Students discover bright lensed galaxy in the early universe

The night sky is a natural time machine, used by cosmologists to explore the origins and evolution of the universe. Reaching into the depths of the past, a class of undergraduate students at the University of Chicago sought to do the same—and uncovered an extraordinarily distant galaxy in the early cosmos.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-students-bright-lensed-galaxy-early.html

Study highlights the role of forest fuels amid a warming climate

California's drought of 2012-2016 killed millions of trees in the Sierra Nevada—mostly by way of a bark beetle epidemic—leaving a forest canopy full of dry needles. A study published from the University of California, Davis, and the U.S. Forest Service helps answer concerns about what effect de

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-highlights-role-forest-fuels-climate.html

Researchers explore how to share data and keep privacy

A new book from researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) outlines how we can improve the way we share sensitive data and preserve people's privacy.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-explore-privacy.html

Scientists are a step closer to developing 'smart' stem cells – and they're made from human fat

A new type of stem cell—that is, a cell with regenerative abilities—could be closer on the horizon, a new study led by UNSW Sydney shows.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-scientists-closer-smart-stem-cells.html

Social media giants mishandled Trump: Wikipedia founder

Twitter and Facebook repeatedly mishandled Donald Trump as he pushed baseless claims, including his assertion that US presidential election he lost was rigged, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales told AFP.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-social-media-giants-mishandled-trump.html

Norwegian Air to end long-haul flights, focus on Europe

Low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle said Thursday it will focus on European destinations and close its long-haul operations as it struggles with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and debt restructuring.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-norwegian-air-long-haul-flights-focus.html

Hong Kong internet firm blocked website over security law

A Hong Kong internet service provider on Thursday said it had blocked access to a pro-democracy website to comply with the city's national security law.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-hong-kong-internet-firm-blocked.html

Scientists discover the secret of Galapagos' rich ecosystem

New research has unlocked the mystery of how the Galápagos Islands, a rocky, volcanic outcrop, with only modest rainfall and vegetation, is able to sustain its unique wildlife habitats.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-scientists-secret-galapagos-rich-ecosystem.html

Climate change is hurting children's diets, global study finds

A first-of-its-kind, international study of 107,000 children finds that higher temperatures are an equal or even greater contributor to child malnutrition and low quality diets than the traditional culprits of poverty, inadequate sanitation, and poor education.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-climate-children-diets-global.html

A climate in crisis calls for investment in direct air capture, news research finds

There is a growing consensus among scientists as well as national and local governments representing hundreds of millions of people, that humanity faces a climate crisis that demands a crisis response. New research from the University of California San Diego explores one possible mode of response: a massively funded program to deploy direct air capture (DAC) systems that remove CO2 directly from the ambient air and sequester it safely underground.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-climate-crisis-investment-air-capture.html

Low cost chlorine dispensing device improves tap water safety in low-resource regions

A team of researchers led by engineers at Tufts University's School of Engineering and Stanford University's Program on Water, Health and Development have developed a novel and inexpensive chlorine dispensing device that can improve the safety of drinking water in regions of the world that lack financial resources and adequate infrastructure. With no moving parts, no need for electricity, and little need for maintenance, the device releases measured quantities of chlorine into the water just before it exits the tap. It provides a quick and easy way to eliminate water-borne pathogens and reduce the spread of high mortality diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever and diarrhea.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-chlorine-device-safety-low-resource-regions.html

Honeybees reveal how our floral landscape has changed over the last 65 years

Honeybee historians might seem like a flight of fancy but these tiny pollinators have been helping researchers from the National Botanic Garden of Wales track how the UK's fields, hedgerows, wild spaces and gardens have changed since the 1950s.Using cutting-edge DNA barcoding techniques, scientists at the Botanic Garden identified which plants modern-day honeybees visited most often by looking at the pollen grains trapped within honey.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-honeybees-reveal-floral-landscape-years.html

Tech show offers transport solutions for COVID-changed world

The global pandemic has put the brakes on a number of mobility trends, prompting the transportation industry to rethink strategy.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-tech-solutions-covid-changed-world.html

US regulator asks Tesla to recall 158,000 cars over safety-related defect

US regulators asked Tesla Wednesday to recall 158,000 cars in the United States because of a safety-related defect.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-tesla-recall-cars-safety-related-defect.html

Historic snowfall chills Madrid slum to the bones

"We're not animals but dogs live better than us," sighs Lidia Arribas, who lives without electricity in a vast slum near Madrid where temperatures hit historic lows this week.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-historic-snowfall-chills-madrid-slum.html

Brexit adds to airline virus woes in Britain

Already grounded by the coronavirus pandemic, airlines operating in the UK are facing post-Brexit obstacles to flying across the European Union, and their shareholders are paying the price.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-brexit-airline-virus-woes-britain.html

Twitter CEO defends Trump ban, warns of dangerous precedent

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey banned Trump entirely, then smacked down the president's attempts to tweet using other accounts.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-twitter-ceo-defends-trump-dangerous.html

French court to hear landmark case on climate inaction

A Paris court will begin hearing Thursday a complaint brought by NGOs backed by two million citizens accusing the French state of failing to act to halt climate change.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-french-court-landmark-case-climate.html

Australia to kill pigeon that crossed Pacific from Oregon

A racing pigeon has survived an extraordinary 13,000-kilometer (8,000-mile) Pacific Ocean crossing from the United States to find a new home in Australia. Now authorities consider the bird a quarantine risk and plan to kill it.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-australia-pigeon-pacific-oregon.html

WhatsApp growth slumps as rivals Signal, Telegram rise

Encrypted messaging apps Signal and Telegram are seeing huge upticks in downloads from Apple and Google's app stores. Facebook-owned WhatsApp, by contrast, is seeing its growth decline following a fiasco that forced the company to clarify a privacy update it had sent to users.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-whatsapp-growth-slumps-rivals-telegram.html

Pulsed ultraviolet light technology to improve egg safety, help poultry industry

Pulsed ultraviolet light can be an effective alternative to some of the antimicrobial technologies now used by the poultry industry to kill pathogens on eggshells, according to Penn State researchers, who simulated production conditions to test the technology.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-pulsed-ultraviolet-technology-egg-safety.html

Concept for a hybrid-electric plane may reduce aviation's air pollution problem

At cruising altitude, airplanes emit a steady stream of nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, where the chemicals can linger to produce ozone and fine particulates. Nitrogen oxides, or NOx, are a major source of air pollution and have been associated with asthma, respiratory disease, and cardiovascular disorders. Previous research has shown that the generation of these chemicals due to global aviation results in 16,000 premature deaths each year.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-concept-hybrid-electric-plane-aviation-air.html

Building a giant 2-D map of the universe to prepare for the largest 3-D map

Before DESI, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, can begin its 5-year mission from an Arizona mountaintop to produce the largest 3-D sky map yet, researchers first needed an even bigger 2-D map of the universe.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-giant-d-universe-largest.html