Новости за 29.03.2022

Biologists and ecologists often need to identify individual animals in the wild to help answer questions related to population density, foraging patterns and more. But there's an issue: Many of the markers they use, such as tags with colors or numbers on them, are only clearly visible in daylight—which poses a challenge for studying nocturnal animals.

Cells are much more precise in how they ingest substances than previously thought, new research finds, opening the door to potential treatments for several diseases.

More electric vehicles and green energy were among the measures Prime Minister Justin Trudeau laid out Tuesday under a multibillion-dollar plan for how Canada will meet its carbon emissions target.

"We know there has been a lot of drought on the prairies, and people's livelihoods are on the line," said Ariana Forand, a Master's student in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan (USask). "It would be amazing to find modifications that would allow plants to resist multiple stresses."

On January 15, the volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai devastated the nation of Tonga. The eruption triggered tsunamis as far afield as the Caribbean and generated atmospheric waves that traveled around the globe several times. Meanwhile, the volcano's plume shot gas and ash through the stratosphere into the lower mesosphere.

The movement of high-growth firms that directly contribute to the regional economy may be more complex than previously thought, new research suggests.

Parrots are famous for their remarkable cognitive abilities and exceptionally long lifespans. Now, a study led by Max Planck researchers has shown that one of these traits has likely been caused by the other. By examining 217 parrot species, the researchers revealed that species such as the scarlet macaw and sulfur-crested cockatoo have extremely long average lifespans, of up to 30 years, which are usually seen only in large birds. Further, they demonstrated a possible cause for these long lifespans: large relative brain size. Читать дальше...

Financial markets are more efficient than some speculators may want to believe. When it comes to predicting the performance of markets, everyone wants an edge—an advantage that sets them apart from the competition. Getting such an edge is achievable, but it's never going to be easy and it will be impossible to maintain over time, according to research from the University of California San Diego's Rady School of Management.

The conversation around genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is becoming more positive, according to new Alliance for Science research analyzing traditional and social media trends on biotechnology.

New research published March 11 in Criminology by Sadé Lindsay, sociologist in the Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy, finds that the formerly incarcerated face a "prison credential dilemma" when deciding whether to use credentials from prison education and training programs when seeking employment.

The existence of harassment and discrimination in academia has been well documented across a variety of fields of study. A report from the American Institute of Physics goes beyond the numbers to examine types of harassment experienced by members of the astronomy community over the span of a decade, highlighting the pervasiveness of the issue.

The way we speak today isn't the way that people talked thousands—or even hundreds—of years ago. William Shakespeare's line, "to thine own self be true," is today's "be yourself." New speakers, ideas, and technologies all seem to play a role in shifting the ways we communicate with each other, but linguists don't always agree on how and why languages change. Now, a new study of American Sign Language adds support to one potential reason: Sometimes, we just want to make our lives a little easier.

Everyone knows that humans and most other vertebrate species hear using eardrums that turn soundwave pressure into signals for our brains. But what about smaller animals like insects and arthropods? Can they detect sounds? And if so, how?

Researchers are starting to understand the importance of gut fungi in mammals and the ways different environmental factors can shape these fungal communities, which play a crucial role in regulating immune responses.

In the context of "carbon neutrality," supercapacitors, as an emerging green energy storage device, have shown advantages such as fast charging and discharging, high power density and good cycling performance, which have generated a wave of research among scholars. Among them, electrode materials are one of the key factors to determine the electrochemical performance of supercapacitors. The microscopic morphology, energy storage mechanism, capacitance and safety of electrode materials will have an... Читать дальше...

Newly discovered deposits of layered ice in craters scattered around Mars' southern hemisphere provide insights into how the planet's orientation controlled the planet's climate over the past 4 million years, according to a new study. The findings help scientists understand what controlled Mars' past climate, which is essential for predicting when the planet could have been habitable.

American pop artist Jeff Koons is to send sculptures to the Moon later this year on a spacecraft blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, his gallery said Tuesday.

SpaceX has enjoyed a lot of wins in the past few years. In addition to successfully glide-testing and landing multiple Starship prototypes, they've rolled out its first Super Heavy boosters, test-fired the new Raptor Vacuum engines, and assembled the "Mechazilla" launch tower at Boca Chica, Texas. They also unveiled the first fully-furbished orbital test vehicle (SN20) that was stacked with a first stage booster for the first time on its launch pad.

Stem cell analyses could reveal how extra doses of some genes lead to the characteristics seen in males born with one or more surplus X chromosomes.

Researchers working in a currently ongoing European research project have found that the reasons behind people's support for populist movements are complex.

Environmental pollution is one of the biggest global concerns of our time. Building a sustainable future is only possible if we proactively address every aspect of this problem. In this regard, soil pollution due to the accumulation of heavy metals (HMs) poses a serious threat to sustainable development as well as human health. This is because the HMs that enter the soil eventually find their way up the food chain, and upon entering the human body, can cause life-threatening diseases like cancer, renal failure, and cardiovascular disease. Читать дальше...

For reproduction to be successful, an egg cell must divide perfectly. Egg cell divisions are so error-prone, however, that they are the leading cause of miscarriages and birth defects in humans.

Earthquakes do more than buckle streets and topple buildings. Seismic waves generated by earthquakes pass through the Earth, acting like a giant MRI machine and providing clues to what lies inside the planet.

A new heat storage material could help to significantly improve the energy efficiency of buildings. Developed by researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the University of Leipzig, it can be used to store surplus heat and release it back into the environment when needed. Unlike existing materials, the new one can absorb significantly more heat, is more stable, and is made of harmless substances. In the Journal of Energy Storage the team describes the formation mechanism of the material.

The Federal Court recently quashed a duty of care owed by the environment minister to Australian children, to protect them from the harms of climate change.