Buckyballs on DNA for harvesting light

Organic molecules that capture photons and convert these into electricity have important applications for producing green energy. Light-harvesting complexes need two semiconductors, an electron donor and an acceptor. How well they work is measured by their quantum efficiency, the rate by which photons are converted into electron-hole pairs.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-buckyballs-dna-harvesting.html

Red light put moths in the mood

Do you dim the lighting and turn on the red light for a romantic night in with your partner? It turns out moths aren't so different in that regard. A new study published in Frontiers in Genetics shows that dim red light boosts sexual activity in a model species, the yellow peach moth Conogethes punctiferalis (family Crambidae), by selectively activating a genetic pathway related to olfaction in the antennae. This pathway ultimately makes males more sensitive to the odor of the female sex pheromone and thus more motivated to mate.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-red-moths-mood.html

How did dogs get to the Americas? An ancient bone fragment holds clues

The history of dogs has been intertwined, since ancient times, with that of the humans who domesticated them.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-dogs-americas-ancient-bone-fragment.html

Game theory may be useful in explaining and combating viruses

A team of researchers concludes that a game-theory approach may offer new insights into both the spread and disruption of viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2. Its work, described in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, applies a "signaling game" to an analysis of cellular processes in illuminating molecular behavior.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-game-theory-combating-viruses.html

New sensor paves way to low-cost sensitive methane measurements

Researchers have developed a new sensor that could allow practical and low-cost detection of low concentrations of methane gas. Measuring methane emissions and leaks is important to a variety of industries because the gas contributes to global warming and air pollution.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-sensor-paves-low-cost-sensitive-methane.html

Novel microorganism has potential to treat high-ammonium wastewater

Water pollution has become increasingly serious, and the main pollutant in most water bodies is nitrogen. Microbial nitrification/denitrification is one of the most effective nitrogen removal pathways for wastewater.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-microorganism-potential-high-ammonium-wastewater.html

New system for evidence-based mushroom classification

A new system for evidence-based mushroom classification seeks to reduce poisoning events and clarify edibility status, according to a review published this year.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-evidence-based-mushroom-classification.html

Whale sharks show remarkable capacity to recover from injuries

A new study has for the first time explored the extraordinary rate at which the world's largest fish, the endangered whale shark, can recover from its injuries. The findings reveal that lacerations and abrasions, increasingly caused through collisions with boats, can heal in a matter of weeks and researchers found evidence of partially removed dorsal fins re-growing.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-whale-sharks-remarkable-capacity-recover.html

Climate change influences biodiversity evolution of birds, study shows

A research team from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has found that the biodiversity evolution of birds had been influenced mainly by long-term climatic changes and also by the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-climate-biodiversity-evolution-birds.html

Florida wants to stop these reptiles from becoming the next invasive species in the Everglades

Wildlife managers in Florida are finally moving to address an existential question: If the state is like an all-you-can eat buffet for invasive reptiles originally introduced as exotic pets, then why are some of those species still imported and sold by breeders and pet stores?

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-florida-reptiles-invasive-species-everglades.html

Martian moons have a common ancestor

Mars's two moons, Phobos and Deimos, have puzzled researchers since their discovery in 1877. They are very small: Phobos's diameter of 22 kilometers is 160 times smaller than that of our moon, and Deimos is even smaller, with a diameter of only 12 kilometers. "Our moon is essentially spherical, while the moons of Mars are very irregularly shaped—like potatoes," says Amirhossein Bagheri, a doctoral student at the Institute of Geophysics at ETH Zurich, adding: "Phobos and Deimos look more like asteroids than natural moons."

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-martian-moons-common-ancestor.html

Researchers find a single-celled slime mold with no nervous system that remembers food locations

Having a memory of past events enables us to take smarter decisions about the future. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS) and Technical University of Munich (TUM) identify the basis for forming memories in the slime mold Physarum polycephalum—despite its lack of a nervous system.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-single-celled-slime-mold-nervous-food.html

Novice drivers talking on hand-held smartphones are more likely to run red-lights

Young novice drivers who speak into handheld smartphones while driving are also likely to drive while under the influence of drink or drugs, according to researchers at Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-novice-drivers-hand-held-smartphones-red-lights.html

Climate-friendly foam building insulation may do more harm than good

The use of the polymeric flame retardant PolyFR in "eco-friendly" foam plastic building insulation may be harmful to human health and the environment, according to a new commentary in Environmental Science & Technology. The authors' analysis identifies several points during the lifecycle of foam insulation that may expose workers, communities, and ecosystems to PolyFR and its potentially toxic breakdown products.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-climate-friendly-foam-insulation-good.html

Metal fatigue suspected in United Airlines engine scare

Metal fatigue has emerged as chief suspect in last week's spectacular engine failure on a United Airlines plane, which scattered debris over suburban Denver and led to dozens of Boeing 777 aircraft being grounded worldwide.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-02-metal-fatigue-airlines.html

Pushing the single-exposure patterning capability of 0.33NA EUVL to its extreme limits

This week, at the 2021 SPIE Advanced Lithography Conference, imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, and ASML, the world's leading manufacturer of semiconductor lithography equipment, present several papers that demonstrate the ultimate single-exposure patterning capability of today's 0.33NA NXE:3400 extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL). Process optimizations have enabled the patterning of dense 28nm pitch line/spaces with an Inpria metal-oxide resist in one single exposure, relevant for high-volume manufacturing. For the first time, optical and e-beam inspections were correlated with electrical data to gain further insights in improving stochastic defectivity—i.e., both breaks and bridges. In addition, source optimizations have led to printing the smallest pitch possible with the current NXE:3400 scanner (i.e., 24nm pitch line/spaces and 28nm pitch contact holes), allowing for early material development required for high-NA EUV lithography scanners.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-02-single-exposure-patterning-capability-033na-euvl.html

Climate impacts drive east-west divide in forest seed production

Younger, smaller trees that comprise much of North America's eastern forests have increased their seed production under climate change, but older, larger trees that dominate forests in much of the West have been less responsive, a new Duke University-led study finds.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-climate-impacts-east-west-forest-seed.html

Imec demonstrates 20-nm pitch line/space resist imaging with high-NA EUV interference lithography

Imec reports for the first time the use of a 13.5-nm, high-harmonic-generation source for the printing of 20-nm pitch line/spaces using interference lithographic imaging of an Inpria metal-oxide resist under high-numerical-aperture (high-NA) conditions. The demonstrated high-NA capability of the EUV interference lithography using this EUV source presents an important milestone of the AttoLab, a research facility initiated by imec and KMLabs to accelerate the development of the high-NA patterning ecosystem on 300 mm wafers. The interference tool will be used to explore the fundamental dynamics of photoresist imaging and provide patterned 300 mm wafers for process development before the first 0.55 high-NA EXE5000 prototype from ASML becomes available.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-02-imec-nm-pitch-linespace-resist.html

Ape escape: Indonesian orangutans airlifted back to the wild

Ten orangutans have been airlifted back to their natural habitat on Indonesia's Borneo island, in the first release of the apes into the wild for a year due to the dangers of coronavirus infection.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-ape-indonesian-orangutans-airlifted-wild.html

Why the world is watching Australia's tussle with Big Tech

Facebook agreed to roll back a ban on news for Australian users after the government made changes to a proposed media law that had sparked the blackout last week.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-02-world-australia-tussle-big-tech-1.html

Facebook says it will lift its Australian news ban soon

Facebook said on Tuesday it will lift its ban on Australians sharing news after it struck a deal with Australia's government on legislation that would make digital giants pay for journalism.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-02-facebook-australian-news.html

India's endangered lion prides conquer disease to roam free

Three years after a deadly virus struck India's endangered Asiatic lions in their last remaining natural habitat, conservationists are hunting for new homes to help booming prides roam free.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-india-endangered-lion-prides-conquer.html

Epic Games pays virtual money in loot box settlement

Fortnite-maker Epic Games on Monday put out word it is paying the equivalent of about $8 worth of its virtual money to some players to settle a lawsuit over so-called random-item "loot boxes."

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-02-epic-games-virtual-money-loot.html

Stranded whales refloated in New Zealand but concerns remain

Rescuers successfully refloated 28 pilot whales stranded on a notorious stretch of New Zealand's coast Tuesday, but the mammals remained close to shore and could beach themselves again, wildlife officials said.

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

Facebook to restore Australia news pages after deal on media law

Facebook said Tuesday it will lift a contentious ban on Australian news pages, after the government agreed to amend a world-first law requiring tech giants to pay media companies.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-02-facebook-australia-news-pages-media.html

New Zealand volunteers refloat 28 whales in rescue effort

Volunteers in New Zealand were optimistic they could save the 28 whales that remain from a mass-stranding after refloating them Tuesday for the second time in two days.

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

How to repurpose a factory in a crisis

Medical suppliers must change how they manage their supply chains, and factories need to be able to rapidly pivot to manufacturing different products, in order to respond quickly to the next major crisis and avoid shortages of vital medical goods, experts say.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-02-repurpose-factory-crisis.html