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Published Grasping entropy: Teachers and students investigate thermodynamics through a hands-on model
(via sciencedaily.com) Though a cornerstone of thermodynamics, entropy remains one of the most vexing concepts to teach budding physicists in the classroom. Physics teachers designed a hand-held model to demonstrate the concept of entropy for students. Using everyday materials, the approach allows students to confront the topic with new intuition -- one that takes specific aim at the confusion between entropy and disorder.
Published Study illuminates mechanism that annotates genetic information passed from fathers to offspring
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have identified a key part of a mechanism that annotates genetic information before it is passed from fathers to their offspring. The findings shed new light on genomic imprinting, a fundamental, biological process in which a gene from one parent is switched off while the copy from the other parent remains active. Errors in imprinting are linked to a host of diseases, such as the rare disease Silver-Russell syndrome along with certain cancers and diabetes.
Published Ag tech can cut billions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source As the Earth's human population grows, greenhouse gas emissions from the world's food system are on track to expand. A new study demonstrates that state-of-the-art agricultural technology and management can not only reduce that growth, but eliminate it altogether by generating net negative emissions -- reducing more greenhouse gas than food systems add.
Published Lower jersey numbers make football players look thinner
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Football players sometimes choose jerseys with lower numbers thinking that they'll look slimmer and faster. There's a scientific basis for that belief, according to a new study. In two experiments, volunteers consistently said that images of players in jerseys numbered 10 to 19 looked thinner than players in jerseys numbered 80 to 89, even when the bodies were the same size. The finding suggests that people's previously learned associations between numbers and sizes influence their perceptions of body size.
Published Disease affects blackbirds more than previously thought
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source When humans are ill, we tend to be less active. This also applies to wild animals, but so far, it has not been known how long the reduced activity lasts or which activities are affected the most. New research shows that birds' activity decreases for up to three weeks when they become ill -- something that could mean the difference between life and death.
Published New battery holds promise for green energy
(via sciencedaily.com) A chemist envisions a future where every house is powered by renewable energy stored in batteries. He has created a new battery that could have profound implications for the large-scale energy storage needed by wind and solar farms.
Published New research highlights opportunities to protect carbon and communities from forest fires
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source As the climate and wildfire crises have intensified, so too have concerns regarding the loss of carbon captured and stored in forests from decades to centuries of tree growth. A new study describes where to optimize ongoing wildfire mitigation efforts and reduce carbon loss due to wildfire, benefitting communities and climate at the same time. The study evaluated where living trees and the carbon they store are at risk of burning in the future. They then compared these areas to communities that are vulnerable to wildfire as identified in the Forest Service's Wildfire Crisis Strategy. Areas of overlap highlight 'opportunity hot spots' where action can reduce the risk from wildfire to both carbon and communities.
Published Discovery of new cell type in thymus
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Biomedical scientists have confirmed that newly discovered cells in the thymus are just like M cells, which are mostly known for their presence in the intestinal epithelium.
Published Devices offers long-distance, low-power underwater communication
(via sciencedaily.com) A new underwater communication and networking technique can achieve kilometer-scale ranges while consuming about one-millionth the power required by current communication methods.
Published Multidrug-resistant bacterium emerging in community settings
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New 'hypervirulent' strains of the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae have emerged in healthy people in community settings, prompting a research group to investigate how the human immune system defends against infection. After exposing the strains to components of the human immune system in a laboratory 'test tube' setting, scientists found that some strains were more likely to survive in blood and serum than others, and that neutrophils (white blood cells) are more likely to ingest and kill some strains than others.
Published Chemists devise a method for C-H activation of alcohols
(via sciencedaily.com) Chemists have extended a powerful molecule-building method -- called C-H activation -- to the broad class of chemicals known as alcohols.
Published How does the social behavior of wheat plants influence grain production?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have investigated how the behavior of an individual wheat plant under limiting light conditions influences the performance of the whole community. They assessed morphological and biomass phenotypes of single plants grown in mixtures under sunlight and a simulated canopy shade, and the relevance of these phenotypes for the monoculture community in the field.
Published Breakthrough in scarless wound recovery achieved with autologous blood
(via sciencedaily.com) A recent study has introduced a groundbreaking milestone in tissue regeneration by developing a technology that utilizes autologous blood to produce three-dimensional microvascular implants.
Published Researchers develop highly efficient and stable photoelectrode for water splitting using organic semiconductors
(via sciencedaily.com) A recent study has unveiled a significant breakthrough in photoelectrode development.
Published Immune cells move more independently than previously thought
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Human immune cells are capable of coordinating their own movement more independently than previously thought. Researchers discovered that immune cells do not just passively follow the chemical cues in their environment. Quite the contrary, they can also shape these cues and navigate in complex environments in a self-organized manner.
Published Unveiling the mechanism of 3D folding of cell sheets
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of researchers has revealed that the Dumpy protein, a component of extracellular matrices -- or ECM -- is the key factor in regulating the stereotypic origami-like folding of wing-cell sheets. Their findings that wing cells never divide during folding nor do they exhibit spatially distinct behaviors suggest how external cues can create consistent 3D tissue structures.
Published Switching from harmful to helpful fungi
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Mold and diseases caused by fungi can greatly impact the shelf life of fruit and vegetables. However, some fungi benefit their hosts by aiding plant survival. Colletotrichum tofieldiae (Ct) is a root mold which typically supports continued plant development even when the plant is starved of phosphorus, an important nutrient for photosynthesis and growth. Researchers studied a unique pathogenic strain of the fungi, called Ct3, which conversely inhibits plant growth.
Published New material offers more durable, sustainable multi-level non-volatile phase change memory
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers scientists have unlocked a new realm of possibilities for non-volatile phase change memory, a type of electronic memory capable of retaining data even without power. Traditionally, researchers have relied on chalcogenides, materials with reversible electrical properties during transitions between crystalline and amorphous states. But an exciting alternative has emerged in the form of layered nickelates, complex oxide materials composed of nickel ions. These nickelates, with their unique layered structure and thermally reversible switching of room-temperature electrical resistivity, offer superior performance and sustainability potential.
Published Agriculture study delivers unexpected results: Cover crops and roots
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Farmers usually plant so-called cover crops after harvesting their main crop in the Fall. This prevents erosion of the soil and nutrient leaching. The roots of these crops also stabilize the structure of the soil. It had been assumed up to now that a mixture of different cover crops would result in particularly intensive rooting. However, a recent study found only limited evidence that this is the case. Instead, mixed cover crops grow thinner roots than when just one single type of cover crop is planted. This result was unexpected. It documents how little is currently understood about the interactions between plant roots.
Published Rubber plumbing seals can leak additives into drinking water
(via sciencedaily.com) As drinking water flows through pipes and into a glass, it runs against the rubber seals inside some plumbing devices. These parts contain additives that contribute to their flexibility and durability, but these potentially harmful compounds can leak into drinking water, according to a small-scale study. The authors report that the released compounds, which are typically linked to tire pollution, also transformed into other unwanted byproducts.