Tuesday, 30 November 2021

Monday, 29 November 2021

Friday, 26 November 2021

Clear as (quasi) crystal: Scientists discover the first ferromagnetic quasicrystals

Clear as (quasi) crystal: Scientists discover the first ferromagnetic quasicrystals
Since the discovery of quasicrystals (QCs), solids that mimic crystals in their long-range order but lack periodicity, scientists have sought physical properties related to their peculiar structure. Now, an international group of researchers report a long-range magnetic order in QCs with icosahedral...

Thursday, 25 November 2021

Ancient human relative, Australopithecus sediba, 'walked like a human, but climbed like an ape'

Ancient human relative, Australopithecus sediba, 'walked like a human, but climbed like an ape'
The recovery of new lumbar vertebrae from the lower back of a single individual of the human relative, Australopithecus sediba, and portions of other vertebrae of the same female from Malapa, South Africa, together with previously discovered vertebrae, form one of the most complete lower backs...

Analysis of Mars’s wind-induced vibrations sheds light on the planet’s subsurface properties

Analysis of Mars’s wind-induced vibrations sheds light on the planet’s subsurface properties
NASA's Mars mission InSight probes the geology of the Elysium Planitia, finding alternate layers of basalt and sediments. An international team of scientists compares on-the-ground data with data from models, which helps to understand, e.g., the surface's load-bearing capacity and trafficability. source...

From Elkton to Green, the Evolution of Muni’s Oldest Rail Yard

From Elkton to Green, the Evolution of Muni’s Oldest Rail Yard
From Elkton to Green, the Evolution of Muni’s Oldest Rail Yard By Jeremy Menzies In part two of our two-part series on one of the city’s oldest transit properties, we bring you the history of Muni’s Green Division. Green Division, also known as Muni Metro Center, has served as the primary...

Wednesday, 24 November 2021

Microbes can provide sustainable hydrocarbons for the petrochemical industry

Microbes can provide sustainable hydrocarbons for the petrochemical industry
The petrochemical industry turns oil and gas into precursors used to synthesize lubricants and other critical products. Chemists show that bacteria can be metabolically engineered to generate similar precursors, providing a sustainable replacement for fossil fuels and using less energy. The...

Monkeys, guinea pigs and native English speakers have very similar brain responses to speech sounds, study finds

Monkeys, guinea pigs and native English speakers have very similar brain responses to speech sounds, study finds
Speech sounds elicit comparable neural responses and stimulate the same region in the brain of humans, macaques and guinea pigs, researchers report. The finding could help pave the way for better understanding and diagnosis of auditory processing deficits. source https://www.sciencedaily...

Justinianic Plague was nothing like flu and may have struck England before it reached Constantinople, new study suggests

Justinianic Plague was nothing like flu and may have struck England before it reached Constantinople, new study suggests
'Plague sceptics' are wrong to underestimate the devastating impact that bubonic plague had in the 6th to 8th centuries CE, argues a new study based on ancient texts and recent genetic discoveries. The same study suggests that bubonic plague may have reached England before its first recorded...

By keeping ferroelectric 'bubbles' intact, researchers pave way for new devices

By keeping ferroelectric 'bubbles' intact, researchers pave way for new devices
Scientists have discovered that ferroelectric bubbles remain intact and retain their electronic and electromechanical (piezoelectric) properties in a freestanding state. The discovery offers promise for novel microelectronics and energy-related applications. source https://www.sciencedai...

Tuesday, 23 November 2021

COVID-19 case severity: How genetic differences leave immune cells at a disadvantage

COVID-19 case severity: How genetic differences leave immune cells at a disadvantage
New research shows how genetic variations linked to severe cases of COVID-19 affect our immune cells. The study is one of the first in-depth look at the connections between COVID-19 severity and gene expression in many types of immune cells. This work could guide the development of new COVID-19...

Hurricanes expected to linger over Northeast cities, causing greater damage

Hurricanes expected to linger over Northeast cities, causing greater damage
By the late 21st century, northeastern U.S. cities will see worsening hurricane outcomes, with storms arriving more quickly but slowing down once they've made landfall. As storms linger longer over the East Coast, they will cause greater damage along the heavily populated corridor, according...

One in five galaxies in the early universe could still be hidden behind cosmic dust

One in five galaxies in the early universe could still be hidden behind cosmic dust
Astronomers have discovered two previously invisible galaxies 29 billion light-years away. Their discovery suggests that up to one in five such distant galaxies remain hidden from our telescopes, camouflaged by cosmic dust. The new knowledge changes perceptions of our universe's evolution...

Monday, 22 November 2021

Scientists create insights into perhaps the most extreme state of matter produced on Earth

Scientists create insights into perhaps the most extreme state of matter produced on Earth
Exotic laser-produced high-energy-density (HED) plasmas akin to those found in stars and nuclear explosions could provide insight into events throughout the universe. Physicists have discovered a new way to measure and understand these plasmas, among the most extreme states of matter ever...

Promising treatment for Alexander disease moves from rat model to human clinical trials

Promising treatment for Alexander disease moves from rat model to human clinical trials
Alexander disease is a progressive and rare neurological disorder with no cure or standard course of treatment. But a new study involving a rat model of the disease offers a potential treatment for the typically fatal condition. source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211118...

Rivers play key role in destructive coastal flooding, new research shows

Rivers play key role in destructive coastal flooding, new research shows
Rising oceans get more attention in climate change discussions, but rivers are rising, too, according to new research by a University of South Carolina postdoctoral fellow. The research shows that rivers need more attention in policy management and disaster preparation, both at the coast and...

Sunday, 21 November 2021

Live long and prosper: Study examines genetic gems in Galápagos giant tortoise genomes

Live long and prosper: Study examines genetic gems in Galápagos giant tortoise genomes
Galápagos giant tortoises can weigh well over 300 pounds and often live over 100 years. So what's the secret to their evolutionary success? A new study concludes that compared with other turtles, these animals evolved to have extra copies of genes -- called duplications -- that may protect...

Macrogrid study: Big value in connecting America’s eastern and western power grids

Macrogrid study: Big value in connecting America’s eastern and western power grids
A 'macrogrid' that increases the electricity moving between America's Eastern and Western interconnections, two of the biggest power grids on the planet, would more than pay for itself, according to new research. source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211118203708.h...

Bubbling up: Previously hidden environmental impact of bursting bubbles exposed in new study

Bubbling up: Previously hidden environmental impact of bursting bubbles exposed in new study
Bubbles are common in nature and can form when ocean waves break and when raindrops impact surfaces. When bubbles burst, they send tiny jets of water and other materials into the air. A new study examines how the interplay between bubble surfaces and water that contains organic materials contributes...

Saturday, 20 November 2021

Groundwater in California’s Central Valley may be unable to recover from past and future droughts

Groundwater in California’s Central Valley may be unable to recover from past and future droughts
Groundwater in California's Central Valley is at risk of being depleted by pumping too much water during and after droughts. Under a best-case scenario, the researchers found there is a high probability it would take six to eight years to fully recover overdrafted water, but current California...

Different kinds of marine phytoplankton respond differently to warming ocean temperatures

Different kinds of marine phytoplankton respond differently to warming ocean temperatures
A team of researchers has concluded that different types of phytoplankton will react differently to increasing ocean temperatures resulting from the changing climate. An examination of how four key groups of phytoplankton will respond to ocean temperatures forecast to occur between 2080 and...

'Deepfaking the mind' could improve brain-computer interfaces for people with disabilities

'Deepfaking the mind' could improve brain-computer interfaces for people with disabilities
Researchers are using generative adversarial networks (GANs) -- technology best known for creating deepfake videos and photorealistic human faces -- to improve brain-computer interfaces for people with disabilities. The team successfully taught an AI to generate synthetic brain activity data....

Study challenges standard ideas about piezoelectricity in ferroelectric crystals

Study challenges standard ideas about piezoelectricity in ferroelectric crystals
For years, researchers believed that the smaller the domain size in a ferroelectric crystal, the greater the piezoelectric properties of the material. However, recent findings have raised questions about this standard rule. source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/21111721151...

Advanced microscopes help scientists understand how cells break down proteins

Advanced microscopes help scientists understand how cells break down proteins
Researchers have used advanced electron microscopes to delve deeper into the process of protein degradation. They described the structure of a key enzyme that helps mediate ubiquitination in yeast, part of a cellular process called the N-degron pathway that may be responsible for determining...

Friday, 19 November 2021

Thursday, 18 November 2021

Wednesday, 17 November 2021

Mathematicians derive the formulas for boundary layer turbulence 100 years after the phenomenon was first formulated

Mathematicians derive the formulas for boundary layer turbulence 100 years after the phenomenon was first formulated
Turbulence makes many people uneasy or downright queasy. And it's given researchers a headache, too. Mathematicians have been trying for a century or more to understand the turbulence that arises when a flow interacts with a boundary, but a formulation has proven elusive. source https://...

Immune cells against COVID-19 stay high in number six months after vaccination, study shows

Immune cells against COVID-19 stay high in number six months after vaccination, study shows
A recent study provides evidence that CD4+ T lymphocytes -- immune system cells also known as helper T cells -- produced by people who received either of the two available messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines for COVID-19 persist six months after vaccination at only slightly reduced levels from two...

Electronic nose on a drone sniffs out wastewater treatment plant stink

Electronic nose on a drone sniffs out wastewater treatment plant stink
Researchers have engineered a portable electronic nose (e-nose) that's almost as sharp as a human nose at sniffing out the stink of wastewater treatment plants. Coupled with a drone, the lightweight e-nose can measure the concentration of different smells, predict odor intensity, and produce...

Alluring larvae: Competition to attract fish drives species diversity among freshwater mussels

Alluring larvae: Competition to attract fish drives species diversity among freshwater mussels
North America's freshwater mussels are both impressively diverse and highly imperiled. Nearly 300 species occur in the United States and Canada, and up to 40 species of the hard-shelled bottom dwellers can be found on a single stretch of a clean, swiftly flowing river. source https://www...

Malaria parasite genomes provide insights and tools for control and elimination in Lake Victoria, Kenya

Malaria parasite genomes provide insights and tools for control and elimination in Lake Victoria, Kenya
Scientists are turning to genomics to better understand the epidemiology of malaria and to inform control and elimination interventions and strategies. In the Lake Victoria region of Kenya, malaria burden remains very high despite more than a decade of intense control activities. A team of...

Market forces halved methane emissions from Uinta Basin oil and gas wells; but that’s not the whole story

Market forces halved methane emissions from Uinta Basin oil and gas wells; but that’s not the whole story
Since 2015, researchers have been tracking emissions from oil and gas wells and report that, over that time, emissions from the region have fallen by half. But more analysis of leak rates shows that the oil and gas industry has a ways to go in stopping methane leaks, which impact the climate...

Tuesday, 16 November 2021

Common blood pressure drug does not slow down the progression of more advanced Alzheimer’s, study finds

Common blood pressure drug does not slow down the progression of more advanced Alzheimer’s, study finds
New research has shown the drug losartan, normally used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension), is not effective in slowing down the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in people with mild-to-moderate disease after 12 months of treatment. However, the drug could still be of benefit...

COVID patients on SSRI antidepressants are less likely to die, study finds

COVID patients on SSRI antidepressants are less likely to die, study finds
A large analysis of health records from 87 health care centers across the United States found that people taking a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), particularly fluoxetine, were significantly less likely to die of COVID-19 than a matched control...

Researchers target a mouse’s own cells, rather than using antibiotics, to treat pneumonia

Researchers target a mouse’s own cells, rather than using antibiotics, to treat pneumonia
Researchers have discovered a therapy that targets host cells rather than bacterial cells in treating bacterial pneumonia in rodents. The method involves white blood cells of the immune system called macrophages that eat bacteria, and a group of compounds that are naturally produced in mice...

Simple surgical technique associated with significant reduction in the risk of atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery

Simple surgical technique associated with significant reduction in the risk of atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery
A simple surgical technique during cardiac surgery was associated with a 56 percent reduction in the incidence of an irregular heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation that can lead to stroke, with no added risks or side effects, according to a new study. The findings suggest that the method,...

Altered fat metabolism, enzyme, likely plays key role in Lou Gehrig’s disease

Altered fat metabolism, enzyme, likely plays key role in Lou Gehrig’s disease
A new study using genetically engineered mice and human cell and tissue samples has added to evidence that higher levels of inflammatory chemicals involved in fat metabolism occur in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the neuromuscular disorder, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. source...

Where does gold come from? New insights into element synthesis in the universe

Where does gold come from? New insights into element synthesis in the universe
How are chemical elements produced in our Universe? Where do heavy elements like gold and uranium come from? Using computer simulations, a research team shows that the synthesis of heavy elements is typical for certain black holes with orbiting matter accumulations, so-called accretion disks....

Are scientists contaminating their own samples? New study shows we may be emitting clouds of microfibers

Are scientists contaminating their own samples? New study shows we may be emitting clouds of microfibers
More than 70% of microplastics found in samples from oceans and rivers could come from the scientists collecting them. A new article investigates procedural contamination when sampling for microparticles in aquatic environments. The study shows that a significant amount of microplastics and...
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