Archive for October 2020

Streetlights contribute less to nighttime light emissions in cities than expected

October 29, 2020 Add Comment
Streetlights contribute less to nighttime light emissions in cities than expected
When satellites take pictures of Earth at night, how much of the light that they see comes from streetlights? A team of scientists have answered this question for the first time using the example of the U.S. city of Tucson, thanks to 'smart city' lighting technology that allows dimming. The result: only around 20 percent of the light in the Tucson satellite images comes from streetlights.

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Corporations directing our attention online more than we realize

October 29, 2020 Add Comment
Corporations directing our attention online more than we realize
It's still easy to think we're in control when browsing the internet, but a new study argues much of that is 'an illusion.' Corporations are 'nudging' us online more than we realize, and often in hidden ways. Researchers analyzed click-stream data on a million people over one month of internet use to find common browsing sequences, then connected that with site and platform ownership and partnerships, as well as site design and other factors.

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Decades-long effort revives ancient oak woodland

October 29, 2020 Add Comment
Decades-long effort revives ancient oak woodland
Vestal Grove in Cook County, Illinois, looks nothing like the scrubby, buckthorn-choked tangle that first confronted restoration ecologists 37 years ago. Thanks to the efforts of a dedicated team that focused on rooting up invasive plants and periodically burning, seeding native plants and culling deer, the forest again resembles its ancient self, researchers report.

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Predictive model reveals function of promising energy harvester device

October 29, 2020 Add Comment
Predictive model reveals function of promising energy harvester device
A small energy harvesting device that can transform subtle mechanical vibrations into electrical energy could be used to power wireless sensors and actuators for use in anything from temperature and occupancy monitoring in smart environments, to biosensing within the human body. Engineers have developed a predictive model for such a device, which will allow researchers to better understand and optimize its functionalities.

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Secret surfing life of remoras hitchhiking on blue whales

October 28, 2020 Add Comment
Secret surfing life of remoras hitchhiking on blue whales
A new study of blue whales off the coast of California has given researchers the first ocean recordings of their famous hitchhiking partner -- the remora -- revealing the suckerfish's secret whale-surfing skills as well as their knack for grabbing the most flow-optimal spots while riding aboard the world's largest vertebrate.

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Healthcare as a climate solution

October 26, 2020 Add Comment
Healthcare as a climate solution
Although the link may not be obvious, healthcare and climate change -- two issues that pose major challenges around the world -- are in fact more connected than society may realize. So say researchers, who are increasingly proving this to be true.

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Time-keeping brain protein influences memory

October 26, 2020 Add Comment
Time-keeping brain protein influences memory
Upsetting the brain's timekeeping can cause cognitive impairments, like when jetlag makes you feel foggy and forgetful. These impairments may stem from disrupting a protein that aligns the brain's time-keeping mechanism to the correct time of day, according to new research in fruit flies.

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NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collects significant amount of asteroid

October 23, 2020 Add Comment
NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collects significant amount of asteroid
Two days after touching down on asteroid Bennu, NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission team received on Thursday, Oct. 22, images that confirm the spacecraft has collected more than enough material to meet one of its main mission requirements -- acquiring at least 2 ounces (60 grams) of the asteroid's surface material.

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Do the twist: Making two-dimensional quantum materials using curved surfaces

October 22, 2020 Add Comment
Do the twist: Making two-dimensional quantum materials using curved surfaces
Scientists have discovered a way to control the growth of twisting, microscopic spirals of materials just one atom thick. The continuously twisting stacks of two-dimensional materials built by a team create new properties that scientists can exploit to study quantum physics on the nanoscale.

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How'd we get so picky about friendship late in life? Ask the chimps

October 22, 2020 Add Comment
How'd we get so picky about friendship late in life? Ask the chimps
When humans age, they tend to favor small circles of meaningful, already established friendships rather than seek new ones. People are also more likely to lean toward positive relationships rather than ones that bring tension or conflict. These behaviors were thought to be unique to humans but it turns out chimpanzees, one of our closest living relatives, have these traits, too. The study shows what's believed to be the first evidence of nonhuman animals actively selecting who they socialize with during aging.

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A flexible color-changing film inspired by chameleon skin

October 21, 2020 Add Comment
A flexible color-changing film inspired by chameleon skin
Chameleons can famously change their colors to camouflage themselves, communicate and regulate their temperature. Scientists have tried to replicate these color-changing properties for stealth technologies, anti-counterfeiting measures and electronic displays, but the materials have limitations. Now, researchers have developed a flexible film that changes color in response to stretching, pressure or humidity.

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Mouthwashes, oral rinses may inactivate human coronaviruses, study finds

October 19, 2020 Add Comment
Mouthwashes, oral rinses may inactivate human coronaviruses, study finds
Certain oral antiseptics and mouthwashes may have the ability to inactivate human coronaviruses, according to a new study. The results indicate that some of these products might be useful for reducing the viral load, or amount of virus, in the mouth after infection and may help to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

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Trump Attacks Fauci Over Coronavirus

October 19, 2020 Add Comment
Trump Attacks Fauci Over Coronavirus
With two weeks remaining in his re-election campaign, President Trump made the coronavirus his message and Dr. Anthony S. Fauci his foil, dismissing scientific advisers as “these idiots.”

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New lab test clarifies the potential protective effects of COVID-19 antibodies

October 19, 2020 Add Comment
New lab test clarifies the potential protective effects of COVID-19 antibodies
Knowing you have developed antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus after recovering from COVID-19 doesn't tell you everything about your immunity. Scientists have developed a new lab testing procedure for the detection of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 that gives results more quickly than existing assays and specifically identifies so-called 'neutralizing' antibodies.

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A controllable membrane to pull carbon dioxide out of exhaust streams

October 17, 2020 Add Comment
A controllable membrane to pull carbon dioxide out of exhaust streams
A system developed by chemical engineers could provide a way of continuously removing carbon dioxide from a stream of waste gases, or even from the air. The key component is an electrochemically assisted membrane whose permeability to gas can be switched on and off at will, using no moving parts and relatively little energy.

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Arctic Ocean sediments reveal permafrost thawing during past climate warming

October 17, 2020 Add Comment
Arctic Ocean sediments reveal permafrost thawing during past climate warming
Sea floor sediments of the Arctic Ocean can reveal how permafrost responds to climate warming. Researchers have found evidence of past permafrost thawing during climate warming events at the end of the last ice age. Their findings caution about what could happen in the near future: Arctic warming by only a few degrees Celsius may trigger massive permafrost thawing, coastal erosion, and the release of greenhouse gases.

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Fats fighting back against bacteria

October 17, 2020 Add Comment
Fats fighting back against bacteria
With antibiotic-resistant superbugs on the rise, this research shows a new way that cells are using to protect themselves - using fats as a covert weapon, and giving us new insights into alternative ways to fight infection.

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Calcium bursts kill drug-resistant tumor cells

October 17, 2020 Add Comment
Calcium bursts kill drug-resistant tumor cells
Multidrug resistance (MDR) -- a process in which tumors become resistant to multiple medicines -- is the main cause of failure of cancer chemotherapy. Tumor cells often acquire MDR by boosting their production of proteins that pump drugs out of the cell, rendering the chemotherapies ineffective. Now, researchers have developed nanoparticles that release bursts of calcium inside tumor cells, inhibiting drug pumps and reversing MDR.

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'Classified knots': Researchers create optical framed knots to encode information

October 16, 2020 Add Comment
'Classified knots': Researchers create optical framed knots to encode information
Researchers have been able to create optical framed knots in the laboratory that could potentially be applied in modern technologies. Their work opens the door to new methods of distributing secret cryptographic keys - used to encrypt and decrypt data, ensure secure communication and protect private information.

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Octopus-inspired sucker transfers thin, delicate tissue grafts and biosensors

October 16, 2020 Add Comment
Octopus-inspired sucker transfers thin, delicate tissue grafts and biosensors
Thin tissue grafts and flexible electronics have a host of applications for wound healing, regenerative medicine and biosensing. A new device inspired by an octopus's sucker rapidly transfers delicate tissue or electronic sheets to the patient, overcoming a key barrier to clinical application.

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