News Archive for January 2021

Hayabusa-2 image of the asteroid Ryugu as seen from a distance of 3.7 miles. A particularly large crater is visible near the center of the image. Image credit: JAXA / University of Tokyo / Kochi University / Rikkyo University / Nagoya University / Chiba Institute of Technology / Meiji University / University of Aizu / AIST.

Hayabusa-2 Reveals New Details about Asteroid Ryugu

Jan 6, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

The ancient parent body of the near-Earth ‘rubble pile’ asteroid Ryugu had likely dried out in some kind of heating event before the asteroid came...

Scanning electron microscope image of the ellipsoidal colloids. Inset shows a confocal microscopy image, highlighting the core-shell structure. Scale bar - 5 μm. Image credit: Roller et al., doi: 10.1073/pnas.2018072118.

Researchers Discover New State of Matter: Liquid Glass

Jan 6, 2021 by News Staff

Using a technique called confocal microscopy, a team of scientists from Germany and the Netherlands has found that suspensions of ellipsoidal colloids...

Zhou et al. revealed that the miR-183/96/182 cluster has functional impacts on circadian rhythms in mammals; they can modulate circadian systems either by direct targeting of the core clock machinery or through a more indirect mechanism that ultimately feeds into the circadian clock. Image credit: Kelvin Ma / CC BY 3.0.

MicroRNAs Play Key Role in Regulation of Circadian Rhythms

Jan 6, 2021 by News Staff

Formerly thought to be ‘junk DNA,’ microRNAs (miRNAs) are small chains of about two dozen non-coding nucleotides. They are emerging as important regulators...

Flaring, active regions of the Sun are highlighted in this image combining observations from several telescopes. High-energy X-rays from NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) are shown in blue; low-energy X-rays from Japan’s Hinode spacecraft are green; and extreme ultraviolet light from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is yellow and red. All three telescopes captured their solar images around the same time on April 29, 2015. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / GSFC / JAXA.

Source of Sunquakes is Submerged beneath Solar Surface, Study Shows

Jan 5, 2021 by News Staff

Ultra-impulsive acoustic emission from a solar flare recently detected by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) indicated submersion of its source...

Astronomers Discover New Supercluster of Galaxies

Jan 5, 2021 by Sergio Prostak

Using data from the eROSITA X-ray telescope aboard the Spektrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) observatory, astronomers have detected a previously unknown supercluster...

Ilzhöfer et al. discovered a soft form of a supersolid. Image credit: Harald Ritsch / IQOQI Innsbruck.

Physicists Create ‘Soft’ Supersolid

Jan 5, 2021 by News Staff

An international team of experimental and theoretical physicists from Austria and Switzerland has investigated what happens when a dipolar supersolid is...

Brown Fat May Protect against Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases

Jan 5, 2021 by News Staff

White fat stores excess energy, whereas brown and beige fat are thermogenic and dissipate energy as heat. But it is unclear whether individuals with ample...

The ruins of the Byzantine-period church and a Second Temple-period mikveh were found near Gethsemane, Israel. Image credit: Israel Antiquities Authority.

Byzantine-Period Church Uncovered in Israel

Jan 5, 2021 by News Staff

A team of archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum has discovered the ruins of a 1,500-year-old...

Chen et al. suggest that travel and tourism can be an important life domain affecting how people evaluate their overall quality of life. Image credit: Joshua Woroniecki.

Frequent Travelers are More Satisfied with Their Life than Non-Travelers, Study Says

Jan 4, 2021 by News Staff

Frequent travelers are about 7% happier than people who don’t travel at all, according to a study carried out in Taiwan. Chen et al. suggest that travel...

The Beit Nattif lamps. Image credit: Israel Antiquities Authority.

Archaeologists Unearth 1,700-Year-Old Oil-Lamp Workshop in Israel

Jan 4, 2021 by News Staff

Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority have discovered an ancient ceramic oil-lamp workshop near Beit Nattif, a village about 20 km (12.4...

The central part of the total field of view of the VLA radio map of the Perseus cluster. NGC 1275 is the bright source in the middle of the image. The wide-angle tail radio galaxy NGC 1265 (NNW of NGC 1275) and the head-tail CR 15 (between NGC 1275 and IC 310), as well as IC 310 (WSW of NGC 1275) are clearly visible. Image credit: Gendron-Marsolais et al., doi: 10.1093/mnras/staa2003.

Astronomers Create Radio Map of Perseus Galaxy Cluster

Jan 4, 2021 by Sergio Prostak

Astronomers using NSF’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array have produced a high-resolution map of the Perseus cluster, a collection of thousands of galaxies...

Arabidopsis thaliana. Image credit: Carl Davies, CSIRO / CC BY 3.0.

Flowering Plants Can Be Larks or Night Owls: Study

Jan 4, 2021 by News Staff

A single letter change in DNA code can potentially decide whether a plant is a lark or a night owl, according to a study published in the journal Plant,...

This Hubble image shows the spiral arms and various stellar environments of NGC 6946. The color image was made from separate exposures taken in the infrared region of the spectrum with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). Three filters were used to sample various wavelengths. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / A. Leroy / K.S. Long.

Hubble Looks at Face-On Spiral Galaxy NGC 6946

Jan 4, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have captured an amazing new photo of the medium-sized, face-on spiral galaxy NGC 6946. This Hubble...

Postmenopausal women who ate a half cup of Ataulfo mangoes 4 times a week saw a 23% decrease in deep wrinkles after 2 months and a 20% decrease after 4 months. Image credit: Liwan Chun.

Mangoes May Help Reduce Facial Wrinkles in Women

Jan 2, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

According to a clinical pilot study published in the journal Nutrients, regular intake of modest amounts of Ataulfo mangoes may improve facial wrinkles...

This 3D model of a polymer desalination membrane shows water avoiding dense spots in the membrane and slowing flow; red above the membrane shows water under higher pressure and with higher concentrations of salt; the gold, granular, sponge-like structure in the middle shows denser and less-dense areas within the salt-stopping membrane; silver channels show how water flows through; and the blue at the bottom shows water under lower pressure and with lower concentrations of salt. Image credit: Ganapathysubramanian Research Group / Iowa State University / Gregory Foss, Texas Advanced Computing Center.

Researchers Make Progress Toward High-Performing Water Desalination Membranes

Jan 1, 2021 by News Staff

Biological membranes can achieve remarkably high permeabilities while maintaining ideal selectivities by relying on homogeneous internal structures in...

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