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Machine learning aids earthquake risk prediction
Soil liquefaction was a major feature of the 2011 Christchurch, New Zealand earthquake that killed 185 people. Researchers developed a machine learning model to predict the amount of lateral movement that can be expected from liquefaction during a natural hazard event. Their model, trained on Christchurch data, was 70% accurate at determining the amount of displacement that occurred. The researchers used the Frontera supercomputer, one of the world's fastest, to train and test the model.
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A novel energy storage solution featuring pipes and anchors
What do pipes and anchors have to do with storing energy? More than you might think! A new IIASA-led study explored the potential of a lesser known, but promising sustainable energy storage system called Buoyancy Energy Storage.
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Rare genetic defect replicated in fish model
A rare genetic defect that affects the so-called ALG2 gene can cause serious metabolic diseases in humans. Until now, its rareness and complexity made it difficult to study this congenital glycosylation disorder. A research team from the Centre for Organismal Studies (COS) of Heidelberg University has finally succeeded in introducing the underlying mutation in the ALG2 gene in a fish model, allowing the causes of these complex diseases to be studied at the molecular level.
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Use of additional Metop-C and Fengyun-3 C/D data improves regional weather forecasts
Passive microwave (PMW) radiance observations from polar orbiting satellites are critical to input into both global and regional weather prediction models. Scientists are working toward solutions to use PMW radiance observations more effectively.
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Phone swabs can accurately detect COVID-19
An accurate, non-invasive, and low-cost method of testing for COVID-19 using samples taken from the screens of mobile phones has been developed by a team led by UCL researchers at Diagnosis Biotech.
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New research reveals remarkable resilience of sea life in the aftermath of mass extinctions
Pioneering research has shown marine ecosystems can start working again, providing important functions for humans, after being wiped out much sooner than their return to peak biodiversity.
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Half of young adults with covid-19 have persistent symptoms 6 months after
A paper published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine on long-COVID, describes persistent symptoms six months after acute COVID-19, even in young home isolated people. The most common symptoms were loss of smell and/or taste, fatigue, shortness of breath, impaired concentration, and memory problems.
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Asian elephants do more than just trumpet -- they buzz their lips to squeak
Communication is crucial for elephants that live in complex multi-tiered social systems. Apart from their iconic trumpets uttered through the trunk, Asian elephants also produce species-specific squeaks by buzzing their lips. This demonstrates once again the elephant's flexibility in sound production. These results are presented in a publication in BMC Biology by behavioral biologist Veronika Beeck from the University of Vienna and colleagues.
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The origins of farming insects
A beetle bores a tree trunk to build a gallery in the wood in order to protect its lay. As it digs the tunnel, it spreads ambrosia fungal spores that will feed the larvae. When these bore another tree, the adult beetles will be the transmission vectors of the fungal spores in another habitat. This mutualism among insects and ambrosia fungi could be more than 100 years old, more than what was thought to date.
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China's EarthLab begins trials as country's first facility exploring Earth system interactions
On June 23, 2021, China is launching EarthLab in Beijing to better research how the spheres interact and impact the planet.
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Outstanding organic solar cells' performance achieved by using new technology
Organic solar elements with the self-assembling molecular-thin layer (SAM) of hole-transporting material, the technology, which was used in producing a record-breaking tandem solar cell, achieved 18.4 power conversion efficiency. The invention of Lithuanian chemists working at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), commercialized by several global companies proved versatile and applicable to different solar technologies.
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10 keys to integrating health into urban and transport planning
A new paper based on a literature review and a participatory process identifies principles and indicators for healthy urban design.
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Influence of land use on soil erosion in European Russia for the last 30 years
Research Associate Artyom Gusarov studied a vast array of erosion data to make a general takeaway that soil erosion and river sediment load in the aforementioned region has significantly decreased throughout the post-Soviet period.
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Earth-like biospheres on other planets may be rare
A new analysis of known exoplanets has revealed that Earth-like conditions on potentially habitable planets may be much rarer than previously thought. The work focuses on the conditions required for oxygen-based photosynthesis to develop on a planet, which would enable complex biospheres of the type found on Earth. The study is published today in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
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Study reveals formation mechanism of first carbon-carbon bond in MTO process
Scientists revealed the mechanism underlying the formation of the first carbon-carbon (C-C) bond formation during the methanol-to-olefins (MTO) process.
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Scientists uncover new mechanism that enables development of cancer
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have uncovered a mechanism that activates specific genes, leading to the development of cancers. They showed that a mutation that fuses two unrelated genes can promote a process similar to that observed when oil and water are mixed but do not blend together. The process, called liquid-liquid phase separation, can promote cancers such as acute leukemias.
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Bird migration takes plants in wrong direction to cope with climate change
Migratory birds carry most seeds in the wrong direction to help plants cope with climate change, new research shows.
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Voucher-based kidney donation, redemption for future transplant
What The Study Did: Researchers examined family voucher-based kidney donations and the capability of voucher redemption to provide timely kidney transplants.
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Changes in physician work Hours, patterns during COVID-19
What The Study Did: The hours worked and patterns of work activities among U.S. physicians before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were examined in this study.
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Mask mandates and COVID-19 case rates, hospitalizations, deaths in Kansas
What The Study Did: Researchers investigated the association between counties that adopted state mask mandates in Kansas with COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
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