119 articles from MONDAY 13.3.2023

Confirmed: Global floods, droughts worsening with warming

The intensity of extreme drought and rainfall has "sharply" increased over the past 20 years, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Water. These aren't merely tough weather events, they are leading to extremes such as crop failure, infrastructure damage, even humanitarian crises and conflict.

Turning vegetable oil industry waste into power: Electrode modification improves wastewater treatment

In recent years, there has been growing interest in harnessing microorganisms for simultaneous wastewater treatment and renewable bioelectricity production. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology can convert the chemical energy stored in organic matter in wastewater into electricity, using bacteria as a catalyst. Researchers in Iran have been investigating how modification of the electrodes can...

Benefits of the net-zero emissions strategy for Nepal

Achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement will require the combined efforts of states and companies around the world. How can developing countries achieve carbon neutrality and boost their resilience while pursuing economic growth and improved living standards? A study by the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) draws on the example of Nepal to analyze the benefits of a net-zero...

Exploring language acquisition in multilingual children

Language learning is a human universality. There is no human culture without language, and in every culture, children naturally pick up the language or languages used by those around them. Yet cultures and languages are extremely varied. How does our cognitive apparatus manage to adapt to multi-linguistic situations rather than just a monolingual one? So far, this question has remained unanswered,...

A novel biosensor to detect DNA damage in real time

Double-strand breaks (DSBs) are a type of DNA damage where both strands of DNA break at the same location. They can adversely affect cell growth and functioning. Currently, DSBs are detected by immunostaining techniques, which identify markers that accompany DNA damage, such as the protein γH2AX. However, these methods are tedious, and cannot be used to detect DSBs in real time in living...

Study Finds Ocean Currents May Affect Rotation of Europa’s Icy Crust

Portal origin URL: Study Finds Ocean Currents May Affect Rotation of Europa’s Icy CrustPortal origin nid: 486118Published: Monday, March 13, 2023 - 16:39Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: Research reveals a new explanation for how the icy shell of Jupiter’s moon Europa rotates at a different rate than its interior. NASA’s Europa Clipper will take...

Research highlights gender bias persistence over centuries

Using archaeological findings and survey data on contemporary gender attitudes, political scientists find individuals who live in areas that historically favored men over women display more pro-male bias today than those who live in places where gender relations were more egalitarian centuries ago. Findings speak to the power of cultural transmission of gender norms.

A new and better way to create word lists

Word lists are the basis of so much research in so many fields. Researchers have now developed an algorithm that can be applied to different languages and can expand word lists significantly better than others.

Study: Better school performance seen after intensive religious fasting

More than one billion Muslims are fasting every year in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan. In addition to abstaining from food and drink every day between sunrise and sunset, many believers participate more than usual in social activities during that time. This includes, for example, the daily fast-breaking with friends and family or with the congregation after the service.

Research highlights gender bias persistence over centuries

New research from Washington University in St. Louis provides evidence that modern gender norms and biases in Europe have deep historical roots dating back to the Middle Ages and beyond, suggesting that DNA is not the only thing we inherit from our ancestors.

Oldest sea reptile from Age of Dinosaurs found on Arctic island

For nearly 190 years, scientists have searched for the origins of ancient sea-going reptiles from the Age of Dinosaurs. Now a team of Swedish and Norwegian paleontologists has discovered remains of the earliest known ichthyosaur("fish-lizard") on the remote Arctic island of Spitsbergen. A paper describing the team's findings is published in Current Biology.

A helicopter is going to Titan. Could an airplane be next?

What are the hydrocarbon seas on Titan really like? While the upcoming Dragonfly helicopter mission to Saturn's hazy and frigid moon should arrive by 2034 to explore Titan's atmosphere, the need remains for a mission that could study the moon's mysterious seas and lakes, filled with liquid hydrocarbons.