ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


Do bikeshare systems complement or replace public transit?

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 03:52 PM PST

Bikeshare systems have come a long way since they were first introduced in the Netherlands in the 1960s. They are popular in cities around the world, but how do bike systems affect existing public transportation?

Like peanut butter? This algorithm has a hunch as to what you'll buy next

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 03:52 PM PST

New research brings a methodology called tensor decomposition -- used by scientists to find patterns in massive volumes of data -- into the world of online shopping to recommend complementary products more carefully tailored to customer preferences.

Scientists profile FDA-approved drugs to potentially treat hundreds of genetic disorders

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:12 PM PST

Nonsense-mediated RNA decay, or NMD, is an evolutionarily conserved molecular mechanism in which potentially defective messenger RNAs, or mRNAs, are degraded. Its disruption can lead to neurological disorders, immune diseases, cancers, and other pathologies. A team of biomedical scientists has designed a simple and robust method to determine the effects of drugs on NMD. The researchers profiled all current Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs to identify NMD modulators, which could potentially help treat hundreds of disorders associated with NMD.

Puffy planets lose atmospheres, become super-Earths

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:12 PM PST

Astronomers have identified two different cases of 'mini-Neptune' planets that are losing their puffy atmospheres and likely transforming into super-Earths.

Origin of supermassive black hole flares identified: Largest-ever simulations suggest flickering powered by magnetic 'reconnection'

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:12 PM PST

Astrophysicists have identified the mechanism that powers black hole flares. By employing computer simulations of unparalleled power and resolution, the researchers found that energy released near a black hole's event horizon during the reconnection of magnetic field lines powers the flares. The findings hint at exciting new possibilities for observing the region just outside a black hole's event horizon.

Researchers develop new approach to discover pervasive ‘forever’ chemicals known as PFAS

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:12 PM PST

A team of researchers is using one of the most powerful chemical analysis tools in the world to unravel the complexities of PFAS. They are working to characterize and catalog the thousands upon thousands of chemical compounds in the PFAS family, so future studies can find solutions to health and environmental impacts.

How to get chloride ions into the cell

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:11 PM PST

A molecular movie has captured in detail the process of an anion transported across the cell membrane by a light-fuelled protein pump. Researchers have unravelled the mystery of how light energy initiates the pumping process -- and how nature made sure there is no anion leakage back outside.

NFTs offer new method to control personal health information

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:11 PM PST

A team of scholars in ethics, law and informatics wrote one of the first commentaries on how NFTs could be repurposed for the healthcare industry.

Massive methane emissions by oil and gas industry detected from space

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:11 PM PST

For the first time ever on a global scale, using satellite imagery, scientists have quantified volumes of massive methane emissions due to fossil-fuel extraction activities and their impact on the climate. Their findings partly explain why official inventories generally underestimate the volume of these emissions. Stopping these releases, be they accidental or deliberate, would save those countries responsible billions of dollars.

Neuroscientists use deep learning model to simulate brain topography

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:11 PM PST

A more accurate model of the visual system may help neuroscientists and clinicians develop better treatments for alexia, prosopagnosia and agnosia.

Fuel cells and game-changing tech to remove 99% of carbon dioxide from air

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:11 PM PST

Engineers have demonstrated a way to effectively capture 99% of carbon dioxide from air using a novel electrochemical system powered by hydrogen.

The brain’s secret to life-long learning can now come as hardware for artificial intelligence

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:05 PM PST

As companies use more and more data to improve how AI recognizes images, learns languages and carries out other complex tasks, a recent article shows a way that computer chips could dynamically rewire themselves to take in new data like the brain does, helping AI to keep learning over time.

Observation of quantum transport at room temperature in a 2.8-nanometer CNT transistor

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 09:30 AM PST

A research team has developed an in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique that can be used to precisely manipulate individual molecular structures. Using this technique, the team succeeded in fabricating carbon nanotube (CNT) intramolecular transistors by locally altering the CNT's helical structure, thereby making a portion of it to undergo a metal-to-semiconductor transition in a controlled manner.

Future of winter: Low emissions vital to slow warming

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 09:29 AM PST

Winters are warming faster than summers in North America, impacting everything from ecosystems to the economy. Global climate models indicate that this trend will continue in future winters but there is a level of uncertainty around the magnitude of warming. Researchers focused on the role of carbon dioxide emissions in this equation -- looking at the effects of both high and low levels of carbon dioxide emissions on future climate warming scenarios -- and found that a reduction in emissions could preserve almost three weeks of snow cover and below freezing temperatures.

Warps drive disruptions in planet formation in young planetary systems

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 09:29 AM PST

A new study demonstrates the impact of passing stars, misaligned binary stars and passing gas clouds on the formation of planets in early star systems.

New role for cyanide in early Earth and search for extraterrestrial life

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 09:29 AM PST

Chemists discovered how cyanide could have enabled chemical reactions that metabolize carbon dioxide without the complex proteins used by living organisms today.

Researchers find new way to amplify trustworthy news content on social media without shielding bias

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 09:28 AM PST

Social media sites continue to amplify misinformation and conspiracy theories. To address this concern, an interdisciplinary team of computer scientists, physicists and social scientists has found a solution to ensure social media users are exposed to more reliable news sources.

An insulin patch that sticks inside a person’s cheek

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 07:30 AM PST

Managing blood sugar levels requires round-the-clock attention for people diagnosed with diabetes. A more healthful diet and increased physical activity can help, but many with the condition also need to take regular shots of insulin -- the primary hormone that regulates sugar. To deliver this drug in a less invasive way, researchers now report a prototype insulin-loaded patch that comfortably sticks to the inside of a person's cheek.

Missing the bar: How people misinterpret data in bar graphs

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 07:25 AM PST

Thanks to their visual simplicity, bar graphs are popular tools for representing data. But do we really understand how to read them? New research has found that bar graphs are frequently misunderstood. The study demonstrates that people who view exactly the same graph often walk away with completely different understandings of the facts it represents.

Scientists test promising biosensor aimed for use in brain

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 05:36 AM PST

Scientists have successfully tested in the lab a tiny biosensor they developed that can detect biomarkers tied to traumatic brain injuries.

Balancing sustainability, safety and comfort in engineered floor slabs

Posted: 02 Feb 2022 01:59 PM PST

Using less material in floors is a viable strategy for improving sustainability in buildings, as it can reduce the structure's environmental footprint. Prioritizing only this goal, however, can lead to unwanted effects -- such as an echo in a room or noise traveling between floors, according to architectural engineers.

Remote sensing technology reduces urban air pollution

Posted: 02 Feb 2022 11:31 AM PST

Implementing roadside technology to detect high-emitting vehicles improves urban air quality.

Harnessing strongest magnetic fields in universe could reveal elusive particle

Posted: 02 Feb 2022 09:43 AM PST

Finding an elusive elementary particle is more viable than ever after an international team of scientists conducted the first experiment to explore magnetic monopoles using the Large Hadron Collider.

Assessing and optimizing the quality of sensor networks

Posted: 02 Feb 2022 08:18 AM PST

When building sensor networks, it can be extremely challenging for researchers to determine how the sensors should be arranged to obtain optimal results. New research proposes a new way to quantify the quality of sensor networks, and uses this method to suggest improvements to existing Dark Matter experiments.

New super-conductors could take data beyond zeroes and ones

Posted: 01 Feb 2022 01:10 PM PST

Smartphones may one day look just as obsolete as flip phones thanks to spintronics, an incipient field of research that uses electrons' spins to transfer electronic signals. Researchers now report a keystone achievement: the development of a conducting system that controls the spin of electrons and transmits a spin current over long distances, without the need for the ultra-cold temperatures required by typical conductors.