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Science News Archive September 2020 - Page 31


Page 31 of 49

Facebook anniversaries inspire reflection, nostalgia

A new study from Cornell University finds that Facebook anniversaries, like birthdays, prompt users to reflect on time and patterns in their lives. This tradition stems from newspapers' 'on this date' lists, which encourage people to put time into perspective by remembering significant events.

SourceCornell University·JournalNew Media & Society·DateSep 14, 2020

Guidance balances staph infection prevention in critically ill infants with family contact

A new white paper from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America provides targeted screening and decolonization strategies to prevent Staphylococcus aureus infections in critically ill infants. The guidance balances infection prevention with the need for skin-to-skin contact with parents and siblings.

SourceSociety for Healthcare Epidemiology of America·JournalInfection Control and Hospital Epidemiology·DateSep 14, 2020

Magnetic field with the edge!

A team of Indian and Japanese physicists have overturned the six-decade old notion that giant magnetic fields in plasma evolve from small scales. Instead, they originate at macroscopic scales defined by the boundaries of electron beams, leading to a new understanding of magnetic fields in astrophysical scenarios and laser fusion.

SourceTata Institute of Fundamental Research·JournalPhysical Review Research·DateSep 14, 2020

You can train your brain to reduce motion sickness

Researchers at the University of Warwick have developed a training tool to reduce motion sickness susceptibility by over 50% using visuospatial exercises. This method has shown promise in both driving simulators and on-road experimentation, with potential applications in autonomous vehicles and other domains.

SourceUniversity of Warwick·JournalApplied Ergonomics·DateSep 14, 2020

Touch-and-know: Brain activity during tactile stimuli reveals hand preferences in people

Researchers distinguish between brain activities of right-handers and left-handers using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, revealing asymmetry in response to passive touch stimulations. The study may have implications for brain-computer interfaces, rehabilitation robotics, and cognitive enhancement treatments.

The intricate protein architecture linked to disease

Researchers at the University of Leeds have visualised the structure of amylin fibrils, a key player in type 2 diabetes, and discovered an intricate architecture that makes some sequences more prone to aggregation. This finding suggests a potential explanation for the rapid onset of disease in individuals with early-onset type 2 diabetes.

SourceUniversity of Leeds·JournalNature Structural & Molecular Biology·DateSep 14, 2020

Reducing nitrogen with boron and beer

Researchers from the University of Würzburg have developed a method to convert nitrogen to ammonium at room temperature without using transition metals. The key to this process is the use of boron and water, which enables sequential reactions that bring the team close to producing ammonia.

SourceUniversity of Würzburg·JournalNature Chemistry·DateSep 14, 2020

Possible marker of life spotted on venus

A team of international researchers has detected phosphine gas in Venus' clouds, a potential biosignature indicative of life. The finding is significant as it rules out natural non-biological processes that could produce the same amount of phosphine.

SourceESO·JournalNature Astronomy·DateSep 14, 2020

Smart virus

Researchers at HSE University have discovered microRNA molecules that can bind to coronavirus genomes, slowing down their replication and potentially allowing the virus to delay an active immune response. The study found four families of human miRNAs with binding sites for all seven types of human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2.

A warm Jupiter orbiting a cool star

Astronomers have detected a Jupiter-sized planet, TOI-1899 b, orbiting a low-mass star, providing insights into the formation of giant planets. The discovery was made possible by the Habitable-zone Planet Finder spectrograph and offers a unique opportunity to study the properties of warm Jupiters.

On the road to conductors of the future

Scientists have introduced a new finding about hydrogen sulfide, producing superconducting structures at relatively high temperatures. The discovery uses stoichiometric H3S produced by heating elemental sulfur with excess hydrogen under pressure.

SourceWiley·JournalAngewandte Chemie International Edition·DateSep 14, 2020