Europe gears up to send Western tanks to Ukraine | CNN

CNN  —  The Western alliance’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine received a shot in the arm this week as multiple European nations for the first time answered President Volodymyr Zelensky’s longstanding call to supply modern battle tanks to Kyiv. France and Poland have pledged to soon send tanks for…

Iran executes dual British-Iranian citizen Alireza Akbari | CNN

CNN  —  Alireza Akbari, a dual British-Iranian citizen and former Iranian official, has been executed, the Iranian judiciary-affiliated outlet Mizan reported on Saturday. Akbari’s death sentence was announced just days ago, on January 11, after he was convicted of spying for the United Kingdom. According to the allegations published in…

Brazil’s Supreme Court to investigate Bolsonaro over January 8 attacks | CNN

CNN  —  Brazil’s Supreme Court is to investigate former President Jair Bolsonaro’s alleged involvement in the January 8 attacks on government buildings in the capital Brasilia. The court’s decision follows a request by Brazil’s public prosecutor office, several members of which released a statement Friday describing the events of that…

A star’s unexpected survival

Hundreds of millions of light-years away in a distant galaxy, a star orbiting a supermassive black hole is being violently ripped apart under the black hole’s immense gravitational pull. As the star is shredded, its remnants are transformed into a stream of debris that rains back down onto the black…

Bilingual kids could lead in ocean environmental action

Participation in environmental education programs can motivate children across diverse language groups to act responsibly toward the environment, a recent study from North Carolina State University researchers suggests. In the study, researchers surveyed 644 elementary school children about how motivated they were to act in ways that would help the…

An angry Putin berates his official during video meeting | CNN

An angry Putin berates his official during video meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin sharply criticized one of his top officials at a public meeting for not delivering military aircraft quick enough. CNN’s Clarissa Ward discusses the exchange and what Putin was trying to achieve. Source link

AI discovers new nanostructures

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have successfully demonstrated that autonomous methods can discover new materials. The artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technique led to the discovery of three new nanostructures, including a first-of-its-kind nanoscale “ladder.” The research was published today in Science Advances. The newly discovered…

Study identifies potential new approach for treating lupus

Targeting iron metabolism in immune system cells may offer a new approach for treating systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) — the most common form of the chronic autoimmune disease lupus. A multidisciplinary team of investigators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has discovered that blocking an iron uptake receptor reduces disease pathology…

Machine learning method improves cell identity understanding

When genes are activated and expressed, they show patterns in cells that are similar in type and function across tissues and organs. Discovering these patterns improves our understanding of cells — which has implications for unveiling disease mechanisms. The advent of spatial transcriptomics technologies has allowed researchers to observe gene…

Researchers create smaller, cheaper flow batteries for clean energy

Clean energy is the leading solution for climate change. But solar and wind power are inconsistent at producing enough energy for a reliable power grid. Alternatively, lithium-ion batteries can store energy but are a limited resource. “The advantage of a coal power plant is it’s very steady,” said Nian Liu,…

Preterm birth linked to chemicals found in the vagina, study finds

Chemicals that accumulate in the vagina, potentially originating from personal care products, may contribute to spontaneous preterm birth, according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. The study of 232 pregnant women found that a handful of non-biological chemicals previously found in…

AI improves detail, estimate of urban air pollution

Using artificial intelligence, Cornell University engineers have simplified and reinforced models that accurately calculate the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) — the soot, dust and exhaust emitted by trucks and cars that get into human lungs — contained in urban air pollution. Now, city planners and government health officials can obtain…

The world in grains of interstellar dust

Understanding how dust grains form in interstellar gas could offer significant insights to astronomers and help materials scientists develop useful nanoparticles. Laboratory and rocket-borne studies have revealed new insights into how interstellar dust grains came into being before our solar system formed. The results, published by Hokkaido University researchers and…

One-pot reaction creates versatile building block for bioactive molecules

Chemists from the University of Groningen have found a simple way to produce previously inaccessible chiral Z-alkenes, molecules that offer a significant synthetic short-cut for the production of bioactive molecules. Instead of eight to ten synthetic steps to produce these molecules, the new reaction can be done in three steps,…

Using paleogenomics to elucidate 10,000 years of immune system evolution

Scientists from the Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, the CNRS and the Collège de France have used paleogenomics to trace 10,000 years of human immune system evolution. They analyzed the genomes of more than 2,800 individuals who lived in Europe over the past ten millennia. They were able to date…