Political posts causing social media fatigue for many Americans

The 2020 general election is right around the corner and the political climate is heating up. Although Americans have relied on social media as a source of personal connectivity, many are choosing to tune out due to fatigue caused by unwanted and unsolicited political coverage and commentary that is now dominating their feeds.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-political-social-media-fatigue-americans.html

Colorful perovskites: Lab advances thermochromic window technologies

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) report a breakthrough in developing a next-generation thermochromic window that not only reduces the need for air conditioning but simultaneously generates electricity.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-perovskites-lab-advances-thermochromic-window.html

Leaf drop after ash blackout shouldn't be of concern

The clouds of smoke and raining ash are over, but for some common evergreen plants the damage has been done. Don't worry, it's most likely temporary

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-leaf-ash-blackout-shouldnt.html

New theory on the origin of dark matter

A recent study from the University of Melbourne proposes a new theory for the origin of dark matter, helping experimentalists in Australia and abroad in the search for the mysterious new matter.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-theory-dark.html

Researchers discover how a small molecule is the key to HIV forming capsules

A group of University of Chicago scientists announced a groundbreaking study that explores the role of a small molecule, called IP6, in building the HIV-1 virus capsid.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-small-molecule-key-hiv-capsules.html

Researcher uncovers evidence of earliest known dairy production in India

In the fertile river valley along the border of modern-day India and Pakistan, the Indus Valley Civilization built some of the largest cities in the ancient world. Feeding such a large population would have been a significant challenge. New research from Kalyan Sekhar Chakraborty reveals one of the ways the civilization was able to sustain so many people. The postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto Mississauga has shown that dairy was being produced as far back as 2500 BCE. It is the earliest known dairy production in India, and could have helped produce the type of food surplus needed for trade.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-uncovers-evidence-earliest-dairy-production.html

Coral time machines reveal ancient carbon dioxide burps

The fossilized remains of ancient deep-sea corals may act as time machines providing new insights into the effect the ocean has on rising CO2 levels, according to research carried out by the Universities of St Andrews, Bristol and Nanjing.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-coral-machines-reveal-ancient-carbon.html

Messier 85 has a peculiar globular cluster system, study finds

Astronomers have conducted a study of stellar population and kinematics of globular clusters (GCs) in the galaxy Messier 85, and found that this galaxy hosts a peculiar globular cluster system. The finding is reported in a paper published October 6 on the arXiv pre-print repository.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-messier-peculiar-globular-cluster.html

Researchers create a new 'green' engine for lorries

Researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) have designed a new engine to decrease the environmental impact of the most common type of lorries that travel on European roads—those that weigh between 18 and 25 tons. From their laboratories at the CMT-Thermal Engines of the UPV, they propose a new configuration that unites all the benefits of hybrid and dual-fuel combustion engines.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-green-lorries.html

High-confidence approach for artificial intelligence-based models

They call it artificial intelligence—not because the intelligence is somehow fake. It's real intelligence, but it's still made by humans. That means AI—a power tool that can add speed, efficiency, insight and accuracy to a researcher's work—has many limitations.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-high-confidence-approach-artificial-intelligence-based.html

Researchers develop small animal PET scanner with high spatial resolution and high sensitivity

Positron emission tomography (PET) is an important tool for studying the animal model of human diseases and the development of new drugs and new therapies. 

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-small-animal-pet-scanner-high.html

Earth observation instruments pass review

As part of the atmospheric environment monitoring satellite (DQ-1) programs, the Environmental Trace Gas Monitoring Instrument (EMI-II) and Particulate Observing Scanning Polarization (POSP) passed the delivery acceptance review on science island of Hefei, Anhui province last month.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-earth-instruments.html

Researchers develop magnetically switchable mechano-chemotherapy to overcome tumor drug resistance

Prof. Wu Aiguo's team at the Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) developed a novel therapeutic method termed mechano-chemotherapy, which can efficiently overcome tumor drug resistance. The study was published in Nano Today.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-magnetically-switchable-mechano-chemotherapy-tumor-drug.html

Understudied deeper water reefs could teach us how to better conserve corals

In three decades of diving at locations including the Red Sea and Great Barrier Reef, Gal Eyal has seen coral reefs transform in front of his eyes.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-understudied-deeper-reefs-corals.html