145 articles from THURSDAY 2.2.2023

Entangled atoms cross quantum network from one lab to another

Trapped ions have previously only been entangled in one and the same laboratory. Now, teams have entangled two ions over a distance of 230 meters. The nodes of this network were housed in two labs at the Campus Technik to the west of Innsbruck, Austria. The experiment shows that trapped ions are a promising platform for future quantum networks that span cities and eventually continents.

State abortion bans based on sex, disability or race aren't remedies against eugenics, says paper

In his 2019 opinion in Box v Planned Parenthood, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote an impassioned concurrence describing abortions based on sex, disability or race as a form of 'modern-day eugenics.' He defended the challenged Indiana reason-based abortion ban as a necessary antidote to these practices. Inspired by this concurrence, state legislatures have increasingly enacted similar bills and...

New method reveals nano-scale drug molecules in cells

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology and partners within the Chemical Imaging Infrastructure have produced a method whereby it is possible to see at the nano level where a medicinal drug ends up in the cells and how much of it is needed for optimum treatment. The technique enables the development of new pharmaceuticals and tailored treatments for diseases that have not previously been...

A machine-learning tool that classifies catalytic reactions based on simulated kinetic signatures

A pair of chemists at the University of Manchester has developed a machine-learning tool that can be used to classify reactions based on simulated kinetic signatures of reactions. In their paper published in the journal Nature, Jordi Burés and Igor Larrosa describe combining two deep-learning algorithms to create a system that could speed up the process of new design reactions.

Researchers detect heavy oxygen isotope in Earth's stratosphere

A study of the upper atmosphere's composition has successfully measured an increased presence of 18O, a heavier oxygen isotope with 10 instead of eight neutrons. Helmut Wiesemeyer (MPIfR Bonn) and his colleagues have measured the 18O fraction of the upper mesosphere/lower thermosphere for the first time, using the GREAT instrument aboard SOFIA and found that the upper atmosphere has an 18O...

Researcher uses AI to make texts that are thousands of years old readable

How should we live when we know we must die? This question is posed by the first work of world literature, the Gilgamesh epic. More than 4,000 years ago, Gilgamesh set out on a quest for immortality. Like all Babylonian literature, the saga has survived only in fragments. Nevertheless, scholars have managed to bring two-thirds of the text into readable condition since it was rediscovered in the...

Water crises due to climate change: more severe than previously thought

New data analyses indicate that previous models systematically underestimate how sensitively water availability reacts to certain changing climate parameters. An analysis of measurement data from over 9,500 hydrological catchments from all over the world shows that climate change can lead to local water crises to an even greater extent than previously expected.

Small isolated wetlands are pollution-catching powerhouses

Small isolated wetlands that are full for only part of the year are often the first to be removed for development or agriculture, but a new study shows that they can be twice as effective in protecting downstream lake or river ecosystems than if they were connected to them.

Hubble directly measures mass of a lone white dwarf

Astronomers have directly measured the mass of a single, isolated white dwarf -- the surviving core of a burned-out, Sun-like star. Researchers found that the white dwarf is 56 percent the mass of our Sun. This agrees with earlier theoretical predictions of the white dwarf's mass and corroborates current theories of how white dwarfs evolve as the end product of a typical star's evolution. The...

Reducing their natural signals: How sneaky germs hide from ants

Not only humans are social, ants are too. Group members are taking care of sick ones by providing collective hygiene measures. This presents germs with a task. They must circumvent the immunity of an individual ant and avoid the group's healthcare. A new study reveals that germs develop a sneaky way to escape the ant colony's defense systems by reducing their detection cues.