Scientists find new solid-state material for thermal regulation

About 90% of the world's energy use involves generation or manipulation of heat, while controlling thermal transport is yet a challenge in many fields, varying from the micro- and nano-scale electronic devices to aeronautics. Materials exhibiting abrupt transition between low and high thermal conductance states are strongly desired for rapidly developing thermal regulation applications.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-scientists-solid-state-material-thermal.html

Foreign-born run greater risk of workplace bullying

The risk of being bullied at work in Sweden is twice as high if you were born outside Sweden. And if you come from a culture that is culturally dissimilar to Sweden's, the risk is even higher. These are the results of a study from Linköping University that was recently published in The International Journal of Human Resource Management.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-foreign-born-greater-workplace-bullying.html

Galileo will help Lunar Pathfinder navigate around moon

ESA's Lunar Pathfinder mission to the moon will carry an advanced satellite navigation receiver, in order to perform the first ever satnav positioning fix in lunar orbit. This experimental payload marks a preliminary step in an ambitious ESA plan to expand reliable satnav coverage—as well as communication links—to explorers around and ultimately on the moon during this decade.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-galileo-lunar-pathfinder-moon.html

Researchers confirm accuracy of cosmological data analysis technique using mock data

Astronomers have played a game of guess-the-numbers with cosmological implications. Working from a mock catalog of galaxies prepared by a Japanese team, two American teams correctly guessed the cosmological parameters used to generate the catalog to within 1% accuracy. This gives us confidence that their methods will be able to determine the correct parameters of the real universe when applied to observational data.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-accuracy-cosmological-analysis-technique-mock.html

Building knowledge of changes in uranium chemistry

"There are still a great many questions to be answered in uranium chemistry, particularly in the context of the nuclear fuel cycle; but when researchers combine their skills and expertise, pioneering and significant solutions can be found," said Dr. Zhaoming Zhang, Principal Research Scientist, Nuclear Fuel Cycle, ANSTO.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-knowledge-uranium-chemistry.html

Carbon uptake in regrowing Amazon forest threatened by climate and human disturbance

Large areas of forests regrowing in the Amazon to help reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, are being limited by climate and human activity.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-carbon-uptake-regrowing-amazon-forest.html

Bioengineers learn the secrets to precisely turning on and off genes

In a recent study led by the University of Bristol, scientists have shown how to simultaneously harness multiple forms of regulation in living cells to strictly control gene expression and open new avenues for improved biotechnologies.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-bioengineers-secrets-precisely-genes.html

Researchers tailor the interaction of electrons in an atomically thin solid

Physicists in Regensburg and Marburg have tailored the mutual interaction of electrons in an atomically thin solid by simply covering it with a crystal featuring hand-picked lattice dynamics.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-tailor-interaction-electrons-atomically-thin.html

New plutonium research helps distinguish nuclear power pollution from global fall out

Researchers looking at miniscule levels of plutonium pollution in our soils have made a breakthrough which could help inform future 'clean up' operations on land around nuclear power plants, saving time and money.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-plutonium-distinguish-nuclear-power-pollution.html

Instagram for kids? Facebook explores creating a platform for users under 13

Facebook is looking into creating an Instagram for kids.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-instagram-kids-facebook-explores-platform.html

Social networks tuning into talk

In a break from the stylized photos or videos served up as eye candy on TikTok, Instagram and other social networks, Clubhouse has revived an appetite for unsweetened conversation.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-social-networks-tuning.html

Clubhouse a sandbox for talking 'influencers'

An internet spin on talk radio, the new social network Clubhouse has become a sandbox for people tinkering with ways to win fans and make money with audio.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-clubhouse-sandbox.html

Hong Kong's fragile coral reefs boosted by 3D printing

In jade waters off Hong Kong's eastern shoreline, scientists are thrilled to spot a cuttlefish protecting her eggs inside an artificial, 3D-printed clay seabed helping to restore the city's fragile coral reefs.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-hong-kong-fragile-coral-reefs.html

Australia fires spewed as much smoke into stratosphere as volcano: study

The bushfires that ravaged Australia between 2019 and 2020 were so huge that they spewed as much smoke into the stratosphere as a large volcanic eruption, with serious consequences for the environment, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-australia-spewed-stratosphere-volcano.html

Chip shortage forces Ford to build trucks without computers

A global semiconductor shortage and a February winter storm have combined to force Ford to build F-150 pickup trucks without some computers.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-chip-shortage-ford-trucks.html

US charges Swiss 'hacktivist' for data theft and leaks

The Justice Department has charged a Swiss hacker with computer intrusion and identity theft, just over a week after the hacker took credit for helping to break into the online systems of a U.S. security-camera startup.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-swiss-hacktivist-theft-leaks.html

Facebook grows in Oregon with data center, fiber-optic cable

Facebook is growing its footprint in Oregon, announcing Thursday that it will expand its data center in Prineville—already the social media giant's largest in the United States.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-facebook-oregon-center-fiber-optic-cable.html

Amazon gets Thursday night games, NFL nearly doubles TV deal

Much like they did with cable in the 1980s and satellite television in the 1990s, the NFL on Thursday made another significant transition in the way its games are viewed.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-amazon-thursday-night-games-nfl.html

NASA completes engine test firing of moon rocket on 2nd try

NASA completed an engine test firing of its moon rocket Thursday, after the first attempt in January ended prematurely.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-nasa-moon-rocket-2nd.html

The golden ear-a of audio

Audio stimulates our brains more powerfully than video, and slots neatly into our new patterns of voracious cultural consumption—making this a revolutionary time for aural entertainment.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-golden-ear-a-audio.html

Payment startups big winners of e-commerce boom

They were little known before the pandemic, but startups in the flourishing digital payment industry are now worth a fortune as COVID-19 has forced people to increasingly embrace e-commerce.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-payment-startups-big-winners-e-commerce.html

Zoos, scientists aim to curb people giving virus to animals

The coughing among the western lowland gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in January was the first warning sign. Soon the fears were confirmed: A troop of gorillas became the first apes known to test positive for the coronavirus.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-zoos-scientists-aim-curb-people.html

Research finds surprising electron interaction in 'magic-angle' graphene

In 2018, physicists showed that something interesting happens when two sheets of the nanomaterial graphene are placed on top of each other. When one layer is rotated to a "magic angle" of around 1.1 degrees with respect to the other, the system becomes a superconductor—meaning it conducts electricity with zero resistance. Even more exciting, there was evidence that it was an unconventional form of superconductivity—a type that can happen at temperatures well above absolute zero, where most superconducting materials function.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-electron-interaction-magic-angle-graphene.html