discuss Science & Technology news & discussion

[CraigD]

Post and discuss interesting articles & videos about science and technology.

You don't need to be an expert - just interested in the wonders of modern science, technology, and the history of these fields.

Please keep it rational, and post articles from reputable sources.
Try not to editorialise headlines and keep the copy to just a paragraph with a link to the original source. When quoting excerpts from articles, I think the best method is to italicise the copy, and include a link to the source.

Have some fun with your comments and discussions... just keep the sources legitimate.

Other threads:
The Break Room has a number of other popular threads, so there is no need to post material here that is better suited to these other threads:

- Covid19-Coronavirus updates and news
- Conspiracy Thread Free For All
- The *religious* discussion thread

Please enjoy!

 

[CraigD]

What is a realistic solution to control this?

Rounding them up like this:

or killing them with native predators like this:

but NOT cane toad golf as some like:

Teenage boy hit with golf club while hunting cane toads dies in hospital
https://www.theguardian.com/austral...lub-while-hunting-cane-toads-dies-in-hospital

I don't think this is something that can be effectively controlled now.

 

[CraigD]

High temperatures threaten the survival of insects

Insects have difficulties handling the higher temperatures brought on by climate change, and might risk overheating. The ability to reproduce is also strongly affected by rising temperatures, even in northern areas of the world, according to a new study from Lund University in Sweden.

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/high-temperatures-threaten-survival-insects

 

[CraigD]

Does the human brain resemble the Universe?

An astrophysicist at the University of Bologna and a neurosurgeon at the University of Verona compared the network of neuronal cells in the human brain with the cosmic network of galaxies... and surprising similarities emerged

https://phys.org/news/2020-11-human-brain-resemble-universe.html

 

[CraigD]

Iron in binary stars reflects Galaxy’s chemical evolution
.
The dance that binary stars do around each other offers new clues to the chemical evolution of our Galaxy, the Milky Way – so says a current research study. For the first time, researchers have identified the link between the orbiting times of certain binary stars and the amount of iron in in their interiors.

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/iron-binary-stars-reflects-galaxys-chemical-evolution

 

[CraigD]

Scientists discover beautiful blue new mineral petrovite

It's not just a pretty face. The mineral could find a use in next-generation rechargeable batteries.

https://www.cnet.com/news/scientists-discover-beautiful-blue-new-mineral-petrovite/

 

[koolishman]

Scientists have uncovered a method of combining natural organic compounds which can create anticancer drugs with minimal side effects.

Killing Cancer Naturally: New Process to Produce Compounds with Anti-Cancer Properties

Scientists from the Tokyo University of Science have made a breakthrough in the development of potential drugs that can kill cancer cells. They have discovered a method of synthesizing organic compounds that are four times more fatal to cancer cells and leave non-cancerous cells unharmed. Published in the American Chemical Society Omega, their research can assist in the creation of new anticancer drugs with minimal side effects.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.0c04253


Lot of these type of research in news frequently. How far are we away from a real-world drug or treatment?

 

[koolishman]

Ban on new petrol and diesel cars in UK from 2030 under PM's green plan

New cars and vans powered wholly by petrol and diesel will not be sold in the UK from 2030, prime minister Boris Johnson has said.

But some hybrids would still be allowed, Mr Johnson confirmed.

It is part of what the prime minister calls a "green industrial revolution" to tackle climate change and create jobs in industries such as nuclear.

Critics of the plan say the £4bn allocated is far too small for the scale of the challenge.

The total amount of new money announced in the package is a 25th of the projected £100bn cost of high-speed rail, HS2.


The government will bring forward, to 2023, the date by which new homes will need to be warmed without using gas heating.

It will aim to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028 - these are low-energy electrical devices for warming homes.

 

[koolishman]

The foul-smelling fuel that could power big ships

While it is less energy-rich than today's marine fuels, liquid ammonia is more energy-dense than hydrogen, another zero-emission fuel.

Hydrogen has already powered cars, planes and trains. It's cheaper to produce than ammonia, but harder to handle as it has to be stored at minus 253C. Ammonia becomes liquid below minus 34C and at higher temperatures if under pressure.

"Ammonia sits very nicely in the middle," says Dr Tristan Smith, an expert in low carbon shipping from University College London. "It's not too expensive to store and not too expensive to produce."

There are challenges. Burning ammonia can create polluting nitrous oxides, therefore the exhaust needs cleaning up. It is also toxic, so requires careful handling and storage.

However, safety know-how and some port infrastructure are already in place, says Mr Soerensen, because the fertiliser industry is well-established.

"It's being transported seaborne today. We know how to handle ammonia on board a ship, not as a fuel, but as a cargo."

 

[CraigD]

Gravitational lenses could hold the key to better estimates of the expansion of the universe

The universe is expanding but astrophysicists aren't sure exactly how fast that expansion is happening—not because there aren't answers, but rather because the answers they could give don't agree.

https://phys.org/news/2020-11-gravitational-lenses-key-expansion-universe.html

 

[Cannuck]

Aurora-chasing citizen scientists help discover a new feature of STEVE

We're fortunate here in the north to have regular Aurora borealis light shows...

 

[Sutruk]

Homo erectus, not humans, may have invented the barbed bone point

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/homo-erectus-not-humans-invented-barbed-bone-point-tool

"A type of bone tool generally thought to have been invented by Stone Age humans got its start among hominids that lived hundreds of thousands of years before Homo sapiens evolved, a new study concludes.

A set of 52 previously excavated but little-studied animal bones from East Africa’s Olduvai Gorge includes the world’s oldest known barbed bone point, an implement probably crafted by now-extinct Homo erectus at least 800,000 years ago, researchers say. Made from a piece of a large animal’s rib, the artifact features three curved barbs and a carved tip, the team reports in the November Journal of Human Evolution.

The previous oldest barbed bone points were from a central African site and dated to around 90,000 years ago (SN: 4/29/95), and were assumed to reflect a toolmaking ingenuity exclusive to Homo sapiens."

 

[CraigD]

We're fortunate here in the north to have regular Aurora borealis light shows...

Amazing photograph @Cannuck
Say hello to STEVE from me

 

[CraigD]

Scientists have uncovered a method of combining natural organic compounds which can create anticancer drugs with minimal side effects.

Killing Cancer Naturally: New Process to Produce Compounds with Anti-Cancer Properties

Scientists from the Tokyo University of Science have made a breakthrough in the development of potential drugs that can kill cancer cells. They have discovered a method of synthesizing organic compounds that are four times more fatal to cancer cells and leave non-cancerous cells unharmed. Published in the American Chemical Society Omega, their research can assist in the creation of new anticancer drugs with minimal side effects.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.0c04253


Lot of these type of research in news frequently. How far are we away from a real-world drug or treatment?

There have been many cancer breakthroughs in recent years. One that comes to mind is the HPV vaccine now given to children that provides protection against HPV-related cancers.

I don't think there will be an all encompassing magic cancer bullet, but I believe that we will see a gradual reduction in most forms of cancers over the coming two-decades as new vaccines are developed to shield us from various infections that cause cancers.

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cance...gents/infections-that-can-lead-to-cancer.html

 

[CraigD]

China's Mars probe travels over 300 million kilometers

China's Mars probe Tianwen-1 had traveled 300 million kilometers in space by early Tuesday morning (Beijing time), with all systems functioning well, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

Since its launch on July 23, the probe has flown for 116 days in space and is currently around 63.8 km [yes, you read that correctly, but I'm assuming it is a typo] away from the earth, CNSA said.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-11-...-300-million-kilometers-Vu9NCb34OY/index.html


China's Tianwen-1 Mars probe snaps epic deep-space selfie (photos)

China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft has beamed home some deep-space selfies snapped by a small camera jettisoned during its journey to Mars.

https://www.space.com/china-tianwen-1-mars-spacecraft-selfie-deep-space

More information:

ETA is Fri, 23 Apr 2021
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianwen-1

 

[CraigD]

Coating metal bone implants with bacteria found to promote healing while reducing infections

A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in China has found that coating titanium bone implants with a thin film of Lactobacillus casei before implantation promoted healing and reduced infection risk in rats.

https://phys.org/news/2020-11-coating-metal-bone-implants-bacteria.html


More information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_casei

 

[koolishman]

Deep Sleep Protects Against Alzheimer's, Growing Evidence Shows

"There is something about this deep sleep that is helping protect you," says Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

To find out, Walker's team studied 32 people in their 70s who had taken part in a sleep study that looked for the slow electrical waves that signal deep sleep. None of the participants had memory problems.

The scientists used brain scans to monitor levels of beta-amyloid in each participant for up to six years. And the results, published in the Nov. 2 issue of the journal Current Biology, showed people who got less deep had more beta-amyloid.

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(20)31171-4.pdf

 

[CraigD]

Deep Sleep Protects Against Alzheimer's, Growing Evidence Shows

"There is something about this deep sleep that is helping protect you," says Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

To find out, Walker's team studied 32 people in their 70s who had taken part in a sleep study that looked for the slow electrical waves that signal deep sleep. None of the participants had memory problems.

The scientists used brain scans to monitor levels of beta-amyloid in each participant for up to six years. And the results, published in the Nov. 2 issue of the journal Current Biology, showed people who got less deep had more beta-amyloid.

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(20)31171-4.pdf

"So I don't know whether it's that sleep increases clearance or whether sleep decreases the production of waste products," she says.

So that confused 'dishwasher head' feeling in the morning is actually a good thing?

 

[CraigD]

Endometriosis and depression: is there a genetic link?

Endometriosis is when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the body – it can cause pain, especially pelvic pain, and infertility. But a new genetic study is showing endometriosis has a genetic link to depression and gut issues, and that this might be a cause-and-effect link. (video/audio interview)

https://www.abc.net.au/radionationa...etriosis-and-depression-genetic-link/12888674

 

[CraigD]

'Dire outlook': scientists say Florida reefs have lost nearly 98% of coral

While overall US coral reefs are in fair condition, along the coast of Florida as little as 2% of original coral cover remains

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/18/coral-reefs-florida-dire-outlook

 

[koolishman]

1% of people cause half of global aviation emissions – study

The research, published in the journal Global Environmental Change, collated a range of data and found large proportions of people in every country did not fly at all each year – 53% in the US, 65% in Germany and 66% in Taiwan. In the UK, separate data shows 48% of people did not fly abroad in 2018.

The analysis showed the US produced the most emissions among rich nations. China was the biggest among other countries but it does not make data available. However, Gössling thinks its aviation footprint is probably only a fifth of that of the US.

On average, North Americans flew 50 times more kilometres than Africans in 2018, 10 times more than those in the Asia-Pacific region and 7.5 times more than Latin Americans. Europeans and those in the Middle East flew 25 times further than Africans and five times more than Asians.

The data also showed a large growth in international flights from 1990-2017, with numbers tripling from Australia and doubling from the UK.


https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378020307779

 

[CraigD]

Ten times more hyper-luminous galaxies observed than stars can produce

A team of astronomers led by SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research has observed 10 times more hyper-luminous galaxies in the infrared than stars can produce according to the models. If the theory is correct, it means that stars alone cannot account for the brightness of the most luminous infrared galaxies. The paper was published in a special issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics

https://phys.org/news/2020-11-ten-hyper-luminous-galaxies-stars.html

 

[CraigD]

Researchers describe fundamental processes behind movement of magnetic particles

The motion of magnetic particles as they pass through a magnetic field is called magnetophoresis. Until now, not much was known about the factors influencing these particles and their movement. Now, researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago describe several fundamental processes associated with the motion of magnetic particles through fluids as they are pulled by a magnetic field.

https://phys.org/news/2020-11-fundamental-movement-magnetic-particles.html

 

[CraigD]

We created diamonds in mere minutes, without heat — by mimicking the force of an asteroid collision

Our international team has created two different types of diamond at room temperature — and in a matter of minutes. It’s the first time diamonds have successfully been produced in a lab without added heat.

https://theconversation.com/we-crea...ing-the-force-of-an-asteroid-collision-150369

 

[CraigD]

Our ability to manufacture minerals could transform the gem market, medical industries and even help suck carbon from the air

While true minerals comprise the majority of the approximately 5,200 known minerals, there are about 208 human-made minerals which have been approved as minerals by the International Mineralogical Association.

https://theconversation.com/our-abi...and-even-help-suck-carbon-from-the-air-123853

 

[koolishman]

Biologists Discover Ancient Microbial Ecosystems Beneath The Dinosaur-Killer Crater

A new study presents evidence that the Chicxulub crater was host to an enormous subterranean network of hydrothermal vents that could have provided a sanctuary for microbial life.

By extension, much earlier impact craters likely provided the same sanctuary. The study is titled 'Microbial Sulfur Isotope Fractionation in the Chicxulub Hydrothermal System'. The lead author is David Kring from the Lunar and Planetary Institute. It's published in the journal Astrobiology.

The idea that life could have arisen and persisted in the network under impact craters is called the impact origin of life hypothesis. David Kring is a leading scientific voice supporting that hypothesis.

While massive repeated impacts made Earth's surface uninhabitable during the Hadean eon, the same wasn't likely true of the region under the impact craters.

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ast.2020.2286