Long-awaited review reveals journey of water from interstellar clouds to habitable worlds

Dutch astronomer Ewine van Dishoeck (Leiden University, the Netherlands), together with an international team of colleagues, has written an overview of everything we know about water in interstellar clouds thanks to the Herschel space observatory. The article, published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, summarizes existing knowledge and provides new information about the origin of water on new, potentially habitable, worlds. The article is expected to serve as a reference work for the next twenty years.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-long-awaited-reveals-journey-interstellar-clouds.html

New modeling provides greater scrutiny for supply chains

Unethical or destructive practices can be hidden within supply chains bringing us items we want and need. Dr. Arne Geschke uses data to drill into the complex global production web.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-greater-scrutiny-chains.html

Researchers study online 'pseudo-reviews' that mock products

The popularity of purchasing goods and services through online retailers such as Amazon continues to increase, making it overwhelming for consumers to differentiate fact from fiction in online product and service reviews. Thanks to the latest research from professors at UA, consumers, as well as marketers, can better identify and understand the impact of exaggerated or phony online reviews, helping them to make more informed decisions.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-04-online-pseudo-reviews-mock-products.html

Metal contamination of aquatic environments also threatens birds on land

The negative impact of metals in polluted lakes on aquatic organisms may also adversely affect insectivorous birds on land. This is the conclusion of a dissertation from the Industrial Doctoral School for Research and Innovation at Umeå University. Ecologist Johan Lidman will be defending his results on 19 February at Umeå University.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-metal-contamination-aquatic-environments-threatens.html

Research shows cytonemes distribute Wnt proteins in vertebrate tissue

Scientists have made a pivotal breakthrough in understanding the way in which cells communicate with each other.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-cytonemes-wnt-proteins-vertebrate-tissue.html

Research gives new insight into formation of the human embryo

Pioneering research led by experts from the University of Exeter's Living Systems Institute has provided new insight into formation of the human embryo.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-insight-formation-human-embryo.html

Colorado River basin due for more frequent, intense hydroclimate events

In the vast Colorado River basin, climate change is driving extreme, interconnected events among earth-system elements such as weather and water. These events are becoming both more frequent and more intense and are best studied together, rather than in isolation, according to new research.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-colorado-river-basin-due-frequent.html

New study explains Mycobacterium tuberculosis high resistance to drugs and immunity

A consortium of researchers from Russia, Belarus, Japan, Germany and France led by a Skoltech scientist have uncovered the way in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis survives in iron-deficient conditions by utilizing rubredoxin B, a protein from a rubredoxin family that play an important role in adaptation to changing environmental conditions. The new study is part of an effort to study the role of M. tuberculosis enzymes in developing resistance to the human immune system and medication. The paper was published in the journal Bioorganic Chemistry.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-mycobacterium-tuberculosis-high-resistance-drugs.html

NASA's Odyssey orbiter marks 20 historic years of mapping Mars

NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft launched 20 years ago on April 7, making it the oldest spacecraft still working at the Red Planet. The orbiter, which takes its name from Arthur C. Clarke's classic sci-fi novel "2001: A Space Odyssey" (Clarke blessed its use before launch), was sent to map the composition of the Martian surface, providing a window to the past so scientists could piece together how the planet evolved.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-nasa-odyssey-orbiter-historic-years.html

NASA's OSIRIS-REx completes final tour of asteroid Bennu

NASA's OSIRIS-REx completed its last flyover of Bennu around 6 a.m. EDT (4 a.m. MDT) April 7 and is now slowly drifting away from the asteroid; however, the mission team will have to wait a few more days to find out how the spacecraft changed the surface of Bennu when it grabbed a sample of the asteroid.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-nasa-osiris-rex-asteroid-bennu.html

Say cheese on Mars: Perseverance's selfie with Ingenuity

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover took a selfie with the Ingenuity helicopter, seen here about 13 feet (4 meters) away in this image from April 6, 2021, the 46th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Perseverance captured the image using a camera called WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering), part of the SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) instrument, located at the end of the rover's robotic arm.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-cheese-mars-perseverance-selfie-ingenuity.html

Unlocking richer intracellular recordings

Behind every heartbeat and brain signal is a massive orchestra of electrical activity. While current electrophysiology observation techniques have been mostly limited to extracellular recordings, a forward-thinking group of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia has identified a flexible, low-cost, and biocompatible platform for enabling richer intracellular recordings.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-richer-intracellular.html

French rail company orders 12 hydrogen trains

French national railway SNCF said Thursday it has ordered 12 hydrogen-powered trains to begin tests in four regions in 2023 as it eyes a zero-emissions future with the nascent technology.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-04-french-rail-company-hydrogen.html

Twitch to boot users for transgressions elsewhere

Twitch on Wednesday said that it will ban people from the popular live video streaming service for abusive or violent behavior in the real world or on other online venues.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-04-twitch-boot-users-transgressions.html

Longtime tax target Amazon now leads charge for reform

A longtime lightning rod for critics of corporate tax avoidance, Amazon now wants to lead the way on reform.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-04-longtime-tax-amazon-reform.html

Influenced by Clubhouse, Facebook experiments with audio

Facebook on Wednesday launched an experimental online forum called Hotline, an attempt by the social media giant to keep up with the live audio trend made popular by the likes of Clubhouse.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-04-clubhouse-facebook-audio.html

Top colleges see record application numbers amid pandemic

Highly competitive colleges including Yale, Brown and Penn are sending out acceptance notices this week to a much smaller percentage of admission seekers than usual after sorting through record-breaking numbers of applications.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-colleges-application-pandemic.html

The ulti-mutt pet? Chinese tech company develops robo-dogs

It's whip fast, obeys commands and doesn't leave unpleasant surprises on the floor—meet the AlphaDog, a robotic response to two of China's burgeoning loves: pets and technology.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-04-ulti-mutt-pet-chinese-tech-company.html

EXPLAINER: What to know about the Amazon union vote count

Amazon is known for quick delivery. But finding out whether Amazon warehouse workers voted for or against unionizing is going to take some more time.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-04-amazon-union-vote.html

All-in-one device uses microwave power for defense, medicine

An invention from Purdue University innovators may provide a new option to use directed energy for biomedical and defense applications.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-04-all-in-one-device-microwave-power-defense.html

One of Africa's rarest primates protected by... speedbumps

A new study revealed that a drastic reduction of deaths of one of Africa's rarest primates, the Zanzibar red colobus (Piliocolobus kirkii), followed the installation of four speedbumps along a stretch of road where the species frequently crossed.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-africa-rarest-primates-speedbumps.html

The truth about doublespeak: Is it lying or just being persuasive?

Doublespeak, or the use of euphemisms to sway opinion, lets leaders avoid the reputational costs of lying while still bringing people around to their way of thinking, a new study has found.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-truth-doublespeak-lying-persuasive.html

New method advances single-cell transcriptomic technologies

Single-cell transcriptomic methods allow scientists to study thousands of individual cells from living organisms, one-by-one, and sequence each cell's genetic material. Genes are activated differently in each cell type, giving rise to cell types such as neurons, skin cells and muscle cells.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-method-advances-single-cell-transcriptomic-technologies.html

Gut bacteria 'talk' to horse's cells to improve their athletic performance

A horse's gut microbiome communicates with its host by sending chemical signals to its cells, which has the effect of helping the horse to extend its energy output, finds a new study published in Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences. This exciting discovery paves the way for dietary supplements that could enhance equine athletic performance.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-gut-bacteria-horse-cells-athletic.html