Новости за 08.03.2023

Global data on ocean surface level pollution suggests there are now 2.3 million tonnes of microplastic pollution floating in the world’s seas, with concentrations surging since 2005

A paint that gets its colour from aluminium nanoparticles rather than pigment is also incredibly lightweight and reflective

A copper-based material boosts the effectiveness of the direct air capture process, turning carbon dioxide into sodium bicarbonate through a reaction with seawater

A method for turning male cells into egg cells in mice could one day be used to help men in a same sex couple have children who are genetically related to them both

Compound and cascading catastrophes, like two hurricanes striking within days, are becoming more common. Does this mean we have crossed the first climate tipping point, an irreversible shift in Earth’s natural systems, asks Graham Lawton

A reform of surrogacy law in the UK could have major ramifications as reproductive technology advances. We need to look at the relationship between procreation and parenthood, says Teresa Baron

Researchers have long attempted to produce a superconductor that works at low temperature and pressure. A team now claims that its material, dubbed "red matter", has these properties

An enzyme called Huc that the soil bacterium Mycobacterium smegmatis uses to produce energy from hydrogen has been analysed and now we know how it works

The Cambrian fossil Protomelission was identified in 2021 as a type of coral-like animal called a bryozoan, but new specimens make it look more like a kind of green algae

Wildfire smoke can change the chemistry of the stratosphere, resulting in chlorine molecules that deplete the ozone layer

In infants born by Caesarean sections who miss out on a dose of maternal bacteria at birth, microbes transferred by other routes may compensate

New material reduces pressures needed more than a hundredfold, but experts urge caution over structural questions and previously retracted research

As you may have noticed I wrote about the news story concerning the so-called brain-eating amoeba. I also felt the tragic tale deserved a modern, post-punk, folk song as a lament and so I pulled one together in on an otherwise dull morning. Later that evening, I had second thoughts about the original lyrics and … Continue reading "Rock rewritten"

Oligomers used to induce crystallisation in parent conjugated polymers for the first time

Unreliable snow records also threaten climate projections

Small cluster of cells relays information about infection to brain, mouse study finds

Simple strings of amino acids store over 4 gigabits of data, offering a highly stable solution for screening small molecule libraries

Controversial group’s material could lead to hyperefficient electricity grids and computer chips

TL:DR – Semaglutide is known to US celebrities as the “skinny jab” and has apparently been the subject of a weight-loss craze. It has now been approved in the UK for weight-loss in the clinically obese. Semaglutide is a pharmaceutical that can help control the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes for which it was first … Continue reading "Semaglutide – the “skinny jab”"

Familiar arguments aired in yet another Republican and Democratic sparring match

Despite being endemic in the region, the disease is rare in Native populations

“Mammoth” plan to control a coastal invader would benefit migratory birds

Africa’s shifting climate will make hydropower increasingly unreliable, researchers say

Solubility and foldability may have played role in selection of amino acids

This chemist’s class-action lawsuit against the University of Minnesota 50 years ago helped pave the way for women in academia