International research uncovered findings regarding the magnetic field that prevailed in the Middle East between approximately 10,000 and 8,000 years ago, Phys.org reports. Researchers examined pottery and burnt flints from archeological sites in Jordan, on which the magnetic field during that time period was recorded. Information about the magnetic field during prehistoric times can affect our understanding of the magnetic field today, which has been showing a weakening trend that has been cause for concern...
Researchers have shown how cancer cells reprogram themselves to produce lactic acid and to tolerate the acidic environment that exists around tumours. The breakthrough is the result of more than 13 years of work. The next step in research could redirect the treatment of cancer, reports Phys.org. The explanation for the new findings lies in something you have likely experienced: when you run or cycle fast, you may suddenly lose strength in your legs, and they feel heavy...
Space weather events fry electronics and power grids, disrupt global positioning systems, cause shifts in the range of the Aurora Borealis, and raise the risk of radiation to astronauts or passengers on planes crossing over the poles. The last major space weather event struck Earth in 1859. "We have all these technological assets that are at risk," said Gabor Toth, professor of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at the University of Michigan. "If an extreme event...
In a new study, researchers at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory say that examining signs of past sea levels along various coasts may have failed to accurately correct for long-term ups and downs of the land itself, Phys.org reports. Based on newly sophisticated measurements made across the Bahamas along with new methods of analysing data, the researchers produced lower estimates for the last interglacial. They say seas peaked at least 1.2 metres higher than today...
Sina Weibo – China's Twitter equivalent – is to remove an online celebrity list following criticism by state media of celebrity culture on social media, the BBC reports. State-owned newspaper People's Daily criticized platforms that make stars out of "unworthy individuals". It did not specify any companies, but the article comes during a wider crackdown on online firms in China. Weibo said its decision was due to what it described as "irrational support" some fans were showing...
Want to find your inner Matt Damon and spend a year pretending you are isolated on Mars? NASA has a job for you. To prepare for eventually sending astronauts to Mars, NASA began taking applications Friday for four people to live for a year in Mars Dune Alpha, Phys.org reports. That's a 1,700-square-foot Martian habitat, created by a 3D-printer, and inside a building at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The paid volunteers will work a simulated...
If it's not global warming that gets us, it will be nuclear weapons, pandemics, or AI gone rogue. Even if we could overcome such threats, we must still contend with the many natural forces that have caused mass extinctions in the past. Could we actually divert the asteroids, squelch volcanic upheavals and find oases of food and warmth deep enough to survive severe ice ages? Despite the heroics that we see in disaster movies,...
Scientists at the University of Sydney and in the U.S. have solved a long-standing mystery about the Sun that could help astronomers predict space weather and help us prepare for potentially devastating geomagnetic storms, reports Phys.org. The Sun's internal magnetic field is directly responsible for space weather – streams of high-energy particles from the Sun that can be triggered by solar flares, sunspots, or coronal mass ejections that produce geomagnetic storms. Yet it is unclear how these happen,...
A new article in Science magazine gives an overview of almost three decades of research into colloidal quantum dots, assesses the technological progress for these nanometer-sized specs of semiconductor matter, and weighs the remaining challenges on the path to widespread commercialization for this promising technology with applications in everything from TVs to highly efficient sunlight collectors, Phys.org reports. "Thirty years ago, these structures were just a subject of scientific curiosity studied by a small group of...
As clinical evidence mounts that the leading cause of death in COVID-19 patients is the dangerous condition known as a cytokine storm, University of Alberta researchers have identified a protein in the blood that could be responsible, Medical Xpress reports. The team found that COVID-19 patients have significantly elevated levels of a protein called galectin-9 in their blood plasma. Perhaps more importantly, they also found a positive correlation between the levels of galectin-9 and...
