Biomolecular analysis of medieval parchment 'birthing girdle'

Childbearing in medieval Europe was a highly perilous time with considerable risks for both mother and baby.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-biomolecular-analysis-medieval-parchment-birthing.html

Growing cannabis indoors produces a lot of greenhouse gases, but just how much depends on where it's grown

Indoor cannabis production is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, and the environmental effects vary significantly depending on where it is being grown, according to our new study.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-cannabis-indoors-lot-greenhouse-gases.html

Advanced math and science are super popular with Islamic-school students, but that could limit their career options

More Islamic-school students in years 11 to 12 are enrolled in science and maths than other students in Australia.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-advanced-math-science-super-popular.html

Space missions are building up a detailed map of the sun's magnetic field

Solar physicists have been having a field day of late. A variety of missions have been staring at the sun more intently ever before (please don't try it at home). From the Parker Solar Probe to the Solar Orbiter, we are constantly collecting more and more data about our stellar neighbor. But it's not just the big-name missions that can collect useful data—sometimes information from missions as simple as a sounding rocket make all the difference.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-space-missions-sun-magnetic-field.html

What urban nature really means for insect biodiversity

Parks and green spaces in cities provide health and wellness benefits to human inhabitants, but they're not necessarily beneficial for other urban dwellers—like insects. Researchers are investigating urban biodiversity with approaches such as 'bee hotels' to see how cities can better foster insect life.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-urban-nature-insect-biodiversity.html

Photonic Berry curvature in double liquid crystal microcavities with broken inversion symmetry

Researchers at Skoltech and their colleagues proposed a photonic device from two optical resonators with liquid crystals inside them to study optical properties of this system that can be useful for future generations of optoelectronic and spinoptronic devices. The paper was published in the journal Physical Review B.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-photonic-berry-curvature-liquid-crystal.html

Ethnobotanical survey enlightens traditional knowledge, use and conservation of plants in Kenya

An ethnobotanical survey conducted in Tharaka-Nithi County in Kenya has revealed high traditional knowledge of plant resources held by the residents. This is the first study ever done in all the regions of the county, according to researchers from the Sino-Africa Joint Research Center (SAJOREC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-ethnobotanical-survey-enlightens-traditional-knowledge.html

Radiation knows no bounds—but builds strong bonds between two communities

An earthquake off the coast of Japan. A resulting tsunami. Ten years ago, Mark Triplett watched the news unfold and worried about two things. The safety of his son and daughter-in-law who were living in Japan at the time. He quickly learned his family was unaffected and safe. But the other concern? It's still with him, almost daily.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-boundsbut-strong-bonds.html

Back to the future: A case of Japanese rural migration

Susanne Klien is an associate professor at Hokkaido University's Modern Japanese Studies Program (MJSP). Having explored intangible cultural heritage across Japan, Klien has been expanding her research in area studies and anthropology on rural Japan. During her previous work for a research institute in Tokyo, she observed a unique migration pattern that has been taking place in Japan: more young people are relocating from big cities to rural areas, for example to the Tohoku area, the northeastern portion of Japan's main island of Honshu.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-future-case-japanese-rural-migration.html

Digital detective work tracks the travels of Gregor Mendel

Gregor Mendel's place in history is secure as the father of genetics but otherwise relatively little is known of the Augustinian friar from Brno (now in the Czech Republic.)

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-digital-tracks-gregor-mendel.html

Microchips of the future: Suitable insulators are still missing

For decades, there has been a trend in microelectronics towards ever smaller and more compact transistors. 2D materials such as graphene are seen as a beacon of hope here: they are the thinnest material layers that can possibly exist, consisting of only one or a few atomic layers. Nevertheless, they can conduct electrical currents—conventional silicon technology, on the other hand, no longer works properly if the layers become too thin.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-microchips-future-suitable-insulators.html

Iron-based catalysts discovered in light-driven carbon dioxide hydrogenation

Chinese researchers recently prepared a series of Fe-containing catalysts from MgFeAl Layered Double Hydroxide (LDH) nanosheet by thermal reduction with H2 at temperatures ranging from 300 °C to 700 °C. The new discovery is applied to the light-driven reduction of CO2 to value-added hydrocarbons for the first time.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-iron-based-catalysts-light-driven-carbon-dioxide.html

Early Mars climate was intermittently warm

A new study that characterizes the climate of Mars over the planet's lifetime reveals that in its earliest history it was periodically warmed due to the input of greenhouse gases derived from volcanism and meteorites, yet remained relatively cold in the intervening periods, thus providing opportunities and challenges for any microbial life form that may have been emerging on the Red Planet. The study involved a national team of scientists that included Joel Hurowitz, Ph.D., of Stony Brook University. The findings are detailed in a paper published in Nature Geoscience.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-early-mars-climate-intermittently.html

Scientists discover dynamic trimolecular G-quadruplex

As an important non-canonical DNA secondary structure in vivo and in vitro, G-quadruplexes (GQs) have been widely investigated in many fields including biology, medicinal chemistry, supramolecular chemistry and nanotechnology. Vast GQs are primarily folded by one, two or four G-rich oligomers, rarely with an exception.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-scientists-dynamic-trimolecular-g-quadruplex.html

By adding strain, researchers improve metallic glass

Metallic glasses—materials with the strength of metal, but moldable like plastic—are being developed for a broad range of applications. Controlling the formation of metallic glasses and their resulting properties in bulk form, however, remains a work-in-progress in the field.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-adding-strain-metallic-glass.html

An astronaut's guide to out-of-Earth manufacturing

mprovising new stuff from the stuff you have is part of an astronaut's job description—think Apollo 13's crew refitting CO2 filters to save their own lives, or stranded Mark Watney in The Martian, feeding himself on the Red Planet. Now plans are underway to manufacture items in orbit, and ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst argues this could make a big difference to living and working in space.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-astronaut-out-of-earth.html

Volcanic eruptions had large and persistent impacts on global hydroclimate over the last millennium

Large tropical volcanos have caused some of the world's most destructive natural disasters in history, with eruptions spewing out massive quantities of harmful gases and other debris that can wipe out everything in their path.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-volcanic-eruptions-large-persistent-impacts.html

Full evolutionary journey of hospital superbug mapped for the first time

Modern hospitals and antibiotic treatment alone did not create all the antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria we see today. Instead, selection pressures from before widespread use of antibiotics influenced some of them to develop, new research has discovered.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-full-evolutionary-journey-hospital-superbug.html

'Wearable microgrid' uses the human body to sustainably power small gadgets

Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a "wearable microgrid" that harvests and stores energy from the human body to power small electronics. It consists of three main parts: sweat-powered biofuel cells, motion-powered devices called triboelectric generators, and energy-storing supercapacitors. All parts are flexible, washable and can be screen printed onto clothing.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-wearable-microgrid-human-body-sustainably.html

Desert country Jordan aims for green with 10-million tree campaign

On a bare hill in Jordan's verdant Ajloun region, dozens of people plant saplings as part of a reforestation effort that aims to reach 10 million trees in 10 years.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-country-jordan-aims-green-million.html

Decade after Fukushima, Japan towns struggle to rebuild community

Masakazu Daibo has reopened his family's eel restaurant in part of Japan declared a no-go zone after the 2011 nuclear disaster, but so far he has barely a single neighbour.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-decade-fukushima-japan-towns-struggle.html

Airline industry pushes US to standardize health papers

Leading airline and business groups are asking the Biden administration to develop temporary credentials that would let travelers show they have been tested and vaccinated for COVID-19, a step that the airline industry believes will help revive travel.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-airline-industry-standardize-health-papers.html

Breaking waves and moisture transport drive extreme precipitation events

Around the world each year, extreme precipitation events cause catastrophic flooding that results in tragic loss of life and costly damage to infrastructure and property. However, a variety of different weather systems can cause these extreme events, so a detailed understanding of the atmospheric processes that lead to their formation is crucial.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-moisture-extreme-precipitation-events.html

Engineering platform offers collaborative cloud options for sustainable manufacturing

A Purdue University engineering innovator has developed a cloud-based platform aimed at mapping inter-industry dependence networks for materials and waste generation among manufacturers in sectors such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals and other industries tied to biobased economies.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-platform-collaborative-cloud-options-sustainable.html