Top Story: Exploring the interactions between sound, action, and vision in robotics.
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Accessed on 10 August 2020, 2241 UTC.
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Exploring the interactions between sound, action and vision in robotics
In recent years, researchers have developed a growing amount of computational techniques to enable human-like capabilities in robots. Most techniques developed so far, however, merely focus on artificially reproducing the …
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Time-reversal of an unknown quantum state
Physicists have long sought to understand the irreversibility of the surrounding world and have credited its emergence to the time-symmetric, fundamental laws of physics. According to quantum mechanics, the final irreversibility …
8 HOURS AGO
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Biology blurs line between sexes, behaviors
Biological sex is typically understood in binary terms: male and female. However, there are many examples of animals that are able to modify sex-typical …
PLANTS & ANIMALS
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How to get more cancer-fighting nanoparticles to where they are needed
University of Toronto Engineering researchers have discovered a dose threshold that greatly increases the delivery of cancer-fighting drugs into a tumor.
BIO & MEDICINE
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Utilizing agtech plant labs for human testing could help fight pandemic, study says
Just as redeploying a fleet of small British fishing boats helped during the Battle of Dunkirk, marshalling the research equipment and expertise of the …
BIOTECHNOLOGY
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The first evidence of vector meson spin alignment in heavy-ion collisions
The ALICE collaboration is a large group of researchers from over 100 physics institutes worldwide that focuses on the study of quark-gluon plasma using data collected by the ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) detector. …
Discovery transforms understanding of hydrogen depletion at the seafloor
The discovery in the 1970s of hydrothermal vents, where volcanoes at the seafloor produce hot fluid exceeding 350 degrees Celsius, or 662 degrees Fahrenheit, fundamentally changed the understanding about Earth and life. Yet, …
EARTH SCIENCES
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Indigenous property rights protect the Amazon rainforest
One way to cut back on deforestation in the Amazon rainforest—and help in the global fight against climate change—is to grant more of Brazil’s indigenous communities full property rights to tribal lands. This policy focus …
ENVIRONMENT
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Poverty alleviation efforts are shaping the success of environmental targets
Social protection programs can facilitate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but can also create trade-offs across divergent social and environmental goals that can undermine their effectiveness, say …
ENVIRONMENT
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Algal blue light switch control of electrical excitation in plants
Optogenetics denotes the manipulation of cellular processes by light-based biological techniques. An international research team led by the Würzburg plant scientists Rainer Hedrich, Georg Nagel and Dirk Becker has succeeded …
PLANTS & ANIMALS
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Air pollution impacts the health of wild pollinators
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nine of the world’s 10 most polluted cities are in India. Yet, researchers have almost no idea how air pollution is affecting non-human organisms. In some of the first research …
PLANTS & ANIMALS
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Dwarf planet Ceres is an ocean world: study
The dwarf planet Ceres—long believed to be a barren space rock—is an ocean world with reservoirs of sea water beneath its surface, the results of a major exploration mission showed Monday.
ASTRONOMY
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‘Achilles’ flaw exposes a billion Android phones
One billion Android phones are at risk of attacks by hackers taking advantage of what a research firm says are 400 vulnerabilities detected on the smartphone’s chips.
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Medical Xpress
Coronavirus transmission risk increases along wildlife supply chains
Oxytocin can help prevent osteoporosis
AI-enhanced precision medicine identifies novel autism subtype
Individual differences in the brain
HPV strains may impact cervical cancer prognosis
Cannabis use in pregnancy linked to a greater risk of autism
Reducing urinary protein for patients with rare kidney disease slows kidney decline
Schooling is critical for cognitive health throughout life, study says
GI symptoms linked to behavioral problems in children, especially those with autism
Masks could save the lives of 66,000 Americans by Dec. 1—if more people wear them
From cedar trees and grapefruit rinds comes a new bug repellent
That little voice in your head—if you have it—may be aligning your thoughts
Resistant cancer cells can be targeted for elimination
Globally, only half of women get treatment for preventable killer of newborns
New approach to treating osteoarthritis advances
Safe outdoor activities during the COVID-19 pandemic
Long-term symptoms, complications of COVID-19
Five million cases: What next for America’s COVID-19 epidemic?
Artificial intelligence could improve CT screening for COVID-19 diagnosis
Miscarriage risk increases each week alcohol is used in early pregnancy
Tech Xplore
Final canister of nuclear waste transferred to storage facility at San Onofre
Shrinking deep learning’s carbon footprint
Don’t rush into a hydrogen economy until we know all the risks to our climate
Maximizing solar self-consumption by rethinking photovoltaic panel orientation
Cleaning up money laundering
Q&A: How electric vehicles interact with the electric grid
Road test: Chinese ‘robotaxis’ take riders for a spin
Smartwatch tracks medication levels to personalize treatments
Machine-learning research may help find new tungsten deposits in England
Renewables in Europe: Land requirements can be reduced at low cost
Tuberculosis vaccine research could benefit the elderly and diabetics
A study of older mice with type 2 diabetes has yielded highly promising results for researchers investigating potential new vaccines for tuberculosis (TB).
MEDICAL RESEARCH
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Researchers characterize important regulators of tissue inflammation, fibrosis and regeneration
Although macrophages (cells involved in the detection and destruction of bacteria and other harmful organisms as well as dead cells) are classified as immune cells functioning in the activation and resolution of tissue inflammation, …
MEDICAL RESEARCH
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Third breakthrough demonstrates photosynthetic hacks can boost yield, conserve water
Plants are factories that manufacture yield from light and carbon dioxide—but parts of this complex process, called photosynthesis, are hindered by a lack of raw materials and machinery. To optimize production, scientists …
PLANTS & ANIMALS
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Cannabis use in pregnancy linked to a greater risk of autism
In the largest study of its kind, Ottawa researchers found that children whose mothers reported using cannabis during pregnancy were at greater risk of autism. The incidence of autism was 4 per 1000 person-years among children …
AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS
7 HOURS AGO
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353
Agriculture replaces fossil fuels as largest human source of sulfur to the environment
Historically, coal-fired power plants were the largest source of reactive sulfur, a component of acid rain, to the biosphere. A new study recently publishing Aug. 10 in the journal Nature Geoscience shows that fertilizer …
EARTH SCIENCES
7 HOURS AGO
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Breakthrough technology purifies water using the power of sunlight
A global research team has been able to transform brackish water and seawater into safe, clean drinking water in less than 30 minutes using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and sunlight.
ENGINEERING
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Coronavirus transmission risk increases along wildlife supply chains
Coronaviruses were detected in a high proportion of bats and rodents in Vietnam from 2013 to 2014, with an increasing proportion of positive samples found along the wildlife supply chain from traders to large markets to restaurants, …
DISEASES, CONDITIONS, SYNDROMES
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Imaging method highlights new role for cellular ‘skeleton’ protein
While your skeleton helps your body to move, fine skeleton-like filaments within your cells likewise help cellular structures to move. Now, Salk researchers have developed a new imaging method that lets them monitor a small …
CELL & MICROBIOLOGY
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New study warns: We have underestimated the pace at which the Arctic is melting
Arctic sea ice is melting more quickly than once assumed. Today’s climate models have yet to incorporate the steep rise in temperatures that have occurred over the past 40 years. This, according to a new study by researchers …
EARTH SCIENCES
5 HOURS AGO
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Rare ‘boomerang’ earthquake observed along Atlantic Ocean fault line
Scientists have tracked a ‘boomerang’ earthquake in the ocean for the first time, providing clues about how they could cause devastation on land.
EARTH SCIENCES
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Study finds Americans prize party loyalty over democratic principles
It is conventional wisdom that Americans cherish democracy—but a new study by Yale political scientists reports that only a small fraction of U.S. voters are willing to sacrifice their partisan and policy interests to defend …
‘I can’t afford tuition’: College students face financial strains, health concerns from pandemic ahead of fall semester
Brittany Goddard’s final semester at Howard University isn’t the dream ending she imagined in Washington, D.C.
Moonquakes and marsquakes: How we peer inside other worlds
Eavesdropping on the shudders and groans echoing deep inside alien worlds like Mars and the moon is revealing what lies far beneath their surfaces and could teach us more about how our own planet formed.
Forest growth in drier climates will be impacted by reduced snowpack, study finds
A new study suggests that future reductions in seasonal snowpack as a result of climate change may negatively influence forest growth in semi-arid climates, but less so in wetter climates.
NASA finds strong storms in developing Tropical Storm Mekkhala
After Tropical Depression 07W formed close to the western Philippines, it moved away and strengthened into a tropical storm in the South China Sea. NASA’s Terra satellite provided a look at the strength of the storms that …
Landmarks facing climate threats could ‘transform,’ expert says
How much effort should be spent trying to keep Venice looking like Venice—even as it faces rising sea levels that threaten the city with more frequent extreme flooding?
Restaurant customers frown on automatic gratuities, particularly after good service
Automatic gratuities leave restaurant patrons with a bad taste, even when the meal and the service were excellent, new research from Washington State University indicates.
Successful school instruction is digital—but not exclusively
Secondary school students perform better in natural sciences and mathematics and are more motivated when digital tools are used in instruction. However, success depends on the design of the tools used. Success levels are …
SAMURAI measures 5G communications channels precisely
Engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a flexible, portable measurement system to support design and repeatable laboratory testing of fifth-generation (5G) wireless communications …
NASA sees compact Tropical Storm Jangmi exiting East China Sea
Tropical Storm Jangmi was exiting the East China Sea and moving toward the Sea of Japan when NASA’s Aqua satellite measured the strength of the system.
NASA infrared data confirms depression became Tropical Storm Elida
After Tropical Depression 09E formed near the coast of southwestern Mexico, infrared data from NASA’s Aqua satellite helped confirm its transition to a tropical storm.
Fragmented forests: Tree cover, urban sprawl both increased in Southeast Michigan over the past 30 years
The extent of Southeast Michigan’s tree canopy and its urban sprawl both increased between 1985 and 2015, according to a new University of Michigan study that used aerial photos and satellite images to map individual buildings …
Nanocatalysts that remotely control chemical reactions inside living cells
The enzymes responsible for catalytic reactions in our body’s biological reactions are difficult to use for diagnosis or treatment as they react only to certain molecules or have low stability. Many researchers anticipate …
Crickets disperse seeds of early-diverging orchid Apostasia nipponica, suggesting an ancient association
Associate Professor Suetsugu Kenji (Kobe University Graduate School of Science) has found unusual seed dispersal systems by crickets and camel crickets in Apostasia nipponica (Apostasioideae), acknowledged as an early-diverging …
Captive beluga whales released into Iceland sea sanctuary
Two beluga whales from a Shanghai aquarium have returned to the sea in an Icelandic sanctuary, conservationists said Monday, expressing hopes of creating a model for rehoming some 300 belugas currently in captivity.
Deep learning and metamaterials make the invisible visible
By combining purpose-built materials and neural networks, researchers at EPFL have shown that sound can be used in high-resolution imagery.
GENERAL PHYSICS
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Past evidence supports complete loss of Arctic sea ice by 2035
A new study, published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change, supports predictions that the Arctic could be free of sea ice by 2035.
EARTH SCIENCES
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344
Exact climate data from the past
Corals precipitate their calcareous skeletons (calcium carbonate) from seawater. Over thousands of years, vast coral reefs form due to the deposition of this calcium carbonate. During precipitation, corals prefer carbonate …
EARTH SCIENCES
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New study confirms the power of Deinosuchus and its ‘teeth the size of bananas’
A new study, revisiting fossil specimens from the enormous crocodylian, Deinosuchus, has confirmed that the beast had teeth “the size of bananas,” capable of taking down even the very largest of dinosaurs.
ARCHAEOLOGY & FOSSILS
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International team develops new method to determine origin of stardust in meteorites
Analysis of meteorite content has been crucial in advancing our knowledge of the origin and evolution of our solar system. Some meteorites also contain grains of stardust. These grains predate the formation of our solar system …
GENERAL PHYSICS
5 HOURS AGO
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New research reveals previously hidden features of plant genomes
An international team led by the Plant Phenotyping and Imaging Research Centre (P2IRC) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has decoded the full genome for the …
BIOTECHNOLOGY
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Globular cluster Palomar 3 probed by Russian astronomers
By conducting deep photometric and medium-resolution spectroscopic observations, Russian astronomers have investigated Palomar 3, a distant galactic globular cluster. Results of this observational campaign provide more insights …
Breaking molecular traffic jams with finned nanoporous materials
Thousands of chemical processes used by the energy industry and for other applications rely on the high speed of catalytic reactions, but molecules frequently are hindered by molecular traffic jams that slow them down. Now …
MATERIALS SCIENCE
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AI-enhanced precision medicine identifies novel autism subtype
A novel precision medicine approach enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI) has laid the groundwork for what could be the first biomedical screening and intervention tool for a subtype of autism, reports a new study from …
AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS
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Theoretical study shows that matter tends to be ordered at low temperatures
Classical phase transitions are governed by temperature. One of the most familiar examples is the phase transitions of water from solid to liquid to gas. However, other parameters govern phase transitions when temperatures …
GENERAL PHYSICS
5 HOURS AGO
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Inside the ice giants of space
A new theoretical method paves the way to modeling the interior of the ice giants Uranus and Neptune, thanks to computer simulations on the water contained within them. The tool, developed by scientists from SISSA in Trieste …
Wheat and couch grass can extract toxic metals from contaminated soils
Irina Shtangeeva is a researcher at the Department of Soil Science and Soil Ecology, St Petersburg University. She has studied the ability of wheat and couch grass to accumulate toxic substances. Both plants are capable of …
Scientists reveal pheromones are key to harmonious pet relationships
We are all familiar with the old adage “fighting like cat and dog”, but a new scientific study now reveals how you can bid farewell to those animal scraps and foster a harmonious relationship between your pet pooch and feline …
‘Morality pills’ may be the US’s best shot at ending the coronavirus pandemic, according to one ethicist
COVID-19 is a collective risk. It threatens everyone, and we all must cooperate to lower the chance that the coronavirus harms any one individual. Among other things, that means keeping safe social distances and wearing masks. …
Technology can help speed soil recovery after oil spills
After an oil spill or leak, it’s important to act fast. If the oil has gotten into soil, scientists need to rapidly assess how much oil there is and how far it spread. It’s a process that has always been costly and time-consuming.
Artificial intelligence sheds light on membrane performance
Membrane separations have long been recognized as energy-efficient processes with a rapidly growing market. In particular, organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) technology has shown considerable potential when applied to various …
Ancient sea creatures spent years crossing the ocean on rafts – we’ve worked out how it was possible
The English town of Lyme Regis is part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. It was here in the 1830s that William Buckland, better known for the discovery of the first dinosaur, Megalosaurus, collected fossils with …
NASA maps Beirut blast damage
NASA’s Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis (ARIA) team, in collaboration with the Earth Observatory of Singapore, used satellite-derived synthetic aperture radar data to map the likely extent of damage from a massive Aug. …
Wagyu beef passes the taste test of science
The unique flavor, texture and aroma of Australia’s famous Wagyu beef can now be marketed using a world-first flavor profile developed by The University of Queensland in partnership with the Australian Agricultural Company …
Spotted lanternfly task force brings together expertise of scientists, agencies
Since its unwelcome arrival in Pennsylvania several years ago, the spotted lanternfly has been eating away at agricultural commodities, landscapes and the commonwealth’s bottom line.
Life after coal: The decline and rise of West Virginia coal country
In the West Virginia coalfields—on the edge of which my aunt and uncle live, and where I spent holidays and vacations as a kid—the economic mood ranges from depressed to apocalyptic. At one point, more than 100,000 West …
Reforming ‘dad leave’ is a baby step towards greater gender equality
Grattan Institute research published today shows the average 25-year-old woman who goes on to have a child can expect to earn A$2 million less by the time she is 70 than the average 25-year-old man who becomes a father. For …
When English becomes the global language of education we risk losing other, often better, ways of learning
The English language in education today is all-pervasive. “Hear more English, speak more English and become more successful” has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Why most Aboriginal people have little say over clean energy projects planned for their land
Huge clean energy projects, such as the Asian Renewable Energy Hub in the Pilbara, Western Australia, are set to produce gigawatts of electricity over vast expanses of land in the near future.
Creative block of molecular evolution: Adaptive mutations repeat themselves in tiny crustaceans of Lake Baikal
A group of scientists from Skoltech and the Institute for Information Transmission Problems of RAS (IITP RAS) showed, using Lake Baikal amphipods as an example, that parallel evolution driven by adaptations can be detected …