Large supernova remnant detected by eROSITA

Using the extended Röntgen Survey Imaging Telescope Array (eROSITA) instrument onboard the Spektr-RG spacecraft, astronomers have detected in X-rays a new large supernova remnant (SNR). The newfound object, dubbed "Hoinga," turns out to be one of the largest SNR discovered at wavelengths other than radio. The finding is reported in a paper published February 26 on the arXiv pre-print server.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-large-supernova-remnant-erosita.html

Flexible work arrangements help women, but only if they are also offered to men

Flexible workplace policies designed to improve gender gaps in employment and pay might actually make things worse for women.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-flexible-women-men.html

Stop telling girls to smile—it pressures them to accept the unjust status quo

Girls are constantly told to smile, from T-shirts sold in stores that say "everyone loves a happy girl" to the catcallers telling young women to smile when they walk down the street.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-girls-smileit-pressures-unjust-status.html

Falling through the cracks: Shining a light on adolescent girls in humanitarian emergencies

The last decade has seen the highest-ever number of people displaced by conflict and violence globally. There are an estimated 51 million people displaced within their own borders. And the number of refugees has doubled to 20 million since 2011.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-falling-adolescent-girls-humanitarian-emergencies.html

Research explores promoting public trust in AI

The public doesn't need to know how Artificial Intelligence works to trust it. They just need to know that someone with the necessary skillset is examining AI and has the authority to mete out sanctions if it causes or is likely to cause harm.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-explores-ai.html

Research illuminates embryonic stem cell fate

USC postdoctoral researcher Xi Chen knows that you have to break a few eggs in order to grow chicken stem cells. His work on maintaining embryonic stem cells (ESC) from chicken eggs provides insight into stem cell pluripotency and evolutionary developmental biology.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-illuminates-embryonic-stem-cell-fate.html

Modeling shows the true cost of heat on PV system performance

Lowering the operating temperature of solar panels by just a few degrees can dramatically increase the electricity they generate over their lifetime, KAUST researchers have shown. The hotter a panel gets, the lower its solar power conversion efficiency (PCE) and the faster it will degrade and fail. Finding ways to keep solar panels cool could significantly improve the return on investment of solar-power systems.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-true-pv.html

How would rain be different on an alien world?

On Titan, Saturn's largest moon, it rains on a regular basis. As with Earth, these rains are the result of liquid evaporating on the surface, condensing in the skies, and falling back to the surface as precipitation. On Earth, this is known as the hydrological (or water) cycle, which is an indispensable part of our climate. In Titan's case, the same steps are all there, but it is methane that is being exchanged and not water.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-alien-world.html

Strict environmental laws 'push' firms to pollute elsewhere

Multinational companies headquartered in countries with tougher environmental policies tend to locate their polluting factories in countries with more lax regulations, a new study finds.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-strict-environmental-laws-firms-pollute.html

Conservation hope: Many wildlife species can recover if given a chance

There is real and justified concern about the state of our world's ecosystems. Satellite imagery reveals few places left untouched by humanity. As the global human population and our overall consumption continue to grow in concert with the upheaval of our climate systems, the outlook for non-human species seems grim.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-wildlife-species-recover-chance.html

Being highly educated not a curb to bigger families for religious women, study suggests

The trend for highly-educated women to have fewer children isn't seen among those who are religious, new analysis suggests.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-highly-curb-bigger-families-religious.html

It's time to bolster women in conservation

Women are largely being excluded from decisions about conservation and natural resources, with potentially detrimental effects on conservation efforts globally, according to research.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-bolster-women.html

Guaranteed income increases employment, improves financial and physical health

Results released on March 3, 2021 from the first year of the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) show guaranteed income drastically improves job prospects, financial stability, and overall wellbeing of recipients. As Congress and the Biden administration debate the inclusion of pandemic stimulus aid, this new research counters long-held narratives that unrestricted cash payments disincentivize work.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-income-employment-financial-physical-health.html

Researchers develop improved recycling process for carbon fibers

Recycling of composite materials could be up to 70 percent cheaper and lead to a 90-95 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to standard manufacturing.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-recycling-carbon-fibers.html

Gender in geosciences: The leaky pipeline needs fixing

Hacking through the jungle. An uphill battle. Being the Road Runner but on an ice-skating rink. These are just some of the ways a woman's career path in geosciences is described by those working in the field.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-gender-geosciences-leaky-pipeline.html

Scientists reveal dynamic coupling of strong hydrogen bond

Hydrogen bonds (HBs), the main intermolecular interactions, are inherently fluctuant in nature.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-scientists-reveal-dynamic-coupling-strong.html

A biosensor for measuring extracellular hydrogen peroxide concentrations

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Biosensors and Bioelectronics a successful test of a sensor for measuring hydrogen peroxide concentrations near cell membranes. The sensor has the potential to become a tool for new cancer therapies.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-biosensor-extracellular-hydrogen-peroxide.html

Invasive weed may help treat some human diseases, researchers find

Native to the southeastern United States, a weedy grass has spread northward to Canada and also made its way to Australia and Japan. Andropogon virginicus grows densely packed and up to seven feet tall, disrupting growth patterns of other plants and competing for resources. When burned, it grows back stronger. There is no way to effectively remove the weed once it has invaded. But there might be a way to use it to human advantage.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-invasive-weed-human-diseases.html

Tiny diamonds prove an excellent material for accelerator components

When it comes to producing high-quality electron beams like those found in state-of-the-art scientific equipment like free-electron lasers, ultrafast electron diffraction and imaging and wakefield accelerators, scientists have looked to photocathode technology as a way to convert light to electrons. These tools give researchers a way to more deeply penetrate into materials and atomic structure and behavior under real-world conditions.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-tiny-diamonds-excellent-material-components.html

Centimeter-scale porous single-crystalline monoliths with high-density Lewis acid sites to enhance propane dehydrogena

Surface/interface structure and catalytic mechanism are of great significance in many practical catalytic reactions.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-centimeter-scale-porous-single-crystalline-monoliths-high-density.html

'Magic sand' might help us understand the physics of granular matter

Sand is a fascinating material. It can flow and be poured like a liquid, but retains many of the properties of solids, clogging pipes or forming sand dunes. The behavior of collections of small particles like sand is known as granular physics, and is an immensely important field for the handling and transport of the wide range of granular materials out there like grains, rice, powders and the vast amounts of sand used in the construction industry.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-magic-sand-physics-granular.html

Most distant quasar with powerful radio jets discovered

With the help of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT), astronomers have discovered and studied in detail the most distant source of radio emission known to date. The source is a "radio-loud" quasar—a bright object with powerful jets emitting at radio wavelengths—that is so far away its light has taken 13 billion years to reach us. The discovery could provide important clues to help astronomers understand the early Universe.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-distant-quasar-powerful-radio-jets.html

Reduced heat leakage improves wearable health device

North Carolina State University engineers continue to improve the efficiency of a flexible device worn on the wrist that harvests heat energy from the human body to monitor health.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-leakage-wearable-health-device.html