Welcome to the “Phys.org” update from Hawaii Science Digest.
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Accessed on 22 March 2019, 0125 UTC.
Source: https://phys.org
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Spotlight Science News
Dynamic hydrogel used to make ‘soft robot’ components and LEGO-like building blocks
Using a new type of dual polymer material capable of responding dynamically to its environment, Brown University researchers have developed a set of modular hydrogel components that could be useful in a variety of “soft robotic” …
Algorithm designs optimized machine-learning models up to 200 times faster than traditional methods
A new area in artificial intelligence involves using algorithms to automatically design machine-learning systems known as neural networks, which are more accurate and efficient than those developed by human engineers. But …
Engineers demonstrate metamaterials that can solve equations
The field of metamaterials involves designing complicated, composite structures, some of which can manipulate electromagnetic waves in ways that are impossible in naturally occurring materials.
Galactic center visualization delivers star power
Want to take a trip to the center of the Milky Way? Check out a new immersive, ultra-high-definition visualization. This 360-movie offers an unparalleled opportunity to look around the center of the galaxy, from the vantage …
Optical force-induced self-guiding light in human red blood cell suspensions
New photonic tools for medical imaging can be used to understand the nonlinear behavior of laser light in human blood for theranostic applications. When light enters biological fluids it is quickly scattered, however, some …
High-fructose corn syrup boosts intestinal tumor growth in mice
Does sugar directly feed cancers, boosting their growth? The answer seems to be ‘Yes’ at least in mice according to a study led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medicine. Their study, published …
Ultra-sharp images make old stars look absolutely marvelous
Using high-resolution adaptive optics imaging from the Gemini Observatory, astronomers have uncovered one of the oldest star clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy. The remarkably sharp image looks back into the early history of …
A CNN-based method for math formula script and type identification
Researchers at the University of Tunis have recently proposed a new system for math formula script and type identification, which is based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Their method, presented in a paper published …
Brain region discovered that only processes spoken, not written words
Patients in a new Northwestern Medicine study were able to comprehend words that were written but not said aloud. They could write the names of things they saw but not verbalize them.
Study shows first evidence bacterial-induced apoptosis in algae
A new study by UAlberta biologists shows the first evidence of apoptosis, or programmed cell death in algae. The outcomes have broad-reaching implications, from the development of targeted antibiotics to the production of …
When more women make decisions, the environment wins
When more women are involved in group decisions about land management, the group conserves more—particularly when offered financial incentives to do so, according to a new University of Colorado Boulder study published …
Natural plant defense genes provide clues to safener protection in grain sorghum
Weeds often emerge at the same time as vulnerable crop seedlings and sneak between plants as crops grow. How do farmers kill them without harming the crops themselves?
World’s smallest bears’ facial expressions throw doubt on human superiority
The world’s smallest bears can exactly mimic another bear’s facial expressions, casting doubt on humans and other primates’ supremacy at this subtle form of communication.
Half-a-billion-year-old fossil reveals the origins of comb jellies
One of the ocean’s little known carnivores has been allocated a new place in the evolutionary tree of life after scientists discovered its unmistakable resemblance with other sea-floor dwelling creatures.
Study finds cells maintain a complete molecular ‘memory’ of their embryonic origins
In research that casts cells as curators of their own history, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists have discovered that adult tissues retain a memory, inscribed on their DNA, of the embryonic cells from which they arose. …
Physicists reveal why matter dominates universe
Physicists in the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University have confirmed that matter and antimatter decay differently for elementary particles containing charmed quarks.
Astronomers discover a companion of the nearby star HD 118475
Inert nitrogen forced to react with itself
Constituting over 78 % of the air we breathe, nitrogen is the element found the most often in its pure form on earth. The reason for the abundance of elemental nitrogen is the incredible stability and inertness of dinitrogen …
Two-step path to shrinking worker bee gonads
The dramatic difference in gonad size between honey bee queens and their female workers in response to their distinct diets requires the switching on of a specific genetic program, according to a new study publishing March …
Hundreds of bubble streams link biology, seismology off Washington’s coast
Off the coast of Washington, columns of bubbles rise from the seafloor, as if evidence of a sleeping dragon lying below. But these bubbles are methane that is squeezed out of sediment and rises up through the water. The locations …
Plant immunity cut to size
An international team based in Ghent, Belgium (VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology) and Basel, Switzerland (University of Basel), found a link between a class of enzymes and immune signals that is rapidly triggered …
Researchers restore fertility in non-human primate model of childhood cancer survivorship
One in three childhood cancer survivors is at risk of becoming infertile due to chemotherapy or radiation, and since their sperm or eggs have not matured, assisted reproduction using those sperm or eggs is not an option when …
Study in mice examines impact of reused cooking oil on breast cancer progression
A new study in mice suggests that consuming the chemical compounds found in thermally abused cooking oil may trigger genetic changes that promote the progression of late-stage breast cancer.
Robots enable bees and fish to talk to each other
Through an imaginative experiment, researchers were able to get two extremely different animal species located far apart to interact with each other and reach a shared decision with the help of robots.
Prenatal allergies prompt sexual changes in offspring
A single allergic reaction during pregnancy prompts sexual-development changes in the brains of offspring that last a lifetime, new research suggests.
In a new quantum simulator, light behaves like a magnet
Physicists at EPFL propose a new “quantum simulator”: a laser-based device that can be used to study a wide range of quantum systems. Studying it, the researchers have found that photons can behave like magnetic dipoles at …
Non-toxic salt water battery prototype can charge in seconds
A battery prototype has been designed using salt water and materials that are non-toxic and charge quickly, paving the way for new types of battery.
Bacteria bide their time when antibiotics attack
If an antibiotic doesn’t kill all the bacteria that infects a patient, the surviving bugs may be particularly adept at timing their resurgence.
New evidence links lifespan extension to metabolic regulation of immune system
Scientists have known for decades that caloric restriction leads to a longer lifespan. It has also been observed that chronic inflammation increases with age. But any relationship between the two had remained unexplored.
With a ‘hello,’ researchers demonstrate first fully automated DNA data storage
Researchers from the University of Washington and Microsoft have demonstrated the first fully automated system to store and retrieve data in manufactured DNA—a key step in moving the technology out of the research lab and …
