Wearable exosuit that lessens muscle fatigue could redesign the future of work

 Engineers have designed and determined that their back-assist exosuit, a clothing-like device that supports human movement and posture, can reduce fatigue by an average of 29-47 percent in lower back muscles. The exosuit's functionality presents a promising new development for individuals who work in physically demanding fields and are at risk for back pain, including medical professionals and frontline workers.

the low-profile, elastic exosuit applies assistive forces that cooperate with the low back extensor muscles, to relieve strain on the muscles and spine, and to help reduce injury risks.

This study showed that wearing the exosuit made holding a 35-pound weight (the average weight of a 4-year-old child) less tiring on the back than holding a 24-pound weight (the average weight of an 18-month-old baby) without the exosuit.

Lamers, E.P., Soltys, J.C., Scherpereel, K.L. et al. Low-profile elastic exosuit reduces back muscle fatigue. Sci Rep 10, 15958 (2020). doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-72531-4

Researchers report positive results for exosuit in stroke rehabilit...

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-09-wearable-exosuit-lessens-muscle...

Water on Mars: discovery of three buried lakes intrigues scientists

Combating Superbugs Through Comic Books 

https://www.asianscientist.com/2020/09/features/asias-changemakers-...

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A brief history of Quantum mechanics

A Strong & Transparent Alternative To Plastic Instead of non-biodegradable plastic, your next ‘plastic’ bag could be made out of bacterial biofilms. 

Researchers in China have used bacteria to make an ultra-strong and transparent film that can replace plastic .

Although most plastic films—such as plastic bags and food wrappers—have a lifespan of mere minutes to hours, they persist in the environment for hundreds of years. Furthermore, exposure to sunlight, wind and wave action can cause a single plastic bag to be broken up into as many as 1.75 million microscopic fragments. These so-called microplastics have been found in every corner of the globe from Mount Everest to the Mariana Trench. Worryingly, they have been found in more than 100 species, including, fish, shrimp and birds. To reduce the use of plastic, a team led by Professor Yu Shuhong from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has developed a nanocomposite film inspired by mother of pearl that could one day replace many single-use plastics. The researchers first allowed a thin layer of Gluconacetobacter xylinus bacteria to grow on an agar plate before spraying on a layer of nano-clay. The nano-clay particles became entangled in the cellulose nanofibers secreted by the bacteria, forming a uniform hydrogel. Multiple layers of this hydrogel were then pressed together to form a dense composite film that showed a ‘brick and fibre’ structure found in nacre. When they tested the properties of the resulting film, the researchers found that it had a transmittance and haze of more than 73 percent and 80 percent respectively, suggesting that it could be useful for managing light in optoelectronic devices. The film was six times stronger than PET film and three times as stiff. It also was flexible enough to be folded and yet show no visible damage after unfolding. 

Guan et al. (2020) Nanocomposite Films for Plastic Substitute. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2590238520303726

https://www.cell.com/matter/fulltext/S2590-2385(20)30372-6?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2590238520303726%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

https://www.asianscientist.com/2020/09/in-the-lab/bacteria-plastic-...

3-D printed 'invisible' fibers can sense breath, sound, and biological cells

From capturing your breath to guiding biological cell movements, 3-D printing of tiny, transparent conducting fibers could be used to make devices which can 'smell, hear and touch'—making it particularly useful for health monitoring, Internet of Things and biosensing applications.

Researchers used 3-D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, techniques to make electronic fibers, each 100 times thinner than a human hair, creating sensors beyond the capabilities of conventional film-based devices.

The fiber printing technique can be used to make non-contact, wearable, portable respiratory sensors. These printed sensors are high-sensitivity, low-cost and can be attached to a mobile phone to collect breath pattern information, sound and images at the same time.

"Inflight fiber printing toward array and 3D optoelectronic and sensing architectures" Science Advances (2020). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd1882 , advances.sciencemag.org/lookup … .1126/sciadv.aba0931

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-09-d-invisible-fibers-biological-c...

Achieving invisibility: Cross-wavelength invisibility integrated with invisibility tactics

Using biomimicry - the natural ecological relationship between transparent oceanic animals and their predators that employ a cross-wavelength detection strategy - proposed a new concept of cross-wavelength invisibility that integrated a variety of invisibility tactics. They presented a Boolean metamaterial design strategy to balance divergent material requirements across cross-scale wavelengths. As proof of concept, they simultaneously demonstrated longwave cloaking and shortwave transparency using a nanoimprinting technique. The work extended stealth techniques from individual strategies of invisibility targeting a single-wavelength spectrum to integrated invisibility targeting cross-wavelength applications. These experiments will pave the way to develop cross-wavelength integrated metadevices.

The new strategy complements existing mainstream strategies of chameleon-like adaptive camouflage and the wave-bypassing invisibility cloak.  In this work, scientists break the existing ecological relationship by attempting to hide the transparent prey from the cross-spectral vision of their predators. As a result, this philosophy of invisibility will be of significance for practical stealth technologies.

Xu S. et al. Cross-wavelength invisibility integrated with various invisibility tactics, Science Advances, 10.1126/sciadv.abb3755

Ni X. et al. An ultrathin invisibility skin cloak for visible light, Science, 10.1126/science.aac9411

Landy N. et al. A full-parameter unidirectional metamaterial cloak for microwaves. Nature Materials, doi.org/10.1038/nmat3476

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-invisibility-cross-wavelength-tactics...

Mutations that affect aging: More common than we thought?

The number of mutations that can contribute to aging may be significantly higher than previously believed, according to new research on fruit flies. 

Many functions of our bodies deteriorate slowly but surely as we age, and eventually an organism dies. This thought may not be very encouraging, but most of us have probably accepted that this is the fate of all living creatures—death is part of life. However, those who study evolutionary biology find it far from clear why this is the case. The evolution of aging is, in a manner of speaking, a paradox. Evolution causes continuous adaptation in organisms, but even so it has not resulted in them ceasing to age.

Nearly 70 years ago, evolutionary biologists proposed two theories concerning two different types of mutation that contribute to aging. Both of these mutations have a detrimental effect as the organism becomes older—which leads to aging—while they are either advantageous or neutral early in life. Researchers have, however, not been able to determine which of the two types of mutation contributes most to aging, despite experimental studies.

A new theory was proposed a few years ago suggesting that aging is caused by mutations with a detrimental effect early in life, and whose negative effects increase with age. Those who support this hypothesis believe that many of the mutations that arise have negative effects right from the start, compared with the normal variant of a gene.

The study now published describes experiments to test the theory of mutations that have a detrimental effect throughout life and contribute to aging. The authors used one of the most well-studied animals in the world, namely the fruit fly, or Drosophila melanogaster. They tested 20 different mutations that they had placed into the genetic material of the flies. For each individual mutation, they studied a group of flies with the mutation and a control group without it. Each mutation had a specific, visible effect, which made it easy to follow, such as a somewhat different appearance of the wings or a different shape of the eyes.

As an organism ages, the probability that an individual dies increases, and its ability to reproduce falls. The researchers determined the fertility of the fruit flies and used it as a measure of aging. They counted the number of eggs laid by each female early in life, after two weeks, and finally after a further two weeks (which is a ripe old age for a fruit fly!). The researchers wanted to see whether the difference between flies with the mutations and the control group changed as they aged. The results support the theory they were testing. Most of the mutations had a negative effect on the fertility of the fruit flies early in life, and most of them also caused reproductive aging to occur more rapidly.

The results suggest that mutations that are detrimental early in life can also contribute to aging. Thus it may be that mutations that bring on aging are significantly more common than we previously thought.

 "Deleterious mutations show increasing negative effects with age in Drosophila melanogaster", Martin I. Brengdahl, Christopher M. Kimber, Phoebe Elias, Josephine Thompson and Urban Friberg, (2020), BMC Biology, published online 30 September, DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-00858-5

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-mutations-affect-aging-common-thought...

Dinosaur feather study debunked: Overwhelming evidence supports Jurassic fossil does belong to Archaeopteryx

A new study provides substantial evidence that the first fossil feather ever to be discovered does belong to the iconic Archaeopteryx, a bird-like dinosaur named in Germany on this day in 1861. This debunks a recent theory that the fossil feather originated from a different species.

The new research finds that the Jurassic fossil matches a type of wing feather called a primary covert. Primary coverts overlay the primary feathers and help propel birds through the air. Researchers analyzed nine attributes of the feather, particularly the long quill, along with data from modern birds. They also examined the 13 known skeletal fossils of Archaeopteryx, three of which contain well-preserved primary coverts. The researchers discovered that the top surface of an Archaeopteryx wing has primary coverts that are identical to the isolated feather in size and shape. The isolated feather was also from the same fossil site as four skeletons of Archaeopteryx, confirming their findings.

Through scientific detective work that combined new techniques with old fossils and literature, scientists were able to finally solve these centuries-old mysteries.

Using a specialized type of electron microscope, the researchers determined that the feather came from the left wing. They also detected melanosomes, which are microscopic pigment structures. After refining their color reconstruction, they found that the feather  was entirely matte black, not black and white as another study has claimed.

Evidence corroborates identity of isolated fossil feather as a wing covert of Archaeopteryx, Scientific Reports (2020). doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-65336-y

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-dinosaur-feather-debunked-overwhelmin...

India pushes bold ‘one nation, one subscription’ journal-access plan

Pregnancy Loss: A possible link between olfaction and miscarriage

Unexplained repeated pregnancy loss is associated with an altered perception of male odors and differences in brain regions that process smells.

Exposing female rodents to the smell of adult males can lead to synchronized menstrual cycling  and accelerated sexual maturation, as well as to embryos failing to implant in the uterus . Olfactory cues might also play a role in human reproduction: for instance, the menstrual cycle phase may influence preferences for male odors . This presents the possibility that altered neural processing of socially relevant odors, such as the scent of a partner, may be linked to pregnancy loss and other reproductive disorders. Now researchers report that women who have experienced unexplained repeated pregnancy loss process the odors of males differently.

https://elifesciences.org/articles/62534?utm_source=content_alert&a...

Gene expression altered by direction of forces acting on cell

Tissues and cells in the human body are subjected to a constant push and pull – strained by other cells, blood pressure and fluid flow, to name a few. The type and direction of the force on a cell alters gene expression by stretching different regions of DNA, researchers found in a new study.

The findings could provide insights into physiology and diseases such as fibrosis, cardiovascular disease and malignant cancer, the researchers said.

Force is everywhere in the human body, and both external and internal forces can influence your body far more than you may have thought. These strains profoundly influence cellular behaviours and physiological functions, which are initiated at the level of gene expression.

They found that the force from the magnetic bead caused a rapid increase in expression for certain genes, but the amount of the increase depended on the direction the bead moved. When the bead rolled along the long axis of the cell, the increase was the lowest, but when the force was applied perpendicularly – across the short axis of the cell – gene activity increased the most. When the bead was moved at a 45-degree angle or rotated in the same plane as the cell to induce shear stress, the response was intermediate.
These observations show that gene upregulation and activation are very sensitive to the mode of the applied force, when the magnitude of the force remains unchanged.

In further experiments, the researchers found that the reason for the difference lies in the method that the forces are relayed to the cell’s nucleus, where DNA is housed. Cells have a network of support structures called the cytoskeleton, and the main force-bearing elements are long fibers of the protein actin. When they bend due to a force, they relay that force to the nucleus and stretch the chromosomes.

These actin fibers run lengthwise along the cell. So when the force strains them widthwise, they deform more, stretching the chromosomes more and causing greater gene activity, the researchers found.

https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/385931150

Science and scientists highly regarded across globe: survey

As citizens across the world await a vaccine to end the coronavirus pandemic, a survey by Pew Research Center published Tuesday has good news: scientists and their research are widely viewed positively across much of the globe.

Majorities said the media does a good job covering science, but also said the public often doesn't know enough to understand news on scientific research.

Around two-thirds or more said the news media do a very or somewhat good job covering science topics, while far fewer said the media do a bad job covering science -- medians of 68 percent against 28 percent across the 20 countries.

But across the countries surveyed, 74 percent considered limited public understanding of science to be a problem for media coverage of science research.

https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2020/09/29/science-and-scientis...

https://researchnews.cc/news/2788/Science-and-scientists-highly-reg...

Smart Underwear Prevents Back Stress with just a Double Tap

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Inside mitochondria and their fascinating genome

EPFL scientists have observed – for the first time in living cells – the way mitochondria distribute their transcriptome throughout the cell, and it involves RNA granules that turn out to be highly fluid.

Einstein's description of gravity just got much harder to beat

Einstein's theory of general relativity—the idea that gravity is matter warping spacetime—has withstood over 100 years of scrutiny and testing, including the newest test from the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration which  is a brand-new way to test general relativity using supermassive black holes.

According to the findings, Einstein's theory just got 500 times harder to beat.

Despite its successes, Einstein's robust theory remains mathematically irreconcilable with quantum mechanics, the scientific understanding of the subatomic world. Testing general relativity is important because the ultimate theory of the universe must encompass both gravity and quantum mechanics.

To perform the test, the team used the first image ever taken of the supermassive black hole at the center of nearby galaxy M87 obtained with the EHT last year. The first results had shown that the size of the black-hole shadow was consistent with the size predicted by general relativity.

The team did a very broad analysis of many modifications to the theory of general relativity to identify the unique characteristic of a theory of gravity that determines the size of a black hole shadow.

In this way, scientists can now pinpoint whether some alternative to general relativity is in agreement with the Event Horizon Telescope observations, without worrying about any other details. The team focused on the range of alternatives that had passed all the previous tests in the solar system.

Using the gauge they developed, they showed that the measured size of the black hole shadow in M87 tightens the wiggle room for modifications to Einstein's theory of general relativity by almost a factor of 500, compared to previous tests in the solar system. Many ways to modify general relativity fail at this new and tighter black hole shadow test.

Black hole images provide a completely new angle for testing Einstein's theory of general relativity

Dimitrios Psaltis et al. Gravitational Test beyond the First Post-Newtonian Order with the Shadow of the M87 Black Hole, Physical Review Letters (2020). dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.141104

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-einstein-description-gravity-harder.h...

Key control mechanism allows cells to form tissues and anatomical structures in the developing embryo

Under a microscope, the first few hours of every multicellular organism's life seem incongruously chaotic. After fertilization, a once tranquil single-celled egg divides again and again, quickly becoming a visually tumultuous mosh pit of cells jockeying for position inside the rapidly growing embryo. amid this apparent pandemonium, cells begin to self-organize. Soon, spatial patterns emerge, serving as the foundation for the construction of tissues, organs and elaborate anatomical structures from brains to toes and everything in between. For decades, scientists have intensively studied this process, called morphogenesis, but it remains in many ways enigmatic.

Now researchers have discovered a key control mechanism that cells use to self-organize in early embryonic development. 

Studying spinal cord formation in zebrafish embryos, a team revealed that different cell types express unique combinations of adhesion molecules in order to self-sort during morphogenesis. These "adhesion codes" determine which cells prefer to stay connected, and how strongly they do so, even as widespread cellular rearrangements occur in the developing embryo.

The researchers found that adhesion codes are regulated by morphogens, master signaling molecules long known to govern cell fate and pattern formation in development. The results suggest that the interplay of morphogens and adhesion properties allows cells to organize with the precision and consistency required to construct an organism.

Three genes—N-cadherin, cadherin 11 and protocadherin 19—emerged as essential for normal patterning. The expression of different combinations and different levels of these genes was responsible for differences in adhesion preference, representing what the team dubbed an adhesion code. This code was unique to each of the cell types and determined which other cells each cell type stays connected to during morphogenesis.

The analyses revealed that both cell type and adhesion-molecule gene expression were highly correlated, both in level and spatial position. This held true across the entire nascent spinal cord, where patterns of gene expression for cell type and adhesion molecule changed together in response to differences in Shh activity.

What they found is that this morphogen not only controls cell fate, it controls cell adhesion

Insights into how cells self-organize in early development could also aid efforts to engineer tissues and organs for clinical uses such as transplantation.

"An adhesion code ensures robust pattern formation during tissue morphogenesis" Science (2020). science.sciencemag.org/lookup/ … 1126/science.aba6637

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-key-mechanism-cells-tissues-anatomica...

Nights warming faster than days across much of the planet

Global warming is affecting daytime and night-time temperatures differently—and greater night-time warming is more common than greater daytime warming worldwide—new research shows.

Days warmed more quickly in some locations, and nights did in others—but the total area of disproportionately greater night-time warming was more than twice as large.

The study shows this "warming asymmetry" has been driven primarily by changing levels of cloud cover.

Increased cloud cover cools the surface during the day and retains the warmth during the night, leading to greater night-time warming. Whereas, decreasing cloud cover allows more warmth to reach the surface during the day, but that warmth is lost at night.

Warming asymmetry has potentially significant implications for the natural world.

Researchers also  demonstrate that greater night-time warming is associated with the climate becoming wetter, and this has been shown to have important consequences for plant growth and how species, such as insects and mammals, interact.

They also show that greater daytime warming is associated with drier conditions, combined with greater levels of overall warming, which increases species vulnerability to heat stress and dehydration.

Species that are only active at night or during the day will be particularly affected.

 Daniel T. C. Cox et al, Global variation in diurnal asymmetry in temperature, cloud cover, specific humidity and precipitation and its association with leaf area index, Global Change Biology (2020). DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15336

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-nights-faster-days-planet.html?utm_so...

Study suggests wisdom can protect against loneliness

Over the last few decades, there has been growing concern about loneliness across all ages, particularly in middle-aged and older adults. Loneliness, defined as feeling isolated or not having an adequate number of meaningful personal connections, is consistently associated with unhealthy aging and has been identified as a major risk factor for overall adverse health outcomes.

In a recent cross-cultural study, researchers examined middle-aged and older adults and found loneliness and wisdom had a strong negative correlation. The study suggests that wisdom may be a protective factor against loneliness.

An important finding from the study was a significant inverse correlation between loneliness and wisdom. People with higher scores on a measure of wisdom were less lonely and vice versa.

Loneliness was consistently associated with poor general health, worse quality of sleep and less happiness, whereas the reverse was generally true for wisdom.

Both loneliness and wisdom are personality traits. Most personality traits are partially inherited and partially determined by environment.

Wisdom has several components, such as empathy, compassion, self-reflection and emotional regulation. Researchers found that empathy and compassion had the strongest inverse correlation with loneliness. People who were more compassionate were less lonely.

"If we can increase someone's compassion, wisdom  is likely to go up and loneliness is likely to go down. studies that examine how to decrease loneliness as people age will be critical for effective interventions and the future of health care.

Aging and Mental Health, DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2020.1821170

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-10-san-diego-italy-wisdom-lonel...

New neuron type discovered only in primate brains

Neuropsychiatric illnesses like schizophrenia and autism are a complex interplay of brain chemicals, environment, and genetics that requires careful study to understand the root causes. Scientists have traditionally relied on samples taken from mice and non-human primates to study how these diseases develop. But the question has lingered: are the brains of these subjects similar enough to humans to yield useful insights?

Now work from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard is pointing towards an answer. In a study published in Nature, researchers from the Broad's Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research report several key differences in the brains of ferrets, mice, nonhuman primates, and humans, all focused on a type of neuron called interneurons. Most surprisingly, the team found a new type of interneuron only in primates, located in a part of the brain called the striatum, which is associated with Huntington's disease and potentially schizophrenia.

The findings could help accelerate research into causes of and treatments for neuropsychiatric illnesses, by helping scientists choose the lab model that best mimics features of the human brain that may be involved in these diseases.

 Fenna M. Krienen et al. Innovations present in the primate interneuron repertoire, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2781-z

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-10-neuron-primate-brains.html?u...

Earthquake forecasting clues unearthed in strange precariously balanced rocks

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-earthquake-clues-unearthed-strange-pr...

New focus on the synergy effect of nanoparticles

Nanoparticles are used in a wide range of products and manufacturing processes because the properties of a material can change dramatically when the material comes in nano-form.

They can be used, for example, to purify wastewater and to transport medicine around the body. They are also added to, for example, socks, pillows, mattresses, phone covers and refrigerators to supply the items with an antibacterial surface.

Much research has been done on how nanoparticles affect humans and the environment and a number of studies have shown that nanoparticles can disrupt or damage our cells.

This is confirmed by a new study that has also looked at how cells react when exposed to more than one kind of nano particle at the same time.

The nanoparticles were tested on two types of brain cells: astrocytes and endothelial cells. Astrocytes are supporter cells in the central nervous system, which i.a. helps to supply the nervous system with nutrients and repair damage to the brain. Endothelial cells sit on the inside of the blood vessels and transport substances from the bloodstream to the brain.

When the endothelial cells were exposed to nano-platinum, nothing happened. When exposed to nano-silver, their ability to divide deteriorated. When exposed to both nano-silver and nano-platinum, the effect was amplified, and they died in large numbers. Furthermore, their defense mechanisms decreased, and they had difficulty communicating with each other.

So even though nano-platinum alone does not do harm, something drastic happens when they are combined with a different kind of nano-particle.

An earlier study, conducted by researchers, has shown a dramatic synergy effect of silver nanoparticles and cadmium ions, which are found naturally all around us on Earth.

In that study, 72 % of the cells died (in this study it was intestinal cells) as they were exposed to both nano-silver and cadmium ions. When they were only exposed to nano-silver, 25% died. When exposed to cadmium ions only, 12% died.

We are involuntarily exposed—Little is known about how large concentrations of nano-particles are used in industrial products.

 Barbara Korzeniowska et al, The Cytotoxicity of Metal Nanoparticles Depends on Their Synergistic Interactions, Particle & Particle Systems Characterization (2020). DOI: 10.1002/ppsc.202000135

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-health-focus-synergy-effect-nanoparti...

Timing the life of antimatter particles may lead to better cancer treatment

Researchers have devised a simple way to glean more detailed information out of standard medical imaging scans. A research team  has designed a timer that can enable positron emission tomography (PET) scanners to detect the oxygen concentration of tissues throughout patients' bodies. This upgrade to PET scanners may lead to a future of better cancer treatment by quickly identifying parts of tumours with more aggressive cell growth.

The positrons that PET scans are named for are the positively charged antimatter forms of electrons. Due to their tiny size and extremely low mass, positrons pose no danger in medical applications. Positrons produce gamma rays, which are electromagnetic waves similar to X-rays, but with shorter wavelengths.

When receiving a PET scan, a patient receives a small amount of very weakly radioactive liquid, often composed of modified sugar molecules, usually injected into their blood. The liquid circulates for a short period of time. Differences in blood flow or metabolism affect how the radioactivity is distributed. The patient then lies in a large, tube-shaped PET scanner. As the radioactive liquid emits positrons that then decay into gamma rays, rings of gamma-ray detectors map the locations of gamma rays emitted from the patient's body.

Doctors request PET scans when they need information about not just the structure, but also the metabolic function of tissues inside the body. Detecting oxygen  concentration using the same PET scan would add another layer of useful information about the body's function.

Kengo Shibuya, Haruo Saito, Fumihiko Nishikido, Miwako Takahashi, and Taiga Yamaya. 2020. Oxygen sensing ability of positronium atom for tumor hypoxia imaging. Communication Physics. DOI: 10.1038/s42005-020-00440-z

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-life-antimatter-particles-cancer-trea...

Radar developed for rapid rescue of buried people

When someone is buried by an avalanche, earthquake or other disaster, a rapid rescue can make the difference between life and death. Now researchers have developed a new kind of mobile radar device that can search hectare-sized areas quickly and thoroughly. The new technology combines greater mobility with accurate detection of vital signs.

Although radar devices can provide useful assistance, current systems are limited to stationary operation. Set up in a fixed spot, they can only search up to a distance of twenty to thirty meters, depending on the radar specifications. In disasters involving large-scale destruction, this distance is simply too short.

 The new technology  aims to significantly increase the search radius.  This one  is a mobile radar system that locates people buried under rubble by detecting their pulse and breathing. The longer-term goal is to mount this radar device on a drone and fly it over the disaster site. This would make searches faster and more effective even in areas extending over various hectares.

https://www.fhr.fraunhofer.de/en/businessunits/human_and_environmen...

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-radar-rapid-people.html

Sci-com: Have Questions About Science? Skype A Scientist - It’s Now That Easy

https://www.skypeascientist.com/events.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/2020/09/30/have-questions...

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Risk of Severe Coronavirus Linked to Neanderthal Genes From 60,000 Years Ago

https://www.sciencealert.com/severe-coronavirus-has-been-linked-to-...

Radiation-immune and repairable chips to fabricate durable electronics

To operate safely and reliably in outdoor environments, electronic devices should be resistant to a wide variety of external factors, including radiation. In fact, high-energy radiation can damage several components of field-effect transistors (FETs) commonly used to make electronics, including their superconducting channel, gate oxide and the insulating materials surrounding it (e.g., isolation or substrate oxides).

For several years, research teams worldwide have thus been trying to devise strategies that could make transistors more resistant to radiation. Researchers have recently fabricated a radiation-hardened and repairable integrated circuit (IC) based on carbon nanotube transistors with ion gel gates. This IC could be used to build new electronic devices that are more resistant to high-energy radiation.

Radiation-hardened and repairable integrated circuits based on carbon nanotube transistors with ion gel gates. Nature Electronics (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41928-020-0465-1.

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-radiation-immune-chips-fabricat...

Snippet: Cat imitates human, in first scientific demonstration of behavior

Evidence of a cat recognizing and mimicking human behavior

In the research demonstration the cat responded to 18 requests to perform an action it had never done before following requests mimic the researchers, including opening a drawer, spinning around, reaching out and touching a toy, and laying down in a certain position. The cat was found to respond as desired approximately 81 percent of the time. The researchers suggest that the cat demonstrated the capability of mapping its own body parts to those of another creature, and to understand how those parts could be used in similar ways.

Claudia Fugazza et al. Did we find a copycat? Do as I Do in a domestic cat (Felis catus), Animal Cognition (2020). DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01428-6

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-evidence-cat-mimicking-human-behavior...

Enhancing blood sugar control boosts brain health for people with type 2 diabetes

Controlling blood sugar levels improved the ability to clearly think, learn and remember among people with type 2 diabetes who were overweight, a new study shows. But losing weight, especially for people who were obese, and increasing physical activity produced mixed results.

Owen T Carmichael et al, Long-term change in physiological markers and cognitive performance in type 2 diabetes: the Look AHEAD Study, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (2020). DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgaa591

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-10-blood-sugar-boosts-brain-hea...

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Researchers test brain stimulation in zero gravity

Bashar W. Badran et al, Brain stimulation in zero gravity: transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) motor threshold decreases during zero gravity induced by parabolic flight, npj Microgravity (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41526-020-00116-6

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-brain-gravity.html?utm_source=nwlette...

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 Researchers discover a rare genetic form of dementia

A new, rare genetic form of dementia has been discovered by a team of  researchers. This discovery also sheds light on a new pathway that leads to protein build up in the brain—which causes this newly discovered disease, as well as related neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's Disease—that could be targeted for new therapies. 

Alzheimer's disease(AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by a buildup of proteins, called tau proteins, in certain parts of the brain. Following an examination of human brain tissue samples from a deceased donor with an unknown neurodegenerative disease, researchers discovered a novel mutation in the Valosin-containing protein (VCP) gene in the brain, a buildup of tau proteins in areas that were degenerating, and neurons with empty holes in them, called vacuoles. The team named the newly discovered disease Vacuolar Tauopathy (VT)—a neurodegenerative disease now characterized by the accumulation of neuronal vacuoles and tau protein aggregates.

Nabil F. Darwich et al, Autosomal dominant VCP hypomorph mutation impairs disaggregation of PHF-tau, Science (2020). DOI: 10.1126/science.aay8826

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-10-rare-genetic-dementia.html?u...

Why do people respond differently to the same drug?

Scientists  have comprehensively mapped how a key class of proteins within cells regulates signals coming in from cell surface receptors.

The study reveals, among other things, that people commonly have variants in these proteins that cause their cells to respond differently when the same cell receptor is stimulated—offering a plausible explanation for why people's responses to the same drugs can vary widely.

The findings could lead to new treatment approaches for a range of conditions.

Ikuo Masuho et al, A Global Map of G Protein Signaling Regulation by RGS Proteins, Cell (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.08.052

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-10-people-differently-drug.html...

New nanotechology design provides hope for personalized vaccination for treating cancer

One of the key challenges in developing effective, targeted cancer treatments is the heterogeneity of the cancer cells themselves. This variation makes it difficult for the immune system to recognize, respond to and actively fight against tumors. Now, however, new advances in nanotechnology are making it possible to deliver targeted, personalized "vaccines" to treat cancer.

A new study demonstrates the use of charged nanoscale metal-organic frameworks for generating free radicals using X-rays within tumor tissue to kill cancer cells directly. Furthermore, the same frameworks can be used for delivering immune signaling molecules known as PAMPs to activate the immune response against tumour cells. By combining these two approaches into one easily administered "vaccine," this new technology may provide the key to better local and systemic treatment of difficult-to-treat cancers.

"Nanoscale metal-organic frameworks for x-ray activated in situ cancer vaccination" Science Advances (2020). advances.sciencemag.org/lookup … .1126/sciadv.abb5223

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-nanotechology-personalized-vaccinatio...

Physicists build circuit that generates clean, limitless power from graphene

A team of  physicists has successfully developed a circuit capable of capturing graphene's thermal motion and converting it into an electrical current.

Now an energy-harvesting circuit based on graphene could be incorporated into a chip to provide clean, limitless, low-voltage power for small devices or sensors.

The idea of harvesting energy from graphene is controversial because it refutes physicist Richard Feynman's well-known assertion that the thermal motion of atoms, known as Brownian motion, cannot do work. But now this team found that at room temperature the thermal motion of graphene does in fact induce an alternating current (AC) in a circuit, an achievement thought to be impossible.

Additionally, they discovered that their design increased the amount of power delivered.

1. P. M. Thibado, P. Kumar, Surendra Singh, M. Ruiz-Garcia, A. Lasanta, L. L. Bonilla. Fluctuation-induced current from freestanding graphene. Physical Review E, 2020; 102 (4) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.102.042101

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-physicists-circuit-limitless-power-gr...

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Understanding  how cirrus clouds form in a better way

New research provides insights into how cirrus clouds form, with implications for agriculture, urban development and climate-change predictions. The study shows that trees and plants play an important role that affects precipitation and global climate change.

An international team combined theory, field measurements and lab experiments to develop a better understanding of the formation of clouds.

Scientists knew that particles in the air from smoke and auto emissions would influence the creation of clouds, but this new research spotlights the importance of volatile emissions from plants and organic amterial, which the scientists call "secondary organic aerosols."

The new data will help us better predict how activities such as deforestation or reforestation will affect the world's climate, because these secondary organic aerosols are derived from plants. If the levels of these organic aerosols change, we'll now have a better understanding of what effects this will have and be able to use this information in global climate models.

The researchers were able to take data supplied by other researchers on the project and use it to create cirrus-like ice clouds in their Purdue laboratory, and then analyze the results using a specialized spectrometry instrument.

Martin J. Wolf et al. A biogenic secondary organic aerosol source of cirrus ice nucleating particles, Nature Communications (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18424-6

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-cirrus-clouds.html?utm_source=nwlette...

Bright light bars big-eyed birds from human-altered landscapes

New research shows the glaring light in human-altered landscapes, such as livestock pastures and crop fields, can act as a barrier to big-eyed birds, potentially contributing to their decline.

researchers found strong links between bird eye size, habitat and foraging technique. Birds that kept to the shade of the forest had larger eyes than those that inhabited the canopy, and birds with relatively small eyes were more numerous in agricultural settings.

The findings suggest eye size is an overlooked, but important trait in determining birds' vulnerability to changes in their habitat and could help inform future research on their sensitivity to other bright environments, such as cities.

 Ian J. Ausprey et al, Adaptations to light predict the foraging niche and disassembly of avian communities in tropical countrysides, Ecology (2020). DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3213

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-bright-bars-big-eyed-birds-human-alte...

Scientists discovered a missing gene fragment that's shedding new light on how males develop

It's one of the most important genes in biology: Sry, the gene that makes males male. Development of the sexes is a crucial step in sexual reproduction and is essential for the survival of almost all animal species. Researchers report the surprise discovery of an entirely new part of the Sry gene in mice—a part we had no idea existed.

Scientists discovered Sry in 1990. It is the gene on the Y (male) chromosome that leads to the development of male characteristics in mice, humans and most other mammals. Since then, Sry has been the subject of intense study worldwide because of its fundamental role in mammalian biology.

We have come to understand, in some detail, how Sry acts to trigger a cascade of gene activity that results in the formation of testes, instead of ovaries, in the embryo. Testes then stimulate the formation of other male characteristics.

Researchers have understood the Sry gene is made up of one exon, a segment of a gene used to code for amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. This can be compared to a computer file consisting of one contiguous block of data on a hard disk.

Our newest research reveals there's actually a second exon in mouse Sry. This is like finding a whole new separate block of previously hidden data.

New sequencing approaches revealed what appeared to be two versions of Sry: a short, single-exon form and a longer, two-exon form. Scientists called this two-exon version "Sry-T."

They removed the new exon using CRISPR, a gene editing tool that lets researchers alter DNA precisely and  discovered this prevented Sry from functioning: XY mice (which would normally develop as males) developed as females instead.

Conversely, adding Sry-T to fertilized XX mouse eggs (which would normally develop as females) resulted in males.

The mouse Sry locus harbors a cryptic exon that is essential for male sex determination, Science 02 Oct 2020: Vol. 370, Issue 6512, pp. 121-124 DOI: 10.1126/science.abb6430 , science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6512/121

https://sciencex.com/news/2020-10-gene-fragment-males.html?utm_sour...

Human biology registers two seasons, not four, study suggests

As kids, we learn there are four seasons, but researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine have found evidence to suggest that the human body doesn't see it this way.

We're taught that the four seasons—winter, spring, summer and fall—are broken into roughly equal parts throughout the year

In south Asia that is summer, spring, winter and rainy season.

It didn't seem likely that human biology adheres to those rules. So scientists  conducted a study guided by people's molecular compositions to let the biology tell us how many seasons there are.

Four years of molecular data from more than 100 participants indicate that the human body does experience predictable patterns of change, but they don't track with any of Mother Nature's traditional signals. Overall, researchers saw more than 1,000 molecules ebb and flow on an annual basis, with two pivotal time periods: late spring-early summer and late fall-early winter. These are key transition periods when change is afoot—both in the air and in the body.

Scientists hope that observations from this study—of higher levels of inflammatory markers in the late spring, or of increased markers of hypertension in early winter, for example—can provide a better foundation for precision health and even help guide the design of future clinical drug trials.

M. Reza Sailani et al. Deep longitudinal multiomics profiling reveals two biological seasonal patterns in California, Nature Communications (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18758-1

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-human-biology-registers-seasons.html?...

How did human butts evolve to look that way?

An evolutionary anthropologist tackles the mystery of the butt

https://massivesci.com/articles/butts-shape-big-anthropologist-evol...

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Astronomers Find Monster Black Hole With 6 Galaxies Trapped in Its Gravitational Web

https://www.sciencealert.com/monstrous-black-hole-has-trapped-six-e...

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** Study provides solid support for wearing face-covering in enclosed environments with poor ventilation

New research provides clues on optimizing cell defenses when viruses attack

Science’s pursuits of unraveling how human cells fight viral infections kicked into high gear in 2020 with the devastating emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

In a  study published recently in eLife  scientists describe fresh details about the mechanisms involved when individual human cells are attacked by viruses, with possible implications for COVID-19 clinical treatment. The research helps advance science’s understanding of interferons, a key group of immune response proteins released naturally by human cells when a virus is detected.

In response to a viral infection, human cells synthesize and secrete interferon-alpha, a chemical that triggers a series of biochemical reactions in cells, leading to the production of gene products that work to kill viruses or limit their spread. Interferon-alpha has been used clinically for more than 50 years in the treatments of diseases such as hepatitis B and C and HIV.

However such efforts have been limited because interferon-alpha, in addition to inducing antiviral effects, also triggers cell refractoriness—or insensitivity—to further treatments. This stalled effectiveness takes hold within hours after drug administration and lasts for several days, resulting in a low therapeutic response rate.

Looking into the details of these processes researchers used a combination of experimental analyses and mathematical modeling to describe the intricate time-dependent regulatory mechanisms that human cells use to control the duration and strength of antiviral responses triggered by interferon. Their efforts resulted in the identification of a time delay in the production of USP18, an inhibitory factor that triggers cell refractoriness to prolonged interferon treatments.

https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/new-research-provides-clues-...

https://researchnews.cc/news/2820/New-research-provides-clues-on-op...

Metal-ion breakthrough leads to new biomaterials

The elasticity of a biodegradable, metal-ion elastomer is demonstrated. The first-of-its-kind material, developed by engineers, can be used to repair skin, blood vessels and other soft tissue.

Physicists Have Successfully Connected Two Large Objects in Quantum Entanglement

Physicists have just served up a sharp reminder that even our macroscopic world is subject to the laws of quantum physics - by successfully entangling a millimetre-sized drum with a large cloud of atoms. 

They conducted the experiment using a 13 nanometre-thick, millimetres-long silicon nitride membrane (or drum) that buzzed lightly when struck with photons.

Those photons, or particles of light, came courtesy of a thin fog of a billion caesium atoms spinning inside the confines of a small, cold cell.

Despite being two very different objects, the millimetres-long drum and the fog of atoms represent an entangled system - and they push the limits of quantum mechanics. With the new result, entanglement between very different objects has become possible

Entanglement between distant macroscopic mechanical and spin systems

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-020-1031-5

Meet the real-life superhumans pushing the limits of human ability

A new thermometer measures temperature with sound

prediction errors that can influence human perceptions of time

Humans can sometimes perceive the passing of time differently, for instance, feeling as though an hour passed very quickly or that a few minutes went by extremely slowly. This suggests that the human perception of time is subjective and can be affected by many factors that can cause people to perceive the same amount of time as longer or shorter than it actually is.

Researchers have recently carried out a fascinating study exploring if and how prediction errors can bias how different individuals perceive the passing of time. This study shows that time perception can be influenced by both positive and negative prediction errors, while also identifying the putamen as a brain region responsible for biased time perception. Dopaminergic brain activation in a structure called the basal ganglia (BG) is known to be related to reinforcement learning in general, and reward prediction errors processing in particular. BG activation is also related to time perception required for motor functions that our brain controls.

For many years, time perception and human prediction errors were seen as almost entirely independent processes. This study  challenges this idea, suggesting that these two elements are, in fact, deeply interlinked.

Ido Toren et al. Prediction errors bidirectionally bias time perception, Nature Neuroscience (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-0698-3

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-10-exploring-errors-human-perce...

Squeezing light: Developing an integrated nanophotonic device to generate squeezed light

In a recent report published scientists measured the quadrature-squeezed vacuum and photon number difference generated within an integrated nanophotonic device. The results will impact applications in quantum technology.

The concept of squeezed light is relevant in quantum optical processing, where the associated architectures of continuous variable photonics demand high-quality, scalable devices to generate squeezed light for many fundamental photonic quantum information processing applications. Examples include continuous variable (CV) quantum computation and Gaussian boson sampling, which is a promising avenue to achieve near-thermal quantum advantage and accommodate a range of intriguing concepts, including molecular vibronic spectrum simulations, graph isomorphism, perfect matchings and graph similarity.

Most of these quantum applications require a scalable source of squeezed light to implement and enhance optical sensing near the quantum limit. Integrated photonics is a natural platform to explore these scalable squeezed light sources, where the stability and high-throughput manufacturability offered by modern lithographic (patterning) methods present promising pathways to realize useful quantum technologies at scale. However, progress to date on chip-integrated squeezing is limited. In the present study, therefore, Vaidya et al. used spontaneous four-wave mixing (SWFM) in silicon nitride microring resonators to provide a readily accessible and mature technology on commercial fabrication platforms.

 V. D. Vaidya et al. Broadband quadrature-squeezed vacuum and nonclassical photon number correlations from a nanophotonic device, Science Advances (2020). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba9186

Craig S. Hamilton et al. Gaussian Boson Sampling, Physical Review Letters (2017). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.170501

David J. Moss et al. New CMOS-compatible platforms based on silicon nitride and Hydex for nonlinear optics, Nature Photonics (2013). DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2013.183

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-nanophotonic-device.html?utm_source=n...

The principle of superhabitable planets

Some planets may be better for life than Earth

Earth is not necessarily the best planet in the universe. Researchers have identified two dozen planets outside our solar system that may have conditions more suitable for life than our own. Some of these orbit stars that may be better than even our sun.

The details characteristics of potential "superhabitable" planets published: planets those that are older, a little larger, slightly warmer and possibly wetter than Earth. Life could also more easily thrive on planets that circle more slowly changing stars with longer lifespans than our sun.

While the sun is the center of our solar system, it has a relatively short lifespan of less than 10 billion years. Since it took nearly 4 billion years before any form of complex life appeared on Earth, many similar stars to our sun, called G stars, might run out of fuel before complex life can develop.

systems with K dwarf stars, which are somewhat cooler, less massive and less luminous than our sun. K stars have the advantage of long lifespans of 20 billion to 70 billion years. This would allow orbiting planets to be older as well as giving life more time to advance to the complexity currently found on Earth. However, to be habitable, planets should not be so old that they have exhausted their geothermal heat and lack protective geomagnetic fields. Earth is around 4.5 billion years old, but the researchers argue that the sweet spot for life is a planet that is between 5 billion to 8 billion years old.

Size and mass also matter. A planet that is 10% larger than the Earth should have more habitable land. One that is about 1.5 times Earth's mass would be expected to retain its interior heating through radioactive decay longer and would also have a stronger gravity to retain an atmosphere over a longer time period.

Water is key to life and the authors argue that a little more of it would help, especially in the form of moisture, clouds and humidity. A slightly overall warmer temperature, a mean surface temperature of about 5 degrees Celsius (or about 8 degrees Fahrenheit) greater than Earth, together with the additional moisture, would be also better for life. This warmth and moisture preference is seen on Earth with the greater biodiversity in tropical rain forests than in colder, drier areas.

Dirk Schulze-Makuch et al, In Search for a Planet Better than Earth: Top Contenders for a Superhabitable World, Astrobiology (2020). DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2161

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-planets-life-earth.html?utm_source=nw...

3 win Nobel medicine prize for discovering hepatitis C virus

Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine this year for discovering the liver-ravaging hepatitis C virus, a breakthrough that led to cures for the deadly disease and tests to keep the scourge out of the blood supply.

Harvey J. Alter and Charles M. Rice and  Michael Houghton were honoured for their work over several decades on an illness that still plagues more than 70 million worldwide and kills over 400,000 each year. Their work led to .... in the words of Nobel committee 'for the first time in history, the disease can now be cured, raising hopes of eradicating hepatitis C virus from the world'. 

Nanoparticles can turn off genes in bone marrow cells

Using specialized nanoparticles, MIT engineers have developed a way to turn off specific genes in cells of the bone marrow, which play an important role in producing blood cells. These particles could be tailored to help treat heart disease or to boost the yield of stem cells in patients who need stem cell transplants, the researchers say.

This type of genetic therapy, known as RNA interference, is usually difficult to target to organs other than the liver, where nanoparticles would tend to accumulate. The MIT researchers were able to modify their particles in such a way that they would accumulate in the cells found in the bone marrow. "If we can get these particles to hit other organs of interest, there could be a broader range of disease applications to explore, and one that we were really interested in this paper was the bone marrow. The bone marrow is a site for hematopoiesis of blood cells, and these give rise to a whole lineage of cells that contribute to various types of diseases. In a study of mice, the researchers showed that they could use this approach to improve recovery after a heart attack by inhibiting the release of bone marrow blood cells that promote inflammation and contribute to heart disease. -- RNA interference is a strategy that could potentially be used to treat a variety of diseases by delivering short strands of RNA that block specific genes from being turned on in a cell. So far, the biggest obstacle to this kind of therapy has been the difficulty in delivering it to the right part of the body. When injected into the bloodstream, nanoparticles carrying RNA tend to accumulate in the liver, which some biotech companies have taken advantage of to develop new experimental treatments for liver disease.

Nanoparticle-encapsulated siRNAs for gene silencing in the haematopoietic stem-cell niche, Nature Biomedical Engineering (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41551-020-00623-7 , www.nature.com/articles/s41551-020-00623-7

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-nanoparticles-genes-bone-marrow-cells...

Neuroscientists discover a molecular mechanism that allows memories to form

When the brain forms a memory of a new experience, neurons called engram cells encode the details of the memory and are later reactivated whenever we recall it. A new  study reveals that this process is controlled by large-scale remodeling of cells' chromatin.

This remodeling, which allows specific genes involved in storing memories to become more active, takes place in multiple stages spread out over several days. Changes to the density and arrangement of chromatin, a highly compressed structure consisting of DNA and proteins called histones, can control how active specific genes are within a given cell.

This paper is the first to really reveal this very mysterious process of how different waves of genes become activated, and what is the epigenetic mechanism underlying these different waves of gene expression.

Engram cells are found in the hippocampus as well as other parts of the brain. Many recent studies have shown that these cells form networks that are associated with particular memories, and these networks are activated when that memory is recalled. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the encoding and retrieval of these memories are not well-understood.

Neuroscientists know that in the very first stage of memory formation, genes known as immediate early genes are turned on in engram cells, but these genes soon return to normal activity levels.

The formation and preservation of memory is a very delicate and coordinated event that spreads over hours and days, and might be even months—we don't know for sure," Marco says. "During this process, there are a few waves of gene expression and protein synthesis that make the connections between the neurons stronger and faster."

Tsai and Marco hypothesized that these waves could be controlled by epigenomic modifications, which are chemical alterations of chromatin that control whether a particular gene is accessible or not. Previous studies from Tsai's lab have shown that when enzymes that make chromatin inaccessible are too active, they can interfere with the ability to form new memories. Many of the genes turned on during memory recall are involved in promoting protein synthesis at the synapses, helping neurons strengthen their connections with other neurons. The researchers also found that the neurons' dendrites—branched extensions that receive input from other neurons—developed more spines, offering further evidence that their connections were further strengthened.

The study is the first to show that memory formation is driven by epigenomically priming enhancers to stimulate gene expression when a memory is recalled.

 Mapping the epigenomic and transcriptomic interplay during memory formation and recall in the hippocampal engram ensemble, Nature Neuroscience (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-00717-0 , www.nature.com/articles/s41593-020-00717-0

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-10-neuroscientists-molecular-me...

Normally an insulator, diamond becomes a metallic conductor when subjected to large strain in a new theoretical model

Long known as the hardest of all natural materials, diamonds are also exceptional thermal conductors and electrical insulators. Now, researchers have discovered a way to tweak tiny needles of diamond in a controlled way to transform their electronic properties, dialing them from insulating, through semiconducting, all the way to highly conductive, or metallic. This can be induced dynamically and reversed at will, with no degradation of the diamond material.

The research may open up a wide array of potential applications, including new kinds of broadband solar cells, highly efficient LEDs and power electronics, and new optical devices or quantum sensors.

The methods demonstrated in this work could be applied to a broad range of other semiconductor materials of technological interest in mechanical, microelectronics, biomedical, energy and photonics applications, through strain engineering.

Zhe Shi el al., "Metallization of diamond," PNAS (2020). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2013565117

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-scientists-electrifying-diamond.html?...

**Scientists find evidence of exotic state of matter in candidate material for quantum computers

Using a novel technique, scientists have found evidence for a quantum spin liquid, a state of matter that is promising as a building block for the quantum computers of tomorrow.

Researchers discovered the exciting behavior while studying the so-called electron spins in the compound ruthenium trichloride. The findings show that electron spins interact across the material, effectively lowering the overall energy. This type of behaviour—consistent with a quantum spin liquid—was detected in ruthenium trichloride at high temperatures and in high magnetic fields.

K. A. Modic et al, Scale-invariant magnetic anisotropy in RuCl3 at high magnetic fields, Nature Physics (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-020-1028-0

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-scientists-evidence-exotic-state-cand...

World's first direct observation of the magneto-Thomson effect

Applying a temperature gradient and a charge current to an electrical conductor leads to the release and absorbtion of heat. This is called the Thomson effect. In a first, researchers have directly observed the magneto-Thomson effect, which is the magnetic-field-induced modulation of the Thomson effect. This success may contribute to the development of new functions and technologies for thermal energy management and to advances in fundamental physics and materials .

science on magneto-thermoelectric conversion.

Kelly Morrison et al. Thermal Imaging of the Thomson Effect, Physics (2020). DOI: 10.1103/Physics.13.137

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-world-magneto-thomson-effect.html?utm...

Dozens of mammals could be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2

Numerous animals may be vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to a large study modelling how the virus might infect different animals' cells, led by UCL researchers.

The study, published in Scientific Reports, reports evidence that 26 animals regularly in contact with people may be susceptible to infection.

The researchers investigated how the spike protein from SARS-CoV-2 could interact with the ACE2 protein it attaches to when it infects people.

The focus of the investigation was whether mutations in the ACE2 protein in 215 different animals, that make it different from the human version, would reduce the stability of the binding complex between the virus protein and host protein. Binding to the protein enables the virus to gain entry into host cells; while it is possible the virus might be able to infect animals via another pathway, it is unlikely based on current evidence that the virus could infect an animal if it cannot form a stable binding complex with ACE2.

The researchers found that for some animals, such as sheep and great apes (chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, and bonobo, many of which are endangered in the wild), the proteins would be able to bind together just as strongly as they do when the virus infects people. Some of the animals, such as sheep, have not yet been studied with infection tests, so this does not confirm that the animal can indeed be infected.

Scientific Reports (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71936-5

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-dozens-mammals-susceptible-sars-cov-....

Why do mirrors flip horizontally (but not vertically)?

Here's The Physics