Welcome to “Today’s Top Science-Technology News” update from Hawaii Science Digest. Views expressed in this science and technology news summary are those of the reporters and correspondents.
Content provided by these publications: Discover Magazine.com, Scientific American.com, Eurekalert.org, Newscientist.com, Phys.org, Wired.com, and Sciencedaily.com.
These publications are sourced through my personal feedly.com account (https://feedly.com).
Please scroll down to read your selections.
DISCOVER MAGAZINE
Living with Disease-Carrying Mosquitoes
Thailand’s is trying to communicate the risk through museum exhibitions — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
DISCOVERMAGAZINE.COM
Rumbling ‘Marsquakes’ on the Red Planet are Mystifying and Exciting Scientists
NASA’s InSight lander has its seismic instrument tucked under a shield to protect it from wind and extreme temperatures. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) NASA’s Mars InSight spacecraft landed on the Red Planet in November 2018. Scientists equipped the mission with a seismometer so they could learn how Mars releases seismic energy — that is, to get a feel for how the Red Planet rumbles. So far, InSight h
Astronomers Zoom in on a Galaxy 9 Billion Light-years Away Thanks to Gravitational Lensing
(Credit: MIT/Image courtesy of the researchers) When even the most powerful telescopes can’t capture the views you want, it helps to have natural magnifying glasses to rely on. In a paper published Monday in Nature Astronomy, researchers describe how they zoomed in to capture a young, star-forming galaxy roughly nine billion light-years away in X-ray light. To study such a distant galaxy, they use
The Cosmos’ Most Powerful Magnets May Form When Stars Collide
These snapshots of two merging stars in action show the overall strength of the magnetic field in color (yellow is more magnetic), as well as the magnetic field lines (hatching). The stars on the left, which don’t have very strong magnetic fields, are just about to merge into a more massive and magnetic star (right). According to new research, such mergers can dramatically bolster the strength of
This Interstellar Space Rock Looks a Lot Like Our Own Solar System’s Comets
The Gemini Observatory in Hawaii caught this first-ever color image of the interstellar comet Borisov and its faint tail. (Credit:Composite image by Travis Rector. Credit: Gemini Observatory/NSF/AURA) Asteroids, comets and other rocky objects litter the solar system, left over from when the planets formed. Scientists study these space rocks to learn about what the early solar system was like. Now,
EUREKALERT.ORG
Researchers map the evolutionary history of oaks
Oaks have a complex evolutionary history that has long eluded scientists. New research, however, provides the most detailed account to date of the evolution of oaks, recovering the 56-million-year history that has made the oaks one of the most diverse, abundant and important woody plant groups to the ecology and economy of the northern hemisphere.
Lakes worldwide are experiencing more severe algal blooms
The intensity of summer algal blooms has increased over the past three decades, according to a first-ever global survey of dozens of large, freshwater lakes, which was conducted by Carnegie’s Jeff Ho and Anna Michalak and NASA’s Nima Pahlevan. They used 30 years of data from the Landsat 5 near-Earth satellite and created a partnership with Google Earth Engine to reveal long-term trends in summer a
Study shows a much cheaper catalyst can generate hydrogen in a commercial device
SLAC and Stanford researchers have shown for the first time that a cheap catalyst can split water and generate hydrogen gas for hours on end in the harsh environment of a commercial electrolyzer — a step toward clean, large-scale hydrogen production for fuel, fertilizer and industry.
Reading the past like an open book: Researchers use text to measure 200 years of happiness
Using innovative new methods researchers at the University of Warwick, University of Glasgow Adam Smith Business School and The Alan Turing Institute in London have built a new index that uses data from books and newspaper to track levels of national happiness from 1820. Their research could help governments to make better decisions about policy priorities.
Yale scientists help immune system find hidden cancer cells
Cancer cells are masters at avoiding detection, but a new system developed by Yale scientists can make them stand out from the crowd and help the immune system spot and eliminate tumors that other forms of immunotherapies might miss, researchers report Oct. 14, 2019 in the journal Nature Immunology.
Sleep apnea linked to blinding eye disease in people with diabetes
New research from Taiwan shows that severe sleep apnea is a risk factor for developing diabetic macular edema, a complication of diabetes that can cause vision loss or blindness.
NEWSCIENTIST.COM
Astronomer Royal: We’re destroying the book of life before reading it
In a talk on energy policy, artificial intelligence and space exploration Astronomer Royal Martin Rees called for urgent action at a crucial turning point for humanity
High levels of air pollution seem to be linked to early miscarriages
Pregnant women who live and work in places with a lot of air pollution appear to be more likely to experience missed miscarriages
Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-two hour marathon may herald even faster times
Eliud Kipchoge has completed a marathon in under 2 hours, a feat that shows just how far sports science has come. Other elite runners may now go even faster
Huge fire blankets can protect houses from destructive wildfires
Wrapping a wooden house in a fire resistant blanket can protect it from a wildfire for around 10 minutes – enough to let it survive fast-moving blazes
PHYS.ORG
Study shows a much cheaper catalyst can generate hydrogen in a commercial device
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have shown for the first time that a cheap catalyst can split water and generate hydrogen gas for hours on end in the harsh environment of a commercial device.
Scientists pinpoint cause of harmful dendrites and whiskers in lithium batteries
Scientists have uncovered a root cause of the growth of needle-like structures—known as dendrites and whiskers—that plague lithium batteries, sometimes causing a short circuit, failure, or even a fire.
Lakes worldwide are experiencing more severe algal blooms
The intensity of summer algal blooms has increased over the past three decades, according to a first-ever global survey of dozens of large, freshwater lakes, which was conducted by Carnegie’s Jeff Ho and Anna Michalak and NASA’s Nima Pahlevan and published by Nature.
Scientists reveal mechanism of electron charge exchange in molecules
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a new scanning transmission electron microscopy method that enables visualization of the electric charge density of materials at sub-angstrom resolution.
The nano-guitar string that plays itself
Scientists at Lancaster University and the University of Oxford have created a nano-electronic circuit which vibrates without any external force.
Investing in love and affection pays off for species that mate for life
The males of species that form long-lasting pair-bonds, like many birds, often continue to make elaborate displays of plumage, colors and dances after they mate with a female. While their time and energy might be better spent taking care of their offspring, these displays also encourage the female to invest more of their energy into the brood.
SCIENCEDAILY.COM
How mucus tames microbes
New research reveals that glycans — branched sugar molecules found in mucus — can prevent bacteria from communicating with each other and forming infectious biofilms, effectively rendering the microbes harmless.
Study finds topsoil is key harbinger of lead exposure risks for children
Tracking lead levels in soil over time is critical for cities to determine lead contamination risks for their youngest and most vulnerable residents, according to a new study.
Reading the past like an open book: Researchers use text to measure 200 years of happiness
Using innovative new methods researchers have built a new index that uses data from books and newspaper to track levels of national happiness from 1820. Their research could help governments to make better decisions about policy priorities.
Scientists help immune system find hidden cancer cells
Cancer cells are masters at avoiding detection, but a new system can make them stand out from the crowd and help the immune system spot and eliminate tumors that other forms of immunotherapies might miss.
Dementia spreads via connected brain networks
Scientists used maps of brain connections to predict how brain atrophy would spread in individual patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), adding to growing evidence that the loss of brain cells associated with dementia spreads via the synaptic connections between established brain networks.
Non-pharmacologic treatments may be more effective for psychiatric symptoms of dementia
A systematic review and meta-analysis suggests outdoor activities were more clinically effective than anti-psychotic medication for treating physical aggression in patients with dementia. For patients with physical agitation, massage and touch therapy were more efficacious than usual care or caregiver support.
UNCATEGORIZED
Listen to an Underwater Volcano Burp 750-Foot Bubbles
Microphones catch a submarine vent firing uberbubbles that floated to the surface and formed massive water domes.
How Eliud Kipchoge Pulled Off His Epic, Sub-2-Hour Marathon
Sports physiologist Michael Joyner breaks down what it takes to run a marathon in less than two hours—and how it could happen again.
Robot Rocket Printers, ‘Fornite’ Disappears, and More News
Catch up on the most important news from today in two minutes or less.
MacOS 10.15 Catalina Review: More Mobile, More Security, no More iTunes
Apple’s new desktop operating system makes your iPad into a second monitor, puts mobile apps on your Mac, and kills iTunes.
Watch Live: Google’s Pixel 4 Hardware Event
New Pixel phones are on the way, and possibly some other hardware surprises. Tune into the live video stream.
Libra’s Ranks Shrink Again As Crypto Group Appoints a Board
A seventh member exits the body that is supposed to administer Facebook’s cryptocurrency, which has set “interim” rules and put together its board.
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Until next time,
Russ Roberts
https://atomic-temporary-155977078.wpcomstaging.com (the daily update).
https://hawaiisciencedaily.com (breaking science and technology news).