Новости за 08.04.2022

The discovery of superconductivity in two ever-so-slightly twisted layers of graphene made waves a few years ago in the quantum materials community. With just two atom-thin sheets of carbon, researchers had discovered a simple device to study the resistance-free flow of electricity, among other phenomena related to the movement of electrons through a material.

Growing up in Delhi, India, Bhartendu Pandey '21 Ph.D. walked miles in his urban neighborhood to get fresh water for his family. The trek took time away from his studies and other activities—a sacrifice that young people in nearby communities with potable water didn't have to make.

Published in Nature Communications, research from the University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic sought to understand how microbial communities help people resist pathogens.

The face that the Moon shows to Earth looks far different from the one it hides on its far side. The nearside is dominated by the lunar mare—the vast, dark-colored remnants of ancient lava flows. The crater-pocked far side, on the other hand, is virtually devoid of large-scale mare features. Why the two sides are so different is one of the Moon's most enduring mysteries.

In many modern markets, a single business can no longer compete solely via product offerings. From technology to manufacturing, success increasingly depends on integrating products and services across firms and industries in an ecosystem. The product-based strategies that dominated for decades often undermine these collaborative marketplaces, making it particularly difficult for established organizations to adapt. A new study published in the Strategic Management Journal in February offers key insights for transitioning... Читать дальше...

For all the recent advances in integrated lithium niobate photonic circuits—from frequency combs to frequency converters and modulators—one big component has remained frustratingly difficult to integrate: lasers.

A recent study of Alaskan brown bears (Ursus arctos) finds that there is significant variation in the gut microbiome of bear populations, depending on where the bears live. The finding advances our understanding of the relationship between wildlife habitat, diet and gut microbiome diversity.

One of the most contentious questions in evolutionary biology is, how did the Amazon become so rich in species? A new study focused on birds examines how the movements of rivers in the Amazon have contributed to that area's exceptional biological diversity. The research team, led by the American Museum of Natural History, found that as small river systems change over time, they spur the evolution of new species. The findings also reveal previously unknown bird species in the Amazon that are only... Читать дальше...

The international team of scientists aimed to address data gaps in air quality for 46 future megacities in Africa, Asia and the Middle East using space-based observations from instruments onboard NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) satellites for 2005 to 2018.

During cell division in a mother cell, the 23 chromosomes that carry the human genome must be first copied and later delivered to two newly forming daughter cells. At least in healthy cells, the result is astonishingly flawless, and no chromosome is ever lost. Not so in malignant cells, where rampant chromosome segregation errors generate a continuous flux of new genetic variants that support metastatic growth and resistance to chemotherapy. A multilayered protein structure called the kinetochore executes the chromosome delivery program. Читать дальше...

In a new study that is the first to explain what some have long suspected, researchers found that human activity helps sustain and intensify naturally occurring red tide blooms in Southwest Florida.

A new U of T Scarborough study finds that liberals and conservatives differ in how they perceive dominance in women, which may influence their likelihood to vote them into political office.

The introduction of a partial basic income targeted at young people living in France would provide an important 'leg up' for the country's disenfranchised youth, say the authors of a new report. The analysis, from the University of Bath's Institute for Policy Research (IPR) and Centre for Microsimulation and Policy Analysis (CeMPA) at the University of Essex, assesses a range of different policy options proposed for basic income in France and considers trade-offs required in terms of how these would be funded.

The search for extraterrestrial life and exploration of "another Earth" is an eternal theme for humans and inspires generations of planetary scientists. It not only improves our understanding of the formation and evolution of planets during the formation of a star system but also helps scientists to investigate the possible conditions and criteria of the existence of life. In the past 30 years, scientists have discovered more than 4,000 exoplanets, but exploration still has a long way to go.

High-income nations are responsible for 74% of the global excess in resource extraction over the 1970-2017 period, driven primarily by the USA and the countries of the European Union. This is demonstrated in an international study led by Jason Hickel, researcher at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), which determines national responsibility for ecological breakdown by calculating the extent to which each nation has overshot their... Читать дальше...

Ammonia is commonly used in fertilizer because it has the highest nitrogen content of commercial fertilizers, making it essential for crop production. However, two carbon dioxide molecules are made for every molecule of ammonia produced, contributing to excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Hydrogen has attracted extensive attention from academia and industry as an energy source due to its intrinsic environmental compatibility, abundance, and high energy density (120 MJ kg−1). Electrocatalytic water splitting is an environmentally friendly route to produce hydrogen, especially when the electricity is from renewable sources that minimize carbon dioxide emissions throughout the process.

Company representatives expect that digitalization will improve the environmental sustainability of their companies. However, actual experience paints a less positive picture: new technologies have so far largely failed to deliver anticipated improvements in resource efficiency. According to the researchers behind a new study, more political support is needed to harness the potential of Industry 4.0.

One-dimensional semiconductor nanowires with strong quantum confinement effect—quantum wires (QWs)—are of great interest for applications in advanced optoelectronics and photochemical conversions. Beyond the state-of-the-art Cd-containing ones, ZnSe QWs, as a representative heavy-metal-free semiconductor, have shown the utmost potential for next-generation environmental-friendly applications.

A recent study by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences redefines how liquids maintain their contact with solid surfaces—also known as wettability—from an intermolecular force perspective.

It is well known that washing clothes can release a large number of microfibers into wastewater, but it is unclear whether drying of clothes would have any impact on the environment. A pilot study by scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) reports that a single clothes dryer can discharge up to 120 million microfibers annually—1.4 to 40 times of that from washing machines. To control the release of these harmful airborne microfibers, the team suggested that additional filtration systems... Читать дальше...

The direct band gap of AlN-based materials makes them suitable for fabricating DUV optoelectronic devices, which have a wide range of application prospects in the fields of curing, water and air disinfection, medicine and biochemistry. Therefore, achieving a high-quality epitaxy of AlN films is of particular importance to ensure the excellent performance of DUV photoelectric devices.

The emergency feeding and rescue of starving manatees in Central Florida has demobilized, with authorities now wondering about lessons learned, except for one.

A team of researchers from the University of Hull and Castle Hill Hospital, both in the U.K., has identified minute particles of plastic in lung tissue removed from live human patients, marking the first time such materials have been observed in living human patients. The group has published a paper describing their findings in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

Why are some happier flying solo while others want a romantic partner? Are some people truly better off alone?