Research: New Scientist Magazine – October 7, 2023
Category Archives: Science
Research Preview: Nature Magazine – October 5, 2023
The ozone layer’s comeback brings a chill to Antarctica’s ocean
Ozone recovery is predicted to shift westerly winds, which will reduce the amount of warm water flowing into the Southern Ocean.
Why rings of RNA could be the next blockbuster drug
The commercial success of RNA vaccines for COVID-19 has revved up interest in circular RNAs as the next generation of therapies.
Research Preview: Science Magazine – Sept 29, 2023
AN UNHEALTHY CLIMATE
Introducing a special issue of Science
Earth scientists often call climate change a “great global experiment,” which humanity is heedlessly performing as we pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The dire consequences are already becoming clear—not just for the workings of the planet, but for our own health. Over the next few days, the stories in this special package will explore the threats, and how we can minimize them.
Will flu outbreaks ease in a warming world?
From cold viruses to influenza to respiratory syncytial virus, viruses that spread through the air cause billions of infections each year. That makes it important to understand how they will respond to climate change. But little is known so far, except that different viruses will react differently. Measles, for instance, spreads efficiently in all climates, suggesting global warming will make little difference to its transmission.
Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Sept 28, 2023
Super-precise CRISPR tool enters US clinical trials for the first time
Base editing, which makes specific changes to a cell’s genome, is put to the test in CAR-T-cell treatments for leukaemia.
How to stop AI deepfakes from sinking society — and science
Deceptive videos and images created using generative AI could sway elections, crash stock markets and ruin reputations. Researchers are developing methods to limit their harm.
Technology Quarterly – The Economist (Oct 2023)
TECHNOLOGY QUARTERLY (SEPTEMBER 27, 2023) – The new issue features ‘In search of forever’ – Slowing, let alone reversing, the process of ageing was once alchemical fantasy. Now it is a subject of serious research and investment, Geoffrey Carr reports.
Slowing human ageing is now the subject of serious research
And some of it is making progress, writes Geoffrey Carr
“All my possessions for a moment of time.” Those, supposedly, were the last words of Elizabeth I, who as queen of England had enough possessions to be one of the richest women of her era. Given her patronage of alchemists—who searched, among other things, for an elixir of life—she may have meant it literally. But to no avail. She had her last moment of time in March 1603, a few months short of the three score years and ten asserted by the Bible to be “the days of our years”.
Eating fewer calories can ward off ageing
And various existing medicines may offer similar benefits
In 1991 eight volunteers sealed themselves into a huge greenhouse in the desert near Tucson, Arizona. They were part of an experiment seeking to discover whether a carefully curated selection of plants and animals could develop into a self-sustaining ecosystem: a “Biosphere 2” independent of “Biosphere 1”, aka the outside world.
Research Preview: Science Magazine – Sept 22, 2023
Peak solar activity is arriving sooner than expected, reaching levels not seen in 20 years
The Sun’s flare-ups can threaten satellites and electric grids, highlighting need for better forecasts
Quantum algorithm offers faster way to hack internet encryption
Scheme to factor giant numbers could be more efficient than 30-year-old Shor’s algorithm
Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Sept 21, 2023
COVID boosters are back: what scientists say about whether to get one
As many countries head into autumn, they are targeting vaccinations at people in high-risk categories, leaving those at lower risk uncertain about what to do.
Libya floods: how climate change intensified the death and devastation
Climate change, civil war and international sanctions all contributed to the devastation caused by some of Libya’s worst flooding ever, researchers say.
Science Review: Scientific American – October 2023
Why We’ll Never Live in Space
Medical, financial and ethical hurdles stand in the way of the dream to settle in space
By Sarah Scoles
It’s Time to Engineer the Sky
Global warming is so rampant that some scientists say we should begin altering the stratosphere to block incoming sunlight, even if it jeopardizes rain and crops
By Douglas Fox
Research Preview: Science Magazine – Sept 15, 2023
Mars Sample Return risks consuming NASA science
Forthcoming cost estimate for budget-busting mission could lead to strict caps from Congress
Iran prepares to erect a digital wall
Researchers feel increasingly isolated as government moves to restrict internet access
Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Sept 14, 2023
An ‘alien meteorite’ probably didn’t slam into Earth — how will we know if one does?
Nature looks at the detective work required to confirm a controversial claim of finding interstellar debris.
A research team made headlines last week when it claimed to have scooped up from the sea floor fragments of a meteorite that came from beyond our Solar System1. Finding such an interstellar sample on Earth would be exciting because it might shed light on how planets and stars beyond our own form. But a number of scientists say that the evidence that the material came from another planetary system is not convincing so far.
| AI detects eye disease and risk of Parkinson’s from retinal images Researchers have developed a model trained similarly to ChatGPT that can be adapted to evaluate multiple health conditions. Mariana Lenharo |
| Ancient-human fossils sent to space: scientists slam ‘publicity stunt’ The decision to send hominin bones on a commercial spaceflight has raised eyebrows among human-evolution researchers. Ewen Callaway |
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