Animals fake death for long periods to escape predators

Many animals feign death to try to escape their predators, with some individuals in prey species remaining motionless, if in danger, for extended lengths of time.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-animals-fake-death-periods-predators.html

Quick-learning cuttlefish pass 'the marshmallow test'

Much like the popular TikTok challenge where kids resist eating snacks, cuttlefish can do the same! Cuttlefish can delay gratification—wait for a better meal rather than be tempted by the one at hand—and those that can wait longest also do better in a learning test, scientists have discovered.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-quick-learning-cuttlefish-marshmallow.html

Cutting-edge analysis of prehistoric teeth sheds new light on the diets of lizards and snakes

New research has revealed that the diets of early lizards and snakes, which lived alongside dinosaurs around 100 million years ago, were more varied and advanced than previously thought.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-cutting-edge-analysis-prehistoric-teeth-diets.html

Chemists develop unique method for production of hollow nanoparticles from liquid metal

Chemists from ITMO University have succeeded in creating hollow nanoparticles using liquid metals. The new method will not only make these particles easier to produce, but it will also allow the properties of metal nanocapsules to be modified. An article on the subject was published in Chemistry of Materials.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-chemists-unique-method-production-hollow.html

The time is ripe! An innovative contactless method for the timely harvest of soft fruits

In agriculture, there are many mechanical methods to indirectly measure a fruit's ripeness through its firmness. However, most fall short for soft fruits, which do not exhibit the same types of measurable vibration as harder ones. Now, scientists from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, have developed an innovative method to measure fruit firmness using laser-induced plasma shockwaves. Their contactless, non-destructive approach works on mangoes and should be useful for other soft fruits as well.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-ripe-contactless-method-harvest-soft.html

A materials science approach to combating coronavirus

Researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology working in collaboration with colleagues at the Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology and Nara Medical University in Japan have succeeded in preparing a material called cerium molybdate (γ-Ce2Mo3O13 or CMO), which exhibits high antiviral activity against coronavirus.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-materials-science-approach-combating-coronavirus.html

New technology allows scientists first glimpse of intricate details of Little Foot's life

In June 2019, an international team brought the complete skull of the 3.67-million-year-old Little Foot Australopithecus skeleton from South Africa to the U.K.'s national synchrotron, Diamond Light Source, and achieved unprecedented imaging resolution of its bony structures and dentition in an X-ray synchrotron-based investigation. The X-ray work is highlighted in a new paper in eLife, published 2nd March 2021, focusing on the inner craniodental features of Little Foot. The remarkable completeness and great age of the Little Foot skeleton makes it a crucially important specimen in human origins research and a prime candidate for exploring human evolution through high-resolution virtual analysis.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-technology-scientists-glimpse-intricate-foot.html

Ecology literature dominated by men in a handful of countries

Publishing in peer-reviewed scientific journals is crucial for the development of a researcher's career. The scientists that publish the most often in the most prestigious journals generally acquire greater renown, as well as higher responsibilities. However, a team involving two CNRS researchers has just shown that the vast majority of scientific articles in the fields of ecology and conservation biology are authored by men working in a few Western countries.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-ecology-literature-dominated-men-countries.html

Supertest evaluates performance of engineering students in Russia, U.S., India, China

A group of researchers representing four countries summed up the results of a large-scale study of the academic performance of engineering students in Russia, China, India, and the United States. Supertest is the first study to track the progress of students in computer science and electrical engineering over the course of their studies with regard to their abilities in physics, mathematics and critical thinking and compare the results among four countries. The article about study in Nature Human Behavior.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-supertest-students-russia-india-china.html

Common bacteria modified to make designer sugar-based drug

Envisioning an animal-free drug supply, scientists have—for the first time—reprogrammed a common bacterium to make a designer polysaccharide molecule used in pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. Published today in Nature Communications, the researchers modified E. coli to produce chondroitin sulfate, a drug best known as a dietary supplement to treat arthritis that is currently sourced from cow trachea.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-common-bacteria-sugar-based-drug.html

Secrets of sealed 17th century letters revealed by dental X-ray scanners

In a world first, an international team of researchers has read an unopened letter from Renaissance Europe—without breaking its seal or damaging it in any way.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-secrets-17th-century-letters-revealed.html

Lead up to volcanic eruption in Galapagos captured in rare detail

Hours before the 2018 eruption of Sierra Negra, the Galápagos Islands' largest volcano, an earthquake rumbled and raised the ground more than 6 feet in an instant. The event, which triggered the eruption, was captured in rare detail by an international team of scientists, who said it offers new insights into one of the world's most active volcanoes.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-volcanic-eruption-galapagos-captured-rare.html

Amazon accused of race-gender bias in workplace

A lawsuit filed in US federal court on Monday accused Amazon of keeping women and Black employees down while publicly talking up the need for diversity and social justice.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-amazon-accused-race-gender-bias-workplace.html

Indonesia volcano belches huge ash column

An Indonesian volcano erupted on Tuesday morning spewing a spectacular column of ash thousands of metres (feet) into a powder blue sky.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-indonesia-volcano-belches-huge-ash.html

CO2 pollution bounces back, climate goals at risk: IEA

Global CO2 emissions have returned to pre-pandemic levels and then some, threatening to put climate treaty targets for capping global warming out of reach, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-co2-pollution-climate-goals-iea.html

Twitter cracks down on COVID vaccine misinformation

Twitter says it has begun labeling tweets that include misleading information about COVID-19 vaccines and using a "strike system" to eventually remove accounts that repeatedly violate its rules.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-twitter-covid-vaccine-misinformation.html

Comic-Con to remain virtual in 2021, cites financial strain

San Diego Comic-Con will remain virtual for the July event, but organizers are planning for a smaller-scale gathering later this year.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-comic-con-virtual-cites-financial-strain.html

Goodbye gas: Volvo to make only electric vehicles by 2030

Volvo says it will make only electric vehicles by 2030. But if you want one, you'll have to buy it online.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-goodbye-gas-volvo-electric-vehicles.html

Boeing Starliner test flight postponed

An unmanned test mission of Boeing's Starliner space capsule, which is eventually to transport astronauts to the International Space Station, has had to be postponed, NASA said Monday.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-boeing-starliner-flight-postponed.html

Zoom posts big quarter even as subscriber growth slows

Zoom's astronomical growth is tapering off along with the pandemic, raising questions about whether the videoconferencing service's immense popularity will fade as more people return to classrooms, offices and other places that have been off limits for the past year.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-big-quarter-subscriber-growth.html

What's happening to the most remote coral reefs on Earth?

In the middle of the Indian Ocean lies some of the last coral reef wilderness on Earth. The Chagos Archipelago, a collection of atolls, including Earth's largest—the Great Chagos Bank—is home to reefs that have been largely undisturbed by humans for the last 50 years. Some estimates indicate the Chagos Archipelago may contain more than half of the healthy coral reefs remaining in the entire Indian Ocean. These reefs are protected both by their remote location, and in one of the world's largest no-take marine reserves—the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) marine protected area.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-remote-coral-reefs-earth.html

Coffee for the birds: Connecting bird-watchers with shade-grown coffee

Since 1970, bird populations in North America have declined by approximately 2.9 billion birds, a loss of more than one in four birds. Factors in this decline include habitat loss and ecosystem degradation from human actions on the landscape.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-coffee-birds-bird-watchers-shade-grown.html

Stressed-out young oysters may grow less meat on their shells

Early exposure to tough conditions—particularly warmer waters and nightly swings of low oxygen—could leave lasting scars on oysters' ability to grow meaty tissue. A team of biologists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) reported the discovery in a new study, published online Feb. 26 in the journal Ecological Applications.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-stressed-out-young-oysters-meat-shells.html

New study proposes a low cost, high efficiency mask design

A new paper in Oxford Open Materials Science presents low cost modifications to existing N95 masks that prolongs their effectiveness and improves their reusability post disinfectants.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-high-efficiency-mask.html