Gold nanoparticles more stable by putting rings on them

Hokkaido University scientists have found a way to prevent gold nanoparticles from clumping, which could help towards their use as an anti-cancer therapy.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-gold-nanoparticles-stable.html

New starfish-like fossil reveals evolution in action

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have discovered a fossil of the earliest starfish-like animal, which sheds light on the origins of the nimble-armed creature. The prototype starfish, which has features in common with both sea lilies and modern-day starfish, is a missing link for scientists trying to piece together its early evolutionary history.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-starfish-like-fossil-reveals-evolution-action.html

Optical data transmission speed increased by a factor of at least 10,000

Pulsed lasers repeatedly emit light for a short period of time as if blinking. They have the advantage of focusing more energy than a continuous wave laser, whose intensity is kept unchanged over time. If digital signals are loaded in a pulsed laser, each pulse can encode one bit of data. In this respect, the higher the repetition rate, the more the amount of data that can be transmitted. However, conventional optical-fiber-based pulsed lasers have typically had a limitation in increasing the number of pulses per second above the MHz level.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-optical-transmission-factor.html

US orders Ford to recall 3 mn vehicles with Takata airbags

US regulators on Tuesday ordered Ford to recall three million vehicles containing Takata airbags that show signs of "potential future rupture risk."

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-ford-recall-mn-vehicles-takata.html

How the male mantis keeps its head during rough sex

A male Springbok praying mantis looking for a hook up doesn't have to worry about a female stealing his heart away.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-male-mantis-rough-sex.html

World Wide Web inventor opposes Australia's news payment plan

World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee says Australia's plan to force digital giants to pay media outlets for news content is "unworkable" and undermines a "fundamental principle" of the internet.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-world-wide-web-inventor-opposes.html

Reducing air pollution 'could prevent 50,000 EU deaths'

Limiting air pollution to levels recommended by the World Health Organization could prevent more than 50,000 deaths in Europe annually, according to research published Wednesday that called for urgent action.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-air-pollution-eu-deaths.html

Butterflies create jet propulsion with a clap of their wings

The whimsical, wafting flight of butterflies may not give the impression of top aerodynamic performance, but research published on Wednesday suggests their large flexible wings could be perfectly designed to give them a burst of jet propulsion.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-butterflies-jet-propulsion-wings.html

Alabama museum to restore full-sized mockup of space shuttle

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Alabama announced plans Tuesday to restore the world's only full-sized mockup of a space shuttle coupled with an external fuel tank and twin rocket boosters.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-alabama-museum-full-sized-mockup-space.html

Jack's back: Chinese e-tycoon ends silence with online video

China's highest-profile entrepreneur, Jack Ma, appeared Wednesday in an online video, ending a 2 1/2-month absence from public view that prompted speculation about the future of the e-commerce billionaire and his Alibaba Group.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-jack-chinese-e-tycoon-silence-online.html

Netflix's big 4Q lifts video service above 200M subscribers

Netflix's video streaming service has surpassed 200 million subscribers for the first time as its expanding line-up of TV series and movies continues to captivate people stuck at home during the ongoing battle against the pandemic.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-netflix-big-4q-video-200m.html

How to train a robot (using AI and supercomputers)

Before he joined the University of Texas at Arlington as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and founded the Robotic Vision Laboratory there, William Beksi interned at iRobot, the world's largest producer of consumer robots (mainly through its Roomba robotic vacuum).

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-robot-ai-supercomputers.html

Protected areas vulnerable to growing emphasis on food security

Protected areas are critical to mitigating extinction of species; however, they may also be in conflict with efforts to feed the growing human population. A new study shows that 6% of all global terrestrial protected areas are already made up of cropland, a heavily modified habitat that is often not suitable for supporting wildlife. Worse, 22% of this cropland occurs in areas supposedly enjoying the strictest levels of protection, the keystone of global biodiversity protection efforts.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-areas-vulnerable-emphasis-food.html

Researchers develop a mathematical model to explain the complex architecture of termite mounds

Following a series of studies on termite mound physiology and morphogenesis over the past decade, researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have now developed a mathematical model to help explain how termites construct their intricate mounds.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-mathematical-complex-architecture-termite-mounds.html

Do simulations represent the real world at the atomic scale?

Computer simulations hold tremendous promise to accelerate the molecular engineering of green energy technologies, such as new systems for electrical energy storage and solar energy usage, as well as carbon dioxide capture from the environment. However, the predictive power of these simulations depends on having a means to confirm that they do indeed describe the real world.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-simulations-real-world-atomic-scale.html

Appearance, social norms keep students off Zoom cameras

When the semester shifted online amid the COVID-19 pandemic last spring, Cornell University instructor Mark Sarvary, and his teaching staff decided to encourage—but not require—students to switch on their cameras.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-social-norms-students-cameras.html

Study shows how network of marine protected areas could help safeguard Antarctic penguins

New research led by BirdLife International, the University of East Anglia (UEA) and British Antarctic Survey highlights how a proposed network of marine protected areas could help safeguard some of the most important areas at sea for breeding Antarctic penguins.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-network-marine-areas-safeguard-antarctic.html

Stealing the spotlight in the field and kitchen

Plant breeders are constantly working to develop new bean varieties to meet the needs and desires of the food industry. But not everyone wants the same thing.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-spotlight-field-kitchen.html

Teachers having to work harder than any other professionals, says study

Teachers are working harder than ever before and more than any other occupation, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Oxford Review of Education authored by researchers from UCL .

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-teachers-harder-professionals.html

Exploration of toxic Tiger Rattlesnake venom advances use of genetic science techniques

The Tiger Rattlesnake possesses the simplest, yet most toxic venom of any rattlesnake species, and now new research from a team lead by a University of South Florida biologist can explain the genetics behind the predator's fearsome bite.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-exploration-toxic-tiger-rattlesnake-venom.html

Breakthrough in understanding 'tummy bug' bacteria

Scientists have discovered how bacteria commonly responsible for seafood-related stomach upsets can go dormant and then "wake up".

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-breakthrough-tummy-bug-bacteria.html