162 articles from TUESDAY 17.1.2023
How did Dimorphos form?
The otherwise unremarkable double asteroid of Didymos and Dimorphos made headlines as the target of NASA's successful Double Asteroid Redirect Test (DART) mission. With new details about the system emerging, astronomers have put together a hypothesis of how this strange double asteroid came to be.
Strict-sounding teachers found to be less inspiring in the classroom than their kinder colleagues
Strict-sounding teachers are worse at inspiring the classroom than their kind colleagues, research has revealed.
Pennsylvania now has limits on forever chemicals, ahead of federal standards
Pennsylvania has enacted a limit on two PFAS chemicals in drinking water, marking the first time the state has set its own limits instead of adopting a federal standard.
Andrew Bridgen’s Covid vaccine tweets could harm public health | Letter
We need a high booster uptake of Covid and flu vaccines, writes Dr Simon Williams; the fewer anti-vax messages the better It is wholly appropriate that Andrew Bridgen lost the Tory whip after comparing the use of Covid vaccines to the Holocaust (Report, 11 January). As well as being unethical and offensive, his comments are potentially harmful to public health and public trust in vaccines. It is...
Will the airline industry ever steer away from gender conformity?
Despite attempts by the airline industry to cultivate more diverse working environments, researchers from Surrey have found that gendered practices and pressures still persist—with female cabin crew encountering precise expectations on appearance that are not extended to their male counterparts.
Bees are exposed to EU's most common weedkiller via wildflower nectar
Bees may be at risk from exposure to glyphosate—an active ingredient in some of the EU's most commonly used weedkillers—via contaminated wildflower nectar, according to new research from Trinity and DCU scientists.
Nanoparticles make it easier to turn light into solvated electrons
There are many ways to initiate chemical reactions in liquids, but placing free electrons directly into water, ammonia and other liquid solutions is especially attractive for green chemistry because solvated electrons are inherently clean, leaving behind no side products after they react.
Three out of four parents say social media is a major distraction for students, according to new study
The vast majority of parents believe social media is a major distraction for students, according to a new nationwide study.
New study to tackle role of environmental contamination in the growing problem of antibiotic resistance
Environmental factors, including pollution, that might help 'superbugs' become resistant to antibiotics is set to be investigated by the University of Surrey. Findings will help address this serious public health problem by identifying trends and emerging areas that require further research.
Extreme storms and flood events are most disruptive to small island developing states
Shipping ports are crucial for the global economy. They handle the majority of trade, are industrial and transportation hubs and provide employment. But ports, by their nature, are located in coastal areas or on large rivers and are exposed to natural hazards such as storms and floods as a result.
A history of how Indigenous Americans discovered Europe
A new publication aims to challenge the accepted narrative that modern global history began when the "old world" encountered the "new"; when Christopher Columbus "discovered" America in 1492.
Fossil study brings us one step closer to revealing how 'flying dinosaurs' took flight
If you think of flying dinosaurs, you probably picture an animal with long, leathery wings, sharp claws and a big beak. The animal you are imagining is not a dinosaur, it's from a group of flying reptiles called the pterosaurs.
Viewpoint: Japan is paying families 1 million yen to move to the countryside, but it won't make Tokyo any smaller
The Japanese government has announced a fresh round of incentives for people to move out of the Tokyo region. From April 2023, families seeking a new life in greener pastures will receive JPY1 million (£6,380), per child. This represents an increase of JPY700,000 on previous such payments.
World's oldest runestone found in Norway
Norwegian archaeologists believe they have found the world's oldest runestone inscribed almost 2,000 years ago, making it several hundred centuries older than previous discoveries, they announced on Tuesday.
Nobel-winning Swiss physicist Muller dies at 95
Swiss physicist Karl Alex Muller, who won the Nobel Physics Prize in 1987 along with his German colleague Georg Bednorz for their discovery of the first high-temperature superconductor, has died.
Dairy giant Danone vows to slash planet-warming methane
French food giant Danone said Tuesday it would slash planet-warming methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030, vowing to change the way the cows it uses are raised and milked.
Two thirds of reef sharks and rays risk extinction: Study
Nearly two thirds of the sharks and rays that live among the world's corals are threatened with extinction, according to new research published Tuesday, with a warning this could further imperil precious reefs.
Doomsday Clock to be updated on January 24
Tick, tick, tick. An update is coming to the "Doomsday Clock," representing the judgment of leading science and security experts about the perils to human existence.
Study shows clever birds need caring parents
Brains are key organs because they make sense of the world and help us successfully navigate through our lives. While all animals have brains, some species have rather large brains relatively to their body size—and this is very beneficial. A large brain gives species much more flexibility to deal with everyday problems and helps them make better decisions or find innovative solutions. However,...
New optical method to verify topological phases in magnetic materials
Topological phases are not restricted to electronic systems. They can also occur in magnetic materials whose properties are described in terms of magnetic waves—or so-called magnons. However, even though scientists have established techniques to generate and read out magnon currents, they have so far been unable to directly ascertain a magnon topological phase.
Understanding complex systems like the brain by analyzing the hidden geometry of their networks
A study published in Nature Communications and directed by Professor Carlo Vittorio Cannistraci, Director of the Center for Complex Network Intelligence (CCNI) at the Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, proposes a fast algorithm to measure the relation between the variables space of an interconnected complex system, its geometry and its navigability, revealing how this can enhance our...
Scientists discover potential new method to treat superbug infections
Scientists at University of Galway delved into the issue of antimicrobial resistance—one of the greatest threats to human health—discovering the potential to improve treatment options for superbug MRSA infections using penicillin-type antibiotics that have become ineffective on their own.
Blood stem cells found to not be in charge in an emergency
As long as we are healthy, our body keeps the number of blood and immune cells largely constant. However, any infection or other disorder that increases cell consumption results in cell loss, which must be replaced as quickly as possible to keep the immune system fully functional.
Study on pesticide toxicity in Germany calls for action
Pesticide risks in Germany have shown notable trends over the last 25 years, as a study of environmental scientists from the RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau has recently found out. The risk for terrestrial vertebrates has decreased, whereas the risk for fish, terrestrial plants and soil organisms has increased. For other organism groups, the risk trends are inconclusive. These findings are of...