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Accessed on 05 February 2020, 0525 UTC.
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Applying advantage distillation to device-independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD)
Researchers at ETH Zürich and National University of Singapore have carried out a study investigating whether advantage distillation, a classical cryptography technique that has so far never been successfully implemented, …
14 HOURS AGO
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149
Exploring the effects of exchange rate fluctuations on technological learning rates
When it comes to predicting the costs of new energy systems and technologies, researchers must consider learning rates, which are estimated measures of technological progress. In fact, technological advances are typically …
14 HOURS AGO
0
29

Sand dunes can ‘communicate’ with each other
Even though they are inanimate objects, sand dunes can ‘communicate’ with each other. A team from the University of Cambridge has found that as they move, …
GENERAL PHYSICS
23 HOURS AGO
11
2516

Study investigates over 70 variable stars in the Sh 2-170 star-forming region
Using three ground-based telescopes, astronomers have conducted a long-term photometric monitoring of the Sh 2-170 star-forming region. The new observations have identified 71 variable stars in this region and provided essential …

New quasi-particle discovered: Introducing the Pi-ton
In physics, there are very different types of particles: Elementary particles are the fundamental building blocks of matter. Other particles, such as atoms, are bound states consisting of several smaller constituents. And …
QUANTUM PHYSICS
13 HOURS AGO
4
814

Study details how auto emissions pose human health problems worldwide
Ultrafine particles in the atmosphere are unregulated, according to the World Health Organization, but a team of international researchers that includes a Texas A&M University professor and two graduate students has found …
ENVIRONMENT
15 HOURS AGO
12
133

Pluto’s icy heart makes winds blow
A “beating heart” of frozen nitrogen controls Pluto’s winds and may give rise to features on its surface, according to a new study.
SPACE EXPLORATION
12 HOURS AGO
2
321

High-tech printing may help eliminate painful shots
Painful hypodermic needles may not be needed in the future to give shots, inject drugs and get blood samples.
MATERIALS SCIENCE
10 HOURS AGO
0
137

External system improves phones’ signal strength 1000 percent without requiring extra antennas
We’ve heard it for years: 5G is coming.
INTERNET
15 HOURS AGO
2
56

Researchers identify unique neuron that computes like a compass
It’s 5 p.m. as you leave the parking garage at work, but you realize you have no idea which way to turn to travel home. You know where you are and what street your house is on—it’s just that you can’t remember how to get …
NEUROSCIENCE
8 HOURS AGO
0
208

Researchers report progress on molecular data storage system
A team of Brown University researchers has made substantial progress in an effort to create a new type of molecular data storage system.
ELECTRONICS & SEMICONDUCTORS
8 HOURS AGO
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252

Studies suggest new path for reversing type-2 diabetes and liver fibrosis
In a pair of related studies, a team of Yale researchers has found a way to reverse type-2 diabetes and liver fibrosis in mice, and has shown that the underlying processes are conserved in humans.
DISEASES, CONDITIONS, SYNDROMES
11 HOURS AGO
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530

Flyception 2.0: New imaging technology tracks complex social behavior
Scientists at the University of California San Diego have a much clearer idea thanks to the evolution of an advanced imaging system designed to record ultra-precise brain activities in flies.
PLANTS & ANIMALS
10 HOURS AGO
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88

Peeking at the plumbing of one of the Aleutian’s most-active volcanoes
A new approach to analyzing seismic data reveals deep vertical zones of low seismic velocity in the plumbing system underlying Alaska’s Cleveland volcano, one of the most-active of the more than 70 Aleutian volcanoes. The …
EARTH SCIENCES
11 HOURS AGO
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92

Deep ocean oxygen levels may be more susceptible to climate change than expected
Much more oxygen than previously thought is transported deep into the ocean interior through a ‘trap door” in the Labrador Sea that some researchers say could be closing as a result of climate change.
EARTH SCIENCES
14 HOURS AGO
5
33

Researchers successfully test coin-sized smart insulin patch, potential diabetes treatment
UCLA bioengineers and colleagues at UNC School of Medicine and MIT have further developed a smart insulin-delivery patch that could one day monitor and manage glucose levels in people with diabetes and deliver the necessary …
ENGINEERING
10 HOURS AGO
0
347

Grooves hold promise for sophisticated healing
Who ever said bioengineers can’t get their groove on? The Rice University team led by Antonios Mikos says otherwise with its development of a groovy method to seed sophisticated, 3-D-printed tissue-engineering scaffolds with …
MATERIALS SCIENCE
11 HOURS AGO
0
58

Dietary interventions may slow onset of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders
Significantly reducing dietary levels of the amino acid methionine could slow onset and progression of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis in high-risk individuals, according to findings published …
NEUROSCIENCE
11 HOURS AGO
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77

First-of-its-kind hydrogel platform enables on-demand production of medicines, chemicals
A team of chemical engineers has developed a new way to produce medicines and chemicals on demand and preserve them using portable “biofactories” embedded in water-based gels called hydrogels. The approach could help people …
MATERIALS SCIENCE
12 HOURS AGO
0
180

First childhood flu helps explain why virus hits some people harder than others
Why are some people better able to fight off the flu than others? Part of the answer, according to a new study, is related to the first flu strain we encounter in childhood.
DISEASES, CONDITIONS, SYNDROMES
12 HOURS AGO
1
198

Researchers develop framework for climate change mitigation in mining
University of Queensland researchers have developed a framework that aims to reduce the mining industry’s impact on climate change by accounting for sources and sinks of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
EARTH SCIENCES
14 HOURS AGO
2
25

Portable device lights the way to better foodborne illness detection
Foodborne illness hits about one in six people in the United States every year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 48 million people in the U.S. get sick due to one or more of 31 recognized pathogens, …

Microbes linked to cancer in threatened California foxes, report Princeton researchers
Can staph microbes lead to cancer?

January 2020 warmest on record: EU climate service
Last month was the warmest January on record globally, while in Europe temperatures were a balmy three degrees Celsius above the average January from 1981 to 2010, the European Union’s climate monitoring system reported Tuesday.
Beloved 3-flippered sea turtle dies after nearly 20 years at National Aquarium
Calypso, a 500-pound green sea turtle who had delighted millions of visitors over nearly 20 years as the unofficial “queen” of the National Aquarium in Baltimore, died unexpectedly Sunday, the aquarium announced Monday. The …

Open sores, lower numbers likely not invasive lionfish’s end
A new disease has caused open sores that can eat into the muscles of invasive lionfish and appears to have contributed to an abrupt drop in their numbers in the northern Gulf of Mexico, scientists reported Tuesday. But they …

Wildfires increase winter snowpack—but that isn’t necessarily a good thing
Deep in the Tushar mountains, some three hours south of Brigham Young University’s campus in Utah, Ph.D. student Jordan Maxwell and two other students found themselves in deep snow, both literally and figuratively.

How cells respond appropriately in harsh environments arising from global warming
Under severe environmental stresses such as high temperature, dryness and high salinity, cells survive by responding appropriately through elaborate mechanisms, according to new cell biology research from the Laboratory of …

More grocery stores means less food waste—and a big carbon cut
One strategy for reducing food waste’s environmental impact is as counterintuitive as it is straightforward: Open more grocery stores.

Herringbone pattern in plant cell walls critical to cell growth
Plant cells tend to grow longer instead of wider due to the alignment of the many layers of cellulose that make up their cell walls, according to a new study that may have implications for biofuels research. The study, which …

Red coral effectively recovers in Mediterranean protected areas
Protection measures of the Marine Protected Areas have enable red coral colonies (Corallium rubrum) to recover partially in the Mediterranean Sea, reaching health levels similar to those of the 1980s in Catalonia and of the …

Sweet nanoparticles trick kidney
In the past decade nanomedicine has contributed to better detection and treatment of cancer. Nanoparticles are hundreds of times smaller than the smallest grain of sand and can therefore easily travel in the blood stream …

Southern Illinois’ Len Small levee likely to fail even if repaired, study says
Alexander County sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, at the southernmost tip of Illinois. The sparsely populated jurisdiction is perhaps best known for devastating floods resulting from repeated failures …

New thalattosaur species discovered in Southeast Alaska
Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks have identified a new species of thalattosaur, a marine reptile that lived more than 200 million years ago.
ARCHAEOLOGY & FOSSILS
14 HOURS AGO
0
2258

Researchers discover method to detect motor-related brain activity
Motor-related brain activity, particularly its accurate detection, quantification and classification capabilities, is of great interest to researchers. They are searching for a better way to help patients with cognitive or …
GENERAL PHYSICS
12 HOURS AGO
0
87

Double X-ray vision helps tuberculosis and osteoporosis research
With an advanced X-ray combination technique, scientists have traced nanocarriers for tuberculosis drugs within cells with very high precision. The method combines two sophisticated scanning X-ray measurements and can locate …
OPTICS & PHOTONICS
12 HOURS AGO
0
23

New algorithm helps uncover forgotten figures beneath Da Vinci painting
Imperial and National Gallery researchers have used a new algorithm to help visualise hidden drawings beneath Leonardo Da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
13 HOURS AGO
0
95

Breakthrough creates tough material able to stretch, heal and defend itself
While eating takeout one day, University of Chicago scientists Bozhi Tian and Yin Fang started thinking about the noodles—specifically, their elasticity. A specialty of Xi’an, Tian’s hometown in China, is wheat noodles …
MATERIALS SCIENCE
15 HOURS AGO
1
823

Altruistic babies? Study shows infants are willing to give up food, help others
Altruistic helping—the act of giving away something desirable, even at a cost to oneself—is perhaps no more evident than when it comes to food.
PSYCHOLOGY & PSYCHIATRY
18 HOURS AGO
4
148

Size matters! What drives zoo attendance and how does footfall impact conservation?
Scientists from Trinity College Dublin, Species360 and NUI Galway have quantified what drives attendance to zoos by assessing how variations in animal collections affect footfall. Crucially, they link their findings to the …
ECOLOGY
12 HOURS AGO
0
60

Vibrations on a chip feel a magnetic field
AMOLF physicists have made mechanical vibrations on a chip behave as if they were electrical currents flowing in a magnetic field. Because of their charge, electrons are influenced by magnetic fields, which curve their trajectories. …
NANOPHYSICS
13 HOURS AGO
0
41

Cuttlefish eat less for lunch when they know there’ll be shrimp for dinner
When cuttlefish know that shrimp—their favourite food—will be available in the evening, they eat fewer crabs during the day. This capacity to make decisions based on future expectations reveals complex cognitive abilities.
PLANTS & ANIMALS
4 HOURS AGO
0
488

Genetic variants reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease
A DNA study of over 10,000 people by UCL scientists has identified a class of gene variants that appear to protect against Alzheimer’s disease.
GENETICS
4 HOURS AGO
0
63

Almost 10% of NC State students experienced homelessness
A representative survey of undergraduate and graduate students at North Carolina State University finds that almost 10% of students experienced homelessness in the previous year, and more than 14% of students dealt with food …

Mathematician develops method to explore the structure of molecules
A scientist from the Mathematical Laboratory of RUDN University has obtained new results in a study of the inverse problem for coupled Schrödinger equations. This result will be useful for describing the interaction of laser …

Astronomers search for gravitational-wave memory
Astronomers regularly observe gravitational waves (GW)—ripples in space and time—that are caused by pairs of black holes merging into one. Einstein’s theory of gravity predicts that GW, which squeeze and stretch space …

Chemist synthesizes gold-based electrocatalysts
A RUDN chemist has synthesized an electrocatalyst based on gold nanoparticles with organic ligands that can trigger both hydrogen production reactions and oxygen reduction reactions in fuel cells. The yield of products with …

Ecologists find how forest age affects the accumulation of carbon in the soil
Ecologists from RUDN University have studied abandoned vineyards and forests in Italy and found that a high concentration of nitrogen and carbon could be observed in the soil of an old oak forest left free from anthropogenic …

Image: Ariane 6 launch zone at Europe’s Spaceport
Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana is gearing up for the arrival of Ariane 6, Europe’s next-generation launch vehicle. This aerial view taken in January 2020 shows the main elements of the new launch complex.

Retina-inspired carbon nitride-based photonic synapses for selective detection of UV light
Researchers at Seoul National University and Inha University in South Korea have developed photo-sensitive artificial nerves that emulated functions of a retina by using 2-dimensional carbon nitride (C3N4) nanodot materials. …

Research: Hyper-realistic masks are extremely hard to spot
It’s easy to spot someone wearing a mask, right? Well, new research suggests that it can be much harder than you think.

Fast screening for potential new catalysts
A new concept makes it possible to identify the most promising among an abundance of possible element combinations.

Water, water everywhere—and it’s weirder than you think
Researchers at The University of Tokyo have used computational methods and analysis of recent experimental data to demonstrate that water molecules take two distinct structures in the liquid state. The team investigated the …

Is hiring more black officers the key to reducing police violence?
High-profile cases of officer brutality against black citizens in recent years have caused Americans to question the racial makeup of their police departments.

Single-atom probe uses quantum information for the first time
Sensors collect certain parameters such as temperature and air pressure in their proximity. Physicists from Kaiserslautern and a colleague from Hanover have succeeded for the first time in using a single cesium atom as a …