174 articles from THURSDAY 26.1.2023
How assigning labels at work can delegitimize employees
Have you or a colleague ever been negatively labeled at work, whether it's based on your gender, age, race or ethnicity? Labels can often be mundane because we use them spontaneously on an everyday basis. But they can also be far from innocuous. Labels convey value judgments and serve to control the behavior of the people they're applied to.
California wants to ban the toxic chemical that gives chrome its classic shine
For decades, hexavalent chromium has provided the silvery showroom finish to countless consumer products, from automobile bumpers and grilles to kitchen faucets and light fixtures. It has also served as an indispensable rust-resistant coating for aviation components, such as airplane landing gear.
Preserving endangered languages as 3D shapes
Half of the world's languages are endangered and more than a thousand are expected to be lost in coming decades. A team at UCL is using animation software to preserve these languages in an entirely new way.
An open-source stopwatch to time interactions between molecules inside living cells
A stopwatch to investigate what happens inside living cells at a thousandth of a millisecond scale: this is the open-source platform BrightEyes-TTM developed by the research team led by Giuseppe Vicidomini at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology).
Scientists observe 'quasiparticles' in classical systems for the first time
Starting with the emergence of quantum mechanics, the world of physics has been divided between classical and quantum physics. Classical physics deals with the motions of objects we typically see every day in the macroscopic world, while quantum physics explains the exotic behaviors of elementary particles in the microscopic world.
Rapid production of antibubbles with a jet
University of Twente researchers succeeded in the rapid fabrication of microscopic "antibubbles." Previous methods to produce these liquid droplets surrounded by an air layer were either lacked controllability or were prone to clogging and were much slower. The team of researchers recently published their findings in the journal Advanced Materials.
Researchers demo new type of carbon nanotube yarn that harvests mechanical energy
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/26 18:44
Nanotechnology researchers have made novel carbon nanotube yarns that convert mechanical movement into electricity more effectively than other material-based energy harvesters.
New AI tool makes speedy gene-editing possible
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/26 18:44
An artificial intelligence program may enable the first simple production of customizable proteins called zinc fingers to treat diseases by turning genes on and off. The researchers who designed the tool say it promises to accelerate the development of gene therapies on a large scale.
Targeting cancer with a multidrug nanoparticle
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/26 18:44
Chemists designed a bottlebrush-shaped nanoparticle that can be loaded with multiple drugs, in ratios that can be easily controlled. Using these particles, the researchers calculated and delivered the optimal ratio of three cancer drugs used to treat multiple myeloma.
Farming more seaweed to be food, feed and fuel
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/26 18:44
A new study has shown that expanding global seaweed farming could go a long way to addressing the planet's food security, biodiversity loss and climate change challenges.
Small-scale octopus fisheries can provide sustainable source of vital nutrients for tropical coastal communities
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/26 18:44
Undernourished coastal communities in the tropics -- where children's growth can be stunted by a lack of micronutrients -- can get the vitamins and minerals they need from sustainable small-scale octopus fisheries, say researchers.
Scientists observe 'quasiparticles' in classical systems
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/26 18:44
Quasiparticles -- long-lived particle-like excitations -- are a cornerstone of quantum physics, with famous examples such as Cooper pairs in superconductivity and, recently, Dirac quasiparticles in graphene. Now, researchers have discovered quasiparticles in a classical system at room temperature: a two-dimensional crystal of particles driven by viscous flow in a microfluidic channel. Coupled by...
NASA's Fermi detects first gamma-ray eclipses from 'spider' star systems
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/26 18:44
Scientists have discovered the first gamma-ray eclipses from a special type of binary star system using data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. These so-called spider systems each contain a pulsar -- the superdense, rapidly rotating remains of a star that exploded in a supernova -- that slowly erodes its companion.
Why do cats and dogs get 'the zoomies'?
Does your cat or dog suddenly get a burst of energy and perform athletic feats around the house that would make even a gold medalist jealous? Welcome to the world of zoomies.
Ancient mint plants may lead to new medicines/products
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/26 18:44
The mint family of herbs, which includes sage, rosemary, basil, and even woody plants like teak, offers an invigorating jolt to our senses of smell and taste. Researchers have found that these plants have diversified their specialized natural characteristics through the evolution of their chemistry, which could lead to potential future applications that range from medicine to pesticide production....
New collection of human brain atlases that chart postnatal development
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/26 18:44
Scientists have created a new collection of month-by-month infant brain atlas (IBA) that capture fine details of the early developing brain across both space and time.
Researchers decipher atomic-scale imperfections in lithium-ion batteries
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/26 18:43
Scientists have conducted a detailed examination of high-nickel-content layered cathodes, considered to be components of promise in next-generation lithium-ion batteries. Advanced electron microscopy and deep machine learning enabled the team to observe atomic-scale changes at the interface of materials that make up the batteries.
Predicting two common heart conditions
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/26 18:43
Two novel research studies move the needle on predicting two important heart conditions -- sudden cardiac arrest, which is often fatal, and increased coronary artery calcium, a marker of coronary artery disease that can lead to a heart attack.
Health impact of chemicals in plastics is handed down two generations
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/26 18:43
Fathers exposed to chemicals in plastics can affect the metabolic health of their offspring for two generations, a mouse study reports.
AI technology generates original proteins from scratch
- ScienceDaily
- 23/1/26 18:43
Scientists have created an AI system capable of generating artificial enzymes from scratch. In laboratory tests, some of these enzymes worked as well as those found in nature, even when their artificially generated amino acid sequences diverged significantly from any known natural protein.
These five spectacular impact craters on Earth highlight our planet's wild history
I think all craters are cool, I'm just going to start with that. I am very biased.
Economists have misunderstood a key indicator—and it's a big problem, says researcher
In studies, forecasts and recommendations to governments, markets are seen as capable of processing so-called rational information. Economists claim that firms' market prices result from rational expectation about their future monetary flows and intangible assets not accounted by bookkeeping, which, however, would enable those future monetary flows to occur.
Fossil teeth reveal how brains developed in utero over millions of years of human evolution
Fossilized bones help tell the story of what human beings and our predecessors were doing hundreds of thousands of years ago. But how can you learn about important parts of our ancestors' life cycle—like pregnancy or gestation—that leave no obvious trace in the fossil record?
Atlanta's BeltLine shows how urban parks can drive 'green gentrification,' inequality
Is Atlanta a good place to live? Recent rankings certainly say so. In September 2022, Money magazine rated Atlanta the best place to live in the U.S., based on its strong labor market and job growth. The National Association of Realtors calls it the top housing market to watch in 2023, noting that Atlanta's housing prices are lower than those in comparable cities and that it has a rapidly growing...