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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 Tulane University study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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.
Air pollution linked to 'missed' miscarriages in China: study Exposure to airborne pollutants increases the risk of "missed" miscarriages in which a fetus dies without a pregnant woman experiencing any noticeable symptoms, researchers said Monday.
Shipment tracking for 'fat parcels' in the body Without fat, nothing works in the body: Fats serve as energy suppliers and important building blocks, including for the envelopes of living cells. Numerous diseases are related to disorders in fat metabolism such as obesity and cancer. Researchers from the LIMES Institute at the University of Bonn are now demonstrating how fat metabolism can be monitored down to the individual liver cell of a mouse with high sensitivity. This opens up clinical possibilities, such as minimizing the side effects of new drugs on fat metabolism. The scientists now present their study in the journal Nature Methods.
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.
Unique dendritic sticky particles formed by harnessing 'liquid chaos' New research from North Carolina State University shows that unique materials with distinct properties akin to those of gecko feet—the ability to stick to just about any surface—can be created by harnessing liquid-driven chaos to produce soft polymer microparticles with hierarchical branching on the micro- and nanoscale.
2I/Borisov: Interstellar comet with a familiar look A new comet discovered by amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov is an outcast from another star system, yet its properties are surprisingly familiar, a new study led by Jagiellonian University researchers shows. The team's findings are being published in Nature Astronomy on 14 October 2019.
Synopsis: Quantum-Fluid Droplets Hold Bevy of Charge
NASA engineer's 'helical engine' may violate the laws of physics A NASA engineer has published plans for an engine that could accelerate a rocket without using propellant. But there are questions over whether it could work
Synopsis: Discovering New Magnetic Materials with Machine Learning
Feature: <i>Nobel Prize</i>—Tackling Cosmic Questions
Born in the big bang: How ancient black holes could save cosmology Exotic primordial black holes born in the moments after the universe began could be the key to solving some of cosmology’s biggest problems… if only we can find them.
Viewpoint: Directly Measuring an Entangled State
Synopsis: Turning an Accelerator into a Microscope
Viewpoint: Jamming Grains Come Full Circle
Nobel prize in physics for discovery of exoplanet orbiting a star The Nobel prize in physics has been jointly awarded to James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz for their contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth’s place in the cosmos.
Focus: <i>Video</i>—Spinning Loop of String Lifts Itself
What the quark?! Why matter's most basic building blocks may not exist Quarks are the subatomic particles thought to make up nearly everything we can see. Now it turns out they could be an illusion created by quantum trickery
A strange new type of crystal is made of fluid tied into knots Weird liquid knots can self-assemble into crystals that are tough to untie, which could make for screens that use less energy to store and display information
Google has reached quantum supremacy – here's what it should do next Google's quantum computer can outpace supercomputers at a useless calculation, but there are still plenty of hurdles left before the technology hits the big time
Real-life Iron Man on what it's like to fly a Jet Suit A childhood spent building rockets helped Sam Rogers become the person who flies in a gas-turbine-powered Jet Suit
Physicists beat Lorentz reciprocity for microwave transmission New device could boost telecommunications and be adapted for photonics
Japan’s SuperKEKB set for first particle collisions Revamped accelerator will soon be smashing electrons and positrons together
Wood-based 'supermaterial' is stronger and tougher than steel New material is made by compressing treated wood
Three photons bind together to make a ‘molecule’ of light Technique could be used to create quantum-information systems
Nuclear excitation by electron capture seen at long last Breakthrough could lead to new type of energy source
Pistachio trees 'talk' to their neighbours, reveals statistical physics Ising model could account for nut production of pistachio orchards
US National Science Foundation clamps down on misconduct Agency will now require every grantee organization to report cases of sexual harassment
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.
Air pollution linked to 'missed' miscarriages in China: study Exposure to airborne pollutants increases the risk of "missed" miscarriages in which a fetus dies without a pregnant woman experiencing any noticeable symptoms, researchers said Monday.
Shipment tracking for 'fat parcels' in the body Without fat, nothing works in the body: Fats serve as energy suppliers and important building blocks, including for the envelopes of living cells. Numerous diseases are related to disorders in fat metabolism such as obesity and cancer. Researchers from the LIMES Institute at the University of Bonn are now demonstrating how fat metabolism can be monitored down to the individual liver cell of a mouse with high sensitivity. This opens up clinical possibilities, such as minimizing the side effects of new drugs on fat metabolism. The scientists now present their study in the journal Nature Methods.
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.
Unique dendritic sticky particles formed by harnessing 'liquid chaos' New research from North Carolina State University shows that unique materials with distinct properties akin to those of gecko feet—the ability to stick to just about any surface—can be created by harnessing liquid-driven chaos to produce soft polymer microparticles with hierarchical branching on the micro- and nanoscale.
2I/Borisov: Interstellar comet with a familiar look A new comet discovered by amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov is an outcast from another star system, yet its properties are surprisingly familiar, a new study led by Jagiellonian University researchers shows. The team's findings are being published in Nature Astronomy on 14 October 2019.
Synopsis: Quantum-Fluid Droplets Hold Bevy of Charge
Tiny droplets of superfluid helium can contain more than fifty charges, which could act as nucleation sites for growing nanostructures.
[Physics] Published Mon Oct 14, 2019
NASA engineer's 'helical engine' may violate the laws of physics A NASA engineer has published plans for an engine that could accelerate a rocket without using propellant. But there are questions over whether it could work
Synopsis: Discovering New Magnetic Materials with Machine Learning
A new computing experiment suggests that machine-learning algorithms can accelerate the discovery and design of new magnetic materials.
[Physics] Published Thu Oct 10, 2019
Feature: <i>Nobel Prize</i>—Tackling Cosmic Questions
The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics recognizes research that helped explain the evolution of the Universe and reveal the prevalence of worlds like our own.
[Physics 12, 111] Published Thu Oct 10, 2019
Born in the big bang: How ancient black holes could save cosmology Exotic primordial black holes born in the moments after the universe began could be the key to solving some of cosmology’s biggest problems… if only we can find them.
Viewpoint: Directly Measuring an Entangled State
Author(s): David J. Starling
Researchers have directly measured the components of a nonlocal, entangled wave function, rather than relying on indirect tomographic or reconstructive techniques.
[Physics 12, 110] Published Wed Oct 09, 2019
Synopsis: Turning an Accelerator into a Microscope
A linear accelerator delivers high-energy electrons that can be used to image samples too thick for conventional transmission electron microscopes.
[Physics] Published Tue Oct 08, 2019
Viewpoint: Jamming Grains Come Full Circle
Author(s): Stefan Luding
The characterization of a new transition in sheared grains helps to fill in the phase diagram for granular materials.
[Physics 12, 109] Published Mon Oct 07, 2019
Nobel prize in physics for discovery of exoplanet orbiting a star The Nobel prize in physics has been jointly awarded to James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz for their contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth’s place in the cosmos.
Focus: <i>Video</i>—Spinning Loop of String Lifts Itself
Author(s): David Ehrenstein
Friction with the air allows a rapidly rotating loop of string to lift up its unsupported end.
[Physics 12, 107] Published Fri Oct 04, 2019
What the quark?! Why matter's most basic building blocks may not exist Quarks are the subatomic particles thought to make up nearly everything we can see. Now it turns out they could be an illusion created by quantum trickery
A strange new type of crystal is made of fluid tied into knots Weird liquid knots can self-assemble into crystals that are tough to untie, which could make for screens that use less energy to store and display information
Google has reached quantum supremacy – here's what it should do next Google's quantum computer can outpace supercomputers at a useless calculation, but there are still plenty of hurdles left before the technology hits the big time
Real-life Iron Man on what it's like to fly a Jet Suit A childhood spent building rockets helped Sam Rogers become the person who flies in a gas-turbine-powered Jet Suit
Physicists beat Lorentz reciprocity for microwave transmission New device could boost telecommunications and be adapted for photonics
Japan’s SuperKEKB set for first particle collisions Revamped accelerator will soon be smashing electrons and positrons together
Wood-based 'supermaterial' is stronger and tougher than steel New material is made by compressing treated wood
Three photons bind together to make a ‘molecule’ of light Technique could be used to create quantum-information systems
Nuclear excitation by electron capture seen at long last Breakthrough could lead to new type of energy source
Pistachio trees 'talk' to their neighbours, reveals statistical physics Ising model could account for nut production of pistachio orchards
US National Science Foundation clamps down on misconduct Agency will now require every grantee organization to report cases of sexual harassment