Alpine plants at risk of extinction following disappearing glaciers

Beyond the ski slopes, one of the most iconic symbols of the Alps are the alpine flowers. These plants are not only beautiful—they are also used in liqueurs and medicines, and they form the foundation of the local food chains. But a recent study in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution shows that, although plant diversity may initially increase with glacier retreat, many of these species may soon become endangered.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-alpine-extinction-glaciers.html

A new technology to reduce motion sickness associated with VR headsets

Researchers in Korea have analyzed the symptoms of motion sickness that users may experience in VR content and developed a technology to reduce VR sickness using artificial intelligence. The technology is expected to be of great help to VR content developers in creating application services while giving full rein to their creativity.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-technology-motion-sickness-vr-headsets.html

Study uses neutrons to shine light on shutting down cancer cells

Often called the building blocks of life, cells are complex and highly dynamic. The genetic information encoded inside enables them to build biomolecular components like proteins, DNA, and RNA, which assemble into larger, more complex units—from myriad organelles to ultimately whole cells—which in turn form tissues that then give rise to entire organisms. Control over the levels of organization is essential for life, but uncontrolled cell growth causes many deadly diseases, including cancer.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-neutrons-cancer-cells.html

Tiger undergoes rare hip replacement surgery at Illinois zoo

A 10-year-old Amur tiger with arthritis underwent hip replacement surgery at a zoo outside Chicago on Wednesday, and her surgical team is confident the procedure will add years to her life.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-tiger-rare-hip-surgery-illinois.html

Cathay Pacific shares plunge as bond sale announced to stem cash crisis

Shares in Hong Kong's marquee carrier Cathay Pacific plunged on Thursday after the struggling airline unveiled a HK$6.7 billion (US$870 million) bond sale to try to stem its rampant cash burn.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-cathay-pacific-plunge-bond-sale.html

Turning food waste back into food

There's a better end for used food than taking up space in landfills and contributing to global warming.

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

635 million-year-old fungi-like microfossil that bailed us out of an ice age discovered

When you think of fungi, what comes to mind may be a crucial ingredient in a recipe or their amazing ability to break down dead organic matter into vital nutrients. But new research by Shuhai Xiao, a professor of geosciences with the Virginia Tech College of Science, and Tian Gan, a visiting Ph.D. student in the Xiao lab, highlights yet another important role that fungi have played throughout the Earth's history: helping the planet recover from an ice age.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-million-year-old-fungi-like-microfossil-bailed-ice.html

Nicaragua operation rescues two endangered jaguar cubs

When a post on social media exposed animal traffickers who planned to illegally sell two young jaguars abroad, Nicaragua zookeeper Eduardo Sacasa had a narrow chance to save the cubs.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-nicaragua-endangered-jaguar-cubs.html

Meet 'baby' Claire, explorer of Antwerp's bad air

Out for an afternoon hike, Veerle Bonaers and a friend stop pushing their baby and look down to their map, suddenly aware they have taken a wrong turn.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-baby-claire-explorer-antwerp-bad.html

Facebook to stop recommending political groups to users

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday said the social network will no longer recommend politics-themed groups to users, a measure already taken in the US due to election tensions.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-facebook-political-groups-users.html

Toyota overtakes Volkswagen as top-selling global auto maker

Japan's Toyota reclaimed the title of world's top-selling automaker in 2020, according to data released by the firm on Thursday, pushing Volkswagen into second place for the first time in five years.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-toyota-volkswagen-top-selling-global-auto.html

Singapore launches new self-driving bus trial

Singapore has moved a step closer to a driverless public transport network with the launch of a new trial of self-driving buses.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-singapore-self-driving-bus-trial.html

EasyJet says revenues slump almost 90% on virus hit

British no-frills airline EasyJet said Thursday that revenues collapsed by almost 90 percent in its first quarter as coronavirus ravaged travel demand, warning that second quarter capacity will be slashed.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-easyjet-revenues-slump-virus.html

Chinese app TikTok cuts jobs in India following ban

Popular short-video Chinese app TikTok is cutting its workforce in India after hundreds of millions of its users dropped it to comply with a government ban on dozens of Chinese apps amid a military standoff between the two countries.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-chinese-app-tiktok-jobs-india.html

Apple to crack down on tracking iPhone users in early spring

Apple says it will roll out a new privacy control in the spring to prevent iPhone apps from secretly shadowing people. The delay in its anticipated rollout aims to placate Facebook and other digital services that depend on such data surveillance to help sell ads.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-apple-tracking-iphone-users-early.html

Regulator says Australia must address Google ad dominance

A lack of competition for Google and a lack of transparency in the digital advertising supply chain needed to be addressed because they were impacting publishers, advertisers and consumers, Australia's competition watchdog said on Thursday.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-australia-google-ad-dominance.html

Samsung Electronics profit spikes on pandemic-driven demand

Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest smartphone and memory chip maker reported fourth-quarter net profits up by more than a quarter year-on-year Thursday, with coronavirus-driven working from home boosting demand for devices powered by its chips.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-samsung-profit-driven-strong-chip.html

Eye-popping research helps inform salmon and floodplain management

If you look deep into the eyes of a fish, it will tell you its life story.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-eye-popping-salmon-floodplain.html

They're just not that into you: Consumer-brand relationship insights

Researchers from Western University, Indiana University, and Washington State University published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that uses the idea of psychological distance as a way to leverage qualities of existing consumer-brand relationships.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-theyre-consumer-brand-relationship-insights.html

Entrepreneurs benefit more from emotional intelligence than other competencies, such as IQ

Running a successful business has its challenges, but the COVID-19 pandemic has required many owners to pivot and look for new ways to operate profitably while keeping employees and consumers safe. Research from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business found that emotional intelligence—the ability to understand, use and manage emotions to relieve stress—may be more vital to a business' survival than previously thought.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-entrepreneurs-benefit-emotional-intelligence-iq.html

Technology bolsters use of chia seeds to help improve health, slow signs of aging

An improved extraction method involving chia seeds may provide new options for nutritional foods, medicine capsules and anti-aging products.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-technology-bolsters-chia-seeds-health.html

'Liquid' machine-learning system adapts to changing conditions

MIT researchers have developed a type of neural network that learns on the job, not just during its training phase. These flexible algorithms, dubbed "liquid" networks, change their underlying equations to continuously adapt to new data inputs. The advance could aid decision making based on data streams that change over time, including those involved in medical diagnosis and autonomous driving.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-liquid-machine-learning-conditions.html

First evidence that water can be created on the lunar surface by Earth's magnetosphere

Before the Apollo era, the moon was thought to be dry as a desert due to the extreme temperatures and harshness of the space environment. Many studies have since discovered lunar water: ice in shadowed polar craters, water bound in volcanic rocks, and unexpected rusty iron deposits in the lunar soil. Despite these findings, there is still no true confirmation of the extent or origin of lunar surface water.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-evidence-lunar-surface-earth-magnetosphere.html