Blazars are some of the brightest and most vibrant objects known to astronomers: emitting high-velocity jets of matter, and producing gamma rays which outshine almost all other sources in the known universe. To study these phenomena, astronomers must use the latest techniques to observe blazars simultaneously at different wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, while also capturing the elusive neutrinos they emit. In a recent article, Dr Markus Böttcher, an astronomer at North-West University ...
Dec 13, 2021•7 min
There are up to one billion people with low literacy globally, many of whom live in rural areas and only speak their region’s local language. In Africa alone, there are an estimated 2000 local languages. Researchers are exploring new ways to make knowledge accessible to isolated communities that only speak local languages. One approach involves the use of animated educational videos, which can be dubbed in any language and can be shared in rural communities. In a study conducted in Benin, Dr Jul...
Dec 08, 2021•7 min
In order to meet the demands of a growing human population, farmers across the globe are attempting to improve the yields and nutritional content of their crops. However, this is an especially difficult challenge, in an age where climate change is negatively impacting our agricultural systems. To address these pressing issues, Dr Lynn Brandenberger and Dr Joshua Massey of Oklahoma State University focus on the intersection of soil health and crop production. Recently, they demonstrated how cover...
Dec 01, 2021•12 min
Integrated pest management describes effective and environmentally sensitive approaches to controlling agricultural pests, which are based on combinations of different practices. Educational information on integrated pest management is much more accessible in the developed world than in developing countries. This is due to a combination of language and technology barriers around information sharing. To ensure that reliable content related to integrated pest management systems and other education...
Nov 29, 2021•7 min
As fundamental components of our electronic and optical devices, semiconductors are essential to our modern way of life. Dr Yasuo Koide of the National Institute for Material Science in Japan has an extensive history of researching and developing these unique materials. Alongside his colleagues, Dr Koide continues to break through the boundaries of our existing knowledge to create new and exciting technologies.
Nov 29, 2021•13 min
For thousands of years, the notion of a one-way flow of cause-and-effect has underpinned virtually every scientific theory. Yet Dr Martin Tamm at the University of Stockholm argues that this notion of ‘causality’ may be holding back our understanding of how the Universe really works. Through his research, he suggests an alternative approach, based around a mathematical construct named ‘probability space’. His ideas could ultimately lead to new solutions to problems that physicists have struggled...
Nov 26, 2021•7 min
Synapse elimination is a tightly regulated process, and an aberrant number of synapses both during the early stages of development or later in aging, has been observed in several neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia or autism. Effective methodological approaches for investigating how supernumerary synapses and apoptotic material are removed from the brain are vital for understanding the underlying mechanisms, and this, in turn, may provide exciting avenues for th...
Nov 26, 2021•13 min
Enshrouding the Martian surface with thick clouds of dust, the Red Planet’s unique global dust storms have long mystified astronomers and planetary scientists. James Shirley , at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has shown through his research that the occurrence of these global storms is strongly linked to the changes in Mars’ motion about the gravitational centre of the solar system. Already boasting strong observational evidence, his results could not only improve our understanding of the Mar...
Nov 24, 2021•15 min
Although the number of women enrolling in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses has increased over the past few years, women still remain widely underrepresented in STEM fields. To address this serious issue, the HBCU-HDI Women in STEM Conference, an event organised by Dr Sonya Smith and her colleagues at Howard University, brings female scientists and graduate students from the US and South Africa together to openly discuss the challenges and opportunities for women pursuing ...
Nov 24, 2021•10 min
The Galapagos Islands are facing increasing danger. Local and global forces – including tourism and climate change – threaten the fragile island ecosystems. The high number of unique plants and animals on the islands means that the loss of a Galapagos species may represent a global extinction event. The Galapagos Initiative, founded by Dr Stephen Walsh of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Dr Carlos Mena of the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, aims to save the Galapagos Islan...
Nov 24, 2021•11 min
Being overweight is a well-recognised risk factor for the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases, and certain types of cancer. As such, obesity represents a significant public health issue worldwide. It is the leading cause of death in the USA, notably in Arkansas, where Dr Jamie I. Baum , at the Department of Food Science at the University of Arkansas, is exploring, with her colleagues, the relationship between dietary protein intake and its impact on body composition ...
Nov 24, 2021•10 min
Magnetic monopoles have long been dismissed as impossible by many physicists, but their existence has nonetheless been theorised for many decades. Through their extensive research, scientists at Terra Quantum AG, the University of Perugia, and SwissScientific Technologies, show that the end could soon be in sight for this conflict. The team’s investigations into superconducting materials not only show that magnetic monopoles must be real – their discoveries also set the stage for exciting techno...
Nov 24, 2021•21 min
The far-reaching benefits of nanopore research encompass fields as diverse as physics, healthcare, big data processing and environmental studies. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dr Jean-Pierre Leburton is conducting research focused on the use of nanopores in ultrathin solid-state molecular materials, such as graphene and 2D transition-metal dichalcogenides, for DNA sensing applications. This offers a low-cost and highly effective method of identifying biomolecules, and could ...
Nov 24, 2021•14 min
The spaces in between galaxies may be unimaginably vast, but within galactic clusters, they are far from empty. Rather, these expanses are home to a wide range of interplaying, often violent plasma dynamics. In his research, Dr Tom Jones at the University of Minnesota plans to use cutting-edge computer techniques to simulate these processes – shedding new light on physical properties that have eluded astronomers so far. His team’s research will not only give crucial insights into some of the lar...
Nov 24, 2021•10 min
Modern industrial agriculture has helped farmers meet rising food demands, but these practices are contributing to a range of environmental problems. Regenerative agriculture holds promising solutions that could help to restore and maintain healthy ecosystems and contribute to climate change mitigation, while keeping pace with food demands and enhancing farmers’ resilience to environmental stressors. Through her research, Dr Hannah Gosnell aims to understand what motivates cattle and sheep farme...
Nov 24, 2021•13 min
Choosing which drug molecule to build is only one part of pharmaceutical research; medicinal chemists also need to know how to synthesise drug molecules in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Dr Oscar Verho and his team at Uppsala University in Sweden have made significant progress in this area and are aiming to reduce the time and resources needed to make drug compounds. The team is researching methods to ‘activate’ the carbon-hydrogen bonds that are commonly found in organic molecules to u...
Nov 24, 2021•10 min
Research investigating the adoption of new technologies can help to unveil global trends in learning and education. Researchers at Michigan State University, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Texas State University and Purdue University have recently carried out a study investigating the use of devices by people in different parts of the world and with various literacy levels to access YouTube videos between 2013 and 2018. Their analyses identified key historical moments when the use of s...
Nov 24, 2021•8 min
Despite advances in agricultural science, communicating best practices to farmers in remote areas remains difficult. Although mobile learning tools, such as animated videos, have the potential to effectively present new information to diverse, isolated audiences, their long-term efficacy is poorly understood. A team of researchers from the Agricultural Research Institute of Mozambique, Michigan State University and Iowa State University followed up with farmers in Mozambique two years after rece...
Nov 24, 2021•7 min
Dietary antioxidants, such as vitamin C, are known to reduce the negative effects of toxins in mammals by preventing cellular damage caused by reactive oxygen species. However, it is not known whether these antioxidants have a similar protective effect in insects. A team led by Dr Barry Pittendrigh at Purdue University have investigated the adaptive responses of fruit flies to insecticide exposure in the presence of vitamin C. Their work has exciting implications for reducing the threat of insec...
Nov 24, 2021•9 min
Insecticide resistance is an ongoing challenge for agriculture and the control of insect-transmitted diseases. In a recent study at Purdue University, a team of scientists led by Dr Barry Pittendrigh [Pitt-uhn-dree] identified a potential chink in the armour of insecticide resistance in fruit flies. If this Achilles’ heel can be exploited, it bodes well for the future control of destructive insects.
Nov 24, 2021•7 min
Neurodevelopmental disorders range from those on the relatively common autism spectrum to much rarer disorders such as KDM5C-disorder and Weidemann-Steiner Syndrome. Exciting advancements in human genetics have shown that histones – the proteins our DNA wraps around – play a vital role in healthy brain development. Dr Shigeki Iwase from the University of Michigan studies how mutations in the enzymes that regulate histone structure and function can cause cognitive disorders. His work has led to i...
Nov 22, 2021•10 min
Epilepsy is one of the most common causes of disability worldwide, but for many patients, treatment fails to be effective. Dr Victoria Morgan and her team from the Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are using functional connectivity mapping to find out why some patients respond better to treatment and what alternative ways there may be to tackle this debilitating disorder.
Nov 22, 2021•10 min
Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with high rates of disability and even mortality. Understanding the relationship between patient outcomes and the treatment received, as well as other physiological factors such as inflammation, can improve how we approach TBI. Dr Jack Jallo and his team from the Department of Neurological Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University are researching the factors that influence TBI recovery to help design better care management protocols and optimise pat...
Nov 22, 2021•10 min
Natural levels of biodiversity support healthy, resilient ecosystems, and thus also support valuable ecosystem services – such as providing clean water. However, pressures from climate change and habitat destruction are altering biodiversity across the globe. Understanding the mechanisms that give rise to biodiversity patterns is imperative to monitoring how it is changing and informing effective conservation strategies. Until recently, these mechanisms have been rarely explored and poorly under...
Nov 22, 2021•11 min
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed how people work, travel, spend their free time, and interact with each other. This change was in large part influenced by the restrictions that governments put in place to limit the spread of the virus. Researchers at the Economic and Social Research Council Centre for Time Use Research, part of University College London, have been monitoring how people’s behaviours changed across different stages of the pandemic.
Nov 19, 2021•7 min
Chlamydia pneumoniae (or Cp for short) is a respiratory bacterium that causes treatable lung infections in humans and has been linked to the development of asthma. In a recent study, Dr David L. Hahn at St Mary’s Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available published data on the frequency and impact of Cp infection in child and adult asthma patients, and considered the potential implications for treatment.
Nov 11, 2021•10 min
Conventional agricultural practices have greatly increased the yield and efficiency of modern farming, allowing us to better feed a growing population. To protect crops from pests and disease, we rely heavily on chemical pesticides. However, the impacts of pesticide use are not localised to plants – there is growing awareness that pesticides can negatively affect many other organisms, including humans. Professor Kathleen Susman of Vassar College in New York, along with her colleagues, assessed w...
Nov 11, 2021•8 min
Many fields of experimental research are now facing a daunting challenge: despite the fact that separate research teams may work on the same system, the end results of their experiments can be widely varied. In his research, Dr Stanley Luck, at the Science, Technology and Research Institute of Delaware, explores the reasons behind this inherent inability to reproduce experimental results. Based on his analysis, he now suggests two key requirements that must be met to overcome this crisis, which ...
Nov 08, 2021•8 min
Radio frequency inteferometric lightning maps are important tools for researchers exploring the electrical processes that unfold within storm clouds. Dr Xuan-Min Shao and colleagues at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, who first introduced broadband interferometry to lightning research over two decades ago, have now developed an advanced ‘beam steering’ interferometry technique to significantly improve the accuracy of lightning mapping. This approach, together with their recently dev...
Nov 03, 2021•12 min
Engineering is one of the most impactful and transformative fields of teaching, research, and practice, as it shapes the world we live in and ensures the functioning of many systems that maintain human life. The Colorado School of Mines created the first Humanitarian Engineering (HE) program to train engineering students to devise solutions that are efficient, ethical, socially responsible and sustainable. Its students work closely with the communities they serve, thinking critically about their...
Nov 03, 2021•13 min
