98 articles from MONDAY 27.3.2023

Implementation of school-based well-being programs benefits from multiple voices, says study

Health and well-being education can be an important addition to a school curriculum. But for these programs to be effective, they must be delivered in a way that works for everyone, including students, instructors, and school administrators. A new study from University of Illinois evaluates the implementation of two prevention programs, using a mixed-methods approach with input from multiple...

Study finds neighborhood apps increase perceptions of crime rates

How often do you glance at your neighborhood app, like Nextdoor or others, and learn about some crime in your area? Surely, it was not the intention of the app developers, but every time you hear of a crime nearby, you might think that crime in your area is rampant. A new study by a University of Houston psychologist indicates that is exactly how the mind works—those helpful and popular...

Exploring bonds and electronic structure in plutonium hybrid materials

Understanding the arrangement of electrons in compounds containing actinide elements, such as uranium and plutonium, can help advance the design of next-generation nuclear materials. These elements are challenging to study due to their complex chemistry and radioactivity. Additionally, these elements, which are in a sequence of related elements called the actinide series, have electrons that are...

In the tropics, woody vines may make lightning more deadly for forests

Many tropical forests are experiencing increases in lightning and lianas, thanks in part to global change. This one-two punch is likely causing an increase in the death of small trees, which could lead to shifts in composition of tropical forests and their ability to store carbon. A paper in the journal New Phytologist reports on this development.

Advanced electrode to help remediation of stubborn new 'forever chemicals'

As new environmental regulations are rolling out to mitigate the industry-retired long-chain chemicals known as PFAS in drinking water, there are concerns regarding a new breed of "forever chemicals" called short-chain PFAS. Research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is helping shift the focus to include mitigation of the chemicals—which researchers say are just as persistent as,...

Temperature of a rocky exoplanet measured

An international team of researchers has used NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to measure the temperature of the rocky exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 b. The measurement is based on the planet's thermal emission: heat energy given off in the form of infrared light detected by Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). The result indicates that the planet's dayside has a temperature of about 500 kelvins (roughly...

The Greenland Ice Sheet is close to a melting point of no return

A new study using simulations identified two tipping points for the Greenland Ice Sheet: releasing 1000 gigatons of carbon into the atmosphere will cause the southern portion of the ice sheet to melt; about 2500 gigatons of carbon means permanent loss of nearly the entire ice sheet. Having emitted about 500 gigatons of carbon, we're about halfway to the first tipping point.

The Greenland Ice Sheet is close to a melting point of no return, says new study

The Greenland Ice Sheet covers 1.7 million square kilometers (660,200 square miles) in the Arctic. If it melts entirely, global sea level would rise about 7 meters (23 feet), but scientists aren't sure how quickly the ice sheet could melt. Modeling tipping points, which are critical thresholds where a system behavior irreversibly changes, helps researchers find out when that melt might occur.

A machine learning framework to predict and quantify synthesis difficulties for designer chromosomes

Artificially synthesizing genomes has broad prospects in fields such as medical research and developing industrial strains. From the synthesis of the artificial life JCVI-syn1.0 by Craig Venter's team in 2010, to the rewriting and synthesis of the prokaryotic E. coli genome, and to the Sc2.0 project's artificial synthesis of the yeast genome, researchers are constantly advancing in the depth and...