'Babysitters' provide boost to offspring of elderly birds

Young Seychelles warblers fare better if their elderly parents have help raising them, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the University of Groningen.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-babysitters-boost-offspring-elderly-birds.html

Well-built muscles underlie athletic performance in birds

Muscle structure and body size predict the athletic performance of Olympic athletes, such as sprinters. The same, it appears, is true of wild seabirds that can commute hundreds of kilometers a day to find food, according to a recent paper by scientists from McGill and Colgate universities published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-well-built-muscles-underlie-athletic-birds.html

Survey first to provide comprehensive view of Irish in Aotearoa, New Zealand

In addition to containing many firsts, new research from the University of Otago's Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies provides comprehensive insights into the identity of Irish people in Aotearoa New Zealand.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-survey-comprehensive-view-irish-aotearoa.html

To predict the future of polar ice, environmental scientists are looking to the past

Over the past century, global sea level has been rising at an increasingly rapid pace. That means the damage done by storm surges will be more severe, coastal erosion will accelerate and flooding will become more frequent and more expensive.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-future-polar-ice-environmental-scientists.html

Cosmic beasts and where to find them

Two giant radio galaxies have been discovered with South Africa's powerful MeerKAT telescope. These galaxies are thought to be amongst the largest single objects in the Universe. The discovery has been published today in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society .

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-cosmic-beasts.html

Surprising new mechanism of heat shock response identified in yeast cells

How cells respond in the face of stress is a critical component of maintaining homeostasis and preventing disease, but its mechanisms are poorly understood. New research out of the University of Chicago has fit together another piece of the puzzle by identifying a key protein, Sis1, involved in the rapid activation of the heat shock response, which allows cells to respond in the face of temperature changes that can lead to misfolded proteins. This has implications for conditions where changes in the stress response have been implicated in the pathology of the disease.The results were published on Jan. 4 in the Journal of Cell Biology.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-mechanism-response-yeast-cells.html

Parrots pushed to extinction despite protection policies

Habitat destruction by logging and agriculture is pushing parrot species towards extinction, while current protected areas are failing to mitigate these effects, according to new research.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-parrots-extinction-policies.html

Artificial intelligence for food security

AI, or artificial intelligence, is attracting great attention across many industries, even food production, according to research published in the International Journal of Society Systems Science.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-artificial-intelligence-food.html

Chemists develop polymer cathodes for ultrafast batteries

In the face of the surging demand for lithium-ion batteries and limited lithium reserves, scientists are searching for alternatives to the lithium technology. Russian researchers from Skoltech, D. Mendeleev University, and the Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics of RAS have synthesized and tested new polymer-based cathode materials for lithium dual-ion batteries. The tests showed that the new cathodes withstand up to 25,000 operating cycles and charge in a matter of seconds, thus outperforming lithium-ion batteries. The cathodes can also be used to produce less expensive potassium dual-ion batteries. The research was published in the journal Energy Technology.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-chemists-polymer-cathodes-ultrafast-batteries.html

What stops flows in glassy materials?

Glasses have a liquid-like disordered structure but solid-like mechanical properties. This leads to one of the central mysteries of glasses: Why don't they flow like liquids? This question is so important that it was selected by the journal Science in 2005 as one of 125 key, unanswered scientific questions, and one of 11 unsolved important physical issues.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-glassy-materials.html

Darkness from light

Microresonators are small glass structures in which light can circulate and build up in intensity. Due to material imperfections, some amount of light is reflected backwards, which is disturbing their function. Researchers have now demonstrated a method for suppressing these unwanted back reflections. Their findings can help improve a multitude of microresonator-based applications from measurement technology such as sensors used for example in drones, to optical information processing in fibre networks and computers. The results of the team spanning the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (Germany), Imperial College London, and the National Physical Laboratory (UK) are published now in the Nature-family journal Light: Science and Applications.

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

Social exclusion, career limitations hinder LGBTQ STEM professionals

LGBTQ professionals' pride in their science, technology, engineering, and math work is not reciprocated, say researchers.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-social-exclusion-career-limitations-hinder.html

One-dimensional quantum nanowires fertile ground for majorana zero modes

Why is studying spin properties of one-dimensional quantum nanowires important?

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-one-dimensional-quantum-nanowires-fertile-ground.html

Promoting axon regeneration in the zebrafish spinal cord

After an injury to the spinal cord, patients often remain paralyzed because damaged nerve tracts do not regrow due to the formation of scar tissue. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light in Erlangen, together with colleagues from Dresden and Athens, have now been able to identify important cells and molecules in the scar, using zebrafishes as a model organism.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-axon-regeneration-zebrafish-spinal-cord.html

The U.S. Postal Service to issue NASA sun science forever stamps

NASA's images of the sun's dynamic and dazzling beauty have captivated the attention of millions. In 2021, the US Postal Service is showcasing the sun's many faces with a series of sun Science forever stamps that show images of solar activity captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-postal-issue-nasa-sun-science.html

Dopant-free, humidity-stable organic layers give perovskite solar cells 21% efficiency

Durable, high-performing perovskite solar cells also require durable, high-performing charge-transporting layers. Scientists have developed the first organic hole transporter that does not need a dopant to attain high charge mobility and stability. According to the study published in the journal Angewandte Chemie, this novel hole-transporting layer outperforms reference materials and protects the perovskite organic cell from air humidity.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-dopant-free-humidity-stable-layers-perovskite-solar.html

Better diet and glucose uptake in the brain lead to longer life in fruit flies

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered that fruit flies with genetic modifications to enhance glucose uptake have significantly longer lifespans. Looking at the brain cells of aging flies, they found that better glucose uptake compensates for age-related deterioration in motor functions, and led to longer life. The effect was more pronounced when coupled with dietary restrictions. This suggests healthier eating plus improved glucose uptake in the brain might lead to enhanced lifespans.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-diet-glucose-uptake-brain-longer.html

Frankfurt airport traffic nosedives to lowest since 1984

The operator of Frankfurt airport said Monday that passenger numbers in 2020 plunged to their lowest since the 1980s as the coronavirus pandemic devastated the travel sector.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-frankfurt-airport-traffic-nosedives-lowest.html

Major firms urge Japan to bolster 2030 renewables goal

Major firms including Sony, Panasonic and Nissan on Monday urged the Japanese government to make its 2030 renewable energy target twice as ambitious.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-major-firms-urge-japan-bolster.html

Apple's Cook says Parler could return to App Store with reforms

Parler, the social network popular among conservatives, could return to Apple's App Store if it changes how it moderates posts on the platform, the tech giant's CEO Tim Cook said Sunday.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-apple-cook-parler-app-reforms.html

UK firms urge government to help struggling Eurostar: media

British business leaders called on the government to rescue Eurostar, reports said, after the firm said it was close to collapse following border closures to contain new COVID-19 strains.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-uk-firms-urge-struggling-eurostar.html

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit reaches space on 2nd try

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit reached space on Sunday, eight months after the first demonstration flight of its air-launched rocket system failed, the company said.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-richard-branson-virgin-orbit-space.html

Samsung chief jailed for 2.5 years over corruption scandal

The de facto chief of South Korea's Samsung business empire was convicted Monday over a huge corruption scandal and jailed for two and a half years, in a ruling that deprives the tech giant of its top decision-maker.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-samsung-chief-years-corruption-scandal.html

Vermont's BIPOC drivers are most likely to have a run-in with police, study shows

New research examining more than 800,000 traffic stops in Vermont over the course of five years substantiates the term "driving while Black and Brown."

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-vermont-bipoc-drivers-run-in-police.html