145 articles from THURSDAY 2.2.2023
Entangled atoms cross quantum network from one lab to another
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/2 19:57
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.
Robot: I'm sorry. Human: I don't care anymore!
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/2 19:57
Humans are less forgiving of robots after multiple mistakes -- and the trust is difficult to get back, according to a new study.
Researchers discover that youth binge drinking is linked to gut microbiome changes
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/2 19:57
The alterations are linked with poor ability to recognise emotions and cravings to consume alcohol.
Just one quality conversation with a friend boosts daily well-being
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/2 19:52
Study shows just one quality conversation with a friend during the day makes you happier and less stressed by day's end.
How 'ugly produce' sellers fight food waste
In this week's issue of our environment newsletter, we look at how selling "ugly produce" helps reduce food waste and why the U.S. is chasing China on electric-vehicle adoption.
When critical thinking isn't enough: To beat information overload, we need to learn 'critical ignoring'
The web is an informational paradise and a hellscape at the same time.
Water ATMs were introduced in Ghana, changing the way people access this vital resource
Universal, safe and reliable water access is a pressing need in the global south. One-quarter of the world's population don't currently have access to clean drinking water. In Ghana, about 5 million people out of a total population of about 31 million lack access to clean, safe water. One person in ten has to spend more than 30 minutes to get drinking water.
Plan will put everyone in England within 15 minutes of green space—but what matters is justice not distance
How long does it take you to walk to your nearest park, woodland, lake or river? If it takes more than 15 minutes, according to the UK government's new environmental improvement plan for England, something needs to be done about it. It says 38% people in England don't have a green or blue space within a 15-minute walk of their home.
How legalized sports betting has transformed the fan experience
A couple of days before Christmas, I went to see the NHL's Nashville Predators play on their home ice against the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.
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 regulations on migrant farm workers should tackle employer/employee power imbalances, say researchers
The government of Canada recently amended the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations to include new employer obligations. These amendments are intended to enhance protections for migrant workers and ensure the integrity of the government's temporary foreign worker program.
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
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/2 17:27
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
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/2 17:27
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.
Forest trees find a new watery 'sweet spot' when CO2 is high
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/2 17:27
Trees living in conditions where the carbon dioxide (CO2) has been artificially elevated are likely to become more efficient in conserving water.
Genes responsible for coronary artery disease, world's No. 1 killer, identified
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/2 17:27
Coronary artery disease is the most common form of heart disease, affecting more than 20 million Americans. It's estimated to be responsible for 1 in 4 deaths in the United States each year. The new gene discovery opens the door to better treatments.
Hubble directly measures mass of a lone white dwarf
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/2 17:27
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...
Human brain organoids respond to visual stimuli when transplanted into adult rats
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/2 17:26
Researchers show that brain organoids -- clumps of lab-grown neurons -- can integrate with rat brains and respond to visual stimulation like flashing lights.
Study provides an explanation and potential solution for severe graft-versus-host disease
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/2 17:26
Researchers found that alterations in the gut microbiome that are linked to graft-versus-host disease severity are connected to an increase in oxygen levels in the intestine that follows immune-mediated intestinal damage. Pharmacologically reducing intestinal oxygen levels alleviated the microbial imbalance and reduced the severity of the condition in animal models.
Sparse, small, but diverse neural connections help make perception reliable, efficient
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/2 17:26
First detailed mapping and modeling of thalamus inputs onto visual cortex neurons show brain leverages 'wisdom of the crowd' to process sensory information.
Researchers devise a new path toward 'quantum light'
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/2 17:26
Researchers have theorized a new mechanism to generate high-energy 'quantum light', which could be used to investigate new properties of matter at the atomic scale.
Reducing their natural signals: How sneaky germs hide from ants
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/2 17:26
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.