Protein tells developing cells to stick together

Tohoku University scientists have, for the first time, provided experimental evidence that cell stickiness helps them stay sorted within correct compartments during development. How tightly cells clump together, known as cell adhesion, appears to be enabled by a protein better known for its role in the immune system. The findings were detailed in the journal Nature Communications.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-protein-cells.html

Sustainable biodiesel from neem tree trans-esterification

The neem tree, Azadirachta indica, also known as the Indian Lilac, is well known for its oil extracted from its seed and fruit. It has been used in traditional medicine but has also been investigated for the pest control potential of natural products. Work published in the International Journal of Renewable Energy Technology reports on the production, characterisation and use of neem biodiesel as a green fuel for vehicle engines.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-sustainable-biodiesel-neem-tree-trans-esterification.html

Researchers reveal the first cryo-EM structures of NSD2 and NSD3 in complex with nucleosome

The nuclear receptor–binding SET Domain (NSD) family protein is closely connected with many cancers. However, their molecular mechanism remains unknown.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-reveal-cryo-em-nsd2-nsd3-complex.html

A-68A iceberg thinning at 2.5 cm per day

Latest images reveal that the A-68A iceberg has shattered into multiple pieces, with two large fragments of ice breaking off from the main berg and floating away in the open ocean. Scientists using satellite data have not only been monitoring the iceberg's journey across the South Atlantic Ocean, but have been studying the iceberg's ever-changing shape.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-a-68a-iceberg-thinning-cm-day.html

Researchers reconstruct the precise bite of an early mammal

Paleontologists at the University of Bonn (Germany) have succeeded in reconstructing the chewing motion of an early mammal that lived almost 150 million years ago. This showed that its teeth worked extremely precisely and surprisingly efficiently. Yet it is possible that this very aspect turned out to be a disadvantage in the course of evolution. The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-reconstruct-precise-early-mammal.html

DeepMind's MuZero conquers and learns the rules as it does

Albert Einstein once said, "You have to learn the rules of the game, and then you have to play better than anyone else." That could well be the motto at DeepMind, as a new report reveals it has developed a program that can master complex games without even knowing the rules.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-deepmind-muzero-conquers.html

Could COVID-19 have wiped out the Neandertals?

Everybody loves Neandertals, those big-brained brutes we supposedly outcompeted and ultimately replaced using our sharp tongues and quick, delicate minds. But did we really, though? Is it mathematically possible that we could yet be them, and they us?

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-covid-neandertals.html

Future material demand for automotive lithium-based batteries

As the world shifts to electric vehicles to reduce climate change, it is important to quantify future demands for key battery materials. In a new report, Chengjian Xu, Bernhard Steubing and a research team at the Leiden University, Netherlands and the Argonne National Laboratory in the U.S. showed how the demands of a lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese oxide dominated battery will increase by many factors between 2020 to 2050. As a result, supply chains for lithium, cobalt and nickel will require significant expansion and likely additional resource discovery. Nevertheless, uncertainties are large relative to the development of electrical vehicle fleets and battery capacities per vehicle. While closed-loop recycling plays a minor but increasingly important role to reduce the primary material demand until 2050, researchers must implement advanced recycling strategies to economically recover battery-grade materials from end-of-life batteries. This work is now published on Nature Communications Materials.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-future-material-demand-automotive-lithium-based.html

Researchers identify which West Coast regions hold greatest wave energy potential

Washington and Oregon coastlines are home not only to sea stacks and vistas, they also hold the most promising areas to pull power from West Coast waves, according to a recent study published in the journal Energy and led by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-west-coast-regions-greatest-energy.html

OnePlus 8T Concept phone has color-shifting, camera-camouflage features

As smartphone manufacturers race to reach faster transmission speeds, greater storage capacities and quicker charging times, it's a change of pace to find a new phone that ignores all of those pursuits.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-oneplus-8t-concept-color-shifting-camera-camouflage.html

EasyJet delays delivery of Airbus planes

EasyJet has delayed delivery of new Airbus planes, the British no-frills airline announced Tuesday, as the coronavirus pandemic destroys demand for air travel.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-easyjet-delivery-airbus-planes.html

Cyberattack hit key US Treasury systems: senator

Hackers broke into systems used by top US Treasury officials during a massive cyberattack on government agencies and may have stolen essential encryption keys, a senior lawmaker said Monday.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-cyberattack-key-treasury-senator.html

Australian regulator delays decision on Google-Fitbit merger

Australia's competition regulator on Tuesday delayed for three months its decision on Google's plan to buy fitness gadget maker Fitbit for $2.1 billion despite the European Union giving conditional approval to the deal.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-australian-decision-google-fitbit-merger.html

Washington Post to expand newsroom staff, add foreign hubs

The Washington Post announced plans on Monday to expand its newsroom staff to over 1,000 and add breaking news hubs in Europe and Asia to create a bigger global footprint.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-washington-newsroom-staff-foreign-hubs.html

Google Doodle celebrates Winter Solstice and Great Conjunction

Google is using its logo Monday to not only celebrate the first day of winter but a rare celestial event.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-google-doodle-celebrates-winter-solstice.html

High-five or thumbs-up? New device detects which hand gesture you want to make

Imagine typing on a computer without a keyboard, playing a video game without a controller or driving a car without a wheel.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-high-five-thumbs-up-device-gesture.html

Controlling the magnetic properties of complex oxide systems

The study of complex oxides of iron to create new functional materials is one of the most intensely developing fields of investigation for SUSU scientists. The physical properties of complex iron oxide systems can be varied by changing the chemical composition. This makes it possible to trace the fundamental effects that arise when ions are replaced. In a new study, researchers chose to investigate spinel-structured ferrites, changing their magnetic properties through modification of their chemical composition by substituting iron ions. The results of their research were published in Nanomaterials.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-magnetic-properties-complex-oxide.html

Atomic-scale nanowires can now be produced at scale

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered a way to make self-assembled nanowires of transition metal chalcogenides at scale using chemical vapor deposition. By changing the substrate where the wires form, they can tune how these wires are arranged, from aligned configurations of atomically thin sheets to random networks of bundles. This paves the way to industrial deployment in next-gen industrial electronics, including energy harvesting, and transparent, efficient, even flexible devices.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-atomic-scale-nanowires-scale.html

Scientists create polymers to detect banned substances in wastewater

Molecularly imprinted polymers, which have been created with the participation of a SUSU scientist, have become a base for a unique sensor that detects banned substances in wastewater. Police forces in European countries, where the problem of drug production is particularly acute, have shown interest in this development. The results of the research on creating these polymers have been published in a first quartile journal, Biosensors and Bioelectronics.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-scientists-polymers-substances-wastewater.html

Fukushima nuclear debris removal delayed by virus

The removal of nuclear debris from Japan's crippled Fukushima power plant will be delayed by about a year, because the pandemic has set back development of specialised equipment, the plant's operator said Thursday.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-fukushima-nuclear-debris-virus.html

China begins anti-monopoly probe into tech giant Alibaba

China has launched an anti-monopoly investigation into Alibaba, regulators said Thursday, sending the share price of the e-commerce giant tumbling and intensifying the troubles of its billionaire founder Jack Ma.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-china-anti-monopoly-probe-tech-giant.html

Fruity energy, spidery lenses: Nature-inspired solutions in 2020

Climate change and biodiversity loss are laying bare our dependence on the natural world for everything from the food we eat to the air we breathe.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-fruity-energy-spidery-lenses-nature-inspired.html

Jack Ma: tycoon who soared on China's tech dreams grounded by regulators

Jack Ma, the ebullient and unconventional billionaire founder of tech giant Alibaba and the totem of China's entrepreneurial brilliance, now finds himself up against a Communist leadership seemingly intent on hacking back his empire and issuing a lesson that no one is bigger than the party.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-jack-ma-tycoon-soared-china.html