Selected Sci-News Items 01/18/20 - 01/24/20
 
General Interest    Cosmos    Innovation    Health    Nature    Environment    Climate

Science for the Public January events (videos)
01/21/20 How Nanotechnology is Revolutionizing Medicine (Belmont Media Center)




GENERAL INTEREST

The Conversation, January 16, 2020
There are some tricks to avoid this "emotional" onion experience.

Phys.Org, January 17, 2020 (w/video)
Ever since it was proposed that atoms are building blocks of the world, scientists have been trying to understand how and why they bond to each other.

New York Times, January 22, 2020
Muhammad Haryz Nadzim became the youngest current Mensa member after scoring 142 on an I.Q. test. Above 145 is considered "genius or near genius."

Nature, January 16, 2020
Proof at the nexus of pure mathematics and algorithms puts 'quantum weirdness' on a whole new level.

Aeon, October 31, 2018 (archive)
The world is now so thoroughly charted that there seems to be little space left for indigenous monsters.  Instead, we import extraterrestrials and summon up artificial intelligence or cutting-edge technologies to act as the fearsome 'Others' for our books, TV series and films.


COSMOS

Symmetry, January 21, 2020
As technology improves, scientists discover new ways to search for theorized dark matter particles called axions.

Phys.Org, January 20, 2020
The Dark Energy Survey (DES) program uses the patterns of cosmic structure as seen in the spatial distribution of hundreds of millions of galaxies to reveal the nature of "dark energy," the source of cosmic acceleration.

New York Times, January 21, 2020
Decades ago, Armenian scientists built a high-elevation trap to catch and study cosmic rays. Physics has mostly moved on, but the station persists - a ghost observatory with a skeleton crew.

More Strange Things Lurking Near Sagittarius A*
Cosmos, January 17, 2020
Discoveries expand the G objects class from two to six.
  
Synopsis: A Catalog of High-Energy Gamma-Ray Sources
Physics, January 15, 2020
A high-altitude observatory has detected nine astrophysical sources emitting gamma rays with extremely high energies.


INNOVATION

Harvard Gazette, January 15, 2020
An injectable ice and saline slurry is shown to shrink fat deposits.

Bioplastics Continue to Blossom  -Are They Really Better for the Environment?
ArsTechnica, January 20, 2020
Replacing plastic looks hard, but alternatives to fossil fuel materials are on the rise.

This Material Could Squeeze More Energy from Solar Panels
Scientific American, January 13, 2020
Perovskite may be more efficient, and cheaper, than traditional silicon, but durability remains an issue.

The Case for ... Making Low-Tech 'Dumb' Cities Instead of 'Smart' Ones
The Guardian, January 15, 2020
High-tech smart cities promise efficiency by monitoring everything from bins to bridges. But what if we ditched the data and embraced ancient technology instead?

Cosmos, January 16, 2020
It's early days, but the potential, they say, is to create building materials that can repair and even replicate themselves - with the all-important modern add-on of being greener (in this case literally) than more traditional means.


HEALTH 

Quartz, November 09, 2017 (archive)
Our failure to squat has bio-mechanical and physiological implications, but it also points to something bigger.

Science Daily, January 20, 2020
A study testing thousands of medicines in hundreds of cancer cell lines in the lab uncovers new tricks for many old drugs

Washington Post, January 20, 2020
Over time, the condition can, among other things, damage DNA and lead to heart disease, cancer and other serious disorders.

Antibiotic Resistance: The Threat Is Growing and the Research Is Too Slow
Deutsche Welle, January 21, 2020
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria threatens our health, but only a few pharmaceutical companies are still trying to bring new drugs onto the market. And they are trying to restrict prescriptions.

STAT, January 22, 2020
A frustrating amount of information remains still beyond our grasp.


NATURE  
 
The Conversation, January 21, 2020
Given coffee's popularity, it's surprising how much confusion surrounds how this hot, dark, nectar of the gods affects our biology.

Quanta, January 22, 2020
As Scarlett Howard taught honeybees to do arithmetic, they showed her how fundamental numbers might be to all brains.

At the Bottom of the Sea, They Wait to Feast on Alligators
New York Times, January 17, 2020
Usually the large reptiles feed on other creatures. But scientists found a surprise at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.

Cosmos, January 14, 2020
Scientists unveil stardust from billions of years ago.

Walking Sharks Discovered In the Tropics
Science Daily, January 21, 2020
Four new species of tropical sharks that use their fins to walk are causing a stir in waters off northern Australia and New Guinea.

 
ENVIRONMENT 

Carbon Brief, January 13, 2020
For ships sailing close to the north pole, few events pose bigger risks than an Arctic storm.  

New York Times, January 17, 2020
A six-mile-long barrier would help protect the city from floodwaters during fierce storms like Sandy, but critics say rising seas make the option inadequate.

National Geographic, January 17, 2020
Dispatch from Australia: Our reporter describes the ongoing catastrophe of record bushfires on the continent's wildlife.

Deutsche Welle, January 16, 2020
Siemens' support for Adani's coal mine in Australia has outraged environmentalists, but it's not a unique case. Hundreds of companies and countries around the world are planning to expand their coal activities. But why?

The Intercept, January 18, 2020
The chemicals are at the heart of what many are calling the "insect apocalypse."


CLIMATE 

Quanta, January 16, 2020
Arctic ice is disappearing - the question is how fast. Summer sea ice could endure 100 more years, or it could vanish later this decade, with disastrous consequences for the rest of the planet. To nail down the answer, an expedition to the top of the world has to untangle the knotty physics of ice.

BBC News, January 16, 2020 (w/video)
He's highlighting the fact that while climate scientists are becoming clearer about the need for a rapid response, the pace of international negotiations is grindingly slow.

The Guardian, January 2020 (G. Supran & N. Oreskes)
Americans had the right to know the harms of smoking. They have the right to know the harms of the energy industry, too.

The 'Blob,' a Massive Marine Heat Wave, Led To an Unprecedented Seabird Die-Off
Science News, January 15, 2020
From 2015-2016, 62,000 dead common murres washed onto U.S. and Canadian Pacific coast beaches

New York Times, January 20, 2020
The  linguistic acrobatics as some conservative states submit lengthy, detailed proposals on how they will use the money, while mostly not mentioning climate change.



 
 
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