Welcome to the “Phys.org” update from Hawaii Science Digest.
Views expressed in this science and technology news summary are those of the reporters and correspondents.
Content provide by “Phys.org”, an official publication of the Science X Network.
Accessed on 11 March 2019, 0115 UTC.
Source: https://phys.org
Please click link or scroll down to read your selections.
Spotlight Science News
Study confirms horseshoe crabs are really relatives of spiders, scorpions
Blue-blooded and armored with 10 spindly legs, horseshoe crabs have perhaps always seemed a bit out of place.
Precision drugs could unmask cancers to immune system and boost effects of immunotherapy
Precision cancer drugs called PARP inhibitors have a previously unknown ability to boost the immune system, and could help many more patients benefit from immunotherapy, a new study reveals.
Testers look into security of car alarms
Hubble’s dazzling display of two colliding galaxies
Located in the constellation of Hercules, about 230 million light-years away, NGC 6052 is a pair of colliding galaxies. They were first discovered in 1784 by William Herschel and were originally classified as a single irregular …
Arctic change has widespread impacts
As the Arctic warms faster than the rest of the globe, permafrost, land ice and sea ice are disappearing at unprecedented rates. And these changes not only affect the infrastructure, economies and cultures of the Arctic, …
Listening to quantum radio
Researchers at Delft University of Technology have created a quantum circuit to listen to the weakest radio signal allowed by quantum mechanics. This new quantum circuit opens the door to possible future applications in areas …
SpaceX capsule back on Earth, paving way for new manned US flights
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean on Friday, completing a NASA demonstration mission that paves the way for the resumption of manned space flights from the US.
Stars exploding as supernovae lose their mass to companion stars during their lives
Stars over eight times more massive than the sun end their lives in supernovae explosions. The composition of the star influences what happens during the explosion.
Is prediabetes really a medical condition that needs attention?
Music captivates listeners and synchronizes their brainwaves
Music has the ability to captivate us; when listeners engage with music, they follow its sounds closely, connecting to what they hear in an affective and invested way. But what is it about music that keeps the audience engaged? …
Investigating the motility of swimming Euglena
Some species of Euglenids, a diversified family of aquatic unicellular organisms, can perform large-amplitude, elegantly coordinated body deformations. Although this behavior has been known for centuries, its function is …
At what age do you feel 65?
At what age do you feel 65?
AQM+: A new model for visual dialog question generation
Researchers at Clova AI Research, NAVER and LINE, have recently proposed a new framework called AQM+ that allows dialog systems to generate context-relevant questions and answers. Their model, outlined in a paper pre-published …
World’s first graffiti-busting laser helps Florence’s ‘Angels’
A beam of silver light erases scrawled black letters on Florence’s historic Ponte Vecchio, as “Angels” wielding a revolutionary new laser wage war on graffiti in the UNESCO site.
NASA captures unprecedented images of supersonic shockwaves
NASA has captured unprecedented photos of the interaction of shockwaves from two supersonic aircraft, part of its research into developing planes that can fly faster than sound without thunderous “sonic booms”.
Thyroid hormone helped our ancestors survive but left us susceptible
Although most victims survive the 735,000 heart attacks that occur annually in the U.S., their heart tissue is often irreparably damaged—unlike many other cells in the body, once injured, heart cells cannot regenerate. …
Team discovers double helix structure in synthetic macromolecule
Researchers in the College of Science and College of Engineering have discovered that a high-strength polymer called “PBDT” has a rare double helix structure, opening possibilities for use in a variety of applications.
Blood holds key to liver regeneration
The liver is the only organ in the body that can regenerate. But some patients who undergo a liver resection, a surgery that removes a diseased portion of the organ, end up needing a transplant because the renewal process …
Proofs of parallel evolution between cognition, tool development, and social complexity
Researchers have examined the visual response of 113 individuals when observing prehistoric ceramics belonging to different styles and societies. The ceramics analysed cover 4,000 years (from 4,000 B.C. to the change of era) …
LRO sheds light on lunar water movement
Scientists, using an instrument aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), have observed water molecules moving around the dayside of the Moon.
Sewage reveals levels of antimicrobial resistance worldwide
A comprehensive analysis of sewage collected in 74 cities in 60 countries has yielded the first comparable global data showing the levels and types of antimicrobial resistant bacteria present in healthy people. The National …
Google had Zero-Day reasons for shouting about updates
Zinc could help as non-antibiotic treatment for UTIs
New details about the role of zinc in our immune system could help the development of new non-antibiotic treatment strategies for bacterial diseases, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs).
New method of scoring protein interactions mines large data sets from a fresh angle
Researchers from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have created a novel way to define individual protein associations in a quick, efficient, and informative way. These findings, published in the March 8, 2019, issue …
Cybersecurity study of the dark web exposes vulnerability to machine identities
A thriving marketplace for SSL and TLS certificates—small data files used to facilitate confidential communication between organizations’ servers and their clients’ computers—exists on a hidden part of the Internet, according …
Promising compound selectively kills brain cancer stem cells
Scripps Research scientists have discovered a compound that potently and selectively kills the stem-like cells that make glioblastoma brain cancers so deadly.
Scientists report new modeling of brain signaling
The release of neurotransmitters and hormones in the body is tightly controlled by complex protein machinery embedded in cell membranes.
A thermo-sensor for magnetic bits
Scientists of the Department of Physics at the University of Hamburg, Germany, detected the magnetic states of atoms on a surface using only heat. The respective study is published in a recent volume of Science. A magnetic …
Brain region plays key role in regulation of parenting behavior, study finds
The amygdala—a region of the brain known to be involved in emotions and social behaviors—has been found to play a critical role in the regulation of parenting behavior, according to a new study by UCLA researchers. Differences …
SpaceX capsule on big mission to return to Earth (Update)
Crew Dragon, the new space capsule built by SpaceX, left orbit Friday to dive into the atmosphere for a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean—the final and most dangerous phase of a demonstration mission for NASA.
