Новости за 14.09.2022

Typhoon Muifa on Thursday made landfall for a second time on China's densely populated east coast, after causing the cancelation of all passenger flights at Shanghai's two international airports as it hit land.

One would be hard-pressed to take a walk outside without hearing the sounds of calling animals. During the day, birds chatter back and forth, and as night falls, frogs and insects call to defend territories and to attract potential mates. For several decades, biologists have studied these calls with great interest, taking away major lessons about the evolution of animal displays and the processes of speciation. But there may be a lot more to animal calls than we have realized.

Scientists looking at the meteorological impacts of climate change have typically looked at increases in severe weather and hurricanes. Now, they are studying another consequence of global warming that will have significant economic ramifications: drought.

This summer, researchers managed to collect stunning drone images of both ringed seals and walruses. In one fjord, the St. Jonsfjorden, twelve ringed seals were found spread out throughout the fjord, resting on the fast ice. However, approaching and identifying these individuals is very challenging. Since ringed seals are hunted by polar bears, any mammal—either walking on four or two legs—will be avoided at all costs.

A newly constructed University of Michigan facility that will be home to the most powerful laser in the United States is hosting its first experiment this week as the nation seeks to become competitive again in the realm of high-power laser facilities.

Many organisms in nature have evolved spots with two structural colors on their bodies, like the Papilio Palinurus butterfly. The green color on its wings derives from the turquoise-yellow dual color spots.

Since September 2019, Sweden has had a new official highest point. Researchers at Stockholm University's research station in Tarfala established that the southern peak of the Kebnekaise mountain, at 2095.6 meters, was now lower than the northern peak, with a height of 2096.8 meters. Scientists had long predicted that the south peak, consisting of a snow-covered glacier, would shrink due to the warmer climate, and thus fall below the height of the north peak, the summit of which consists of rock, which does not change in elevation.

After Hurricanes Harvey and Matthew hit Texas and North Carolina, it was the custodians who removed debris and damaged supplies from the athletic fields. It was the principals who stayed in the building for 24 hours while their schools operated as shelters. It was the teachers who ran to the local pharmacy to retrieve students' lifesaving medicine while communication was limited.

This story begins several billion years ago. There's only chemistry, no biology—that is, plenty of chemical compounds exist on Earth, but life hasn't yet emerged. Then, among myriads of randomly self-assembled chemical structures, one tiny RNA molecular machine reveals itself as perfectly suitable for creating bonds between activated amino acids, the building blocks of future proteins.

As NASA prepares to usher in a new form of planetary defense, one Johns Hopkins engineer will be eagerly awaiting the big collision that she is helping orchestrate.

Researchers have demonstrated a new visible light communication system that uses a single optical path to create a multi-channel communication link over the air. This approach could be used as a backup communication link or for connecting Internet of Things devices.

Functional traits have been used to explain plant responses to alterations in water availability. Our understanding of plant responses to biotic and abiotic drivers are largely based on aboveground plant traits. Due to the limited consideration of belowground plant traits, a general view of plant water use strategies remains elusive.

A new paper links portfolio diversification and information production, explaining why banks concentrate their holdings of foreign assets.

Tiny crystals in ancient animal dung serve as key evidence in a new analysis suggesting the possibility that hunter-gatherers at Abu Hureyra, Syria, may have tended small numbers of animals just outside their dwellings between 12,800 and 12,300 years ago. Alexia Smith of the University of Connecticut and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on September 14, 2022.

Antimicrobial resistance in gut bacteria is constantly being detected on poultry farms and in poultry retail products worldwide, including in turkey flocks. Concerningly, surveillance information and studies on the associations between antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use in turkeys have been scarce during the last decade. In a new study, researchers across North America have modeled how antimicrobial use impacts the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli isolated from Canadian turkey flocks.

A three-year study in northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana found that—even at small scales—emergent wetlands or ponds support many wetland bird species. The study also found that, at least in the years surveyed, the level of urbanization had little effect on most of the studied species' use of such sites, provided the right kinds of habitat were available.

Improving the yield of rice grains and enhancing their appearance is a key standpoint for rice cultivation. Now, a group of researchers from China have identified a gene variant present in wild rice that controls the length, width, and chalkiness of rice grains. The introduction of this variant, called gl9, could help in the breeding of new rice varieties with high grain yields and a desirable appearance.

Researchers in Canada have discovered parts of what they believe to be a full "dinosaur mummy" lodged in a hillside, the University of Reading in the United Kingdom announced last week.

One of the founding narratives of the Green Revolution (a push towards technology-driven modernization of agriculture starting over 50 years ago) has been found to be false, according to a recent analysis by a researcher at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.

As our need for high-density batteries increases with widespread adoption of electric cars and alternative energy sources, improving the stability and capacity of lithium-ion batteries is a necessity. Current lithium-ion battery technology, which often uses nickel, is less stable at extreme temperatures, leading to overheating due to both temperature and high voltages. These batteries also tend to deteriorate quickly.

Various chemical reactions occur one after another in cells, and life is maintained as each step of the reaction is regulated without error. Recently, a Korean research team has developed a dual-catalyst system that can precisely control catalytic reactions much as cells can.

On September 2, Luo Dong-Gen and his research team from Peking University's School of Life Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Center for Quantitative Biology, and Center for Life Sciences jointly published a research paper titled "An extra-clock ultradian brain oscillator sustains circadian timekeeping" in Science Advances.

Oil and gas are two of the most important natural resources, contributing to over half of the world's energy supply. Reserves of these resources are thus, of high economic and strategic interest.

The introduction of perennial crops in the alleys of Mediterranean dryland almond orchards reduces greenhouse gas emissions and increases soil carbon sequestration, according to the latest study within the Diverfarming project

People appear to be more willing to lie for personal gain when they use a laptop versus a smartphone, our new research in the International Journal of Conflict Management shows. Given that the two devices have nearly identical technical capabilities—they're both boxes with electronic brains—this surprised us and highlights the psychological impact of technology.