ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Safe space: Improving 'clean' methanol fuel cells using a protective carbon shell
• Research reveals how airflow inside a car may affect COVID-19 transmission risk
• No strings attached: Maximizing wireless charging efficiency with multiple transmitters
• CAR T-cell therapy found highly effective in patients with high-risk non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Crystals may help reveal hidden Kilauea Volcano behavior
• Novel method to fine tune 'twistronics'
• New testing system could become the IoT of photovoltaics
• Researchers uncover key clues about the solar system's history
• Unlocking the secrets of chemical bonding with machine learning
• Satellite tag tracks activity levels of highly migratory species across the vast ocean
• Researchers discover new particle in the blood of septic patients
• Hidden structure found in essential metabolic machinery
• Ionic defect landscape in perovskite solar cells revealed
• Supercomputer simulations could unlock mystery of Moon's formation
• Researchers link cases of ALS and FTD to a Huntington's disease-associated mutation
• How bean plants fend off famished foes
• Strategies for boosting accuracy of personal genetic risk scores
• Researchers find 'missing link' between stress and infertility
• Battery of tests: Scientists figure out how to track what happens inside batteries
• Using a video game to understand the origin of emotions
• Optimising laser-driven electron acceleration
• Scientists took a rare chance to prove we can quantify biodiversity by 'testing the water'
• Household-grown food leads to improved health for children
• Advancing gene editing with new CRISPR/Cas9 variant
• Tech makes it possible to digitally communicate through human touch
• Chemists get peek at novel fluorescence
• Natural selection plays major role in an organism's capacity to evolve and adapt
• A plant immune receptor: It takes four to tango

Safe space: Improving 'clean' methanol fuel cells using a protective carbon shell Posted: 05 Dec 2020 11:35 AM PST Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), which produce electricity using methanol, will be an alternative solution in the transition away from fossil fuels and toward a 'hydrogen' economy. However, undesired methanol oxidation on the cathode side in DMFCs degrades the essential platinum catalyst, causing performance and stability problems. Now, scientists from Korea have found a simple method to coat platinum nanoparticles with a protective carbon shell. This selectively excludes methanol from reaching the catalyst's core on the cathode, solving a long-standing problem in DMFCs.

Research reveals how airflow inside a car may affect COVID-19 transmission risk Posted: 05 Dec 2020 11:34 AM PST A new study uses computer simulations to track airflows inside a car's passenger cabin, providing potential strategies -- some of them counterintuitive -- for reducing the risk of transmitting airborne diseases.

No strings attached: Maximizing wireless charging efficiency with multiple transmitters Posted: 05 Dec 2020 11:34 AM PST Scientists have developed a control strategy that allows for transferring power wirelessly through multiple transmitter coils with maximum efficiency. Unlike conventional approaches in which only the transmitter closer to the receiver is active, this novel method dispatches the optimal amount of current to each transmitter, depending on the degree of coupling with the receiver. This technique will help surpass the hurdles of wired charging in electric vehicles and industrial robots.

CAR T-cell therapy found highly effective in patients with high-risk non-Hodgkin lymphoma Posted: 05 Dec 2020 11:34 AM PST A CAR T-cell therapy known as axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) drove cancer cells to undetectable levels in nearly 80% of patients with advanced non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in a phase 2 clinical trial, researchers report.

Crystals may help reveal hidden Kilauea Volcano behavior Posted: 04 Dec 2020 12:54 PM PST Researchers used millimeter-sized crystals from the 1959 eruption of Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano to test models that offer insights about flow conditions prior to and during an eruption.

Novel method to fine tune 'twistronics' Posted: 04 Dec 2020 12:54 PM PST Researchers have revealed a breakthrough method that could lead to autonomous robotic control and therefore precise fine tuning of the 'twist' between atom-thin 2D materials layers stacked in a superlattice structure -- a pioneering device that could help transform technology and achieve superconductive electronics.

New testing system could become the IoT of photovoltaics Posted: 04 Dec 2020 10:13 AM PST A new testing system measures system voltage as a function of light intensity in outdoor setting, enabling real-time performance measurement and diagnostics.

Researchers uncover key clues about the solar system's history Posted: 04 Dec 2020 10:13 AM PST Researchers have used magnetism to determine, for the first time, when asteroids that are rich in water and amino acids first arrived in the inner solar system.

Unlocking the secrets of chemical bonding with machine learning Posted: 04 Dec 2020 10:13 AM PST Researchers have developed a Bayesian learning model of chemisorption, or Bayeschem for short, aiming to use artificial intelligence to unlock the nature of chemical bonding at catalyst surfaces.

Satellite tag tracks activity levels of highly migratory species across the vast ocean Posted: 04 Dec 2020 10:13 AM PST Scientists have released a new activity data product application for marine animal tracking. The technology is designed to remotely track and transmit data gathered on an animal's activity levels over several months along with the temperatures and depths they experienced.

Researchers discover new particle in the blood of septic patients Posted: 04 Dec 2020 10:13 AM PST Researchers have found that people with sepsis have never-before-seen particles in their blood. The scientists are the first to show that these particles, called elongated neutrophil-derived structures (ENDS), break off of immune cells and change their shape as they course through the body.

Hidden structure found in essential metabolic machinery Posted: 04 Dec 2020 10:13 AM PST Biochemists have discovered membrane-divided subcompartments within organelles called peroxisomes, essential pieces of metabolic machinery for all higher order life from yeast to humans.

Ionic defect landscape in perovskite solar cells revealed Posted: 04 Dec 2020 08:02 AM PST Researchers have uncovered the ionic defect landscape in metal halide perovskites. They were able to identify essential properties of the ions that make up these materials. The migration of the ions leads to the presence of defects in the material, which have a negative effect on the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells.

Supercomputer simulations could unlock mystery of Moon's formation Posted: 04 Dec 2020 08:02 AM PST Astronomers have taken a step towards understanding how the Moon might have formed out of a giant collision between the early Earth and another massive object 4.5 billion years ago.

Researchers link cases of ALS and FTD to a Huntington's disease-associated mutation Posted: 04 Dec 2020 08:02 AM PST A study has made a surprising connection between frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), two disorders of the nervous system, and the genetic mutation normally understood to cause Huntington's disease. This large, international project opens a potentially new avenue for diagnosing and treating some individuals with FTD or ALS.

How bean plants fend off famished foes Posted: 04 Dec 2020 08:02 AM PST Scientists have discovered that cowpeas -- a type of bean plant -- harbor receptors on the surface of their cells that can detect a compound in caterpillar saliva and initiate anti-herbivore defenses.

Strategies for boosting accuracy of personal genetic risk scores Posted: 04 Dec 2020 08:02 AM PST As the consumer genetics industry rapidly expands, more and more people are turning to DNA-based services to learn their risk of developing a wide range of diseases. However, the risk scores from these genetic tests are not always as precise as they could be, according to a new study. The scientists examine many approaches to calculating the scores and recommend that personal genomics organizations adopt standards that will raise the bar for accuracy.

Researchers find 'missing link' between stress and infertility Posted: 04 Dec 2020 08:02 AM PST New research has confirmed in laboratory testing that a population of nerve cells near the base of the brain - the RFRP neurons - become active in stressful situations and then suppress the reproductive system.

Battery of tests: Scientists figure out how to track what happens inside batteries Posted: 04 Dec 2020 08:02 AM PST A new method could be the key to designing more efficient batteries for specific uses, like electric cars and airplanes.

Using a video game to understand the origin of emotions Posted: 04 Dec 2020 08:02 AM PST A number of studies have sought to connect given emotions, such as fear or pleasure, to specific areas of the brain, but without success. A research team has now analyzed volunteers while they were playing a video game that had been specially developed to arouse different emotions. The results, show that different emotional components recruit several neural networks in parallel distributed throughout the brain, and that their transient synchronization generates an emotional state.

Optimising laser-driven electron acceleration Posted: 04 Dec 2020 08:01 AM PST Researchers reviewed the characteristics of electron acceleration in a vacuum caused by the highest-power laser pulses achievable today looking for the key to maximum net energy gain.

Scientists took a rare chance to prove we can quantify biodiversity by 'testing the water' Posted: 04 Dec 2020 07:59 AM PST While extraction of DNA from water samples provides a convenient and non-invasive way to study aquatic biodiversity, reliable evidence that this approach is accurate enough to estimate the number of fish per species and their biomass in natural habitats, is still lacking. A new study demonstrates the high precision of the method, after comparing environmental DNA data with manually collected information from a fishery farm.

Household-grown food leads to improved health for children Posted: 03 Dec 2020 05:05 PM PST Children grow taller in rural households where their mothers are supported to grow their own food - according to new research. The research, which looked at households in low- and middle-income countries, showed growing their own food helped mothers to prevent stunting, wasting and underweight in their children. Their children's food was more varied, meaning they had access to different classes of food nutrients.

Advancing gene editing with new CRISPR/Cas9 variant Posted: 03 Dec 2020 05:05 PM PST Researchers report the ability to improve safety and efficacy using a CRISPR-Cas9 variant known as miCas9.

Tech makes it possible to digitally communicate through human touch Posted: 03 Dec 2020 02:34 PM PST Researchers have developed the first technology capable of sending digital information, such as a photo or password, by touching a surface with your finger.

Chemists get peek at novel fluorescence Posted: 03 Dec 2020 02:34 PM PST Chemists find a second level of fluorescence in single-walled carbon nanotubes. The phenomenon may be useful in solar energy and optoelectronic applications.

Natural selection plays major role in an organism's capacity to evolve and adapt Posted: 03 Dec 2020 11:42 AM PST It's widely assumed within the evolutionary biology field that weak selection provides an advantage to an organism's ability to evolve. But new research may offer the first experimental proof that strong selection pressure enhances an organism's evolvability, by boosting robustness.

A plant immune receptor: It takes four to tango Posted: 03 Dec 2020 11:42 AM PST A collaborative study on a plant intracellular immune receptor not only shows how an important resistance protein is activated during pathogen infection but also reveals some common operational principles with immunity proteins from humans.

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