Future ocean warming boosts tropical rainfall extremes

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the most energetic naturally occurring year-to-year variation of ocean temperature and rainfall on the planet. The irregular swings between warm and wet El Niño conditions in the equatorial Pacific and the cold and dry La Niña event influence weather conditions worldwide, with impacts on ecosystems, agriculture and economies. Climate models predict that the difference between El Niño- and La Niña-related tropical rainfall will increase over the next 80 years, even though the temperature difference between El Niño and La Niña may change only very little in response to global warming. A new study published in Communications Earth & Environment uncovers the reasons for this surprising fact.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-future-ocean-boosts-tropical-rainfall.html

Physics of particle dispersion may lend insight into reducing the airborne spread of COVID-19 virus

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists are leveraging their extensive experience studying the movement of airborne hazards to better understand the movement of virus-like particles through the air and to identify effective countermeasures.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-physics-particle-dispersion-insight-airborne.html

DNA from 360,000-year-old bone reveals oldest non-permafrost genome

Scientists have successfully sequenced the genome of an extinct cave bear using a 360,000-year-old bone—the oldest genome of any organism from a non-permafrost environment.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-dna-year-old-bone-reveals-oldest.html

Colorful connection found in coral's ability to survive higher temperatures

Anyone who visits the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Southeast Asia's coral triangle, or the reefs of Central America will surely speak of the stunning and vibrant environments. Indeed, coral reefs are believed to house more biodiversity than any other ecosystem on the planet, with the coral providing protection and shelter for hundreds of species of fish and crustaceans.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-coral-ability-survive-higher-temperatures.html

A unique prototype of microbial life designed on actual Martian material

Experimental microbially assisted chemolithotrophy provides an opportunity to trace the putative bioalteration processes of the Martian crust. A study on the Noachian Martian breccia Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034, composed of ancient (ca. 4.5 Gyr old) crustal materials from Mars has delivered a unique prototype of microbial life experimentally designed on actual Martian material. As the researchers show in the current issue of Nature Communications Earth and Environment, this life form of a pure Martian design is a rich source of Martian-relevant biosignatures. The study was led by Tetyana Milojevic, the head of the Space Biochemistry group at the University of Vienna.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-unique-prototype-microbial-life-actual.html

Optical frequency combs with a new dimension

Periodic pulses of light forming a comb in the frequency domain are widely used for sensing and ranging. The key to the miniaturization of this technology toward chip-integrated solutions is the generation of dissipative solitons in ring-shaped microresonators. Dissipative solitons are stable pulses circulating around the circumference of a nonlinear resonator.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-optical-frequency-dimension.html

The melting of large icebergs is a key stage in the evolution of ice ages

Antarctic iceberg melt could hold the key to the activation of a series of mechanisms that cause the Earth to suffer prolonged periods of global cooling, according to Francisco J. Jiménez-Espejo, a researcher at the Andalusian Earth Sciences Institute (CSIC-UGR), whose discoveries were recently published in Nature.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-large-icebergs-key-stage-evolution.html

Parasite dispersal capacity and rates of genetic introgression—a study

The physical movement of species determines their potential scope to leave their primary ecosystem behind in the quest for new niches in which to survive or reproduce—a decisive factor for the processes that determine their genomic characteristics.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-parasite-dispersal-capacity-genetic-introgressiona.html

Bone cancer survivor to join billionaire on SpaceX flight

After beating bone cancer, Hayley Arceneaux figures rocketing into orbit on SpaceX's first private flight should be a piece of cosmic cake.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-bone-cancer-survivor-billionaire-spacex.html

Mogul vs Mogul: Australia's tech law pits Murdoch against Zuckerberg

Australia's push to regulate tech giants has become a power struggle between two of the world's most powerful men, with Rupert Murdoch and Mark Zuckerberg locked in a generational battle for media dominance.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-02-mogul-australia-tech-law-pits.html

Air New Zealand to trial digital COVID 'vaccination passport'

Air New Zealand will trial a digital travel pass to give airlines and border authorities access to passenger health information, including their COVID-19 vaccination status, the carrier said Monday.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-02-air-zealand-trial-digital-covid.html

Boeing urges grounding of over a hundred 777s after engine fire

The US Federal Aviation Administration ordered extra inspections Sunday of some Boeing 777 passenger jets, after a United Airlines flight suffered engine failure a day earlier, scattering debris across a Colorado community.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-02-boeing-urges-grounding-777s.html

Australia health chiefs freeze Facebook ads

Australia's health department will no longer advertise on Facebook, it has announced, the latest escalation of the government's feud with the social media giant, which continues to block news content from its platform in the country.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-02-australia-health-chiefs-facebook-ads.html

Global tech firms in Australia launch anti-disinformation code

Global tech firms in Australia unveiled a new code of practice Monday to curb the spread of disinformation online, following pressure from the government.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-02-global-tech-firms-australia-anti-disinformation.html

Dozens of whales strand at notorious New Zealand bay

Rescuers were racing Monday to save dozens of pilot whales that beached on a stretch of New Zealand coast notorious for mass strandings, wildlife officials said.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-volunteers-zealand-stranded-whales.html

There is no one-size-fits-all road to sustainability on "Patchwork Earth"

In a world as diverse as our own, the journey towards a sustainable future will look different depending on where in the world we live, according to a recent paper published in One Earth and led by McGill University, with researchers from the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-one-size-fits-all-road-sustainability-patchwork-earth.html

Rapid evolution may help species adapt to climate change and competition

Loss of biodiversity in the face of climate change is a growing worldwide concern. Another major factor driving the loss of biodiversity is the establishment of invasive species, which often displace native species. A new study shows that species can adapt rapidly to an invader and that this evolutionary change can affect how they deal with a stressful climate.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-rapid-evolution-species-climate-competition.html

Life from Earth could temporarily survive on Mars

Some microbes on Earth could temporarily survive on the surface of Mars, finds a new study by NASA and German Aerospace Center scientists. The researchers tested the endurance of microorganisms to Martian conditions by launching them into the Earth's stratosphere, as it closely represents key conditions on the Red Planet. Published in Frontiers in Microbiology, this work paves the way for understanding not only the threat of microbes to space missions, but also the opportunities for resource independence from Earth.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-life-earth-temporarily-survive-mars.html

Pioneering research reveals gardens are secret powerhouse for pollinators

Home gardens are by far the biggest source of food for pollinating insects, including bees and wasps, in cities and towns, according to new research.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-reveals-gardens-secret-powerhouse-pollinators.html

Drones used to locate dangerous, unplugged oil wells

There are millions of unplugged oil wells in the United States, which pose a serious threat to the environment. Using drones, researchers from Binghamton University, State University of New York have developed a new method to locate these hard-to-locate and dangerous wells.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-drones-dangerous-unplugged-oil-wells.html

Study of auto recalls shows carmakers delay announcements until they 'hide in the herd'

Automotive recalls are occurring at record levels, but seem to be announced after inexplicable delays. A research study of 48 years of auto recalls announced in the United States finds carmakers frequently wait to make their announcements until after a competitor issues a recall—even if it is unrelated to similar defects.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-02-auto-recalls-carmakers-herd.html

Stress was leading reason teachers quit before pandemic, and COVID has made matters worse

Stress was the most common reason teachers cited for leaving the profession before and during the pandemic, according to a RAND Corporation survey of nearly 1,000 former public-school teachers. Three of four former teachers said work was often or always stressful in the most recent year in which they taught in a public school.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-stress-teachers-pandemic-covid-worse.html