178 articles from WEDNESDAY 18.1.2023
Agave gene delays poplar dormancy, study finds
A team of scientists led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory discovered the gene in agave that governs when the plant goes dormant and used it to create poplar trees that nearly doubled in size, increasing biomass yield for biofuels production and carbon sequestration.
Five ways to make part-time working easier and more available, according to new research
Economic inactivity and the rising cost of out-of-work benefits are high on the UK government's agenda right now. But new research into working patterns during the COVID furlough scheme suggests that both employers and the government could be missing a trick in this area by not making part-time working easier and more available.
Video gaming can bolster classroom learning, but not without teacher support
One highlight of my Grade 3 life was dying from dysentery at the hands of a video game. I was ahead on schoolwork, and allowed to use the classroom computer to pioneer a family across America in the game The Oregon Trail.
Rare native fish spotted in Wellington Harbor
A rare native fish has been photographed in Wellington Harbor and researchers believe it's one of the few times the species has been caught on camera in its natural habitat.
Plans for deep seabed mining pit renewable energy demand against ocean life in a largely unexplored frontier
As companies race to expand renewable energy and the batteries to store it, finding sufficient amounts of rare earth metals to build the technology is no easy feat. That's leading mining companies to take a closer look at a largely unexplored frontier—the deep ocean seabed.
Safety tests of insecticides inadequate for bees
Queen Mary researchers have revealed unexpected variation in bee neural receptors, challenging current safety assessments of insecticides, which work by targeting these receptors.
Robotics class lets 8th graders earn high school credit and aims to accelerate pandemic learning recovery
A new, dual-credit robotics class for eighth graders at Douglas MacArthur Middle School is allowing students to dive deep into engineering and other STEM fields while addressing the issue of pandemic learning loss.
Researchers find potential mechanism of solar light bridge formation and penumbra disappearance
Sunspots are the most noticeable manifestation of solar magnetic field concentrations in the photosphere. A typical mature sunspot has an umbra and a penumbra. Light bridges (LBs) are the strip-like bright features, two ends of which connect the penumbra and span the umbra of a sunspot.
How social networks point the way to your next holiday hotspot
Research in the International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising has investigated how online social networks can influence our choice of holiday destination. The team found that about two-thirds of people interviewed use sites such as Instagram and Facebook to help them decide on the places they would like to visit. LinkedIn had a lot less influence on such decisions, the team found....
Study reveals how phosphorous deficiency induces anthocyanin accumulation in plants
Anthocyanins are one kind of natural pigments commonly found in plants and can act as metabolic markers of nutrient deficiency, especially phosphorous (P) deficiency. Although anthocyanin biosynthesis has been well studied, the molecular mechanism of how plants respond to environmental stresses, such as P deficiency, via anthocyanin synthesis has been rarely reported.
Using isotope and ancient DNA analysis to learn more about the mobility of Anatolian and Levantine populations
A team of researchers affiliated with a host of institutions across Germany, working with a colleague from South Africa, has used isotope and ancient DNA analysis to learn more about the mobility of Anatolian and Levantine populations during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (the ninth to eighth millennium BC).
Tumultuous migration on the edge of the Hot Neptune Desert
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/18 17:17
A team reveals the eventful migration history of planets bordering the Hot Neptune Desert, these extrasolar planets that orbit very close to their star.
Sharing the burden of carbon dioxide removal
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/18 17:17
Carbon dioxide removal is key to meeting the climate goals outlined in the Paris Agreement. A new study analyzes what fair and equitable burden-sharing means for nature-based carbon dioxide removal in developing countries.
An Old Yellow Enzyme helps algae combat photooxidative stress
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/18 17:17
Old Yellow Enzymes (OYEs) were discovered in the 1930s and have been the subject of much research ever since. This is because these biocatalysts -- coloured yellow by an auxiliary molecule -- are capable of performing reactions that are very valuable for the chemical industry, such as producing drug precursors or fragrances. Even though OYEs are found in many organisms, their natural role for...
Flower patterns make bumblebees more efficient
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/18 17:17
The search for nectar costs insects a lot of energy, so they have to be as efficient as possible. Colorful patterns on the petals can help with that.
Electromagnetic device could catapult advances in mechanobiology research into the clinical arena
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/18 17:17
A new electromagnetic device that enables high-precision measurements of a broad range of soft biological tissues, has established a new standard of precision in the mechanobiology field, say researchers. The method allows for the mechanical testing of tissues the size of human biopsy samples, making it particularly relevant for studies of human disease.
A new, better technology for X-ray laser pulses
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/18 17:17
Intense, extremely short-wave X-ray pulses in the nanometer wavelength range are difficult to produce, but now a new, simpler method has been developed: the starting point is not a titanium-sapphire laser, which had mostly been used for this purpose, but an ytterbium laser. The crucial trick is that the light is then sent through a gas in order to change its properties.
Inner ear has a need for speed
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/18 17:17
Scientists and engineers have modeled a hidden mechanism in the inner ear that helps mammals balance via the fastest-known signal in the brain.
The dark cost of being toxic
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/18 17:17
Scientists have discovered that the striking orange and black wings of monarch butterflies not only send the message to predators that these butterflies are highly toxic, but that the storage of toxins and development of the colorful wings come at a cost to the butterfly's body. The team reared monarch caterpillars on their milkweed food plants that had different levels of toxins. Monarchs that...
Most plastic debris on Seychelles beaches comes from far-off sources
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/18 17:17
A new modelling study shows that the Seychelles and other islands in the western Indian Ocean are not responsible for most of the plastic waste that accumulates on their beaches. Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka were found to be the main sources of land-based plastic debris. The Seychelles also accumulate significant amounts of plastic debris of marine origin from fisheries and shipping lanes. •...
Early tastings shorten breastfeeding
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/18 17:17
The earlier infants begin to taste small samples of solid food, the earlier they eat more food and stop breastfeeding. This is shown in a new study, in which the mothers of 1,251 infants from all over Sweden participated. Almost half of the infants received tastings at the age of four months.
The rich meteorology of Mars studied in detail from the Perseverance rover
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/18 17:17
Perseverance has now completed its investigation of the atmosphere throughout the first Martian year (which lasts approximately two Earth years). Specifically, astronomers have studied seasonal and daily cycles of temperature and pressure, as well as their significant variations on other time scales resulting from very different processes.
Global warming reaches central Greenland
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/18 17:16
A temperature reconstruction from ice cores of the past 1,000 years reveals that today's warming in central-north Greenland is surprisingly pronounced. The most recent decade surveyed in a study, the years 2001 to 2011, was the warmest in the past 1,000 years, and the region is now 1.5 °C warmer than during the 20th century, as researchers report. Using a set of ice cores unprecedented in length...
A window into the nanoworld: Scientists develop new technique to image fluctuations in materials
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/18 17:16
Scientists have developed a revolutionary new method for capturing high-resolution images of fluctuations in materials at the nanoscale using powerful X-ray sources. The technique, which they call Coherent Correlation Imaging (CCI), allows for the creation of sharp, detailed movies without damaging the sample by excessive radiation. By using an algorithm to detect patterns in underexposed images,...
Data reveal a surprising preference in particle spin alignment
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/18 17:16
Given the choice of three different 'spin' orientations, certain particles emerging from collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), an atom smasher, appear to have a preference. Recent results reveal a preference in global spin alignment of particles called phi mesons. Conventional mechanisms -- such as the magnetic field strength or the swirliness of the matter generated in the...