120 articles from WEDNESDAY 22.3.2023
Branching worm named after Godzilla's nemesis
Branching marine worms are extremely rare: bizarre creatures with one head but a body that branches repeatedly into multiple posterior ends. Only three such species are known, and one of these worm species has just been awarded a place in the top-ten marine species from 2022 by the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Named Ramisyllis kingghidorahi after King Ghidorah, Godzilla's monster...
Researchers create artificial enzyme for fast detection of disease-related hormone in sweat
Researchers in the Oregon State University College of Engineering have developed a handheld sensor that tests perspiration for cortisol and provides results in eight minutes, a key advance in monitoring a hormone whose levels are a marker for many illnesses including various cancers.
How industrial companies can survive deglobalization
Deglobalization and the unpredictability of global business have led technology-based industries to review their overall strategies. Current geopolitical changes—the war in Ukraine, effects of the pandemic, and greenhouse gas emission targets—revived discussions about the value of globalization. However, international trade of goods and services has been slowing down significantly since 2011,...
Time capsules: Mauritania's precious Chinguetti manuscripts
Saif el Islam al Ahmed Mahmoud sat cross-legged on a sheepskin and gingerly turned the pages of an ancient manuscript.
Observing group-living animals with drones and computer vision
A drone is flying over a herd of plains zebras in central Kenya. It is flying quite high so that the animals are not bothered by it. These zebras are really interesting for collective and spatial behavior studies, according to the researchers Ben Koger and Blair Costelloe, who are monitoring the drone.
Smaller, denser, better illuminators for computational microscopy
Seeking to expand the possibilities offered by programmable illumination, a group of researchers at the University of Connecticut developed a strategy for constructing and calibrating freeform illuminators offering greater flexibility for computational microscopy. Their calibration method uses a blood-coated sensor for reconstruction of light source positions.
Relativity Space to make third bid to launch 3D-printed rocket
The world's first 3D printed rocket is scheduled to make its third attempt to lift off on Wednesday for the maiden flight of an innovative spacecraft billed as being less costly to produce and fly.
New method shrinks 3D images of cells for faster storage and retrieval
Single-cell analysis is a powerful biomedical technique used in various fields of biology and medicine to identify rare cell populations, track cell development and differentiation, understand disease mechanisms and develop personalized therapies, but it generates large amounts of data that can be difficult to manage.
Understanding the mechanism of non-uniform formation of diamond film on tools
Tools coated with diamond film (diamond-coated tools) are used for difficult-to-machine materials such as CFRP. In the manufacture of diamond-coated tools, a pretreatment is required to remove cobalt from the tool using a liquid in order to achieve a uniform diamond film surface. However, there are concerns about the environmental impact of liquid waste from liquid pretreatment (wet processing),...
Performance of OncoK9 in real-world veterinary practice mirrors clinical validation study
PetDx published a study today showing that OncoK9, its multi-cancer early detection test for dogs using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, performs similarly in real-world veterinary practice settings as in the CANcer Detection in Dogs (CANDiD) study, the test's landmark clinical validation study.
Florida bill would ban elementary school kids from learning about menstruation
A proposed bill in Florida would prevent children from learning about menstruation in elementary school, even though some girls get their first periods in those years.
Boris Johnson had a lot to say about Partygate – but did any of it stack up?
Nowhere to hide for former PM as he was finally cross-examined on lockdown gatherings in No 10After 16 months, Boris Johnson was finally forensically cross-examined over Partygate – live on TV and for nearly four hours.Previous attempts to do so in brief media interviews or through questions posed in the Commons chamber allowed him to obfuscate or run down the clock. Continue...
Copper artifacts reveal new cultural connections in southern Africa
Chemical and isotopic analysis of copper artifacts from southern Africa reveals new cultural connections among people living in the region between the 5th and 20th centuries according to a University of Missouri researcher and colleagues.
Measuring the greenhouse effect accurately
Solar radiation enters the Earth's atmosphere without any hindrance and should normally leave it as heat. Unfortunately, this is impeded by the thickening "greenhouse roof" consisting of carbon dioxide and other gases.
Biologists report on alternative life-history strategy in Colias butterflies
Have you ever marveled at the vast diversity of life on our planet, from tiny creatures living only a few hours to majestic beings that can survive for centuries? These differences in lifespan, size, and reproductive age are known as life-history strategies, and they have evolved over time as organisms adapt to their environments.
Sedimentation missing from pollution priorities, says researcher
Sediment runoff from land use change and unsustainable development is missing from global priorities despite being one of the greatest threats facing freshwater and marine ecosystems, Griffith University researcher reveals.
Researchers identify novel human-specific mechanism of skin barrier regeneration
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Department of Medicine, Solna, have identified HOXC13-AS, a human skin-specific long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), that plays a crucial role in epidermal differentiation. Their study highlighting lncRNA's physiological importance in the epidermal barrier's maintenance and reconstruction is published in the journal Cell Death & Differentiation.
Anti-age discrimination policies are failing in the workplace, says case study of UK policy
Anti-age discrimination policies are failing in the workplace, according to new research from the University of Sheffield.
A new mission will search for habitable planets at Alpha Centauri
Alpha Centauri is our closest stellar neighbor, a binary star system located just 4.376 light-years away. Despite its proximity, repeated astronomical surveys have failed to find hard evidence of extrasolar planets in this system. Part of the problem is that the system consists of two stars orbiting each other, which makes detecting exoplanets through the two most popular methods very challenging....
How terrorism affects our language and the vote for the radical right
The experience of the jihadist terrorist attacks that plagued Western Europe between 2015 and 2017 shows that perceived threats from ethnic and religious minorities affect the tone of public discourse about immigration and the support for radical right parties, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Political Science, which uses German data, including more than 10 million...
Scientists Solve the Mystery Behind the Oumuamua ‘Alien Spacecraft’ Comet
The astronomers operating the Pan-STARRS1 telescope on the island of Maui were not expecting to hit cosmic paydirt on Oct. 19, 2017—but they did. On what was otherwise an ordinary night of skygazing, they suddenly spotted what is easily the oddest comet ever detected. Its high speed—87 km per second (54 mi. per second)—and highly elliptical angle indicated that it originated...
Sea otters killed by unusual parasite strain
- ScienceDaily
- 23/3/22 19:09
An unusually severe form of toxoplasmosis killed four sea otters and could pose a threat to other marine wildlife and humans, finds a new study.
Sweets change our brain
- ScienceDaily
- 23/3/22 19:09
Chocolate bars, chips and fries - why can't we just ignore them in the supermarket? Researchers have now shown that foods with a high fat and sugar content change our brain: If we regularly eat even small amounts of them, the brain learns to consume precisely these foods in the future.