Molecular filament shielded young solar system from supernova

Isotope ratios found in meteorites suggest that a supernova exploded nearby while the Sun and Solar System were still forming. But the blast wave from a supernova that close could have potentially destroyed the nascent Solar System. New calculations shows that a filament of molecular gas, which is the birth cocoon of the Solar System, aided the capture of the isotopes found in the meteorites, while acting as a buffer protecting the young Solar System from the nearby supernova blast.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230622120910.htm

Molecular filament shielded young solar system from supernova

Isotope ratios found in meteorites suggest that a supernova exploded nearby while the Sun and Solar System were still forming. But the blast wave from a supernova that close could have potentially destroyed the nascent Solar System. New calculations shows that a filament of molecular gas, which is the birth cocoon of the Solar System, aided the capture of the isotopes found in the meteorites, while acting as a buffer protecting the young Solar System from the nearby supernova blast.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230622120910.htm

Molecular filament shielded young solar system from supernova

Isotope ratios found in meteorites suggest that a supernova exploded nearby while the Sun and Solar System were still forming. But the blast wave from a supernova that close could have potentially destroyed the nascent Solar System. New calculations shows that a filament of molecular gas, which is the birth cocoon of the Solar System, aided the capture of the isotopes found in the meteorites, while acting as a buffer protecting the young Solar System from the nearby supernova blast.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230622120910.htm

Will engineered carbon removal solve the climate crisis?

A new study explored fairness and feasibility in deep mitigation pathways with novel carbon dioxide removal, taking into account institutional capacity to implement mitigation measures.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230622120847.htm

RSV is a serious heath threat, but the public knows little about it

A new survey finds that the American public is ill-informed about RSV, unfamiliar with its most common symptoms, and more hesitant to recommend a vaccine against it to pregnant people than to older adults.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230621164803.htm

Drug-resistant fungi are thriving in even the most remote regions of Earth

New research has found that a disease-causing fungus -- collected from one of the most remote regions in the world -- is resistant to a common antifungal medicine used to treat infections.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230621121013.htm

Exoplanet may reveal secrets about the edge of habitability

How close can a rocky planet be to a star, and still sustain water and life? A recently discovered exoplanet may be key to solving that mystery.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230621105434.htm

The art and science of living-like architecture

Collaborators have created 'living-like' bioactive interior architecture designed to one day protect us from hidden airborne threats. This publication establishes that the lab's biomaterial manufacturing process is compatible with the leading-edge cell-free engineering that gives the bioactive sites their life-like properties.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230621105432.htm

Helping 'good' gut bacteria and clearing out the 'bad' -- all in one treatment

Probiotics can help maintain a healthy gut microbiome or restore populations of 'good bacteria' after a heavy course of antibiotics. But now, they could also be used as an effective treatment strategy for certain intestinal diseases, such as Crohn's disease. Researchers have developed a microgel delivery system for probiotics that keeps 'good' bacteria safe while actively clearing out 'bad' ones. In mice, the system treated intestinal inflammation without side effects.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230621105419.htm

How tidal range electricity generation could meet future demand and storage problems

Tidal range schemes are financially viable and could lower energy bills say researchers. Research combined a tidal range power generation model with its cost model to demonstrate the viability of tidal power. The research demonstrates the benefits of tidal energy, which does not suffer from unpredictable intermittency as power is generated both day and night, and in windy or calm weather. The creation of a tidal barrage could operate for 120 years or more to meet future demand and storage problems.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230621105226.htm

High-tech pavement markers support autonomous driving in tough conditions, remote areas

Engineers are placing low-powered sensors in the reflective raised pavement markers that are already used to help drivers identify lanes. Microchips inside the markers transmit information to passing cars about the road shape to help autonomous driving features function even when vehicle cameras or remote laser sensing, called LiDAR, are unreliable because of fog, snow, glare or other obstructions.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230620174507.htm

Hidden mechanism connects cancer and diabetes

Insulin resistance is usually associated with type 2 diabetes. Now researchers have found it in cancer patients and learned that it can cause cancer to spread faster.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230620174455.htm

Scientists discover new embryonic cell type that self-destructs to protect the developing embryo

Scientists have uncovered a new quality control system that removes damaged cells from early developing embryos.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230620174450.htm

Restoring the blood-brain barrier?

Scientists discover a treatment in mice to repair the blood-brain barrier, which is key to brain health.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230620113821.htm

The speed of life: A zoo of cells to study developmental time

Researchers have used an unprecedented stem cell zoo to compare six different mammalian species and their developmental time.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230620113815.htm

When a rat smells a rat

Some animals release chemical pheromones which can trigger behavioral or hormonal changes in other animals. It is known that calm rats can reduce the fear of nearby rats, but the exact mechanism was unknown. Researchers have found the pheromone responsible and demonstrated its effect both on lab rats and rats in the human environment. Their findings could lead to a new kind of humane pest control.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230620113813.htm

Focus on function helps identify the changes that made us human

Research from Whitehead Institute Member Jonathan Weissman and colleagues sheds light on human evolution, and demonstrates an approach for identifying significant differences in how genes are used between closely-related species.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230620113811.htm

Researchers expand ability of robots to learn from videos

New work has enabled robots to learn household chores by watching videos of people performing everyday tasks in their homes. Vision-Robotics Bridge, or VRB for short, uses the concept of affordances to teach the robot how to interact with an object. Affordances have their roots in psychology and refer to what an environment offers an individual. The concept has been extended to design and human-computer interaction to refer to potential actions perceived by an individual. With VRB, two robots successfully learned 12 tasks including opening a drawer, oven door and lid; taking a pot off the stove; and picking up a telephone, vegetable or can of soup.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230620113807.htm

Open-source software to speed up quantum research

Quantum technology is expected to fundamentally change many key areas of society. Researchers are convinced that there are many more useful quantum properties and applications to explore than those we know today. A team of researchers has now developed open-source, freely available software that will pave the way for new discoveries in the field and accelerate quantum research significantly.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230620113751.htm

Climate action plans mobilize limited urban change, researchers report

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), released just prior to an international climate convention in 2015, explicitly stated that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions were the highest in history, with clear and widespread impacts on the climate system. Since then, hundreds of cities across the world have published their own climate action plans (CAPs), detailing how their urban areas will handle climate change. How do the plans stack up against one another and against the recommended guidelines established by the United Nations-Habitat Guiding Principles for City Climate Action Planning?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230620113741.htm