Science news

• Simple but effective: Spontaneous synthesis of homogenous polymer networks

  07-09-2018 17:05 via sciencedaily.com
  Researchers have developed a spontaneous polymer network synthesis that allowed for the preparation of gels containing narrow molecular weight distribution polymers. The gel networks showed swelling properties that were responsive to temperature and solvent concentration. The reported process demonstrates the potential for facile preparation of high quality materials that exhibit the full range of polymer gel properties, including sustained release, stimuli responsiveness, and molecular sieving,
  
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• Award-winning teen birdwatcher launches mobile game in which players explore birding hotspots

  17-04-2021 16:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Coquitlam, B.C., resident Adam Dhalla, 15, is a past recipient of the American Birding Association's Young Birder of the Year award and his new game, Find the Birds, is available now.
  
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• New amphibious centipede species discovered in Okinawa and Taiwan

  17-04-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Tokyo Metropolitan University) Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University and Hosei University have discovered a new species of large, tropical centipede of genus Scolopendra in Okinawa and Taiwan. It is only the third amphibious centipede identified in the world, and is the largest in the region, 20 cm long and nearly 2 cm thick. It is also the first new centipede to be identified in Japan in 143 years, testament to the incredible biodiversity of the Ryukyu Archipelago.
  
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• Unconventional takes on pandemics and nuclear defense could protect humanity from catastrophic failure

  17-04-2021 01:49 via sciencedaily.com
  From engineered pandemics to city-toppling cyber attacks to nuclear annihilation, life on Earth could radically change, and soon.
  
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• Nasa chooses SpaceX to build Moon lander

  17-04-2021 00:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  SpaceX will build a lander that the US space agency will use to return humans to the Moon this decade.
  
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• SpaceX wins $2.9B contract for NASA moon lander

  16-04-2021 23:00 via cbc.ca
  
  NASA said on Friday it has awarded billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's private space company SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract to build a spacecraft to fly astronauts to the moon, picking it over Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and defence contractor Dynetics Inc.
  
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• Tarantula's ubiquity traced back to the cretaceous

  16-04-2021 21:50 via sciencedaily.com
  Tarantulas are among the most notorious spiders, due in part to their size, vibrant colors and prevalence throughout the world. But one thing most people don't know is that tarantulas are homebodies. Females and their young rarely leave their burrows and only mature males will wander to seek out a mate. How then did such a sedentary spider come to inhabit six out of seven continents?
  
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• Female protective effect: Researchers find clues to sex differences in autism

  16-04-2021 20:58 via sciencedaily.com
  Researchers have found that autism may develop in different regions of the brain in girls than boys and that girls with autism have a larger number of genetic mutations than boys, suggesting that they require a larger 'genetic hit' to develop the disorder.
  
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• COVID-19: Scientists identify human genes that fight infection

  16-04-2021 20:58 via sciencedaily.com
  Scientists have identified a set of human genes that fight SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes COVID-19. Knowing which genes help control viral infection can greatly assist researchers' understanding of factors that affect disease severity and also suggest possible therapeutic options. The genes in question are related to interferons, the body's frontline virus fighters.
  
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• Hidden magma pools pose eruption risks that we can't yet detect

  16-04-2021 20:30 via sciencedaily.com
  Volcanologists' ability to estimate eruption risks is largely reliant on knowing where pools of magma are stored, deep in the Earth's crust. But what happens if the magma can't be spotted?
  
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• Study shows past COVID-19 infection doesn't fully protect young people against reinfection

  16-04-2021 19:19 via sciencedaily.com
  Results of a new study suggest vaccination against COVID-19 remains crucial even in young adults who were previously infected.
  
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• Tiny cat-sized stegosaur leaves its mark

  16-04-2021 18:01 via sciencedaily.com
  A single footprint left by a cat-sized dinosaur around 100 million years ago has been discovered in China by an international team of palaeontologists.
  
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• Experimental antiviral for COVID-19 effective in hamster study

  16-04-2021 18:01 via sciencedaily.com
  The experimental antiviral drug MK-4482 significantly decreased levels of virus and disease damage in the lungs of hamsters treated for SARS-CoV-2 infection, according to a new study. MK-4482, delivered orally, is now in human clinical trials.
  
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• Long-term consequences of CO2 emissions

  16-04-2021 18:00 via sciencedaily.com
  According to a new study, the oxygen content in the oceans will continue to decrease for centuries even if all CO2 emissions would be stopped immediately. The slowdown of ocean circulation and the progressive warming of deeper water layers are responsible for this process.
  
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• Fit matters most when double masking to protect yourself from COVID-19

  16-04-2021 18:00 via sciencedaily.com
  A new study shows that wearing two face coverings can nearly double the effectiveness of filtering out SARS-CoV-2-sized particles, preventing them from reaching the wearer's nose and mouth and causing COVID-19.
  
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• Experiments cast doubts on the existence of quantum spin liquids

  16-04-2021 18:00 via sciencedaily.com
  A quantum spin liquid is a state of matter in which interacting quantum spins do not align even at lowest temperatures, but remain disordered. Research on this state has been going on for almost 50 years, but whether it really exists has never been proven beyond doubt. An international team has now put an end to the dream of a quantum spin liquid for the time being. Nevertheless, the matter remains exciting.
  
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• Coronavirus does not infect the brain but still inflicts damage, study finds

  16-04-2021 18:00 via sciencedaily.com
  SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, does not infect brain cells but can inflict significant neurological damage, according to a new study of dozens of deceased patients.
  
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• A rich marine algal ecosystem 600 million years earlier than previously thought

  16-04-2021 18:00 via sciencedaily.com
  The first photosynthetic oxygen-producing organisms on Earth were cyanobacteria. Their evolution dramatically changed the Earth allowing oxygen to accumulate into the atmosphere for the first time and further allowing the evolution of oxygen-utilizing organisms including eukaryotes. Eukaryotes include animals, but also algae, a broad group of photosynthetic oxygen-producing organisms that now dominate photosynthesis in the modern oceans. When, however, did algae begin to occupy marine ecosystems
  
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• Virologists develop broadly protective coronavirus vaccines

  16-04-2021 17:59 via sciencedaily.com
  A candidate vaccine that could provide protection against the COVID-19 virus and other coronaviruses has shown promising results in early animal testing.
  
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• A new era of flight on other worlds

  16-04-2021 17:54 via cbc.ca
  
  Bob McDonald's blog: Powered flight on Mars could be the first step to atmospheric flight on other planets or moons
  
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• Triangular-shaped spikes key to coronavirus transmission, finds new study

  16-04-2021 15:10 via sciencedaily.com
  Scientists have modeled the spikes of the coronavirus particle to unravel how their shape and number may influence the transmissibility of the virus.
  
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• Climate Emergency Stymies Forecasts of Local Disaster Risks

  16-04-2021 15:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  After a record-setting year for hurricanes and wildfires, the insurance industry is grappling with the role of our climate emergency in estimating local disaster damages-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• This year's Yukon River Chinook salmon run will likely be small, according to forecast

  16-04-2021 13:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Officials on both sides of the border are concerned that the run will once again fail to meet conservation and harvest goals. 
  
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• Coping Strategies of Ocean Castaways Hold Lessons for the COVID Pandemic

  16-04-2021 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Shipwreck victims cast adrift for weeks or months exhibit a resilience that serves as a model to weather any extended crisis-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• 'Whitest ever' paint reflects 98% of sunlight

  16-04-2021 10:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Researchers hope their "ultra-white" paint can save energy by reflecting sunlight from buildings.
  
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• The ongoing search for the perfect climate change metaphor

  16-04-2021 10:00 via cbc.ca
  
  In this week's issue of our environment newsletter, we look at how scientists, environmentalists and marketers talk about climate change.
  
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• Wearable sensors that detect gas leaks

  16-04-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH)) Professor Junsuk Rho's research team at POSTECH develops wearable gas sensors that display instantaneous visual holographic alarm.
  
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• Virtual humans are equal to real ones in helping people practice new leadership skills

  16-04-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Frontiers) Researchers at the Human Interface Technology Lab New Zealand at the University of Canterbury compared the effectiveness of virtual humans to real ones for helping people practice leadership skills. They found that virtual humans with realistic characteristics can be equally effective in these types of training scenarios. This was especially the case in mixed reality settings, which blend real and digital worlds together, providing an anchor to reality that appeared to positively imp
  
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• USU researchers develop power converter for long-distance, underwater electric grids

  16-04-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Utah State University) A team of researchers from Utah State University have developed a DC current-to-DC voltage power converter. This converter is equipped for long distances and minimal maintenance, making it particularly useful in underwater power distribution networks.
  
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• Underweight and overweight women at higher risk of successive miscarriages

  16-04-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (University of Southampton) A new study has shown that underweight and overweight women are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing recurrent miscarriages compared to those of average weight.
  
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