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 How happy couples argue: Focus on solvable issues first
In marriage, conflict is inevitable. Even the happiest couples argue. And research shows they tend to argue about the same topics as unhappy couples: children, money, in-laws, intimacy. So, what distinguishes happy couples? According to a new study, it is the way happy couples argue that may make a difference.
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New microscopes unravel the mysteries of brain organization
The secret of capturing exquisite brain images with a new generation of custom-built microscopes has been revealed. The new microscopes, known as mesoSPIMs, can image the minute detail of brain tissue down to individual neurons that are five times thinner than a human hair, and can uncover the 3D anatomy of entire small organs, faster than ever before.
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Using smart sensor technology in building design
In today's world, spaces with motion and temperature 'smart sensors' are common and generally improve our overall well-being. However, research indicated that while the information and technology exists to assist architects in designing structures that offer more efficient space and energy management, they seldom take advantage of those available resources.
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Alzheimer's disease risk gene APOE4 impairs function of brain immune cells
A study carried out with a new human stem cell-derived model reveals that the most prevalent genetic risk factor of Alzheimer's disease (AD), apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4), impairs the function of human brain immune cells, microglia. These findings pave the way for new, effective treatment approaches for AD.
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Reduce, reuse, recycle: The future of phosphorus
When Hennig Brandt discovered the element phosphorus in 1669, it was a mistake. He was really looking for gold. But his mistake was a very important scientific discovery. What Brandt couldn't have realized was the importance of phosphorus to the future of farming.
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Pearls: New light on enhancing lightweight armor for soldiers
By mimicking the outer coating of pearls (nacre, or as it's more commonly known, mother of pearl), researchers have created a lightweight plastic that is 14 times stronger and eight times lighter (less dense) than steel and ideal for absorbing the impact of bullets and other projectiles.
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We need more realistic experiments on the impact of climate change on ecosystems
When it comes to the impact of climate change on ecosystems, we still have large knowledge gaps. Most experiments are unrealistic because they do not correspond to projected climate scenarios for a specific region. Thus, we lack reliable data on what ecosystems might look like in the future, as a team of biodiversity researchers show.
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The magic wavelength of cadmium
Researchers experimentally determined a property of cadmium called the magic wavelength which is considered essential for the development of the most accurate clocks ever envisaged. The researchers hope this may permit simple and robust atomic clocks so accurate they could be used to improve our understanding of current theories and even test for new physics.
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Light and sound in silicon chips: The slower the better
Acoustics is a missing dimension in silicon chips because acoustics can complete specific tasks that are difficult to do with electronics and optics alone. For the first time researchers have added this dimension to the standard silicon photonics platform. The concept combines the communication and bandwidth offered by light with the selective processing of sound waves.
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Climate signature identified in rivers globally
For decades geoscientists have been trying to detect the influence of climate on the formation of rivers, but up to now there has been no systematic evidence. A new study discovers a clear climatic signature on rivers globally that challenges existing theories.
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Sweet success of parasite survival could also be its downfall
Scientists have discovered how a parasite responsible for spreading a serious tropical disease protects itself from starvation once inside its human host. The findings provide a new understanding of the metabolism of the Leishmania parasite and this new knowledge could potentially be used in its eradication.
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Hope for coral recovery may depend on good parenting
Scientists discover coral pass beneficial algal symbionts to offspring to help them cope with rising ocean temperatures. The process occurs during reproduction sans nuclear DNA. It's the first time this has been observed.
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 Winston Churchill's Thoughts on Evolution
His essay on alien life was uncovered in 2016; now we have a second example of his previously unpublished thoughts about science
-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Measuring ethanol's deadly twin
Researchers have developed an inexpensive, handheld measuring device that can distinguish between methanol and potable alcohol. It offers a simple, quick method of detecting adulterated or contaminated alcoholic beverages and is able to diagnose methanol poisoning in exhaled breath.
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 First Water Detected on Planet in the Habitable Zone
Garching, Germany (SPX) Sep 12, 2019
With data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, water vapour has been detected in the atmosphere of a super-Earth within the habitable zone by University College London (UCL) researchers in a world first. K2-18b, which is eight times the mass of Earth, is now the only planet orbiting a star outside the solar system, or exoplanet, known to have both water and temperatures that could support l
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High value for Hubble Constant from two gravitational lenses
Garching, Germany (SPX) Sep 16, 2019
The expansion rate of the universe today is described by the so-called Hubble constant, and different techniques have come to inconsistent results about how fast our universe actually does expand.
An international team led by the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA) has now used two gravitational lenses as new tools to calibrate the distances to hundreds of observed supernovae and t
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Unexpected periodic flares may shed light on black hole accretion
Washington DC (SPX) Sep 12, 2019
ESA's X-ray space telescope XMM-Newton has detected never-before-seen periodic flares of X-ray radiation coming from a distant galaxy that could help explain some enigmatic behaviours of active black holes.
XMM-Newton, the most powerful X-ray observatory, discovered some mysterious flashes from the active black hole at the core of the galaxy GSN 069, about 250 million light years away. On
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German HALO research aircraft to investigate ozone hole, Amazon fires and gravity waves
Munich, Germany (SPX) Sep 12, 2019
The German High Altitude and Long Range (HALO) research aircraft will be exploring the atmosphere in the southern hemisphere and its impact on climate change during September and November 2019 as part of the SOUTHTRAC (Transport and Composition of the Southern Hemisphere UTLS) mission. The main objective of the first phase of the campaign is to investigate gravity waves at the southern tip of So
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Gemini observatory captures multicolor image of first-ever interstellar comet
Hilo HI (SPX) Sep 16, 2019
The first-ever comet from beyond our Solar System has been successfully imaged by the Gemini Observatory in multiple colors. The image of the newly discovered object, denoted C/2019 Q4 (Borisov), was obtained on the night of 9-10 September using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph on the Gemini North Telescope on Hawaii's Maunakea.
"This image was possible because of Gemini's ability to r
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First 'Overtones' Heard in the Ringing of a Black Hole
Pasadena CA (SPX) Sep 12, 2019
By listening for specific tones in the gravitational waves of black hole mergers, researchers are putting Albert Einstein's theories to new tests. When two black holes collide, they merge into one bigger black hole and ring like a struck bell, sending out ripples in space and time called gravitational waves. Embedded in these gravitational waves are specific frequencies, or tones, which are akin
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Winning bootcamp ideas at Phi-week
Paris (ESA) Sep 16, 2019
On the sidelines of ESA's Phi-week, a five-day app-development bootcamp took place where young developers came together to solve big industry challenges using Earth observation data. The teams developed app prototypes, which were tested by a set of users. Those with the best commercial potential were awarded with prizes.
This year's first prize went to PowerPatrol - whose winning idea focu
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A new journey into Earth for space exploration
Paris (ESA) Sep 12, 2019
Six astronauts, five space agencies and a fresh start into underground worlds to help prepare for living on other planets. ESA's latest training adventure will equip an international crew with skills to explore uncharted terrains on the Moon and Mars, this time with a focus on the search for water.
The CAVES training course takes astronauts to the depths of Earth to improve their communica
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Welcome indoors, solar cells
Scientists have developed organic solar cells optimized to convert ambient indoor light to electricity. The power they produce is low, but is probably enough to feed the millions of products that the internet of things will bring online.
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Baikonur Cosmodrome Getting Ready for Last Launch of Russian Rocket With Ukrainian Parts
Moscow (Sputnik) Sep 16, 2019
The Baikonur cosmodrome is getting ready for the last start of a Soyuz-FG launch vehicle with Ukrainian parts, Russian state space agency Roscosmos announced on Friday.
"Baikonur Cosmodrome has begun preparing equipment ... of the launch system for the last start of the Soyuz-FG rocket with Ukrainian components in the launch vehicle's steering system", the agency's press service said.
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The rare molecule weighing in on the birth of planets
Leeds UK (SPX) Sep 13, 2019
Astronomers using one of the most advanced radio telescopes have discovered a rare molecule in the dust and gas disc around a young star - and it may provide an answer to one of the conundrums facing astronomers.
The star, named HD 163296, is located 330 light years from Earth and formed over the last six million years.
It is surrounded by a disc of dust and gas - a so-called protopl
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A modelling tool to rapidly predict weed spread risk
A new statistical modelling tool will enable land management authorities to predict where invasive weed species are most likely to grow so they can find and eliminate plants before they have time to spread widely.
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Clemson physicists lead rocket missions to further explore the wonders of Earth's atmosphere
Clemson SC (SPX) Sep 12, 2019
Clemson University physicists will conduct a pair of three-year rocket missions funded by NASA Heliophysics designed to deepen our understanding of the visible and invisible mechanisms that modulate energy into Earth's atmosphere.
Stephen Kaeppler is the principal investigator on a project titled "INCAA," which will study how energy is transferred and dissipated during colorful active auro
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NASA's WFIRST Will Help Uncover the Universe's Fate
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Sep 16, 2019
Scientists have discovered that a mysterious pressure dubbed "dark energy" makes up about 68% of the total energy content of the cosmos, but so far we don't know much more about it. Exploring the nature of dark energy is one of the primary reasons NASA is building the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), a space telescope whose measurements will help illuminate the dark energy puzzle.
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VISTA unveils a new image of the Large Magellanic Cloud
Munich, Germany (SPX) Sep 16, 2019
The Large Magellanic Cloud, or LMC, is one of our nearest galactic neighbors, at only 163 000 light years from Earth. With its sibling the Small Magellanic Cloud, these are among the nearest dwarf satellite galaxies to the Milky Way. The LMC is also the home of various stellar conglomerates and is an ideal laboratory for astronomers to study the processes that shape galaxies.
ESO's VISTA t
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Intelsat And Team Rubicon: Connecting Communities Through Rapid Disaster Response
McLean VA (SPX) Sep 16, 2019
Our nation has been beset by numerous natural disasters over the past two years. I'm a veteran of both the military and commercial satellite industry. I wanted a chance to serve again by supporting disaster recovery efforts, and I found a way to do so through the Team Rubicon organization.
Team Rubicon was born in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake in 2010. Two former marines, Jake Wood
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Look out, invasive species: The robots are coming
Researchers published the first experiments to gauge whether biomimetic robotic fish can induce fear-related changes in mosquitofish, aiming to discover whether the highly invasive species might be controlled without toxicants or trapping methods harmful to wildlife. Their findings indicate that even brief exposure to a robotic replica of the mosquitofish's primary predator can provoke meaningful avoidance behaviors and physiological changes associated with the loss of energy reserves, potential
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NASA Funds CubeSat Pathfinder Mission to Unique Lunar Orbit
Washington DC (SPX) Sep 16, 2019
NASA has awarded a $13.7 million contract to Advanced Space of Boulder, Colorado, to develop and operate a CubeSat mission to the same lunar orbit targeted for Gateway - an orbiting outpost astronauts will visit before descending to the surface of the Moon in a landing system as part of NASA's Artemis program.
The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation
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Antibiotic resistance surges in dolphins, mirroring humans
Scientists obtained a total of 733 pathogen isolates from 171 individual wild Bottlenose dolphins in Florida and found that the overall prevalence of resistance to at least one antibiotic for the 733 isolates was 88.2%. Resistance was highest to erythromycin, followed by ampicillin. It is likely that these isolates from dolphins originated from a source where antibiotics are regularly used, potentially entering the marine environment through human activities or discharges from terrestrial source
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Pluralism: Beyond the One and Only Truth
Some big questions, such as how matter makes mind and what quantum mechanics means, may not have a single, definitive answer
-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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 At 100, James Lovelock Has New Ideas About Gaia and Earth's Future
Our blue-marble planet, imaged by the DSCOVR spacecraft. Life maintains a stubborn balance here--but for how long? (Credit: NOAA/EPIC)
James Lovelock has a lot to
celebrate. The renowned British futurist and environmentalist just enjoyed a
100th birthday party with his wife and friends. Over his long career
he has seen his once-controversial Gaia hypothesis steadily gain significant acceptance
among his colleagues. And capping all that, he has just published Novacene, a book that pr
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The Atmospheric Microbiome
For single-celled organisms Earth's atmosphere represents transport, refuge, and possibly a habitat
-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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9 Ways to Instantly Cut Your Environmental Impact
Buying clothes and other items second hand is a great way to cut your environmental impact. (Credit: Cabeca de Marmore/Shutterstock)
Helping the environment might seem like an impossible task, especially when there are a couple billion other people out there, still doing their thing. But even just cutting your current environmental impact a little is better than doing nothing at all. So, here are a few ideas to get you started.
Buy Stuff Second Hand
What has less of an im
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Therapeutic strategies for pregnant women with lupus
A highly gender-biased disease, lupus afflicts females some nine times more than males. Because of the disease's unpredictable turns and debilitating flares -- the risks of which are elevated in postpartum women -- females with the disease are often advised to avoid pregnancy altogether.
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Microbes make chemicals for scent marking in a cat
Domestic cats, like many other mammals, use smelly secretions from anal sacs to mark territory and communicate with other animals. A new study shows that many odiferous compounds from a male cat are actually made not by the cat, but by a community of bacteria living in the anal sacs.
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Few people with peanut allergy tolerate peanut after stopping oral immunotherapy
Studies have shown that peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT) -- ingesting small, controlled amounts of peanut protein -- can desensitize adults and children and prevent allergic reactions, but the optimal duration and dose is unknown. In a study that followed participants after successful OIT, discontinuing OIT or continuing OIT at a reduced dose led to a decline in its protective effects. The study also found that blood tests administered before OIT could predict the success of therapy.
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Engineers' new topological insulator reroutes photonic 'traffic' on the fly
Photonic chips promise even faster data transfer speeds and information-dense applications, but the components necessary for building them remain considerably larger than their electronic counterparts, due to the lack of efficient data-routing architecture. A photonic topological insulator with edges that can be dynamically redefined, however, would help solve this problem. Being able to route these 'roads' around one another as needed means the entire interior bulk could be used to efficiently
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Anesthetic drug sevoflurane improves sepsis outcomes, animal study reveals
Patients with sepsis often require surgery or imaging procedures under general anesthesia, yet there is no standard regimen for anesthetizing septic patients. Of volatile (inhaled) anesthetics, sevoflurane and isoflurane are the most commonly used drugs, despite their undetermined mechanisms of action. A novel study suggests that the type of drug used in general anesthesia could be critical to the survival of patients with sepsis.
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How IL-6 allows the immune response to develop for a key cell, the T follicular helper
A preclinical study shows how the interplay of two interleukin signaling proteins, IL-6 and IL-2, affects the development of T follicular helper cells and germinal centers. This interplay may either maintain or disrupt the balancing act of the immune system between attacking infections and benign surveillance of the body's own cells. Thus, the research may help guide future disease treatment for autoimmune diseases like lupus.
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'Soft tactile logic' tech distributes decision-making throughout stretchable material
Inspired by octopuses, researchers have developed a structure that senses, computes and responds without any centralized processing -- creating a device that is not quite a robot and not quite a computer, but has characteristics of both. The new technology holds promise for use in a variety of applications, from soft robotics to prosthetic devices.
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Addressing serious illness with a serious question to clinicians
A question: 'Would you be surprised if this patient died in the next month?' -- posed to elicit a clinician's overall impression of a patient -- produced a strong correlation. If a clinician answered that they would not be surprised, the patient was twice as likely to die in the next month.
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Multidrug resistance: Not as recent as we thought
Researchers have found that the ancient RND-type multidrug efflux pump AcrB from Haemophilus influenzae targets the same drugs as its more evolved counterpart from Escherichia coli, showing that multidrug resistance is an ancient trait. The more ancient protein is unaffected by efflux pump inhibitors, which were designed to target the evolved pumps. Understanding these evolutionary differences will help researchers develop targeted therapies against multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens.
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Paramagnetic spins take electrons for a ride, produce electricity from heat
Local thermal perturbations of spins in a solid can convert heat to energy even in a paramagnetic material -- where spins weren't thought to correlate long enough to do so. This effect, which the researchers call 'paramagnon drag thermopower,' converts a temperature difference into an electrical voltage.
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Verdict for China's efforts on coal emissions
Researchers from China, France and the USA have evaluated China's success in stemming emissions from its coal-fired power plants (CPPs). CPPs are one of the main contributors to air pollution in China, and their proliferation over the last 20 years has had significant impacts on air quality and public health. These impacts led authorities to introduce measures to control emissions from CPPs and reduce their effects.
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Extinction of Icelandic walrus coincides with Norse settlement
An international collaboration of scientists has for the first time used ancient DNA analyses and C14-dating to demonstrate the past existence of a unique population of Icelandic walrus that went extinct shortly after Norse settlement some 1100 years ago. Walrus hunting and ivory trade was probably the principal cause of extinction, being one of the earliest examples of commercially driven overexploitation of marine resources.
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Researchers use light to control high-speed chemical reactions in a new way
Many natural and synthetic chemical systems react and change their properties in the presence of certain kinds of light. These reactions can occur too quickly for ordinary instruments to see. For the first time, researchers adopted a novel technique to observe the high-speed reactions. A special kind of reaction observed with this method could lead to new optical nanotechnology.
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Groovy! These grooved patterns better mitigate shock waves
Engineers have discovered a method that could make materials more resilient against massive shocks such as earthquakes or explosions. They found that cutting small grooves in obstacle materials diminished the impacts of what's called the reflected shock wave--once the initial wave has hit the spiral of obstacles and bounced back.
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How new loops in DNA packaging help us make diverse antibodies
It's long been known that our immune cells mix and match bits of genetic code to make new kinds of antibodies to fight newly encountered threats. But how these different gene segments come together has been a mystery. A study provides the answer, showing how the classic process of V(D)J recombination makes use of chromatin looping to gather the segments to be spliced.
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Tiny bubbles in our body could fight cancer better than chemo
Healthy cells in our body release nano-sized bubbles that transfer genetic material such as DNA and RNA to other cells. It's your DNA that stores the important information necessary for RNA to produce proteins and make sure they act accordingly. These bubbly extracellular vesicles could become mini treatment transporters, carrying a combination of therapeutic drugs and genes that target cancer cells and kill them, according to new research from Michigan State University and Stanford University.
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Lab-Grown Human Mini Brains Show Brainy Activity
As the little structures grow, their constituents specialize into different types of brain cells, begin to form connections and emit brain waves. They could be useful models for development and...
-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Hubble Sheds New Light on Lives of Star Clusters
A new look at the Large Magellanic Cloud is helping astronomers better understand how groups of stars evolve. (Credit: ESA/NASA)
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has taken new observations of
the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small, neighboring galaxy to our Milky Way and
found new insights into the star clusters that live there.
Star clusters are quite common in the universe. If a galaxy
is a cosmic metropolis, star clusters would be like a small town. They form as huge
clouds ...
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New way to target cancer's diversity and evolution
Scientists have revealed close-up details of a vital molecule involved in the mix and match of genetic information within cells -- opening up the potential to target proteins of this family to combat cancer's diversity and evolution.
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Waterhemp has evolved resistance to 4 herbicide sites of action
When a waterhemp biotype in eastern Nebraska survived a post-emergent application of the PPO inhibitor fomesafen, scientists decided to take a close look. They discovered the population was resistant to four distinct herbicide sites of action, including PPO inhibitors, ALS inhibitors, EPSPS inhibitors and PS II inhibitors.
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Slower growth in working memory linked to teen driving crashes
Research into why adolescent drivers are involved in motor vehicle crashes, the leading cause of injury and death among 16- to 19-year-olds in the United States, has often focused on driving experience and skills. But a new study suggests that development of the adolescent brain -- in particular, working memory -- may play a critical role in whether a teenager is more likely to crash.
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