Kremlin Claims It Busted Neo-Nazi Terror Plot in 9 Cities
Friday 30 April 2021
Thursday 29 April 2021
Eye movements of those with dyslexia reveal laborious and inefficient reading strategies
A new article used eye-tracking technology to record eye movements of readers and concluded that people with dyslexia have a profoundly different and much more difficult way of sampling visual information than normal readers.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210428162541.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210428162541.htm
Wednesday 28 April 2021
RNA scientists identify many genes involved in neuron development
A team has identified many genes that are important in fruit flies' neuron development, and that had never been described before in that context.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210427182212.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210427182212.htm
Researchers identify protein produced after stroke that triggers neurodegeneration
Researchers have identified a new protein implicated in cell death that provides a potential therapeutic target that could prevent or delay the progress of neurodegenerative diseases following a stroke.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210427163254.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210427163254.htm
New AI tool calculates materials' stress and strain based on photos
Researchers developed a machine-learning technique that uses an image to estimate the stresses and strains acting on a material. The advance could accelerate engineers' design process by eliminating the need to solve complex equations.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210427163251.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210427163251.htm
Fishing in African waters
Industrial fleets from countries around the world have been increasingly fishing in African waters, but with climate change and increasing pollution threatening Africa's fish stocks, there is a growing concern of the sustainability of these marine fisheries if they continue to be exploited.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210427163246.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210427163246.htm
Tuesday 27 April 2021
Monday 26 April 2021
Sunday 25 April 2021
Climate has shifted the axis of the Earth
Melting glaciers redistributed enough water to cause the direction of polar wander to turn and accelerate eastward during the mid-1990s, according to a new study.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210425114433.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210425114433.htm
Bacteria and viruses infect our cells through sugars: Now researchers want to know how they do it
Most infectious bacteria and viruses bind to sugars on the surface of our cells. Now researchers have created a library of tens of thousands of natural cells containing all the sugars found on the surface of our cells. The library may help us understand the role played by sugars and their receptors in the immune system and the brain, the researchers behind the study explain.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210423095406.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210423095406.htm
Saturday 24 April 2021
Radar satellites can better protect against bushfires and floods
New research has revealed how radar satellites can improve the ability to detect, monitor, prepare for and withstand natural disasters in Australia including bushfires, floods and earthquakes.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210423085707.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210423085707.htm
Quantum steering for more precise measurements
Quantum systems consisting of several particles can be used to measure magnetic or electric fields more precisely. A young physicist has now proposed a new scheme for such measurements that uses a particular kind of correlation between quantum particles.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210423085705.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210423085705.htm
Study paves the way for new photosensitive materials
Scientists are investigating the molecular dynamics of titania clusters. Such research is a basic step toward the development of more efficient photocatalysts.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422181904.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422181904.htm
Hungry fruit flies are extreme ultramarathon fliers
New research indicates that the common fruit fly can travel tens of kilometers in a single flight when in search of food.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422181859.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422181859.htm
Silver ions hurry up, then wait as they disperse
Chemists quantify the release mechanism of silver ions from gold-silver nanoparticle alloys. The nanoparticles are being studied for use as catalyst in hydrogen evolution and other applications.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422181854.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422181854.htm
Machine learning model generates realistic seismic waveforms
A new machine-learning model that generates realistic seismic waveforms will reduce manual labor and improve earthquake detection, according to a new study.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422181851.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422181851.htm
Friday 23 April 2021
Lithium treats intellectual defects in mouse model of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome
Mice with symptoms that mimic Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS) have difficulty with learning and generating new neurons in the hippocampus. However, according to a new study, these mental defects can be successfully treated with lithium.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422181907.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422181907.htm
Pregnant women with COVID-19 face high mortality rate
In a worldwide study of 2,100 pregnant women, those who contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy were 20 times more likely to die than those who did not contract the virus.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422181856.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422181856.htm
Study of 'breakthrough' cases suggests COVID testing may be here to stay
Two new cases helped scientists confirm what many have come to suspect: that people can get infected by SARS-CoV-2 variants even after successful vaccination. The findings suggest continued testing may be needed to prevent future outbreaks in a post-vaccine world.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422123631.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422123631.htm
Among COVID-19 survivors, an increased risk of death, serious illness
Researchers showed that COVID-19 survivors -- including those not sick enough to be hospitalized -- have an increased risk of death in the six months following diagnosis with the virus. They also have catalogued the numerous diseases associated with COVID-19, providing a big-picture overview of the long-term complications of COVID-19 and revealing the massive burden this disease is likely to place on the world's population in the coming years.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422123603.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422123603.htm
Artificial intelligence model predicts which key of the immune system opens the locks of coronavirus
A new artificial intelligence (AI) method is helping researchers link immune cells to their targets and, for example, uncouple which white blood cells recognize SARS-CoV-2. The tool has broad applications in understanding the function of the immune system in infections, autoimmune disorders, and cancer.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422093943.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422093943.htm
Faster air exchange in buildings not always beneficial for coronavirus levels
Vigorous and rapid air exchanges might not always be a good thing when it comes to levels of coronavirus particles in a multiroom building, according to a new modeling study. Particle levels can spike in downstream rooms shortly after rapid ventilation.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422093849.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422093849.htm
Common antibiotic effective in healing coral disease lesions
An antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections in humans is showing promise in treating stony coral, found throughout the tropical western Atlantic, including several areas currently affected by stony coral tissue loss disease. Preserving M. cavernosa colonies is important due to its high abundance and role as a dominant reef builder in the northern section of Florida's Coral Reef. Results show that the Base 2B plus amoxicillin treatment had a 95 percent success rate at healing individual disease lesions.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422093847.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422093847.htm
More belly weight increases danger of heart disease even if BMI does not indicate obesity
Research on how obesity impacts the diagnosis, management and outcomes of heart and blood vessel disease, heart failure and arrhythmias is summarized in a new statement. Waist circumference, an indicator of abdominal obesity, should be regularly measured as it is a potential warning sign of increased cardiovascular disease risk. Interventions that lead to weight loss improve risk factors yet may not always lead to improvement in coronary artery disease outcomes.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422093842.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422093842.htm
Know your ally: Cooperative male dolphins can tell who's on their team
When it comes to friendships and rivalries, male dolphins know who the good team players are. New findings reveal that male dolphins form a social concept of team membership based on cooperative investment in the team.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422093835.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210422093835.htm
Thursday 22 April 2021
Why climate change is driving some to skip having kids
A new study finds that overconsumption, overpopulation and uncertainty about the future are among the top concerns of those who say climate change is affecting their reproductive decision-making.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421160016.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421160016.htm
Mice master complex thinking with a remarkable capacity for abstraction
Categorization is the brain's tool to organize nearly everything we encounter in our daily lives. Grouping information into categories simplifies our complex world and helps us to react quickly and effectively to new experiences. Scientists have now shown that also mice categorize surprisingly well. The researchers identified neurons encoding learned categories and thereby demonstrated how abstract information is represented at the neuronal level.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421124646.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421124646.htm
Central African forests are unequally vulnerable to global change
An international study reveals the composition of the tropical forests of Central Africa and their vulnerability to the increased pressure from climate change and human activity expected in the coming decades. Thanks to an exceptional dataset - an inventory of over 6 million trees across five countries - the researchers have produced the first continuous maps of the floristic and functional composition of these forests, allowing them to identify the most vulnerable areas.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421124643.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421124643.htm
Climate 'tipping points' need not be the end of the world
The disastrous consequences of climate 'tipping points' could be averted if global warming was reversed quickly enough, new research suggests.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421124640.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421124640.htm
Wildfire smoke linked to skin disease
Wildfire smoke can trigger a host of respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms, ranging from runny nose and cough to a potentially life-threatening heart attack or stroke. A new study suggests that the dangers posed by wildfire smoke may also extend to the largest organ in the human body, and our first line of defense against outside threat: the skin.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421124635.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421124635.htm
In calculating the social cost of methane, equity matters
A new study reports that the social cost of methane - a greenhouse gas that is 30 times as potent as carbon dioxide in its ability to trap heat - varies by as much as an order of magnitude between industrialized and developing regions of the world.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421124630.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421124630.htm
Bi-stable pop-up structures inspired by origami
Researchers have developed bi-stable inflatable structures inspired by origami.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421124627.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421124627.htm
To design truly compostable plastic, scientists take cues from nature
Scientists have designed an enzyme-activated compostable plastic that could diminish microplastics pollution. Household tap water or soil composts break the hybrid plastic material down to reusable small molecules, called monomers, in just a few days or weeks.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421124624.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421124624.htm
Improved management of farmed peatlands could cut 500 million tons CO2
Substantial cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions could be achieved by raising water levels in agricultural peatlands, according to a new study in the journal Nature. A team of researchers led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology estimates halving drainage depths in these areas could cut emissions by around 500 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year, which equates to 1 per cent of all global greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421124547.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210421124547.htm
Wednesday 21 April 2021
Crucial action needed for coral reefs
An international group of scientific experts has stated the requirements for coral reef survival in a recent article. Over 500 million people rely on coral reefs.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210420121457.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210420121457.htm
Designing healthy diets with computer analysis
A new mathematical model for the interaction of bacteria in the gut could help design new probiotics and specially tailored diets to prevent diseases.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210420183152.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210420183152.htm
Drug development platform could provide flexible, rapid and targeted antimicrobials
Researchers have created a platform that can develop effective and highly specific peptide nucleic acid therapies for use against any bacteria within just one week. The work could change the way we respond to pandemics and how we approach increasing cases of antibiotic resistance globally.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210420183149.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210420183149.htm
Tuesday 20 April 2021
Snake venom complexity is driven by prey diet
Diversity in diet plays a role in the complexity of venom in pit vipers such as rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths. But new collaborative research found the number of prey species a snake ate did not drive venom complexity. Rather, it was how far apart the prey species were from each other evolutionarily.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210419195312.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210419195312.htm
B cell activating factor possible key to hemophilia immune tolerance
A group of scientists have just made a key discovery that could prevent and eradicate immune responses that lead to treatment failure in about one-third of people with severe hemophilia A.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210419182116.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210419182116.htm
Tiny implantable tool for light-sheet imaging of brain activity
Tools for optical imaging of brain activity in freely moving animals have considerable potential for expanding the scientific understanding of the brain. However, existing technologies for imaging brain activity with light have challenges. An international team of scientists has now developed an implantable probe for light-sheet imaging of the brain.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210419182113.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210419182113.htm
Welcome Back to the Westside, K Ingleside Trains!
Welcome Back to the Westside, K Ingleside Trains!
By
Published April 20, 2021 at 05:13AM
https://ift.tt/2RIMvJv
By
The K Ingleside exiting the subway at West Portal
On April 16, the SFMTA, along with Mayor Breed and District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, announced that Muni’s K Ingleside trains will return to the westside starting May 15.
The return of these trains is happening much earlier than anticipated thanks to the hard work of SFMTA staff to find creative solutions to ramp up Muni service to riders and support the city’s economic recovery.
“This addition of Muni service is a true testament to the collaboration between Muni staff, our labor unions and community partners,” said Julie Kirschbaum, SFMTA Director of Transit. “We know that key transit connections are critical to the city’s economic recovery, and we’re thrilled to re-open the subway and ramp up service.”
The K Ingleside will join the previously-announced N Judah as part of Muni Metro’s reopening, highlighting the agency’s commitment to maximizing transit access citywide. Recent subway repairs enable the K Ingleside to be interlined with the T Third line and run through a much more reliable subway system.
The pandemic enabled us to accelerate other upgrades and necessary maintenance work, provided by a rare, extended subway shutdown. These are part of the Subway Renewal Program, a systematic approach to upgrades over the next 10 years that addresses both longstanding issues predating the pandemic and other issues uncovered since the shelter-in-place began.
Key improvements include:
- Wi-Fi availability for customers from routers installed in stations and cellular antennas installed in the tunnels
- Installation of new wayfinding and directional signs at Castro and Church stations
- Quicker and smoother trips as a result of overhead line enhancements and rail grinding
The return of K Ingleside rail service is only one part of a larger roll out of Muni Metro rail updates happening May 15:
K Ingleside/T Third
K Ingleside and the T Third will once again be “interlined.” This means that the two routes will operate as one route, from Balboa Park to Sunnydale, providing subway service at all stations from Embarcadero to West Portal.
N Judah
The N Judah is also returning to rail service. Riders will have more room and fewer pass ups, as the two-car train increases the N Judah’s capacity.
J Church, L Taraval and M Oceanview
These lines will all continue to operate as they currently do, though the increased capacity on the K/T trains will soon provide even better connections for those traveling downtown or to the western neighborhoods.
- The J Church will remain as a surface-only route from Duboce Avenue to Balboa Park
- The L Taraval will operate with buses from the Zoo to Downtown
- The M Ocean View will operate with buses from Balboa Park to West Portal Station.
Published April 20, 2021 at 05:13AM
https://ift.tt/2RIMvJv
Muni Emergency Measures Point to Longer Term Transit Goals
Muni Emergency Measures Point to Longer Term Transit Goals
By
Published April 20, 2021 at 04:46AM
https://ift.tt/3apbWX8
By
The 38 Geary Temporary Emergency Transit Lane
Muni is a core part of our community’s urban fabric that, like so much, has been upended by the pandemic. Yet, as hard as the last year has been, the SFMTA is focused on bringing Muni back better than ever. As we shift to focus on recovery, we’re looking closely at the emergency efforts we’ve implemented during the pandemic and how their proven effectiveness can help support San Francisco long-term.
This includes promising performance data from our Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes program and plans for service restoration and future improvements. As part of an emergency response over six miles of temporary emergency transit lanes have been installed, benefitting tens of thousands of Muni customers each day, and helping to protect key Muni corridors from traffic. With the prioritization of temporary emergency transit lanes on routes that serve neighborhoods identified by the Muni Service Equity Strategy, the goal is to protect low-income and historically underserved people traveling on Muni from traffic congestion as the economy reopens and traffic returns.
Recent Muni Forward improvements are working: where we have invested in improvements like transit lanes, transit signal priority and bus bulbs, Muni customers are experiencing quicker and more reliable trips. When more people choose Muni because it’s fast and reliable, there are fewer cars on the street, reducing traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.
Temporary Emergency Transit Lane Program Benefits Riders
Several transit lanes have already been in place long enough to collect substantive data, and the results are showing benefits to Muni riders. The success of these corridors - Geary, 4th Street Bridge, 7th and 8th Streets and Mission Street in SOMA – show how beneficial making investments in transit can be.
Here’s a quick run-down of each of their successes.
Mission Street in SOMA was our very first Temporary Emergency Transit Lane project and it is showing amazing results. The project took rush hour-only transit lanes and made them full-time. Here’s what we’ve learned:
- Though traffic is 20% higher than in the summer of 2020, transit times are fairly consistent and only show a difference of 2 to 4% showing that bus travel times are being protected despite an increase in traffic
- A public survey showed 65% of respondents support making the changes of the transit lanes permanent
A 2-week online open house will be held Monday, April 19, through Monday, May 3, to inform the community of the outcome of the evaluation of the temporary project, and changes made based on feedback, prior to pursuing permanent legislation in June. For more information, visit SFMTA.com/TempLanes14.
Geary Boulevard (Richmond District)
Building upon the implementation of the Geary Rapid Project in the eastern half of the corridor, Geary Boulevard west of Stanyan is benefiting from new temporary emergency transit lanes, Muni head start signals and wooden bus bulbs. The data shows:. The data shows:
- Muni speeds have stayed consistent or even increased despite increases in traffic
- The biggest improvements have been for inbound 38R Geary Rapid passengers, whose trip got faster and more reliable across all times of day, with a 6% improvement in reliability in the morning rush hour commute
T Third riders have long experienced delays near 4th and King Station – in front of Caltrain. New transit lanes on the 4th Street bridge, however, are showing real promise.
- Transit delay at the 4th and Berry intersection has decreased by over 60%, and less than 1% of trains are impeded by auto traffic thanks to the new Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes
- Trains are 2.5 times more likely to cross 4th and Berry, the intersection between the bridge and Caltrain, without stopping for a red light
- When trains do wait for a green light, the average wait is 70% shorter
Serving the 19 Polk, much of 8th Street and a smaller slice of 7th Street received temporary emergency transit lanes early in the pandemic. In fact, the project has been so successful, we have rerouted the 27 Bryant over to 7th and 8th in SOMA to take advantage of the time savings and improve reliability for the entire line. On this corridor, we’re seeing:
- 20% improvement in the 19 Polk’s on time performance despite a 35% increase in mixed traffic since April 2020
- No recorded instances of crowding on the 19 Polk line, despite a 33% increase in ridership since the beginning of the pandemic, thanks in part to the headway reliability that the temporary emergency transit lanes support (reduced gaps and bunches that contribute to crowding)
- Transit lanes have not caused traffic congestion to substantially deteriorate, demonstrating that transit benefits don’t need to negatively impact drivers
As the city reopens and traffic returns, temporary emergency transit lanes are being evaluated on their effectiveness with the goal of making the benefits of the temporary emergency lanes permanent.
Future Service Improvements
The benefits to Muni through the success of the temporary emergency transit lanes projects need to be protected. The success of the program is encouraging the SFMTA to pursue permanent changes along several of these corridors. Importantly, any long-term changes will incorporate public feedback to tweak the designs to better match emerging neighborhood needs. Making the Muni benefits we have seen through the Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes program permanent is one way that we can emerge from the pandemic stronger than before.
Legislation for permanent transit lanes on Geary and Mission Street in SoMa is under consideration.
In addition, two more temporary emergency transit lanes projects are being considered for approval by the SFMTA Board of directors today:
Finally, we’re taking advantage of the current environment to advance major construction projects that will deliver long-planned (and long-delayed) improvements.
These include:
- The Subway Renewal Program
- L Taraval Improvement Program
- 16th Street Improvement Project
- 19th Avenue Combined City Project
All of these will add up to very real improvements for transit riders. If you want to learn more, check out this presentation prepared for the April 20, 2021 meeting of the SFMTA’s Board of Directors.
Published April 20, 2021 at 04:46AM
https://ift.tt/3apbWX8
Monday 19 April 2021
Sunday 18 April 2021
Sunlight to solve the world's clean water crisis
Researchers have developed technology that could eliminate water stress for millions of people, including those living in many of the planet's most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416120107.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416120107.htm
Alpine plants are losing their white 'protective coat' too early in spring
Snow cover in the Alps has been melting almost three days earlier per decade since the 1960s. This trend is temperature-related and cannot be compensated by heavier snowfall. By the end of the century, snow cover at 2,500 meters could disappear a month earlier than today, as simulations by environmental scientists at the University of Basel demonstrate.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416120011.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416120011.htm
Engineers improve performance of high-temperature superconductor wires
Researchers have discovered a novel way to improve the performance of electrical wires used as high-temperature superconductors (HTS), findings that have the potential to power a new generation of particle accelerators.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210415170718.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210415170718.htm
Saturday 17 April 2021
Highly dense urban areas are not more vulnerable to COVID-19, researchers say
A person who owns a car or who has a college education may be less vulnerable to COVID-19, according to an analysis of cases in Tehran, Iran, one of the early epicenters of the pandemic. While such variables do not inherently lower a person's risk, they do indicate an infrastructure of protection that persists despite how densely populated a person's district might be.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416120021.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416120021.htm
Simulations reveal how dominant SARS-CoV-2 strain binds to host, succumbs to antibodies
The dominant G-form spike protein 'puts its head up' more frequently to latch on to receptors, but that makes it more vulnerable to neutralization.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416194925.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416194925.htm
A new super-Earth detected orbiting a red dwarf star
Researchers report the discovery of a super-Earth orbiting the star GJ 740, a red dwarf star situated some 36 light years from Earth.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416131932.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416131932.htm
On the pulse of pulsars and polar light
Faced with the tragic loss of the Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico and the often prohibitive cost of satellite missions, astronomers are searching for savvy alternatives to continue answering fundamental questions in physics.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416155047.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416155047.htm
Experimental antiviral for COVID-19 effective in hamster study
The experimental antiviral drug MK-4482 significantly decreased levels of virus and disease damage in the lungs of hamsters treated for SARS-CoV-2 infection, according to a new study. MK-4482, delivered orally, is now in human clinical trials.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416120127.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416120127.htm
With impressive accuracy, dogs can sniff out coronavirus
In a proof-of-concept study, dogs identified positive samples with 96 percent accuracy.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416120121.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416120121.htm
Virologists develop broadly protective coronavirus vaccines
A candidate vaccine that could provide protection against the COVID-19 virus and other coronaviruses has shown promising results in early animal testing.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416115957.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416115957.htm
Scientists may detect signs of extraterrestrial life in the next 5 to 10 years
Research shows that a new telescope could detect a potential signature of life on other planets in as little as 60 hours.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416194922.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416194922.htm
Unconventional takes on pandemics and nuclear defense could protect humanity from catastrophic failure
From engineered pandemics to city-toppling cyber attacks to nuclear annihilation, life on Earth could radically change, and soon.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416194919.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416194919.htm
Tarantula's ubiquity traced back to the cretaceous
Tarantulas are among the most notorious spiders, due in part to their size, vibrant colors and prevalence throughout the world. But one thing most people don't know is that tarantulas are homebodies. Females and their young rarely leave their burrows and only mature males will wander to seek out a mate. How then did such a sedentary spider come to inhabit six out of seven continents?
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416155049.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416155049.htm
Study shows past COVID-19 infection doesn't fully protect young people against reinfection
Results of a new study suggest vaccination against COVID-19 remains crucial even in young adults who were previously infected.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416131935.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416131935.htm
Friday 16 April 2021
Reliable COVID-19 short-term forecasting
Researchers have developed a new model for making short-term projections of daily COVID-19 cases that is accurate, reliable and easily used by public health officials and other organizations.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210415170735.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210415170735.htm
From smoky skies to a green horizon: Scientists convert fire-risk wood waste into biofuel
Reliance on petroleum fuels and raging wildfires: Two separate, large-scale challenges that could be addressed by one scientific breakthrough. Researchers have developed a streamlined and efficient process for converting woody plant matter like forest overgrowth and agricultural waste - material that is currently burned either intentionally or unintentionally - into liquid biofuel.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210415170702.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210415170702.htm
Thursday 15 April 2021
Tiny wireless implant detects oxygen deep within the body
Engineers have created a tiny wireless implant that can provide real-time measurements of tissue oxygen levels deep underneath the skin. The device, which is smaller than the average ladybug and powered by ultrasound waves, could help doctors monitor the health of transplanted organs or tissue and provide an early warning of potential transplant failure.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414154912.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414154912.htm
To improve climate models, an international team turns to archaeological data
To improve climate models, an international team turned to archaeological data. The resulting classification from the project, called LandCover6k, offers a tool the researchers hope might generate better predictions about the planet's future and fill in gaps about its past.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414155007.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414155007.htm
3D-printed material to replace ivory
A new material called 'Digory' has been developed, which can be processed in 3D printers and is extremely similar to ivory. It can be used to restore old ivory artefacts.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414154935.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414154935.htm
Using sound waves to make patterns that never repeat
Mathematicians and engineers have teamed up to show how ultrasound waves can organize carbon particles in water into a sort of pattern that never repeats. The results, they say, could result in materials called 'quasicrystals' with custom magnetic or electrical properties.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414154917.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414154917.htm
Roadside invader: The higher the traffic, the easier the invasive common ragweed disperses
Common ragweed is an annual plant whose allergenic pollen affects human health. It's an invasive species particularly well-adapted to living at roadsides. New research found high population growth along high-traffic roads even in shaded and less disturbed road sections, suggesting that seed dispersal by vehicles and by road maintenance can compensate, at least partly, for less favorable habitat conditions.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414113547.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414113547.htm
Climate change is making it harder to get a good cup of coffee
Ethiopia may produce less specialty coffee and more rather bland tasting varieties in the future. This is the result of a new study by an international team of researchers that looked at the peculiar effects climate change has on Africa's largest coffee producing nation. Their results are relevant both for the country's millions of smallholder farmers, who earn more on specialty coffee than on ordinary coffee, as well as for baristas and coffee aficionados around the world.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414113543.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414113543.htm
Get your head in the game -- One gene's role in cranial development
Researchers have found that certain cells in mouse craniums respond to increased expression of a gene called Dlx5 during early stages of embryonic development. They observed that a layer of these cells formed more bone and cartilage in mice engineered with high Dlx5 levels. Their interesting results provide crucial information for the mechanistic role of this gene in cell fate during cranial development.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414113539.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414113539.htm
Innovative technique developed to destroy cancerous kidney cells
An innovative new technique that encourages cancer cells in the kidneys to self-destruct could revolutionize the treatment of the disease.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414113536.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414113536.htm
Transforming circles into squares
Researchers have developed a method to change a cellular material's fundamental topology at the microscale.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414113421.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414113421.htm
Auxin makes the spirals in gerbera inflorescences follow the Fibonacci sequence
The meristem of the gerbera is patterned on the molecular level already at a stage where no primordia or other changes are discernible by even an electron microscope.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414113418.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414113418.htm
Mindfulness can make you selfish
A new article demonstrates the surprising downsides of mindfulness, while offering easy ways to minimize those consequences -- both of which have practical implications for mindfulness training.
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414100147.htm
source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414100147.htm
