loss. The researchers found that in superconducting copper-oxygen bonds, called cuprates, there must be a very...

Probiotic markedly reduces S. Aureus colonization in phase 2 trial

A promising approach to control Staphylococcus aureus bacterial colonization in people -- using a probiotic instead of antibiotics -- was safe and highly effective in a Phase 2 clinical trial. The new study found that the probiotic Bacillus subtilis markedly reduced S. aureus colonization in trial participants without harming the gut microbiota, which includes bacteria that can benefit people.

New tropical kelp forest discovered in the Galapagos Islands

María Altamirano, with the Department of Botany and Plant Physiology of the University of Malaga, is a member of the scientific team that collaborates for the Seamounts Project. This project led by the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) has discovered an extensive kelp forest on the summit of a seamount, at depths of ~ 50 m, in the south of the Galapagos Islands.

Micro-sized polyethylene particles show adverse effects in cell lines

Exposure to high doses of micro-sized polyethylene has adverse effects on cells, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland finds. The researchers investigated the toxicity of micro-sized polyethylene in two different human colorectal cancer cell lines. Being one of our most common plastics, polyethylene is used for a variety of purposes, for example as packaging material.

A hybrid fission/fusion reactor could be the best way to get through the ice on Europa

In the coming years, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) will send two robotic missions to explore Jupiter's icy moon Europa. These are none other than NASA's Europa Clipper and the ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE), which will launch in 2024, and 2023 (respectively). Once they arrive by the 2030s, they will study Europa's surface with a series of flybys to determine if its interior...

Bronze Age eating, social habits in the Balearic Islands documented in study

Researchers from a variety of Spanish institutions have managed to reconstruct the diet of some 50 individuals buried more than 3,000 years ago in the Cova des Pas' necropolis in Menorca. The study, coordinated by the UAB, indicates a diet of plants and meat, with all individuals having the same access to food, implying that they were a socially egalitarian group.

A systematic framework to compare performance of plastics recycling approaches

With only a small percentage of plastics recycled, determining the best way to recycle and reuse these materials may enable higher adoption of plastics recycling and reduce plastic waste pollution. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) examined the benefits and trade-offs of current and emerging technologies for recycling certain types...

World’s oldest runestone found in Norway, archaeologists say

The 2,000-year-old inscription is among the earliest examples of words recorded in writingArchaeologists in Norway have found what they claim is the world’s oldest runestone, saying the inscriptions are up to 2,000 years old and date back to the earliest days of the enigmatic history of runic writing.The flat, square block of brownish sandstone has carved scribbles, which may be the earliest...

Digital technology found useful to assist toddlers with problem solving

New findings from the University of Houston may reverse some of the prevailing wisdom about the scourge of screen time and digital devices in the hands of young children. The research is the first to focus on a child under three and reveals that while digital technology may bore, distract and confuse them, those are the same emotions that promote creativity and learning.

E-commerce retailers can save money by considering pick failures at stores

The share of e-commerce retail sales in the United States has grown steadily over the last decade. This trend has been driven by retailers with traditional brick-and-mortar stores adopting online channels to connect to customers. In a new study, researchers explored the world of omnichannel retailing—the merging of in-store and online channels in which customers can select from a combination of...

Climate change presents a mismatch for songbirds' breeding season

Spring is the sweet spot for breeding songbirds in California's Central Valley—not too hot, not too wet. But climate change models indicate the region will experience more rainfall during the breeding season, and days of extreme heat are expected to increase. Both changes threaten the reproductive success of songbirds, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.