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Here’s something else chess players need to keep in check: air pollution. That’s the bottom line of a newly published study co-authored by an MIT researcher, showing that chess players perform objectively worse and make more suboptimal moves, as measured by a computerized analysis of their games, when there is…
Insects play crucial roles in almost every ecosystem — they pollinate more than 80% of plants and are a major source of food for thousands of vertebrate species — but insect populations are collapsing around the globe, and they continue to be overlooked by conservation efforts. Protected areas can safeguard…
The CT-scanned skull of a 319-million-year-old fossilized fish, pulled from a coal mine in England more than a century ago, has revealed the oldest example of a well-preserved vertebrate brain. The brain and its cranial nerves are roughly an inch long and belong to an extinct bluegill-size fish. The discovery…
If she hits just the right pitch, a singer can shatter a wine glass. The reason is resonance. While the glass may vibrate slightly in response to most acoustic tones, a pitch that resonates with the material’s own natural frequency can send its vibrations into overdrive, causing the glass to…
Take apart your laptop screen, and at its heart you’ll find a plate patterned with pixels of red, green, and blue LEDs, arranged end to end like a meticulous Lite Brite display. When electrically powered, the LEDs together can produce every shade in the rainbow to generate full-color displays. Over…
New research from the Centre for Cancer Immunology at the University of Southampton, published ahead of World Cancer Day (4 February), has shown that changing how tightly an antibody binds to a target could improve treatments for cancer. Antibodies detect and tag viruses and bacteria so the body’s immune system…
Astronomers using the SMARTS 1.5-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, have uncovered the first example of a phenomenally rare type of binary star system, one that has all the right conditions to eventually trigger a kilonova — the ultra-powerful, gold-producing explosion created…
More than three times as many houses and other structures burned in Western wildfires in 2010-2020 than in the previous decade, and that wasn’t only because more acreage burned, a new analysis has found. Human ignitions started 76% of the wildfires that destroyed structures, and those fires tended to be…
Neutrinos are one of the most abundant particles in our universe, but they are notoriously difficult to detect and study: they don’t have an electrical charge and have nearly no mass. They are often referred to as “ghost particles” because they rarely interact with atoms. But because they are so…
CNN — As investigations continue into the deadly police beating of a 29-year-old Black man in Memphis, public servants involved in Tyre Nichols’ traffic stop and brutal confrontation are facing repercussions – some as severe as murder charges – and more fallout is possible. “We are looking at everybody who…
London CNN — Indian billionaire Gautam Adani on Wednesday abandoned a deal to raise $2.5 billion from investors after allegations of fraud by an American short seller triggered a week-long meltdown in the value of his business empire. The share sale — the largest offering by a company already listed…
CNN — A player for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles has been indicted on rape charges in Ohio, according to an indictment announced Wednesday by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. A grand jury indicted Josh Sills, 25, accusing him of raping a woman and holding her against her will on December…
After years of campaigns and promises British citizens living abroad finally won the lifelong right to vote in UK general elections in April 2022. But campaigners say more needs to be done to allow all those Britons abroad to be able cast their votes easily. Source link
Near Bakhmut, Ukraine CNN — Southwest of the city of Bakhmut, Ukrainian soldiers Andriy and Borisych live in a candle-lit bunker cut into the frozen earth. For several weeks they have been confronting hundreds of fighters belonging to the Russian private military contractor Wagner throwing themselves against Ukrainian defenses. Disguised…
Just weeks after going on trial in a case brought by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italian investigative journalist Roberto Saviano was back in court on Wednesday facing allegations of defamation lodged by Meloni’s deputy, Matteo Salvini. Source link
Think of bringing a pot of water to the boil: As the temperature reaches the boiling point, bubbles form in the water, burst and evaporate as the water boils. This continues until there is no more water changing phase from liquid to steam. This is roughly the idea of what…
Smart voice assistants are a popular way for people to get quick answers or play their favorite music. That same technology could make the laboratory safer for scientists and technicians who handle potentially infectious samples. Researchers in ACS Sensors now report a small, voice-activated device that can extract and pretreat…
Computer scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in collaboration with biologists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, recently announced in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution a new, predictive model that is capable of accurately forecasting where a migratory bird will go next — one of the most…
New developments for achieving structural coloring through plasma irradiation of graphite can reduce the reliance upon harmful color dyes. Colors achieved by plasma irradiation are completely erasable and can be manipulated using time exposed to the plasma irradiation, intensity of the irradiation and the thickness of the graphite layer applied.…
Most cancer diagnostic techniques rely on uncomfortable and invasive procedures, such as biopsies, endoscopies or mammograms. Blood samples could be a less unpleasant option, though only a few forms of the disease can currently be diagnosed this way. But now, researchers reporting in ACS Sensors have developed an easy-to-use method…
Despite improvements, Italy is still seen as one of the most corrupt countries in Europe according to the annual index by Transparency International. Source link
If you’re weighing up whether to buy a property in Italy, make sure your budget covers (much) more than just the purchase price. Source link
CNN — Russia is gearing up for a “maximum escalation” of the war in Ukraine, potentially as soon as the next few weeks, according to a top Ukrainian national security official. “These will be defining months in the war,” Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, told…
CNN — This is not a drill: Beyoncé is heading on tour. On Wednesday superstar singer announced her eagerly awaited “Renaissance World Tour” is coming with a post on her verified Instagram account. According to her official site, the tour will kick off in May at Friends Arena in Stockholm,…
CNN — Legendary quarterback Tom Brady has announced his retirement after 23 seasons in the NFL. “I’ll get to the point right away,” Brady, 45, said in a video posted to Twitter Wednesday. “I’m retiring for good. I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when…
Iowa State researchers have developed a new procedure to capture more information from eyewitnesses during police investigations and better detect a suspect’s guilt or innocence. During a typical eyewitness lineup, police display a “six pack” of photos. One is the police suspect. The other five are “fillers;” they fit the…
Researchers have successfully split seawater without pre-treatment to produce green hydrogen. The international team was led by the University of Adelaide’s Professor Shizhang Qiao and Associate Professor Yao Zheng from the School of Chemical Engineering. “We have split natural seawater into oxygen and hydrogen with nearly 100 per cent efficiency,…
A genomic study of a sustained, multidrug-resistant Shigellosis outbreak in Seattle enabled scientists to retrace its origin and spread. Additional analysis of the gut pathogen and its transmission patterns helped direct approaches to testing, treatment, and public health responses. The genomic reconstruction of the 2017-2022 outbreak and a review of…
A new antimicrobial suture material that glows in medical imaging could provide a promising alternative for mesh implants and internal stitches. Surgical site infections are one of the most common medical infections, occurring in 2 to 4% of patients post-surgery. For some procedures, such as vaginal mesh implants to treat…
