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Science News Archive April 2021 - Page 6


Page 6 of 46

El Niño can help predict cacao harvests up to 2 years in advance

Researchers found that El Niño can accurately predict cacao yields with a high degree of confidence, even 25 months before the harvest. This innovative approach uses machine learning and rigorous data collection to provide valuable insights for farmers and policymakers, enabling them to make informed investment decisions.

A path to graphene topological qubits

Researchers have successfully demonstrated the coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity in graphene, opening a pathway towards graphene-based topological qubits. This breakthrough finding enables the creation of Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states, which are crucial for achieving topological superconductivity.

SourceAalto University·JournalAdvanced Materials·DateApr 28, 2021

Skipping the second shot could prolong pandemic, study finds

A Cornell-led research survey found that many Americans believe the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines provide weak protection against COVID-19 after a second dose. The study highlights the need for improved guidance on continued public health precautions, such as wearing masks, to combat vaccine attrition and prolong pandemic recovery.

SourceCornell University·JournalNew England Journal of Medicine·DateApr 28, 2021

CCNY team makes single photon switch advance

The City College of New York team demonstrated the use of Rydberg states to enhance nonlinear optical interactions in solid state systems, creating a chip-scale scalable single photon switch. This breakthrough enables the realization of quantum photonic technologies by amplifying scalability.

SourceCity College of New York·JournalNature Communications·DateApr 28, 2021

New method might improve prostate cancer and high cholesterol treatments

Researchers have developed a new method to control human hormones and metabolism, which could help prevent diseases such as prostate cancer and high cholesterol. The method involves binding to the POR protein, influencing hormone production and degradation, and has shown promise in treating prostate cancer by regulating CYP17 levels.

SourceUniversity of Copenhagen - Faculty of Science·JournalNature Communications·DateApr 28, 2021

People of color hardest hit by air pollution from nearly all sources

A new study models people's exposure to air pollution by race-ethnicity and income level, finding that exposure disparities among people of color and white people are driven by nearly all emission source types. The researchers found that air pollution disparities arise from a more systemic set of causes than previously understood.

SourceUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau·JournalJournal of Mathematical Sciences Advances and Applications·DateApr 28, 2021

May Day: How electricity brought power to strikes

Historical research from Lund University reveals that electrification strengthened professional groups' negotiating power, leading to more strikes over wage increases. The study analyzed 8,000 strikes between 1859 and 1938 and found that technological change was a rare trigger.

SourceLund University·JournalThe Journal of Economic History·DateApr 28, 2021

How can we stop mankind from stagnating?

The global human population is projected to lead to food and water shortages, pollution, poverty and social tension. A new mathematical model suggests that intrinsic factors, such as Turing instability, may drive heterogeneous population distribution, regardless of geographical heterogeneity.

SourceUniversity of Leicester·JournalJournal of The Royal Society Interface·DateApr 28, 2021

Spring forest flowers likely key to bumble bee survival, Illinois study finds

A new Illinois-based study finds evidence of a steady decline in the availability of springtime flowers in wooded landscapes, which likely endangers queen bees' ability to start their nesting season. The scarcity of early-season flowers, particularly in forests, is attributed to declining forest plant cover since 1997.

SourceUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau·JournalJournal of Applied Ecology·DateApr 28, 2021

Nearly all fine particulate air pollution sources disproportionately affect people of color in the US

A new study found that nearly all fine particulate air pollution sources affect people of color more than whites, with industry and vehicle emissions being major contributors. The disparities persist across income levels and geographic regions, suggesting systemic issues behind the findings.

Restricting internet searches causes stock market instability: study

A new study published in the Journal of Financial Economics found that restricting internet searches for investors can lead to increased stock market instability. The research, conducted by RMIT University, discovered that firms regularly searched on Google were 19% more unstable after Google's withdrawal from mainland China in 2010.

SourceRMIT University·JournalJournal of Financial Economics·DateApr 28, 2021

UC San Diego engineering professor solves deep earthquake mystery

A University of California San Diego engineering professor has solved the mystery of deep-focus earthquakes, which originate between 400 and 700 kilometers below the Earth's surface. Her new theory explains how high pressures cause olivine rock to transform into denser spinel, leading to volume collapse and seismic waves.

SourceUniversity of California - San Diego·JournalJournal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids·DateApr 28, 2021

A pioneering study: Plant roots act like a drill

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have discovered that plant roots grow with a spiral motion, controlled by the hormone auxin, which also assists cancer cells in penetrating tissue. This finding significantly advances plant research and has potential applications in understanding cancer cell behavior.

SourceTel-Aviv University·JournalNature Communications·DateApr 28, 2021