115 articles from FRIDAY 31.3.2023

Hope for salamanders? Study recalibrates climate change effects

For tiny salamanders squirming skin-to-soil, big-picture weather patterns may seem as far away as outer space. But for decades, scientists have mostly relied on free-air temperature data at large spatial scales to predict future salamander distributions under climate change. The outlook was dire for the mini ecosystem engineers, suggesting near elimination of habitat in crucial areas.

Engineered E. coli delivers therapeutic nanobodies to the gut

Researchers have succeeded in developing an E. coli-based 'smart microbe' that secretes therapeutic payloads, including antibodies, into the gut. The genetically modified beneficial strain of bacteria blocks intestinal inflammation in a preclinical model of inflammatory bowel disease and has the potential to treat intestinal-based diseases.

Harnessing nature to promote planetary sustainability

As Earth's population grows, the demands of modern lifestyles place mounting strain on the global environment. Proposed solutions to preserve and promote planetary sustainability can sometimes prove more harmful than helpful. However, technologies that harness natural processes could be more successful.

Speeding up drug discovery with diffusion generative models

With the release of platforms like DALL-E 2 and Midjourney, diffusion generative models have achieved mainstream popularity, owing to their ability to generate a series of absurd, breathtaking, and often meme-worthy images from text prompts like "teddy bears working on new AI research on the moon in the 1980s."

Hope for salamanders? Study recalibrates climate change effects

For tiny salamanders squirming skin-to-soil, big-picture weather patterns may seem as far away as outer space. But for decades, scientists have mostly relied on free-air temperature data at large spatial scales to predict future salamander distributions under climate change. The outlook was dire for the mini ecosystem engineers, suggesting near elimination of habitat in crucial areas.

Academic institutions receive lower financial returns from biotechnology licenses than commercial firms

The financial terms of biotechnology licenses from academic institutions are significantly less favorable than those of comparable licenses between commercial firms according to a new study from Bentley University's Center for Integration of Science and Industry. The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, shows that the royalties and payments to academic institutions are significantly lower...

What caused the record-low Antarctic sea ice in austral summer 2022?

Antarctic sea ice is an important component of the climate system, and may act as an early indicator of climate change. Under global warming, significant changes in Antarctic sea ice have been observed. Specifically, it experienced a slow increase during 1979–2014, but a rapid decline thereafter.

A new model predicts the flexibility of DNA movement at the molecular scale

In both physics and chemistry, the mesoscopic scale refers to the length scale on which the properties of a material or phenomenon can be studied, without entering into a discussion about the behavior of individual atoms. In a mesoscopic model, atomic scales are merged with the continuous scale, so they are quite difficult to develop.

Intervention with educational robotics for the development of early childhood lexical relationships

Technological evolution poses challenges in all sectors, which is why, in the case of the educational community, it is not surprising that more and more studies are interested in the integration of STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) for the acquisition of skills in the classroom. Precisely, one of the most critical challenges in the education sector is the...

Making more sustainable decisions based on data

Ecosystems deliver many benefits to humans, such as providing water, fruits and vegetables, as well as recreation opportunities. An international research team conducted a pilot study in Eritrea in order to demonstrate that the mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services (MAES) is key to inform sustainable policy and decision-making at national and sub-national levels.

Study: Visible light induces bacteria to produce superoxide for manganese oxidation

Manganese oxides are natural reactive minerals and widely spread in aquatic and terrestrial environments, affecting the fate of metals (such as As3+ and Cd2+) and organic pollutants (such as phenols and diclofenac) through adsorption and oxidation in sewage treatment. Usually, the manganese (III/IV) oxides in the environment are thought to be formed by the oxidation of dissolved Mn(II) through...

Path to net-zero carbon capture and storage may lead to ocean

Engineering researchers have developed a novel way to capture carbon dioxide from the air and store it in the 'infinite sink' of the ocean. The approach uses an innovative copper-containing polymeric filter and essentially converts CO2 into sodium bicarbonate (aka baking soda) that can be released harmlessly into the ocean. This new hybrid material, or filter, is called DeCarbonHIX (i.e.,...

Mathematical model provides bolt of understanding for lightning-produced X-rays

In the early 2000s, scientists observed lightning discharge producing X-rays comprising high energy photons -- the same type used for medical imaging. Researchers could recreate this phenomenon in the lab, but they could not fully explain how and why lightning produced X-rays. Now, two decades later, a team has discovered a new physical mechanism explaining naturally occurring X-rays associated...

Opinion: Why a serious climate strategy is almost impossible in the UK's current political system

The UK government reportedly chose Aberdeen, its carbonization capital, as the original location to relaunch its de-carbonization strategy. The strategy, now published, has been strongly criticized by environmentalists. Part of the plan to transition the country away from oil and gas is to allow highly subsidized, mostly foreign-owned companies to extract more oil and gas from these islands and...

Mathematical model provides bolt of understanding for lightning-produced X-rays

In the early 2000s, scientists observed lightning discharge producing X-rays comprising high energy photons—the same type used for medical imaging. Researchers could recreate this phenomenon in the lab, but they could not fully explain how and why lightning produced X-rays. Now, two decades later, a Penn State-led team has discovered a new physical mechanism explaining naturally occurring X-rays...

John Jefferson obituary

My friend and colleague John Jefferson, who has died aged 75 of Parkinson’s disease, was a distinguished scientist and talented amateur musician. Coming from an unremarkable background, and overcoming early disadvantage, he produced several significant papers in theoretical physics.John’s studies were wide-ranging and included high-temperature superconductors and the fundamental physics of...

Ants took over the world by following flowering plants out of prehistoric forests

Today, ants are pretty much everywhere. To learn more about how these insects conquered the world, scientists used a combination of fossils, DNA, and data on the habitat preferences of modern species to piece together how ants and plants have been evolving together over the past 60 million years. They found that when flowering plants spread out from forests, the ants followed, kicking off the...

Study finds centenarians possess unique immunity that helps them achieve exceptional longevity

There are approximately 30 trillion cells in a human body and our health is predicated on them properly interacting with and supporting each other, with the immune system playing a particularly pivotal role. One of the defining characteristics of aging is a decline in the proper functioning of our immune system. Centenarians, a rare population of individuals who reach 100 years or more, experience...

At the end of the dry season: CO2 pulses over Australia

End-of-dry-season CO2 pulses recur each year in the atmosphere above the Australian continent, a discovery made by an international research team led by an environmental physicist. To investigate the carbon fluxes over Australia, the researchers studied atmospheric CO2 measurements. Their analyses show that CO2 emissions spike when heavy rain falls on dried-out soil, thus activating microorganisms...

AI algorithm unblurs the cosmos

Researchers adapted a well-known computer-vision algorithm used for sharpening photos and, for the first time, applied it to astronomical images from ground-based telescopes. While astrophysicists already use technologies to remove blur, the adapted AI-driven algorithm works faster and produces more realistic images than current technologies. The resulting images are blur-free and truer to life.