Today’s Top Science Stories. 18 November 2018.
Accessed on 18 November 2018, 1451 UTC.
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Comment: Here are today’s top science news stories from https://phys.org. Views expressed in this science news summary are those of the reporters and correspondents.
Thanks for joining us today.
Until next time,
Russ Roberts
https://hawaiisciencedigest.blogspot.com
Oh those GANs: Scanner finger technique could result in fake fingerprints
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US paves way to get ‘lab meat’ on plates
US authorities on Friday agreed on how to regulate food products cultured from animal cells—paving the way to get so-called “lab meat” on American plates.
New space industry emerges: on-orbit servicing
Imagine an airport where thousands of planes, empty of fuel, are left abandoned on the tarmac. That is what has been happening for decades with satellites that circle the Earth.
Excavators find tombs buried in Bolivia 500 years ago
Archaeologists say they found tombs at a Bolivian quarry containing remains from more than 500 years ago that give an insight into the interaction of various peoples with the expanding Inca empire.
Eyeing echidnas: Study models echidna forelimbs to help shed new light on mammal evolution
These days, mammals can use their forelimbs to swim, jump, fly, climb, dig and just about everything in between, but the question of how all that diversity evolved has remained a vexing one for scientists.
Majority of HIV persistence during ART due to infected cell proliferation
A majority of the HIV-infected cells that persist in HIV-infected individuals even during suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) originated from cellular proliferation, not viral replication, according to new research published …
Abell 1033: To boldly go into colliding galaxy clusters
Hidden in a distant galaxy cluster collision are wisps of gas resembling the starship Enterprise—an iconic spaceship from the “Star Trek” franchise.
SpaceX gets nod to put 12,000 satellites in orbit
SpaceX got the green light this week from US authorities to put a constellation of nearly 12,000 satellites into orbit in order to boost cheap, wireless internet access by the 2020s.
New discovery shows glass made from exploding stars
The next time you’re gazing out of the window in search of inspiration, keep in mind the material you’re looking through was forged inside the heart of an exploding ancient star.
Infinite-dimensional symmetry opens up possibility of a new physics—and new particles
The symmetries that govern the world of elementary particles at the most elementary level could be radically different from what has so far been thought. This surprising conclusion emerges from new work published by theoreticians …
Progress in genetic testing of embryos stokes fears of designer babies
ColorUNet: A new deep CNN classification approach to colorization
A team of researchers at Stanford University has recently developed a CNN classification method to colorize grayscale images. The tool they devised, called ColorUNet, draws inspiration from U-Net, a fully convolutional network …
Electric blue thrusters propelling BepiColombo to Mercury
In mid-December, twin discs will begin glowing blue on the underside of a minibus-sized spacecraft in deep space. At that moment Europe and Japan’s BepiColombo mission will have just come a crucial step closer to Mercury.
Solving mazes with single-molecule DNA navigators
The field of intelligent nanorobotics is based on the great promise of molecular devices with information processing capabilities. In a new study that supports the trend of DNA-based information carriers, scientists have …
Half of the world’s annual precipitation falls in just 12 days, new study finds
Currently, half of the world’s measured precipitation that falls in a year falls in just 12 days, according to a new analysis of data collected at weather stations across the globe.
Playing high school football changes the teenage brain
A single season of high school football may be enough to cause microscopic changes in the structure of the brain, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, Duke University and the …
Take a weight off: Tears, joy as kilo gets historic update (Update)
In a historic vote, more than 50 nations unanimously approved an overhaul of the international measurement system that underpins global trade and other human endeavors, uniting Friday behind new definitions for the kilogram …
PNW woodlands will be less vulnerable to drought, fire than Rocky Mountain, Sierra forests
Forests in the Pacific Northwest will be less vulnerable to drought and fire over the next three decades than those in the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada, computer modeling by researchers in Oregon State University’s College …
Sucking your baby’s pacifier may benefit their health
Many parents probably think nothing of sucking on their baby’s pacifier to clean it after it falls to the ground. Turns out, doing so may benefit their child’s health.
Treated superalloys demonstrate unprecedented heat resistance
Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory have discovered how to make “superalloys” even more super, extending useful life by thousands of hours. The discovery could improve materials performance for electrical generators …
Graphene flickers at 400Hz in 2500ppi displays
With virtual reality (VR) sizzling in every electronic fair, there is a need for displays with higher resolution, frame rates and power efficiency. Now, a joint collaboration of researchers from SCALE Nanotech, Graphenea …
Laser technology uncovers medieval secrets locked in Alpine ice core
A new study has found ground-breaking evidence from an ice core in the Swiss-Italian Alps that proves the 7th century switch from gold to silver currencies in western Europe actually occurred a quarter of a century earlier …
By solving a mystery of gene repair, scientists uncover an exception to biology’s rules
About 15 years ago, UNC Lineberger’s Dale Ramsden, Ph.D., was looking through a textbook with one of his students when they stumbled upon a scientific mystery.
Scientists produce 3-D chemical maps of single bacteria
Scientists at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)—a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility at DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory—have used ultrabright x-rays to image single bacteria …
A way to make batteries almost any shape desired
A team of researchers from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Harvard University and Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology has developed a way to make batteries in almost any shape that can be imagined. …
A new lead on a 50-year-old radiation damage mystery
For half a century, researchers have seen loops of displaced atoms appearing inside nuclear reactor steel after exposure to radiation, but no one could work out how.
Cell study reveals how head injuries lead to serious brain diseases
UCLA biologists have discovered how head injuries adversely affect individual cells and genes that can lead to serious brain disorders. The life scientists provide the first cell “atlas” of the hippocampus—the part of the …
New research uncovers the predatory behavior of Florida’s skull-collecting ant
“Add ‘skull-collecting ant’ to the list of strange creatures in Florida,” says Adrian Smith a scientist at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and North Carolina State University. His new research describes the …
When your brain won’t hang up: Sustained connections associated with symptoms of autism
For decades, scientists have examined how regions of the brain communicate to understand autism. Researchers at University of Utah Health believe the symptoms of autism may result from sustained connections between regions …
Overflowing crater lakes carved canyons across Mars
Today, most of the water on Mars is locked away in frozen ice caps. But billions of years ago it flowed freely across the surface, forming rushing rivers that emptied into craters, forming lakes and seas. New research led …