143 articles from TUESDAY 7.3.2023

Grassroots data vital for reducing deadly bird-window strikes

Much of the progress made in understanding the scope of bird deaths from building and window collisions has come as the result of citizen science, according to a newly published study. But the study also concludes that such grassroots efforts need more buy-in from government and industry, and better funding so they can keep a foot on the gas in their efforts to reduce bird-window collisions.

New 'camera' with shutter speed of 1 trillionth of a second sees through dynamic disorder of atoms

Researchers have developed a new 'camera' that sees the local disorder in materials. Its key feature is a variable shutter speed: because the disordered atomic clusters are moving, when the team used a slow shutter, the dynamic disorder blurred out, but when they used a fast shutter, they could see it. The method uses neutrons to measure atomic positions with a shutter speed of around one...

Plant roots fuel tropical soil animal communities

A research team has shed new light on the importance of plant roots for below-ground life, particularly in the tropics. Millions of small creatures toiling in a single hectare of soil including earthworms, springtails, mites, insects, and other arthropods are crucial for decomposition and soil health. For a long time, it was believed that leaf litter is the primary resource for these animals....

Historic treaty could open the way to protecting 30% of the oceans

After 2 weeks of intense negotiations, countries agreed this week on a historic treaty to protect biodiversity in international waters. The agreement, announced on 4 March at the United Nations, sets up a legal process for establishing marine protected areas (MPAs), a key tool for protecting at least 30% of the ocean, which an intergovernmental convention recently set as a target for...

Study: Transition to adulthood brings mental health declines for Black youth who interact with juvenile justice system

A new study from Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work Melissa Villodas found that for Black youth who interacted with the juvenile justice system, mental health symptoms worsened during transition to adulthood (when youth were about ages 19-20). This highlights the transition to adulthood as a key time to provide supportive interventions that reduce mental health challenges.

Counting heads: How deep learning can simplify tedious agricultural tasks

The selective breeding of grain crops is one of the main reasons why domesticated plants produce such excellent yields. Selecting the best candidates for breeding is, however, a remarkably complex task. On one hand, it requires a skilled breeder with trained eyes to assess plant resistance to disease and pests, crop growth, and other factors. On the other hand, it also requires precise...

First visible-light induced simultaneous cleavage of C-C and C-N bonds with polyoxometalate photocatalyst

Cracking carbon bonds is a notoriously difficult problem, but it may hold the key to generating greener, more sustainable chemicals. A Chinese research team achieved the first visible-light-promoted simultaneous cleavage of carbon-carbon and carbon-nitrogen bonds via a silver-modified polyoxometalate photocatalyst, unlocking avenues for applications like carbon-neutral alternatives for fossil...

Compassionate disabled infant care from a wild capuchin monkey mother

High up in the canopy of the Brazilian rainforest, clinging unsteadily to its mother's back, a wild newborn bearded capuchin monkey with a non-functioning left leg was beating the odds. Observations of the disabled infant monkey and his mother gave researchers a rare glimpse into care in an arboreal environment.

Researchers identify key protein that promotes DNA repair and prevents cancer

A research team, affiliated with UNIST has unveiled a key factor involved in the DNA damage response (DDR), homologous recombination (HR) and DNA interstrand crosslink (ICL) repair. According to the research team, their findings are expected to establish an effective control environment for chromosome instability (CIN), a major factor in cancer evolution, and further help combat malignant tumors .

Grassroots data is vital for reducing deadly bird-window strikes, says study

Much of the progress made in understanding the scope of bird deaths from building and window collisions has come as the result of citizen science, according to a newly published study. But the study also concludes that such grassroots efforts need more buy-in from government and industry, and better funding so they can keep a foot on the gas in their efforts to reduce bird-window collisions.

Chip-scale spectrometry using a photonic molecule

Chip-scale miniaturization of spectrometers allows rapid detection of spectral information in portable devices, opening up new applications. However, integrated spectrometers typically suffer from a trade-off between spectral resolution and optical bandwidth.

How does the immune system react to altered gravity?

Space travel has always tested the human body by the effects of the new conditions of altered gravity on biological systems. It has long been known that continuous exposure to microgravity conditions human physiology and causes effects that compromise muscular, sensory, endocrine and cardiovascular functions. But is it also risky to be exposed to altered gravity for short periods of time?