150 articles from WEDNESDAY 15.3.2023
The U.S. Has a New Favorite Dog Breed—and It’s Controversial
A new dog breed has waddled its way into Americans’ hearts. While Labrador retrievers were the most popular purebred dog for a record 31 years, French bulldogs—or “frenchies” as they’re called by enthusiasts—took the top spot in 2022 for the first time, the American Kennel Club announced on March 15.
But the selection doesn’t come without some...
International scientists warn of the serious impact of noise pollution on marine invertebrates
An international scientific study, led by the UPC's Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics (LAB), shows that noise from human operations at sea damages marine invertebrates and ocean ecosystems. Published in Frontiers in Marine Science, the work points out that noise pollution at sea can even cause death in some marine species.
To scientists’ relief, key research reactor to restart 2 years after accident
More than 2 years after an accident that caused a small and fleeting release of radiation, a research reactor that serves as a key source of neutrons for studying materials should soon be back online. On 9 March, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) authorized officials at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to restart the 54-year-old reactor in Gaithersburg,...
Evidence that Venus is volcanically active
- ScienceDaily
- 23/3/15 19:39
Venus appears to have volcanic activity, according to a new research paper that offers strong evidence to answer the lingering question about whether Earth's sister planet currently has eruptions and lava flows. Venus, although similar to Earth in size and mass, differs markedly in that it does not have plate tectonics. The boundaries of Earth's moving surface plates are the primary locations of ...
Local supply of managerial skills can impact firm performance
If you think that the executive labor market is a global one, you're not alone. After all, it's pretty common to read about top managers being hired to steer the fate of far-away companies. However, recent research by Julien Sauvagnat (Bocconi Department of Finance) and Fabiano Schivardi (LUISS) highlights that local supply of managerial talent is an underestimated driver of company performance,...
East Coast, US, landslide impacts from Puerto Rico to Vermont and in between
- ScienceDaily
- 23/3/15 19:38
In the U.S., we may often think of landslides as primarily a West Coast problem, mostly plaguing the mountainous terrain of California, Oregon, and Washington. New research highlights the major impacts of landslides on the U.S. East Coast and what is being done to save lives and deal with the damages.
Review of world water resources
- ScienceDaily
- 23/3/15 19:38
A recent review study provides an overview of the planet's freshwater supplies and strategies for sustainably managing them.
Could AI-powered object recognition technology help solve wheat disease?
- ScienceDaily
- 23/3/15 19:38
A new project is using advanced object recognition technology to keep toxin-contaminated wheat kernels out of the food supply and to help researchers make wheat more resistant to fusarium head blight, or scab disease, the crop's top nemesis.
Estrogen possible risk factor in disturbed heart rhythm
- ScienceDaily
- 23/3/15 19:38
The sex hormone estrogen has a negative impact on heartbeat regulation, according to an experimental study. Estrogen impact seems to interact with hereditary changes causing a heart disease disturbing the heart's rhythm, while other endogenous substances may have a protecting effect.
Resilient bug-sized robots keep flying even after wing damage
- ScienceDaily
- 23/3/15 19:38
Researchers have developed resilient artificial muscles that can enable insect-scale aerial robots to effectively recover flight performance after suffering severe damage.
U.S. East Coast landslide impacts from Puerto Rico to Vermont and in between
In the U.S., we may often think of landslides as primarily a West Coast problem, mostly plaguing the mountainous terrain of California, Oregon, and Washington. A technical session at the upcoming GSA 2023 Joint Southeastern & Northeastern Section Meeting in Reston, Virginia, U.S., will highlight the major impacts of landslides on the U.S. East Coast and what is being done to save lives and deal...
Modern glacier remains found near Mars equator suggest water ice possibly present today at low latitudes
In a groundbreaking announcement at the 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference held in The Woodlands, Texas, scientists revealed the discovery of a relict glacier near the equator of Mars. Located in Eastern Noctis Labyrinthus at coordinates 7° 33' S, 93° 14' W, this finding is significant as it implies the presence of surface water ice on Mars in recent times, even near the equator. This...
Splitting seawater could provide an endless source of green hydrogen
Few climate solutions come without downsides. “Green” hydrogen, made by using renewable energy to split water molecules, could power heavy vehicles and decarbonize industries such as steelmaking without spewing a whiff of carbon dioxide. But because the water-splitting machines, or electrolyzers, are designed to work with pure water, scaling up green hydrogen could exacerbate global...
Tasmanian devil whiskers may hold the key to protecting these super-scavengers
Despite the damage humans cause to the planet, in some cases wildlife can benefit from the presence of people. The Tasmanian devil, for example, frequently feeds on roadkill left by humans.
Fines for breaking US pollution laws can vary widely among states—the disparity may violate the Constitution
It's expensive to pollute the water in Colorado. The state's median fine for companies caught violating the federal Clean Water Act is over US$30,000, and violators can be charged much more. In Montana, however, most violators get barely a slap on the wrist—the median fine there is $300.
Salmon fishing banned along California coast as population plummets
Fishing boats would normally fan out along the California coast to catch Chinook salmon in the spring, but regulators have announced the fishing season will be shut down this year.
Scientists offer evidence that Venus is volcanically active
Venus appears to have volcanic activity, according to a new research paper that offers strong evidence to answer the lingering question about whether Earth's sister planet currently has eruptions and lava flows.
Fire reveals Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral was historical first in using iron reinforcements in the 12th century
The Notre-Dame de Paris is the first known cathedral of Gothic-style architecture to be initially constructed with extensive use of iron to bind stones together. The 2019 fire that significantly damaged the cathedral enabled analyses leading to this discovery, by Maxime L'Héritier of Université Paris 8, France and colleagues, who present these findings in PLOS ONE on March 15, 2023.
Uncovering the ritual past of an ancient stone monument in Saudi Arabia
A comprehensive analysis of an archaeological site in Saudi Arabia sheds new light on mustatils—stone monuments from the Late Neolithic period thought to have been used for ritual purposes. Melissa Kennedy of the University of Western Australia, Perth, and colleagues, in conjunction with The Royal Commission for AlUla present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on March 15, 2023.
Drones gather new and useful data for marine research, but they can disturb whales and dolphins
Drones have changed the way researchers study whales and dolphins. While we were once confined to the decks of boats and observation platforms, glimpsing the backs of surfacing animals, we can now watch them from above. Gaining a bird's eye view of whales and dolphins has already taught us so much about their physiology and behavior.
Active volcano on Venus shows it’s a living planet
Choked by a smog of sulfuric acid and scorched by temperatures hot enough to melt lead, the surface of Venus is sure to be lifeless. For decades, researchers also thought the planet itself was dead, capped by a thick, stagnant lid of crust and unaltered by active rifts or volcanoes. But hints of volcanism have mounted recently, and now comes the best one yet: direct evidence for an...
Family Tree review – study of the mother of modern medicine falls between poetry and play
Belgrade theatre, CoventryMojisola Adebayo’s play connects Henrietta Lacks, whose cells were used in decades of vital scientific research, with the Black Lives Matter movement‘I am a farm,” says Henrietta Lacks in Mojisola Adebayo’s play about one of medical history’s most inconvenient truths. It is a twin statement of astonishment and outrage. Astonishment because the cells removed from...
Future NASA moonwalkers to sport sleeker spacesuits
Moonwalking astronauts will have sleeker, more flexible spacesuits that come in different sizes when they step onto the lunar surface later this decade.
Arctic sea ice thins in 2 big jumps, and now more vulnerable
Climate change attacked crucial Arctic sea ice thickness in two sudden big gobbles instead of steady nibbling, a new study says.