New research on octopus-inspired technology successfully maneuvers underwater objects
2024-10-09
Using mechanisms inspired by nature to create new technological innovations is a signature of one Virginia Tech research team. The group led by Associate Professor Michael Bartlett has created an octopus-inspired adhesive, inspired by the shape of octopus suckers, that can quickly grab and controllably release challenging underwater objects.
Having the ability to grab and release these underwater objects like heavy rocks, small shells, and soft beads, and other debris could be a powerful tool for underwater salvage and even rescue operations. Their findings have been published in Advanced Science.
This work was performed with undergraduate researchers Austin Via, Aldo Heredia, ...
Newly discovered Late Cretaceous birds may have carried heavy prey like extant raptors
2024-10-09
Newly discovered ancient birds from Late Cretaceous North America were hawk-sized and had powerful raptor-like feet, according to a study published October 9, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Alexander Clark of the University of Chicago, U.S. and colleagues.
The most diverse birds during the Cretaceous Period were a now-extinct group called enantiornithines, known from all over the world during this time. However, enantiornithines and other Mesozoic birds are mainly known from Lower Cretaceous deposits, with a relatively poor record ...
Bat species richness in San Diego, C.A. decreases as artificial lights, urbanization, and unconserved land increase, with Townsend's big-eared bat especially affected
2024-10-09
Bat species richness in San Diego, C.A. decreases as artificial lights, urbanization, and unconserved land increase, with Townsend's big-eared bat especially affected
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Article URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0310812
Article Title: Quantification of threats to bats at localized spatial scales for conservation and management
Author Countries: U.S.A.
Funding: The United States Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center and Ecosystems Mission Area provided funding and support, and the National ...
Satellite data shows massive bombs dropped in dangerous proximity to Gaza Strip hospitals in 2023
2024-10-09
Satellite data on the proximity of hundreds of M-84 bomb craters to hospitals in the Gaza Strip suggests that, as of November 2023, hospitals were not being given special protection from indiscriminate bombing, as mandated by international humanitarian law. That is one finding out of a new study published this week in PLOS Global Public Health by Dennis Kunichoff of Harvard University, and colleagues.
On October 7, 2023, Israel launched a major military campaign in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas militant attacks in Israel. Among the munitions being used are United-States-provided Mark-84 (M-84) bombs, which are air-dropped explosive munitions that shoot more than 1000 pounds ...
Predatory birds from the same fossil formation as SUE the T. rex
2024-10-09
The Hell Creek Formation in what’s now the Dakotas, Montana, and Wyoming was once home to some of the world’s most beloved dinosaurs, like Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus rex (including SUE, one of the largest, most complete, and best-preserved T. rex specimens ever found). But these giant dinosaurs weren’t alone in their ecosystem, and in a paper in the journal PLOS ONE, scientists have described two new species of birds that lived alongside these dinosaurs 68 million years ago. The researchers ...
Sexist textbooks? Review of over 1200 English-language textbooks from 34 countries reveals persistent pattern of stereotypical gender roles and under-representation of female characters across countri
2024-10-09
Gender biases around male and female roles and under-representation of female characters appeared in textbooks from around the world, with male-coded words appearing twice as often as female-coded words on average, according to a study published October 9, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Lee Crawfurd from the Center for Global Development, United Kingdom, and colleagues.
School textbooks play an important role in shaping norms and attitudes in students—one reason why controversy ...
Interview with Lee Crawfurd, Center for Global Development, United Kingdom
2024-10-09
Interview with Lee Crawfurd
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What first drew you to study gender bias in school textbooks, and why did you choose to investigate this topic?
I was raised by a gay feminist single mother who was a school teacher and loves to challenge gender stereotypes, so this is something I've always been interested in. This personal background, combined with recent advancements in computerized text analysis and the new availability of digital textbooks, led me to this line of research.
What are the key findings from your research?
It's not really news that there is some ...
Scientists show accelerating CO2 release from rocks in Arctic Canada with global warming
2024-10-09
Researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford have shown that weathering of rocks in the Canadian Arctic will accelerate with rising temperatures, triggering a positive feedback loop that will release more and more CO2 to the atmosphere. The findings have been published today in the journal Science Advances.
For sensitive regions like the Arctic, where surface air temperatures are warming nearly four times faster than the global average, it is particularly crucial to understand the potential contribution of atmospheric CO2 from weathering. ...
The changing geography of “energy poverty”
2024-10-09
A growing portion of Americans who are struggling to pay for their household energy live in the South and Southwest, reflecting a climate-driven shift away from heating needs and toward air conditioning use, an MIT study finds.
The newly published research also reveals that a major U.S. federal program that provides energy subsidies to households, by assigning block grants to states, does not yet fully match these recent trends.
The work evaluates the “energy burden” on households, which reflects the percentage of income needed to pay for energy necessities, from 2015 to 2020. Households with an energy burden greater ...
Why people think they’re right, even when they are wrong
2024-10-09
COLUMBUS, Ohio – If you smugly believe you’re right in a disagreement with a friend or colleague, a new study suggests why you may actually be wrong.
Researchers found that people naturally assume they have all the information they need to make a decision or support their position, even when they do not.
The researchers called it the “illusion of information adequacy.”
“We found that, in general, people don’t stop to think whether there might be more information that would help them make a more informed decision,” said study co-author ...
New study shows how muscle energy production is impaired in type 2 diabetes
2024-10-09
A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Science Translational Medicine, shows that people with type 2 diabetes have lower levels of the protein that breaks down and converts creatine in the muscles. This leads to impaired function of the mitochondria, the 'powerhouses' of the cell.
Creatine is a natural compound in the body that is also found in foods such as meat and fish. It is also a popular supplement for improving exercise performance as it can make muscles work harder and longer before they become fatigued. Despite creatine's ...
Early human species benefited from food diversity in steep mountainous terrain
2024-10-09
A new study published in the journal Science Advances [1] by researchers at the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at Pusan National University in South Korea shows that the patchwork of different ecosystems found in mountainous regions played a key role in the evolution of humans.
A notable feature of the archeological sites of early humans, members of the genus Homo known as hominins, is that they are often found in and near mountain regions. Using an extensive dataset of hominin fossils and artifacts, along with high-resolution landscape data and a 3-million-year-long simulation of Earth’s climate, the team of scientists from ICCP have provided a clearer picture of how ...
Researchers discover new insights into bacterial photosynthesis
2024-10-09
Researchers at the University of Liverpool and collaborators have discovered new understanding of bacterial photosynthesis.
Using cutting-edge techniques, investigators have unveiled intricate detailed images of the key photosynthetic protein complexes of purple bacteria. These images shed new light on how these microorganisms harness solar energy.
The study, published today, not only advances scientists’ understanding of bacterial photosynthesis but also has potential applications in the development of artificial photosynthetic systems for clean energy production.
Like plants, many ...
Former United States Air Force surgeon general to lead Military Health Institute at UT Health San Antonio
2024-10-09
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) announces the appointment of retired Lt. Gen. Robert Miller, MD, MBA, MSS, FAAP, FACHE, FACPE, as the new Executive Director of the Military Health Institute at UT Health San Antonio. Miller will assume his role, effective October 15.
Miller joins UT Health San Antonio with more than 30 years of service in the United States Air Force, where he held several top leadership roles. Throughout his distinguished career, Miller served as command surgeon, director of education ...
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior announces 2024 Best Article, Best Research Brief, and GEM Awards
2024-10-09
Philadelphia, October 9, 2024 – The Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (JNEB) is pleased to announce the 2024 Best Article, Best Research Brief, and GEM (Great Educational Material) awards. These awards were presented at the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior's (SNEB) 2024 International Conference, held July 29 – August 1 in Knoxville, TN, and hosted online. These awards recognize the authors of the outstanding articles in each category published in the prior year in JNEB, as judged by members of the ...
NYU Tandon School of Engineering study maps pedestrian crosswalks across entire cities, helping improve road safety and increase walkability
2024-10-09
As pedestrian fatalities in the United States reach a 40-year high, a novel approach to measuring crosswalk lengths across entire cities could provide urban planners with crucial data to improve safety interventions.
NYU Tandon School of Engineering researchers Marcel Moran and Debra F. Laefer published the first comprehensive, city-wide analysis of crosswalk distances in the Journal of the American Planning Association. Moran is an Urban Science Faculty Fellow at the Center for Urban Science + Progress (CUSP), and Laefer is a Professor of Civil and Urban Engineering and CUSP faculty member.
"In general, lots of important data related ...
Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. family donates $25 million to establish Gerstner Scholars Program in AI Translation at Mayo Clinic
2024-10-09
ROCHESTER, Minn. — A $25 million gift from the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. family will establish the Gerstner Scholars Program in AI Translation at Mayo Clinic. Through this program, junior and early-career clinicians and clinician-investigators will collaborate with leading experts in artificial intelligence (AI), data science and informatics to drive breakthrough cures for patients.
“We are deeply grateful to Lou and Robin Gerstner for their long-standing friendship and support,” says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., Mayo Clinic's president and CEO. “Lou’s remarkable generosity over many years has been instrumental in ...
UTIA entomologist elected president of SIP
2024-10-09
Juan Luis Jurat-Fuentes, professor in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, was elected to serve as president of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology (SIP). Jurat-Fuentes officially began his appointment at the society’s 56th annual meeting, held July 28 – August 1 in Vienna, Austria.
“Being elected by the SIP members as president is humbling and a great honor. I have big shoes to fill in this role as previous SIP executive councils were led by outstanding leaders,” Jurat-Fuentes said.
Jurat-Fuentes has a long history of ...
Rice bioengineers awarded $3.4M for project to end polio
2024-10-09
HOUSTON – (Oct. 9, 2024) – Rice University bioengineer Kevin McHugh has been awarded $3.4 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for a project to incorporate protection against poliomyelitis (polio) into the combination vaccine that protects against five common and dangerous childhood diseases.
The research could help the polio eradication effort and play an instrumental role in improving access to immunization in low-resource settings ⎯ an important part of meeting sustainable development goals and achieving equity in health ...
Effects of environmental factors on Southeast Brazil’s coastal biodiversity surpass those of ecological processes
2024-10-09
Sea surface temperature, wave energy and freshwater discharge from rivers influence the abundance and size of the marine organisms that inhabit rocky shores along the coast of Southeast Brazil more than ecological processes such as competition and predation. In areas where the water is colder, such as the Lakes Region (Região dos Lagos) in Rio de Janeiro state, marine organisms are 25%-100% larger than in areas where it is warmer, such as the coast of São Paulo state.
These are the main conclusions of a study conducted by researchers affiliated with the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in partnership with colleagues at the State University of Northern Rio de ...
Department of Energy announces $49 million for research on foundational laboratory fusion
2024-10-09
WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the Department of Energy (DOE) continues to accelerate a clean-energy future that includes fusion technology, a total of $49 million in funding for 19 projects was announced today in the Foundational Fusion Materials, Nuclear Science, and Technology programs.
The purpose of the funding is to reorient the laboratory-based foundational and basic science research programs to better align and support the new FES program vision.
“The Fusion Nuclear Science Foundational research program, ...
Effects of exposure to alcohol in early pregnancy can be detected in the placenta
2024-10-09
A new study led by Pr. Serge McGraw, researcher at CHU Sainte-Justine and professor at Université de Montréal, shows that the effects of alcohol exposure on an embryo prior to implantation in the uterus can be detected in the late-gestation placenta. Using a mouse model well suited for this type of exposure, the researcher and his team observed significant molecular changes in the placenta, including the expression of numerous genes and DNA methylation, an epigenetic marker that influences gene expression by ...
Scientists caution no guarantees when it comes to overshooting 1.5°C
2024-10-09
Even if it is possible to reverse the rise of global temperatures after a temporary overshoot of 1.5°C, some climate damages inflicted at peak warming, including rising sea levels, will be irreversible, according to a new study published today in Nature.
The study is the culmination of a three-and-a-half-year project, backed by the European innovation fund HORIZON2020, looking at so-called ‘overshoot’ scenarios where temperatures temporarily exceed the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C ...
Nature and plastics inspire breakthrough in soft sustainable materials
2024-10-09
Step aside hard, rigid materials. There is a new soft, sustainable electroactive material in town — and it’s poised to open new possibilities for medical devices, wearable technology and human-computer interfaces.
Using peptides and a snippet of the large molecules in plastics, Northwestern University materials scientists have developed materials made of tiny, flexible nano-sized ribbons that can be charged just like a battery to store energy or record digital information. Highly energy efficient, biocompatible and made from sustainable materials, the systems could give rise to new ...
New quantum timekeeper packs several clocks into one
2024-10-09
Imagine walking into a room where several different grandfather clocks hang on the walls, each ticking at a different pace.
Quantum physicists at the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have essentially recreated that room at the scale of atoms and electrons. The team’s advancement could pave the way for new kinds of optical atomic clocks, devices that track the passage of time by measuring the natural “ticking” of atoms.
The group’s new clock is made from a few dozen strontium ...
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