105 articles from TUESDAY 2.5.2023

A stormy, active sun may have kickstarted life on Earth

The first building blocks of life on Earth may have formed thanks to eruptions from our Sun, a new study finds. A series of chemical experiments show how solar particles, colliding with gases in Earth's early atmosphere, can form amino acids and carboxylic acids, the basic building blocks of proteins and organic life.

'Zero plant extinction' is possible, says plant ecologist

Like animals, many plant species are struggling to adapt to a human-dominated planet. However, plants are often overlooked in conservation efforts, even though they are cheaper and easier to protect than animals and play a pivotal role in bolstering our food, fuel, and medical systems. A plant ecologist suggests an approach for preventing all future land plant extinctions across the globe which...

Test signal generator uses 'made-up' electrons to save researchers time

Working with a great deal of dexterity and concentration, Jingo Bozzini, an electronics engineer, solders the tiny legs of a chip onto the green circuit board. "Soldering isn't my strong suit," he grins. He's much more interested in programming the circuit on the chip, which was also the focus of his final practical exam last year.

Conservation app’s censoring of observation data could hurt threatened species, scientists argue

Rusby Contreras-Díaz was scrolling through a biodiversity database, looking at places where people had spotted margays and jaguars, when she noticed something odd: Every location had an uncertainty of 30 kilometers. Contreras-Díaz—a mammologist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico—had hoped to use the observations to map where the two carnivores were found in Mexico....

A Stormy, Active Sun May Have Kickstarted Life on Earth

Portal origin URL: A Stormy, Active Sun May Have Kickstarted Life on EarthPortal origin nid: 486966Published: Tuesday, May 2, 2023 - 10:17Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: The first building blocks of life on Earth may have formed thanks to eruptions from our Sun, a new study finds.Portal image: A solar eruption on Sept. 26,...

First image from new balloon-based telescope revealed

The Super Pressure Balloon-borne Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT) launched from Wānaka, New Zealand, on April 16 and has already captured stunning images of the Tarantula Nebula, kickstarting its 100-day hunt for dark matter. The helium-filled super pressure balloon, which is about the size of a football stadium, can reach an altitude of about 110,000 feet (21Continue reading "First image from new...

Could wearables capture well-being?

Applying machine learning models, a type of artificial intelligence (AI), to data collected passively from wearable devices can identify a patient's degree of resilience and well-being, according to investigators. The findings support wearable devices as a way to monitor and assess psychological states remotely without requiring the completion of mental health questionnaires.

China revises military conscription laws in space warfare push

Modernisation of People’s Liberation Army continues with focus on cyberwarfare while retirees are now allowed to re-enlistChina ‘barring thousands of citizens and foreigners from leaving country’China’s government has revised its conscription laws, allowing retired service people to re-enlist and increasing recruitment focused on expertise in space and cyberwarfare.The amended regulations,...