Tech

AUSTIN, Texas -- In a positive sign for efforts to boost U.S. competitiveness in science and technology, a new study finds that courses that engage college students in conducting scientific research early on can dramatically increase students' odds of completing a science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) degree.

Washington, DC-- Earth's magnetic field shields us from deadly cosmic radiation, and without it, life as we know it could not exist here. The motion of liquid iron in the planet's outer core, a phenomenon called a "geodynamo," generates the field. But how it was first created and then sustained throughout Earth's history has remained a mystery to scientists. New work published in Nature from a team led by Carnegie's Alexander Goncharov sheds light on the history of this incredibly important geologic occurrence.

The earth's magnetic field has been existing for at least 3.4 billion years thanks to the low heat conduction capability of iron in the planet's core. This is the result of the first direct measurement of the thermal conductivity of iron at pressures and temperatures corresponding to planetary core conditions. DESY scientist Zuzana Konôpková and her colleagues present their study in the scientific journal Nature. The results could resolve a recent debate about the so-called geodynamo paradox.

Part of Antarctica has been losing ice to the ocean for far longer than had been expected, satellite pictures reveal.

A study of images along 2000km of West Antarctica's coastline has shown the loss of about 1000km2 of ice - an area equivalent to the city of Berlin - over the past 40 years.

Researchers were surprised to find that the region has been losing ice for such a length of time. Their findings will help improve estimates of global sea level rise caused by ice melt.

AMES, Iowa - Many college graduates are starting their careers and applying what they've learned to a position in their field. Regardless of their chosen professions, there are certain skills every student needs to be a successful employee, and those include communication skills - specifically, oral and interpersonal communication.

(CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts) - To make robots more cooperative and have them perform tasks in close proximity to humans, they must be softer and safer. A new actuator developed by a team led by George Whitesides, Ph.D. - who is a Core Faculty member at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) - generates movements similar to those of skeletal muscles using vacuum power to automate soft, rubber beams.

The use of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," has grown rapidly in the U.S. over the past 15 years -- but concerns persist that the oil and gas extraction method could harm the environment and people's health. To better understand its potential effects, scientists simulated what would happen to the wastewater produced by the technique after a spill. They published their findings in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Developing and evaluating motion-capture technology to help older adults "age in place" has been the focus of researchers at the University of Missouri for more than a decade. Previous research has utilized video game technology and various web-cameras to detect health changes in Tiger Place residents. Now, two new studies demonstrate how monitoring walking speed using radar and heart health by utilizing bed sensors help maintain older adults' health and warn of impeding issues.

WASHINGTON -- Nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant released by cars and fossil fuel burning power plants, can irritate the lungs, contribute to smog formation, and lead to premature deaths in cities around the world. A recent study, conducted at Kings College, London, UK, for example, found that more than 5,000 premature deaths in London annually could be attributed to nitrogen dioxide pollution. For this reason, it is important to monitor and control pollution gases.

EUGENE, Ore. -- June 1, 2016 -- Merged data from on-the-ground measurements, aerial photography, satellite imagery and satellite-radar imaging have unveiled an unexpected geological consequence of northern California's ongoing drought.

Hydraulic fracturing, a widely used method for extracting oil and gas from otherwise impenetrable shale and rock formations, involves not only underground injections composed mostly of water, but also a mixture of chemical additives. These chemicals range from toxic biocides and surfactants, to corrosion inhibitors and slicking agents, and many are also used by other industries.

The tragedy of the commons, a concept described by ecologist Garrett Hardin, paints a grim view of human nature. The theory goes that, if a resource is shared, individuals will act in their own self-interest, but against the interest of the group, by depleting that resource.

Yet examples of cooperation and sharing abound in nature, from human societies down to single-celled bacteria.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] --New software created by Brown University computer scientists could help website owners and developers easily determine what parts of a page are grabbing a user's eye.

Stem cell therapies hold great promise in treating a variety of diseases, but in order to develop them researchers must first be able to monitor them inside the body. Enter the contrast agent.

"Often things go wrong right away when stem or therapeutic cells are injected into the body because some cells can migrate, while other dying cells are eaten by the body and expelled," says Xiao-an Zhang, an assistant professor of chemistry at U of T Scarborough.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A Purdue University study shows that honeybees collect the vast majority of their pollen from plants other than crops, even in areas dominated by corn and soybeans, and that pollen is consistently contaminated with a host of agricultural and urban pesticides throughout the growing season.