The secret to STEM diversity may lie in peer mentorship
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently published a paper in Nature Communications showing that when first-year female STEM students are mentored by student peers, the positive ripple effect lasts throughout their undergraduat.....»»
Germicidal UV lamps: A trade-off between disinfection and air quality
When winter chill strikes, people stay indoors more often, giving airborne pathogens—such as SARS-CoV-2 and influenza—prime opportunities to spread. Germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) lamps can help disinfect circulating air, but their UVC wavelengths.....»»
NASA"s Perseverance rover collects two samples of Martian regolith
NASA's Perseverance rover snagged two new samples from the Martian surface on Dec. 2 and 6. But unlike the 15 rock cores collected to date, these newest samples came from a pile of wind-blown sand and dust similar to but smaller than a dune. Now cont.....»»
You"re never too busy for self-gifting, study finds
People who are feeling tense due to demands at work or home tend not to reward themselves with gifts, new research finds—even though a new product or visit to the spa might be exactly what they need......»»
Coupled computer modeling can help more accurately predict coastal flooding, study demonstrates
When Hurricane Florence hit the coast of North Carolina as a Category 1 storm in 2018, it set new records for rainfall, creating damaging 500-year flooding events along the Cape Fear River Basin......»»
Helping acoustic concepts resonate with students
"I am sitting in a room, different from the one you are in now." With these words, Alvin Lucier begins a fascinating recording where his voice warps and becomes indistinguishable over time—solely because of how sound reflects in the room. For physi.....»»
A commercial real estate agent"s gender does matter—to the seller
Does gender matter in commercial real estate transactions? Not in the outcome of the sale, but gender plays a role because of a common affinity bias among property owners, according to a study by researchers at The University of Alabama......»»
A novel interfacial regulated broadband photocatalyst
Extending the light absorption from ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared (NIR) region and improving photocarrier separation efficiency of photocatalysts are of vital importance for solar-driven H2 evolution......»»
Argentine ants will do anything for sugar, but they won"t do this
It might seem like common sense that a starving animal is more likely to take dangerous risks to obtain food than one with a full belly. But new research from UCLA shows that groups of Argentine ants, who forage boldly when they're well fed, exercise.....»»
Flocking to fire: Wildfires don"t deter Americans from moving to at-risk regions
Americans are leaving many of the U.S. counties hit hardest by hurricanes and heatwaves—and moving towards dangerous wildfires and warmer temperatures, finds one of the largest studies of U.S. migration and natural disasters......»»
Ankylosaurs battled each other as much as they fought off T. rex
Scientists from the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Royal BC Museum, and North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences have found new evidence for how armored dinosaurs used their iconic tail clubs......»»
Meet the (protein) neighbors: New method lets researchers detect proteins in close proximity in single cells
Today, most methods to determine the proteins inside a cell rely on a crude census—scientists usually grind a large group of cells up before characterizing their genetic material. But just as a population of 100 single people differs in many ways f.....»»
Tiny, hidden galaxy provides a peek into the past
Peeking out from behind the glare of a bright foreground star, astronomers have uncovered the most extraordinary example yet of a nearby galaxy with characteristics that are more like galaxies in the distant, early universe. Only 1,200 light-years ac.....»»
Art museums team up with scientists to ferret out fakes
Forgeries are a lucrative global market created by artists so skilled in both their craft and their duplicity that they sometimes fool even the experts......»»
Study: Proximity to senior managers enhances inventors" productivity, creativity
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has become increasingly common, but is it productive? New research in Management Science finds proximity to senior managers at corporate headquarters makes inventors in companies' research and de.....»»
Chemists develop reactions for the general synthesis of promising unexplored compounds
Chemists at Scripps Research have devised the first general method for synthesizing a family of compounds called 1,2,3,5-tetrazines, which hold great promise for making pharmaceuticals, biological probes and other chemical products......»»
Forest wildflowers and their overstory trees are changing with climate, but not always keeping pace
For spring ephemerals, timing is everything. These special wildflowers grow in temperate forests around the world, early in spring before the trees leaf out. Come out too early and it's still winter, too late and it's too shady under the forest canop.....»»
How tree species link fungal partners across a large-scale forest ecosystem
In a study published in Science China Life Sciences, a team surveyed hyper-diverse fungal communities in approximately 500 paired leaf and soil samples, which were associated with 55 tree species that are located over 2,000-km span of mountain forest.....»»
Tracking an invasion: A single Asian hornet may have sparked the ongoing spread across Europe
In Europe, the Asian (or "Yellow-legged") Hornet (Vespa velutina) is a predator of insects such as honeybees, hoverflies, and other wasps, and poses serious risks to apiculture, biodiversity and pollination services. This hornet can measure up to 4 c.....»»
How the current Southwestern North American megadrought is affecting Earth"s upper atmosphere
New research, based on two decades' worth of data, shows that in the ten years after its onset in 2000, the Southwestern North American (SWNA) megadrought caused a 30% change in gravity wave activity in Earth's upper atmosphere......»»