Новости за 24.06.2022

Within and upon every human being reside countless microorganisms—the microbiota that help shape and direct the lives of their hosts. A similar phenomenon occurs between people, microbes and the homes they share.

During the past 10,000 years—the Holocene—human societies became larger and ever more complex. An international team of scientists led by Peter Turchin from the Complexity Science Hub Vienna (CSH) set out to test various theories on what drove this process. According to its analyses of data from Seshat: Global History Databank, the best explanation for the evolution of socio-cultural complexity is a combination of increasing agricultural productivity and the invention, or adoption, of military technologies (most notably... Читать дальше...

Mass shootings are a source of shared anguish and outrage among Americans and are becoming more frequent. Extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), also known as gun violence restraining orders or "red flag" laws, are designed to help prevent these shootings. Below, UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program (VPRP) experts explain what is currently known about mass shootings, how ERPOs work and the effectiveness of ERPOs in preventing harm to others and self-harm.

As a result of the worst shock to education and learning in recorded history, learning poverty has increased by a third in low- and middle-income countries, with an estimated 70% of 10-year-olds unable to understand a simple written text, according to a new report published today by the World Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF, UK government Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), USAID, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This rate was 57% before the pandemic, but now the learning crisis has deepened. Читать дальше...

A recent study out of the Complexity Science Hub Vienna (CSH) found that companies with female board members tend to perform better. The analysis examined the relationship between female board appointments and corporations' financial performance, based on data from about 4.000 Japanese firms collected between 2004 and 2013.

Anthropogenic eutrophication of lake ecosystems is a global problem, especially for some large shallow lakes. But scientists have been unclear why shallow lakes appear prone to eutrophication.

Theoretical scientists have used topological mathematics and machine learning to identify a hidden relationship between nano-scale structures and thermal conductivity in amorphous silicon, a glassy form of the material with no repeating crystalline order.

The octopus is an exceptional organism with an extremely complex brain and cognitive abilities that are unique among invertebrates. So much so that in some ways it has more in common with vertebrates than with invertebrates. The neural and cognitive complexity of these animals could originate from a molecular analogy with the human brain, as discovered by a research paper recently published in BMC Biology and coordinated by Remo Sanges from SISSA of Trieste and by Graziano Fiorito from Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn of Naples.

Consumer sentiment continued its downward trend, falling 14.4% in June, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.

Deakin University research has revealed managers' leadership styles could be to blame for their employees' health issues.

Astronomers discovered a rocket body heading toward a lunar collision late last year. Impact occurred March 4, with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter later spotting the resulting crater. Surprisingly the crater is actually two craters, an eastern crater (18-meter diameter, about 19.5 yards) superimposed on a western crater (16-meter diameter, about 17.5 yards).

Humans have evolved as social animals. From childhood, we are taught the benefits of forging ties and being empathetic as a strategy for survival and mental well-being—or at least that is the ideal.

The migration of carbon atoms on the surface of the nanomaterial graphene was recently measured for the first time. Although the atoms move too swiftly to be directly observed with an electron microscope, their effect on the stability of the material can now be determined indirectly while the material is heated on a microscopic hot plate. The study by researchers at the Faculty of Physics of the University of Vienna was published in the journal Carbon.

A natural small molecule derived from a cypress tree can transport iron in live mice and human cells lacking the protein that normally does the job, easing a buildup of iron in the liver and restoring hemoglobin and red blood cell production, a new study found.

The photoelectric effect is one of the most fundamental light-matter interactions, which is widely used in probing ultrafast dynamics in atoms, molecules and condensed matters. It has been in the research spotlight for more than 100 years and most of its natural aspects are well-understood. However, the basic questions about how long the photoionization process takes and how to identify the specific mechanisms responsible for the measured time delay are open and debated.

Climate change influences the likelihood and duration of armed conflicts in Africa. This is the finding of a study carried out by a team from the INGENIO Institute, a joint center of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), together with the University of Rome III and the University of Urbino Carlo Bo, published in the latest issue of the journal Economía Política.

Researchers at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) today released "Economic Contributions of Distilled Spirits in Texas 2020," a new study highlighting the significant economic impact Texas distillers made to their local communities and the state in 2020, despite economic hardships of the pandemic and lingering Prohibition-era laws restricting sales.

Having a good eye for detail is an essential skill for many professions. In particular, biologists use special techniques and advanced technology to analyze individual cells with unprecedented precision. Impedance cytometry is one experimental method that can reveal specific characteristics of living single cells. This technique requires electrical penetration, in which high-frequency current can freely pass through the cell membrane, without damaging the cell. Now, researchers from Japan have determined... Читать дальше...

A team led by researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, with collaborators from the University of Pretoria (South Africa), as well as Mexico and Scotland, have made a new discovery on how light behaves in complex media, media that tends to distort light significantly. They demonstrated that "distortion" is a matter of perspective, outlining a simple rule that applies to all light and a vast array of media, including underwater, optical fiber, transmission in... Читать дальше...

Researchers created a special ultrathin sensor, spun from gold, that can be attached directly to the skin without irritation or discomfort. The sensor can measure different biomarkers or substances to perform on-body chemical analysis. It works using a technique called Raman spectroscopy, where laser light aimed at the sensor is changed slightly depending on whatever chemicals are present on the skin at that point. The sensor can be finely tuned to be extremely sensitive, and is robust enough for practical use.

Who knew that those little flies that hover around the fruit bowl are social animals? Who knew that, when under threat, they would follow cues given by other flies?

For centuries, scientists relied on a pen or pencil and trusty lab notebook to make sure their experiments could be understood and replicated by colleagues. Now, as experiments may involve dozens of steps and hundreds of materials, produce gigabytes of data that require supercomputers to process and are shared with collaborators around the globe, the lab notebook may no longer suffice.

The supermassive black hole (SMBH) at our galaxy's core, Sagittarius A*, is modest in size with only 4.15 million solar-masses. The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) recently released a dramatic submillimeter image of it as seen illuminated by its glowing environment. Many galaxies have nuclear SMBHs that are a thousand times bigger, for example the nucleus of M87, whose image was taken by the EHT in 2020. But SagA* is relatively close to us, only about twenty-five thousand light-years, and its proximity... Читать дальше...

Archaeologists in Pompeii have discovered the remains of a pregnant tortoise that had sought refuge in the ruins of a home destroyed by an earthquake in 62 AD, only to be covered by volcanic ash and rock when Mount Vesuvius erupted 17 years later.

Hydroelectric power in Italy has plunged this year thanks to a drought that has also sparked water restrictions and fears for agriculture, industry sources said Friday.