Curated News: Nature (journal)

• share
• favorite_border

When light shines on a semiconductor, it excites the electrons, leaving behind a “hole.” Electrons and these holes attract each other to form excitons, which can interact with other unpaired charges to alter the shape, direction, and/or frequency of a beam of light in the semiconductor. Researchers demonstrated that this response is unprecedently strong in a two-dimensional device made of three atomic layers of the semiconductor tungsten di-selenide.

• share
• favorite_border

A recent study led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers provides fundamental insight into how light, electrons, and crystal vibrations interact in materials.

• share
• favorite_border

Climate scientists have long agreed that humans are largely responsible for climate change. A new study, co-led by Bojana Većkalov from the University of Amsterdam and Sandra Geiger from the University of Vienna, finds that communicating the scientific consensus about climate change can clear up misperceptions and strengthen beliefs about the existence and the causes of climate change. The team surveyed over 10,000 people from 27 countries on 6 continents. The study has just been published in the renowned journal Nature Human Behaviour.

• share
• favorite_border

A recent study shows that the superconducting edge currents in the topological material molybdenum telluride (MoTe2) can sustain large changes in the “glue” that keeps the superconducting electrons paired. To sustain these changes, the bulk and the edge of MoTe2 must behave differently. This surprise finding will help researchers create and control anyons and aid in the development of future energy-efficient electronics.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study has found a symbiotic relationship that has evolved between Darwin’s favourite carnivorous plant and a specific type of fungus which lives inside it and helps it digest its prey. Researchers from Loughborough, Taiwan and USA have shown that Acrodontium crateriforme, a fungus that thrives in the acidic conditions on the leaves, improves the digestion of the Drosera species of carnivorous plant – otherwise known as a sundew (pictured above), and once described by Charles Darwin as, "a wonderful plant… I care more about Drosera than the origin of all the species." The fungus lives in a sticky secretion at the end of tentacles on the leaves. Its enzymes work with the plant's digestive processes to help it break down the prey – small bugs and insects. The findings show that teamwork between plants and fungi may contribute to the evolution of carnivorous plants.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers from Empa, the University of Bristol and the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) have investigated the emissions of the potent greenhouse gas HFC-23 from the production of Teflon and coolants. Their study shows: Abatement measures work – but are not being implemented everywhere.

• share
• favorite_border

UC Davis Health researchers has discovered a novel bioelectrical mechanism pathogens like Salmonella use to find entry points in the gut lining that would allow them to pass and cause infection.

• share
• favorite_border

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back.

• share
• favorite_border

An international team of scientists is the first to report incredibly small time delays in a molecule’s electron activity when the particles are exposed to X-rays.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine have discovered the neurons responsible for “item memory,” deepening our understanding of how the brain stores and retrieves the details of “what” happened and offering a new target for treating Alzheimer’s disease.

• share
• favorite_border

Scientists studying the tracks of particles streaming from six billion collisions of atomic nuclei at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) — an “atom smasher” that recreates the conditions of the early universe — have discovered a new kind of antimatter nucleus, the heaviest ever detected.

• share
• favorite_border

A groundbreaking study conducted across 30 field sites in the southwest UK has revealed the importance of incorporating varied habitats into the landscape at large.

• share
• favorite_border

For nearly a century, scientists have waged war on antibiotic-resistant microbes. Michigan State University researchers say they’ve found a new way to prevent it – by unleashing “DNA scavengers” in wastewater treatment plants.

• share
• favorite_border

A team of scientists led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was recently able to observe how promethium forms chemical bonds when placed in an aqueous solution.

• share
• favorite_border

n a new study, a team of researchers from Columbia Engineering, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Harvard University report that autoantibodies alone directly affect heart function in lupus patients.

• share
• favorite_border

Cleveland Clinic researchers have made a significant discovery about how the gut microbiome interacts with cells to cause cardiovascular disease.

• share
• favorite_border

The annual influenza vaccination provides updated protection against the virus but could be improved as there is large variability in its efficacy.

• share
• favorite_border

New study shows how the mismatch between where fossils are preserved and where humans likely lived may influence our understanding of early human evolution.

• share
• favorite_border

Finding the next groundbreaking polymer is always a challenge, but now Georgia Tech researchers are using artificial intelligence (AI) to shape and transform the future of the field. Rampi Ramprasad’s group develops and adapts AI algorithms to accelerate materials discovery.

• share
• favorite_border

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 19, 2024 — Cities around the globe are experiencing increased flooding due to the compounding effects of stronger storms in a warming climate and urban growth. New research from the University of California, Irvine suggests that urban form, specifically the building density and street network of a neighborhood, is also affecting the intensity of flooding.