Light pollution drives increased risk of West Nile virus

Florida has experienced a relatively mild winter, which typically translates to more mosquitoes in the summer and more birds on which they can feast. If history repeats itself, it's likely there will be an uptick in West Nile virus cases this year, especially in the outer fringes of the suburbs where much of the nighttime illumination emanates from the skyglow of nearby cities.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-pollution-west-nile-virus.html

Snappy evolution was behind the success of ancient crocodiles

New research led by the University of Bristol has revealed that crocodiles once flourished on land and in the oceans as a result of fast evolution.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-snappy-evolution-success-ancient-crocodiles.html

Climate change is feeding our plants junk food

The human-led climate crisis has begun to impact our world in profound ways.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-climate-junk-food.html

During emergencies, social media is a critical channel for warnings

A plume of smoke hung over the Houston area for days in March 2019 after storage tanks containing hazardous chemicals ignited at a Deer Park facility.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-emergencies-social-media-critical-channel.html

Neglected species: 'Living fossil' sturgeon on the brink of extinction

Depending on your political affiliation, the words "Sturgeon in peril" may fill you with delight, despair or indifference. For those of us at Fauna & Flora International (FFI), however, this kind of headline is already old news.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-neglected-species-fossil-sturgeon-brink.html

Stranded endangered false killer whale divulges a dietary first

Researchers found something unexpected inside a rare false killer whale that stranded dead on Maui in February 2021, and it could ultimately help the endangered species. The whale was an insular false killer whale, the most critically endangered species of dolphins and whales in Hawaiian waters. While investigating it's cause of death, the University of Hawaiʻi Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Lab found the remains of octopuses in its stomach, which was previously an unknown part of the species' diet.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-stranded-endangered-false-killer-whale.html

Glock ghost guns up for grabs on the dark web

Australians have access to a wide variety of untraceable 'ghost guns' online along with a significant market of 3D printed weapon blueprints and kits, according to a new study from The Australian National University (ANU).

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-glock-ghost-guns-dark-web.html

Penguin hemoglobin evolved to meet oxygen demands of diving

Call it the evolutionary march of the penguins.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-penguin-hemoglobin-evolved-oxygen-demands.html

Scientists study potential volcanic impacts on future global land monsoon precipitation changes

Scientists have found global precipitation significantly decreased in the year following large volcanic eruptions, as evidenced by paleoclimate reconstructions and historical observations. Decreased precipitation is a robust post-volcano eruption signal in the monsoon climate, and scientists want to explore volcanos' roles in future climate. However, major volcanic eruptions are generally not included in current model projection scenarios because they are inherently unpredictable events.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-scientists-potential-volcanic-impacts-future.html

Research reveals mechanism of salinity tolerance in Italian ryegrass

Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) is a widely cultivated forage with excellent quality, high yield, good palatability and rich nutritional value. However, its growth is inhibited by salt tress, which is a major growth limiting factor.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-reveals-mechanism-salinity-tolerance-italian.html

Landsat satellite data warns of harmful algal blooms

Come summer, Utahns will flock to the state's lakes and reservoirs to boat, swim and picnic along the shore. And every week, if not every day, scientists like Kate Fickas of Utah State University in Logan will use satellite images and other data to monitor recreation sites to check for rapid growth of algae into a bloom, and make sure the water is safe for people and pets.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-landsat-satellite-algal-blooms.html

Artificial intelligence revolution offers benefits and challenges

Australia could once again have a globally competitive manufacturing sector by using automation driven by artificial intelligence (AI). That's the view of University of Adelaide researchers who are aiming to play a major role in the development of AI which is poised to reshape the global economy, bringing challenges and opportunities.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-artificial-intelligence-revolution-benefits.html

Natural variations help resolve a climate puzzle

New research shows that naturally occurring climate variations help to explain a long-standing difference between climate models and satellite observations of global warming.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-natural-variations-climate-puzzle.html

Keeping track of spacecraft as Earth's water alters its spin

Mass is constantly being redistributed around our planet, as Earth's atmosphere, oceans and other bodies of water on and under the surface melt, shift and stir. This mass redistribution alters Earth's center of gravity, which in turn speeds up and slows down the planet's spin—and so the length of the day—as well as changing the orientation of its spin axis. These changes to Earth's spin and orientation occur over relatively short timescales of days and weeks, and threaten communication between ground stations and missions in orbit and across the solar system.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-track-spacecraft-earth.html

Nanobiomaterial boosts neuronal growth in mice with spinal cord injuries

Researchers from the Department of Orthopedics of Tongji Hospital at Tongji University in Shanghai have successfully used a nanobiomaterial called layered double hydroxide (LDH) to inhibit the inflammatory environment surrounding spinal cord injuries in mice, accelerating regeneration of neurons and reconstruction of the neural circuit in the spine. The researchers were also able to identify the underlying genetic mechanism by which LDH works. This understanding should allow further modification of the therapy which, in combination with other elements, could finally produce a comprehensive, clinically applicable system for spinal cord injury relief in humans.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-nanobiomaterial-boosts-neuronal-growth-mice.html

Novel thermometer can accelerate quantum computer development

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden, have developed a novel type of thermometer that can simply and quickly measure temperatures during quantum calculations with extremely high accuracy. The breakthrough provides a benchmarking tool for quantum computing of great value—and opens up for experiments in the exciting field of quantum thermodynamics.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-thermometer-quantum.html

People have started to care about insects. Now we need action, say experts

"If you had asked me this question four years ago, I would have given you a totally different answer."

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-people-insects-action-experts.html

Algorithms inspired by social networks reveal lifecycle of substorms, a key element of space weather

Space weather often manifests as substorms, where a beautiful auroral display such as the Northern Lights is accompanied by an electrical current in space which has effects at earth that can interfere with and damage power distribution and electrical systems. Now, the lifecycle of these auroral substorms has been revealed using social media-inspired mathematical tools to analyse space weather observations across the Earth's surface.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-algorithms-social-networks-reveal-lifecycle.html

New result from the LHCb experiment challenges leading theory in physics

The LHCb Collaboration at CERN has found particles not behaving in the way they should according to the guiding theory of particle physics—the Standard Model.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-result-lhcb-theory-physics.html

China's Baidu debuts in Hong Kong after $3.1 bn IPO

Chinese search engine Baidu debuted on Hong Kong's stock exchange Tuesday after raising $3.1 billion in its initial public offering, the latest mainland tech giant to flock to the financial hub.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-china-baidu-debuts-hong-kong.html

Nintendo teams up with Pokemon Go creator for smartphone games

Japanese games giant Nintendo is teaming up with the US firm behind runaway hit Pokemon Go to develop augmented reality smartphone games, the two companies said Tuesday.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-nintendo-teams-pokemon-creator-smartphone.html

'Catastrophic' Australia floods prompt helicopter rescues

Military helicopters, jet skis and rubber boats were deployed to rescue people stranded by "catastrophic" floods along Australia's populous east coast Tuesday, with thousands of homes damaged.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-catastrophic-australia-prompt-helicopter.html

Facebook hit by French lawsuit over hate speech

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders announced Tuesday that it has filed a lawsuit against Facebook in France, saying the website breaks its own terms by failing to protect users against hate speech.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-facebook-french-lawsuit-speech.html

US weather model upgraded to better forecast extreme events

The National Weather Service has turbocharged its lagging forecast model to better predict extreme weather events such as hurricanes, blizzards and downpours, as well as day-to-day weather.

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

A leader's gender plays a role in local government sustainability policymaking

When it comes to local government, does the gender of a mayor or county executive matter in sustainability policymaking? Yes, but only in certain ways, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-leader-gender-role-local-sustainability.html