Tech
University of Bayreuth researchers, together with scientists from Italy and China, have for the first time systematically investigated under which conditions, and to what extent, sulphur-containing arsenic compounds are formed in rice-growing soils. To date, these thioarsenates have not been taken into account in assessments of the health effects of rice consumption. In the journal Nature Geoscience the scientists present their results and identify the urgent need for research with a view to protecting consumers from health risks.
A new measuring method for thioarsenates
NASA's Terra satellite passed over the South Pacific Ocean and found a stronger Tropical Cyclone Uesi after obtaining infrared imagery of the storm. Uesi continues moving away from Vanuatu and today is affecting New Caledonia.
Scientists have made a major breakthrough in understanding how the parasite that causes malaria is able to multiply at such an alarming rate, which could be a vital clue in discovering how it has evolved, and how it can be stopped.
For the first time, scientists have shown how certain molecules play an essential role in the rapid reproduction of parasite cells, which cause this deadly disease.
This could be the next step towards being able to prevent the malaria parasite from reproducing.
Researchers from Australia, Singapore, Taiwan and the UK placed cardboard cut-out models of the golden orb-weaver, Nephila pilipes, onto real webs in the field. Testing different combinations of colours and patterns they discovered that both the yellow colour and the black and yellow mosaic pattern are essential for luring prey during the day.
The webs of Nephila pilipes also capture prey during the night, and the experiments demonstrated that the yellow colour alone was very effective at luring nocturnal insects.
A single strain of mumps virus has dominated the US since 2006, and is responsible for many of the large numbers of cases seen across the country in the widespread 2016-17 outbreaks. In a paper publishing February 11 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, Pardis Sabeti from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and colleagues analyze over 200 whole mumps virus genomes from patient swab samples, providing insights not obtained in standard public health surveillance efforts.
Cryogenic electron microscopy, or cryo-EM, has reached the point where researchers could in principle image individual atoms in a 3D reconstruction of a molecule - but just because they could see those details doesn't always mean they do. Now, researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have proposed a new way to quantify how accurate such reconstructions are and, in the process, how confident they can be in their molecular interpretations.
Some smartphone apps that assess the risk of suspicious moles cannot be relied upon to detect all cases of skin cancer, finds a review of the evidence published by The BMJ today.
The researchers warn that the current regulatory process for these apps "does not provide adequate protection to the public."
The World Health Organization estimates between 2 and 3 million non-melanoma skin cancers and 132,000 melanoma skin cancers occur globally each year, but survival is high if melanoma is spotted early, which makes prompt detection and treatment crucial.
Maunakea, Hawaii - A team of astronomers led by Brendan Bowler of The University of Texas at Austin has probed the formation process of giant exoplanets and brown dwarfs, a class of objects that are more massive than giant planets, but not massive enough to ignite nuclear fusion in their cores to shine like true stars.
Wearable tech and electronic cloth may be the way of the future, but to get there the wiring needs to be strong, flexible and efficient.
Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT), studied by physicists at Michigan Technological University, encase tellurium atomic chains like a straw, which could be controllable by light and pressure. In collaboration with researchers from Purdue University, Washington University and University of Texas at Dallas, the team published their findings in Nature Electronics this week.
Northwestern University researchers have developed a more efficient and stable method to conduct electrocatalytic reactions.
The technique, which fluidizes catalyst particles in electrolyte instead of gluing them to electrodes, avoids a rapid decline in reaction performance -- a phenomenon researchers call fatigue. The approach could improve production processes for electrolysis and electrochemical energy conversion and storage.
A new study published by Dauphin Island Sea Lab researchers adds a new layer to understanding how an oil spill could impact marine life.
A diverse community of worms and other marine organisms on the seafloor plays a significant role in nutrient cycling, organic matter burial, and remineralization. The burrowing and feeding activities of these organisms, or bioturbation, helps in the oxygenation of the sediment.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 10, 2020) - A new study led by University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers suggests that implementing cancer education curricula in middle and high schools may improve cancer literacy in Kentuckians and ultimately help reduce cancer rates.
If you've ever opened an umbrella or set up a folding chair, you've used a deployable structure - an object that can transition from a compact state to an expanded one. You've probably noticed that such structures usually require rather complicated locking mechanisms to hold them in place. And, if you've ever tried to open an umbrella in the wind or fold a particularly persnickety folding chair, you know that today's deployable structures aren't always reliable or autonomous.
Support cells in the nervous system help protect motor neurons in the early-stages of sporadic motor neuron disease, according to new research from the Crick and UCL.
Motor neuron disease is a degenerative condition which destroys the nerve cells (motor neurons) in the brain and spinal cord, which control movement, speech, swallowing and breathing. The most common type of motor neuron disease is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which affects around 5,000 people in the UK at any one time.
NASA analyzed Tropical Storm Uesi's rainfall and found moderate to heavy rainfall around the storm's center and in a large band of thunderstorms south of the center. That heavy rainfall has triggered warnings for Vanuatu in the Southern Pacific Ocean.
NASA has the unique capability of peering under the clouds in storms and measuring the rate in which rain is falling. The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core passed over Uesi from its orbit in space and measured rainfall rates throughout the storm on Feb. 10 at 2:31 a.m. EST (0731 UTC).