Новости за 08.03.2021

Tiny fluorescent semiconductor dots, called quantum dots, are useful in a variety of health and electronic technologies but are made of toxic, expensive metals. Nontoxic and economic carbon-based dots are easy to produce, but they emit less light. A new study that uses ultrafast nanometric imaging found good and bad emitters among populations of carbon dots. This observation suggests that by selecting only super-emitters, carbon nanodots can be purified to replace toxic metal quantum dots in many applications, the researchers said.

Using a nanopore, researchers have demonstrated the potential to reduce the time required for sequencing a glycosaminoglycan—a class of long chain-linked sugar molecules as important to our biology as DNA—from years to minutes.

Researchers have found that nitrogen-fixing legume trees can support themselves and surrounding trees not only with increased access to nitrogen, but with other key nutrients through enhanced mineral weathering.

Sea otters have long been recognized as a classic example of a keystone species, a dominant predator that maintains the balance of kelp forest ecosystems by controlling populations of sea urchins, which are voracious kelp grazers.

Spectacular fossil plants preserved within a volcanic ash fall in China have shed light on an evolutionary race 300 million years ago, which was eventually won by the seed-bearing plants that dominate so much of the Earth today.

Life expectancy in the United States dropped in 2020 due to COVID-19, but, for American adults without a college degree, the increase in mortality in adulthood occurred even earlier, according to a new study authored by Anne Case and Sir Angus Deaton of Princeton University.

Malaria is the deadliest pathogen in human history. Nearly half the people on Earth are at risk of contracting the disease from the parasites that cause it. But humans aren't the only ones who can get these parasites—different forms are found in other animals, including birds. By studying the DNA of those strains, scientists can get a better picture of how malarial parasites live, which may give clues on how to stop the disease. In a new paper in PNAS, researchers analyzed blood samples of more than... Читать дальше...

Squids have long been a source of fascination for humans, providing the stuff of legend, superstition and myth. And it's no wonder—their odd appearances and strange intelligence, their mastery of the open ocean can inspire awe in those who see them.

Researchers have developed a spectroscopic microscope to enable optical measurements of molecular conformations and orientations in biological samples. The novel measurement technique allows researchers to image biological samples at the microscopic level more quickly and accurately.

One of the world's rarest tree species has been transformed into a sophisticated model that University of Queensland researchers say is the future of plant research.

Trolling and extreme levels of abuse can kill an online campaign but momentum can be maintained, and the energy and morale of exhausted activists effectively restored, by tactical retreat and taking time out, new research into the landmark 'No More Page 3' campaign in the United Kingdom shows.

Scientists say the world is on the precipice of a mass extinction. The United Nations estimates that 1 million species are on the verge of being wiped out, threatened by climate change, habitat loss, pollution, invasive species and poaching.

A woman grips her purse tightly as you approach. A store manager follows you because you look "suspicious." You enter a high-end restaurant, and the staff assume you're applying for a job. You're called on in work meetings only when they're talking about diversity.

What is the origin of black holes and how is that question connected with another mystery, the nature of dark matter? Dark matter comprises the majority of matter in the Universe, but its nature remains unknown.

Limiting global warming to targets proposed in the Paris Agreement could keep tropical regions from reaching temperatures that are beyond human tolerability, a new study projects.

In 1952, Alan Turing, the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, proposed that certain repetitive natural patterns may be produced by the interaction of two specific substances through the reaction-diffusion process. In this system, an activator promotes the reaction and an inhibitor inhibits the reaction. When the two meet, the reaction diffuses. When the difference in diffusion coefficient between the two reaches a certain level, the high diffusion ratio between them will cause... Читать дальше...

Chemistry is helping us figure out how life got started on Earth and is giving us molecules to look for on other planets. In this episode of Reactions, we break down what "life" is and how likely we are to find it out in the cosmos:

In a new report now published on Science Advances, Elinor Zerah Harush and Yonatan Dubi in the departments of chemistry and nanoscale science and technology, at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, discussed a direct evaluation of the effects of quantum coherence on the efficiency of three natural photosynthetic complexes. The open quantum systems approach allowed the researchers to simultaneously identify the quantum-nature and efficiency under natural physiological conditions. These... Читать дальше...

A team of researchers and engineers at Canadian company Xanadu Quantum Technologies Inc., working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S., has developed a programmable, scalable photonic quantum chip that can execute multiple algorithms. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes how they made their chip, its characteristics and how it can be used. Ulrik Andersen with the Technical University of Denmark has published a News & Views piece in... Читать дальше...

A team of researchers from China, the U.S. and Australia has found an example of the formation of concentric circular bands of polarization in a ferroelectric polymer. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes the creation of whirlpools at the nano- and microscale and possible uses for the resulting toroidal textures in their materials. Lane Martin with the University of California, Berkeley, has published a Perspectives piece in the same journal issue outlining research... Читать дальше...

Using the extended Röntgen Survey Imaging Telescope Array (eROSITA) instrument onboard the Spektr-RG spacecraft, astronomers have detected in X-rays a new large supernova remnant (SNR). The newfound object, dubbed "Hoinga," turns out to be one of the largest SNR discovered at wavelengths other than radio. The finding is reported in a paper published February 26 on the arXiv pre-print server.