Supercomputer simulations could unlock mystery of Moon's formation

Astronomers have taken a step towards understanding how the Moon might have formed out of a giant collision between the early Earth and another massive object 4.5 billion years ago.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-supercomputer-simulations-mystery-moon-formation.html

Offshore wind industry prepares to ride economic high tide

The U.S. offshore wind energy pipeline is predicted to exceed 25,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030. But, with only two commercial offshore wind plants currently operating in the United States, developers need accurate modeling to evaluate prospective new projects, weigh realistic costs against financial returns, anticipate the impact of technological and process innovations, and quantify risk factors. While technological advancements and improved supply chain efficiencies are helping reduce wind energy costs and generate more energy, offshore wind installations must meet development and operational cost targets to be competitive in the broader energy market.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-offshore-industry-economic-high-tide.html

K9 chemistry: A safer way to train detection dogs

Trained dogs are incredible chemical sensors, far better at detecting explosives, narcotics and other substances than even the most advanced technological device. But one challenge is that dogs have to be trained, and training them with real hazardous substances can be inconvenient and dangerous.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-k9-chemistry-safer-dogs.html

Water samples reveal microplastics in remote Patagonian fjord system

New research has found microplastics in every sample taken from a vast fjord system in remote Chilean Patagonia, showing the immense global scale of marine plastic pollution. Cristóbal Castillo and his research team from the Universidad de Concepción published their findings last month in the Marine Pollution Bulletin.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-samples-reveal-microplastics-remote-patagonian.html

Toxic waste dumping in the Gulf of Guinea amounts to environmental racism

Toxic waste and electronic waste (e-waste) is generated from a wide range of industries—such as health, hydrocarbon or manufacturing—and can come in many forms, such as sludges or gas. E-waste is used electronic items that are nearing the end of their useful life, and are discarded or given to be recycled. If these types of waste aren't properly discarded they can cause serious harm to human health and the environment.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-toxic-dumping-gulf-guinea-amounts.html

Engineers invent fast and safe way to store natural gas for useful applications

Natural gas is the cleanest of all fossil fuels, but storing it safely and affordably remains a challenge. Now, engineers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have devised a method to convert natural gas into a non-explosive solid that can be easily stored and transported. Using a novel, low-toxicity additive mixture they formulated, the conversion can be completed in just 15 minutes—the fastest time so far.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-fast-safe-natural-gas-applications.html

German car sales dip in November

New car sales in Germany dipped in November, official data showed Thursday, as a second coronavirus wave forced another round of shutdowns in Europe's top economy.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-german-car-sales-dip-november.html

Gaia: Most accurate data ever for nearly two billion stars

Today (3 December), an international team of astronomers announced the most detailed ever catalogue of the stars in a huge swathe of our Milky Way galaxy. The measurements of stellar positions, movement, brightness and colours are in the third early data release from the European Space Agency's Gaia space observatory, now publicly available. Initial findings include the first optical measurement of the acceleration of the Solar system. The data set, and early scientific discoveries, were presented at a special briefing hosted by the Royal Astronomical Society.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-gaia-accurate-billion-stars.html

Phishing ploy targets COVID-19 vaccine distribution effort

IBM security researchers say they have detected a cyberespionage effort using targeted phishing emails to try to collect vital information on the World Health Organization's initiative for distributing COVID-19 vaccine to developing countries.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-phishing-ploy-covid-vaccine-effort.html

Safe trip? Aboard the revamped Boeing 737 MAX' 1st public flight

Will this plane land safely?

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-safe-aboard-revamped-boeing-max.html

Japan set to ban sales of new petrol cars in mid-2030s: reports

Japan wants to ban sales of new petrol cars in around 15 years' time as part of efforts to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, reports said Thursday.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-japan-sales-petrol-cars-mid-2030s.html

China: Moon probe preparing to return rock samples to Earth

China said Thursday its latest lunar probe has finished taking samples of the moon's surface and sealed them within the spacecraft for return to Earth, the first time such a mission has been attempted by any country in more than 40 years.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-china-moon-probe-samples-earth.html

Midday fireball, boom thrill gazers from Ontario to Virginia

A noontime boom that was heard and felt from southern Ontario to Virginia was likely caused by a disintegrating meteor, according to an organization in western New York that keeps track of such phenomena.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-midday-fireball-boom-thrill-gazers.html

NASA: Mystery object is 54-year-old rocket, not asteroid

A mysterious object temporarily orbiting Earth is a 54-year-old rocket, not an asteroid after all, astronomers confirmed Wednesday.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-nasa-mystery-year-old-rocket-asteroid.html

Hewlett Packard Enterprise to move headquarters to Texas

Tech giant Hewlett Packard Enterprise said it is moving its global headquarters to the Houston area from California, where the company's roots go back to the founding of Silicon Valley decades ago.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-hewlett-packard-enterprise-headquarters-texas.html

New activity found for CHD7, a protein factor vital in embryonic development

Research by Kai Jiao, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and in Germany has yielded fundamental insights into the causes of severe birth defects known as CHARGE syndrome cases. These congenital birth defects include severe and life-threatening heart malformations.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-chd7-protein-factor-vital-embryonic.html

Once in a lifetime floods to become regular occurrences by end of century

Superstorm Sandy brought flood-levels to the New York region that had not been seen in generations. Causing an estimated $74.1 billion in damages, it was the fourth-costliest U.S. storm behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and hurricanes Harvey and Maria in 2017 according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Now, due to the impact of climate change, researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology have found that 100-year and 500-year flood levels could become regular occurrences for the thousands of homes surrounding Jamaica Bay, New York by the end of the century.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-lifetime-regular-occurrences-century.html

Why does it matter if most Republican voters still think Biden lost?

As President-elect Joe Biden and his administrative team officially begin the transition process, only about 20 percent of Republican voters consider him the true winner of the election. Nearly half of all respondents—48 percent—still expect President Donald Trump to be inaugurated for a second term on January 20, despite plenty of indicators to the contrary. Those are among the findings of the latest Bright Line Watch (November) survey—the political science research project of faculty at the University of Rochester, the University of Chicago, and Dartmouth College.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-republican-voters-biden-lost.html

Medicine-carriers made from human cells can cure lung infections

Scientists used human white blood cell membranes to carry two drugs, an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory, directly to infected lungs in mice.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-medicine-carriers-human-cells-lung-infections.html

Understanding bacteria's metabolism could improve biofuel production

A new study reveals how bacteria control the chemicals produced from consuming 'food.' The insight could lead to organisms that are more efficient at converting plants into biofuels.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-bacteria-metabolism-biofuel-production.html

Cluster of Alaskan islands could be single, interconnected giant volcano

A small group of volcanic islands in Alaska's Aleutian chain might be part of a single, undiscovered giant volcano, say scientists presenting the findings Monday, 7 December at AGU's Fall Meeting 2020. If the researchers' suspicions are correct, the newfound volcanic caldera would belong to the same category of volcanoes as the Yellowstone Caldera and other volcanoes that have had super-eruptions with severe global consequences.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-cluster-alaskan-islands-interconnected-giant.html

Incredible vision in ancient marine creatures drove an evolutionary arms race

Ancient deep sea creatures called radiodonts had incredible vision that likely drove an evolutionary arms race according to new research published today.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-incredible-vision-ancient-marine-creatures.html

Scientists predict 'optimal' organism stress levels

Scientists have created an evolutionary model to predict how animals should react in stressful situations.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-scientists-optimal-stress.html

Voyager spacecraft detect new type of solar electron burst

More than 40 years since they launched, the Voyager spacecraft are still making discoveries.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-voyager-spacecraft-solar-electron.html