Uber will offer gig work like AI data labeling to drivers while not on the road
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Does individual climate action distract from the big picture? New research has answers
New research suggests that trying to change people’s climate habits won’t hurt support for big picture solutions. ⌘ Read more
Study highlights supply and demand gaps in after-school programs
After-school programs are in high demand among families, but mismatches in cost, location and program type can prevent students from accessing the opportunities they need most, according to a new USC study. ⌘ Read more
IO Wait Times, Utilization, and System Reliability ⌘ Read more
How a genetic split helped plants conquer polluted soils
Phytochelatin synthases (PCSs) produce phytochelatins—tiny, cysteine-rich peptides that bind and neutralize toxic metal ions such as cadmium and arsenic. These molecules act as the plant’s natural detox system, sequestering harmful elements into vacuoles to prevent cellular damage. ⌘ Read more
Researchers’ autonomous system makes it easier to transport cargo on the moon
Autonomy algorithms developed by researchers at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) could one day make cargo transport on the moon safer and more efficient for astronauts. ⌘ Read more
Chinese Nobel Prize-winning physicist Chen Ning Yang dies at 103
Chinese Nobel Prize-winning physicist Chen Ning Yang, one of the most influential scientists in modern physics, died in Beijing on Saturday. He was 103. ⌘ Read more
Hello World ⌘ Read more
Epigenetic changes help cells adapt to low oxygen levels, study reveals
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered how cells can adjust their gene activity to survive when oxygen runs low. The study, published in Nature Cell Biology, reveals that cells use a previously unknown mechanism to control which proteins are produced—and how quickly. ⌘ Read more
Southern Ocean’s low-salinity Antarctic waters continue absorbing CO₂ despite climate model predictions
Climate models suggest that climate change could reduce the Southern Ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2). However, observational data actually shows that this ability has seen no significant decline in recent decades. ⌘ Read more
Follow-up observations by Webb confirm GRB 250702B is most energetic cosmic explosion ever recorded
Considering the immense size of the universe, it’s no surprise that space still holds plenty of secrets for us. Recently, astronomers believe they stumbled upon a kind of cosmic blast never seen before, and it’s challenging what we thought we knew about how stars die. ⌘ Read more
Lexical differential highlighting instead of syntax highlighting
Recently there is a lot of discussion around syntax highlighting ( 1, 2, 3), which reminds me of this old post I read a while ago.
Exploring the power of plants to make drugs out of sunlight
Plants are consummate chemists, using the sun’s energy and carbon dioxide from the air, to conjure a dazzling array of complex natural products in ways that cannot be replicated synthetically in the lab. ⌘ Read more
‘Less and less sea ice’: Brazil woman sails solo through Arctic
Brazilian navigator Tamara Klink told AFP she encountered “very little” sea ice on her solo sail through the Northwest Passage—a rare feat that would have been impossible without an icebreaker ship three decades ago. ⌘ Read more
Nearly 900 mn poor people exposed to climate shocks, UN warns
Nearly 80% of the world’s poorest, or about 900 million people, are directly exposed to climate hazards exacerbated by global warming, bearing a “double and deeply unequal burden,” the United Nations warned Friday. ⌘ Read more
Surprising bacteria discovery links Hawaiʻi’s groundwater to the ocean
A new species of bacteria has been discovered off the coast of Oʻahu, shedding light on how unseen microbial life connects Hawaiʻi’s land and sea ecosystems. ⌘ Read more
How a pit-shaping module sustains xylem hydraulics and rice grain yield
Xylem vessel pits are tiny openings on the cell wall of water-conducting cells—with pit geometry influencing crop yield through its effect on plant hydraulics and nitrogen transport. ⌘ Read more
Time crystals could power future quantum computers
A glittering hunk of crystal gets its iridescence from a highly regular atomic structure. Frank Wilczek, the 2012 Nobel Laureate in Physics, proposed quantum systems––like groups of particles––could construct themselves in the same way, but in time instead of space. He dubbed such systems time crystals, defining them by their lowest possible energy state, which perpetually repeats movements without external energy input. Time crystals were experimentall … ⌘ Read more
Maya salt-making compound found preserved underwater in Belize
In a recent study by Dr. Heather McKillop and Dr. E. Cory Sills, a complete Late Classic Maya residential compound discovered preserved in mangrove peat below the sea floor of the Punta Ycacos Lagoon was analyzed. The work is published in the journal Ancient Mesoamerica. ⌘ Read more
Engineers solve the sticky-cell problem in bioreactors and other industries
To help mitigate climate change, companies are using bioreactors to grow algae and other microorganisms that are hundreds of times more efficient at absorbing CO2 than trees. Meanwhile, in the pharmaceutical industry, cell culture is used to manufacture biologic drugs and other advanced treatments, including lifesaving gene and cell therapies. ⌘ Read more
Sniffer dogs tested in real-world scenarios reveal need for wider access to explosives
Dogs aren’t just our best friends, they’re also key allies in the fight against terrorism. Thousands of teams of explosive detection dogs and their handlers work 24/7 at airports, transit systems, cargo facilities, and public events around the globe to keep us safe. But canine detection is an art as well as a science: success depends not only on the skill of both dog and human, but also on their bond, and may vary … ⌘ Read more
Generation of harmful slow electrons in water is a race between intermolecular energy decay and proton transfer
When high-energy radiation interacts with water in living organisms, it generates particles and slow-moving electrons that can subsequently damage critical molecules like DNA. Now, Professor Petr Slavíček and his bachelor’s student Jakub Dubský from UCT Prague (University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague) have described in detail one of the key mechanisms for the creation … ⌘ Read more
Analysis of 4.4-million-year-old ankle exposes how earliest ancestors moved and evolved
For more than a century, scientists have been piecing together the puzzle of human evolution, examining fossil evidence to understand the transition from our earliest ancestors to modern humans. ⌘ Read more
A rare variety of wheat with three ovaries—gene discovery could triple production
University of Maryland researchers discovered the gene that makes a rare form of wheat grow three ovaries per flower instead of one. Since each ovary can potentially develop into a grain of wheat, the gene could help farmers grow much more wheat per acre. Their work is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ⌘ Read more
Indonesia’s Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano unleashes new burst of hot ash
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, erupted for a second straight day Wednesday, spewing towering columns of hot ash that later blanketed villages. No casualties were immediately reported. ⌘ Read more
World’s largest rays may be diving to extreme depths to build mental maps of vast oceans
Many marine species are no strangers to the depths of the oceans. Some animals, like certain sharks, tuna, or turtles, routinely perform extreme dives, whereas for other species, such behavior has been observed less frequently. ⌘ Read more
Can we hear gravitational-wave ‘beats’ in the rhythm of pulsars?
Pulsars suggest that ultra–low-frequency gravitational waves are rippling through the cosmos. The signal seen by international pulsar timing array collaborations in 2023 could come from a stochastic gravitational-wave background—the sum of many distant sources—or from a single nearby binary of supermassive black holes. ⌘ Read more
Poorer health linked to more votes for Reform UK, 2024 voting patterns suggest
Poorer health is linked to a higher proportion of votes for the populist right wing political party, Reform UK, indicates an analysis of the 2024 general election voting patterns in England, published online in the open access journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research. ⌘ Read more