Elite women may have ruled El Argar 4,000 years ago

Women of the ruling class may have played an important role in the governance of El Argar, a society which flourished in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula between 2200 and 1550 BCE, and which in the last two centuries of its existence, developed into the first state organization of the western Mediterranean.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-elite-women-el-argar-years.html

Climate change could have direct consequences on malaria transmission in Africa

The slowdown in global warming that was observed at the end of last century was reflected by a decrease in malaria transmission in the Ethiopian highlands, according to a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and the University of Chicago. The results, published in Nature Communications, underscore the close connection between climate and health.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-climate-consequences-malaria-transmission-africa.html

Biden eyes Big Tech critic for regulatory post: media

President Joe Biden plans to nominate a prominent advocate of breaking up Big Tech firms to a key regulatory post, suggesting an aggressive antitrust stance, media reports said Tuesday.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-biden-eyes-big-tech-critic.html

Latest mass hacks highlight challenge for Biden administration

The potentially devastating hack of Microsoft email servers, the second major cyberattack in months, adds pressure to the Biden administration as it weighs options for "hacking back" or other moves to protect cyberspace.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-latest-mass-hacks-highlight-biden.html

Video game platform Roblox to make Wall Street debut

Gaming platform Roblox—which has skyrocketed in popularity among kids and teens during the coronavirus pandemic—will make its Wall Street debut Wednesday as a direct listing.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-video-game-platform-roblox-wall.html

Surveillance fears after Clubhouse app takes Saudi by storm

Political reform, racism, transgender rights—the audio app Clubhouse has unleashed unbridled debates about topics deemed dangerously sensitive in Saudi Arabia, but surveillance fears have spooked users in the authoritarian state.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-surveillance-clubhouse-app-saudi-storm.html

Nicaragua volcano blankets communities in ash

The San Cristobal volcano, the highest in Nicaragua and one of its most active, spewed a cloud of ash Tuesday that blanketed the city of Chinandega and surrounding communities, a local journalist told AFP.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-nicaragua-volcano-blankets-ash.html

Endangered leatherback turtles hatch in Ecuador

Nine leatherback turtles—the largest endangered marine turtle in the world—were hatched along the coast of Ecuador, the Ministry of Environment said Tuesday.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-endangered-leatherback-turtles-hatch-ecuador.html

LinkedIn China suspends new sign-ups to 'respect law'

Microsoft-owned social network LinkedIn has halted new member sign-ups for its service in China while it reviews its compliance with local laws, the company said in a statement.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-linkedin-china-sign-ups-respect-law.html

Russia disrupting Twitter over 'illegal' content

Russia said Wednesday it planned to slow down Twitter for users in the country over what it said was the social media platform's failure to remove "illegal" content.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-russia-disrupting-twitter-illegal-content.html

Fortnite maker adds Google Australia to legal fight against tech giants

Fortnite maker Epic Games launched legal action against Google in Australia on Wednesday, opening another front in its global fight against the stranglehold of tech titans on app marketplaces.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-fortnite-maker-google-australia-legal.html

Cathay Pacific posts record loss, warns of long recovery

Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific said Wednesday it suffered a record $2.8 billion loss last year as the coronavirus pandemic wiped out demand for travel—and the airline warned of a long road to recovery ahead.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-cathay-pacific-loss-recovery.html

New owner Buzzfeed lays off 45 from HuffPost newsroom

Buzzfeed announced Tuesday that it has laid off 45 reporters, editors and producers from the newly acquired HuffPost.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-owner-buzzfeed-huffpost-newsroom.html

Mothers rebuild: Solutions to overcome COVID-19 challenges in academia

Over the summer and fall, paper after paper revealed that mothers are one of the demographics hardest hit by the pandemic. From layoffs and leaving careers to do caretaking, to submission rate decreases and additional service projects, the data were clear, but the follow up less so. Many of the problems are not new and will remain after the pandemic. But a new paper, published this week in PLOS Biology, outlines methods to help solve them.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-mothers-rebuild-solutions-covid-academia.html

Both old and young fish sustain fisheries

Scientists have used modern genetic techniques to prove age-old assumptions about what sizes of fish to leave in the sea to preserve the future of local fisheries.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-young-fish-sustain-fisheries.html

Avatar marketing: Moving beyond gimmicks to results

Researchers from University of Texas-Arlington, University of Virginia, Sun Yat-Sen University, and University of Washington published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that seeks to advance the discipline of avatar-based marketing.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-avatar-gimmicks-results.html

Sushi-like rolled 2D heterostructures may lead to new miniaturized electronics

The recent synthesis of one-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures, a type of heterostructure made by layering two-dimensional materials that are one atom thick, may lead to new, miniaturized electronics that are currently not possible, according to a team of Penn State and University of Tokyo researchers.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-sushi-like-2d-heterostructures-miniaturized-electronics.html

Study uncovers spawning preferences of mahi-mahi

In the Florida Straits at night, and under a new moon is the preference for spawning mahi-mahi, according to a new study by scientists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-uncovers-spawning-mahi-mahi.html

Bezos plans to spend $10 billion by 2030 on climate change

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos plans to spend the $10 billion he invested in the Bezos Earth Fund by 2030, the fund's new CEO said Tuesday.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-bezos-billion-climate.html

Researchers use silkworm silk to model muscle tissue

Researchers at Utah State University are using silkworm silk to grow skeletal muscle cells, improving on traditional methods of cell culture and hopefully leading to better treatments for muscle atrophy.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-silkworm-silk-muscle-tissue.html

Citizens and scientists release 28-year record of water quality in Buzzards Bay

A long-lasting, successful relationship between scientists at the MBL Ecosystems Center and the citizen-led Buzzards Bay Coalition has garnered a long-term record of water quality in the busy bay that lies west of Woods Hole. That record has already returned tremendous value and last week, it was published in Scientific Data, a Nature journal.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-citizens-scientists-year-quality-buzzards.html

Warming climate slows tropical birds' population growth rates

The mountain forests of Tanzania are more than 9,300 miles away from Salt Lake City, Utah. But, as in eastern Africa, the wild places of Utah depend on a diversity of birds to spread seeds, eat pests and clean up carrion. Birds keep ecosystems healthy. So if birds in Tanzania are in trouble in a warming climate, as found in a recent study by University of Utah researchers, people in Utah as well as in the African tropics should pay attention.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-climate-tropical-birds-population-growth.html

Study: Prisoners with mental illness much more likely to be placed in solitary confinement

Past studies on whether incarcerated people with mental illness are more likely to be placed in solitary confinement have yielded mixed results. A new study examined the issue in one state's prisons, taking into account factors related to incarcerated men and the facilities where they were imprisoned. It found that having a mental illness was associated with a significant increase in the likelihood of being placed in extended solitary confinement.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-prisoners-mental-illness-solitary-confinement.html