News (Page 759)

Life, liberty—and access to microbes? Poverty increases the risk for numerous diseases by limiting people’s access to healthy food, environments and stress-free conditions. In a new essay published November 26 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, Suzanne Ishaq and colleagues at the University of Oregon, argue that poverty also compromises health by creating unequal access to beneficial microorganisms. The essay is part of the “Microbiomes Across Systems” special issue. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Satellite tracking Guam’s Tropical Storm Kammuri The National Weather Service in Guam has posted warnings as Tropical Storm Kammuri lingers nearby. The NOAA-20 satellite provided forecasters with an image of the storm. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Space travel can make the gut leaky Bacteria, fungi, and viruses can enter our gut through the food we eat. Fortunately, the epithelial cells that line our intestines serve as a robust barrier to prevent these microorganisms from invading the rest of our bodies. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Scientists outline 10 simple rules for the computational modelling of behavioural data New guidelines for scientists who use computational modelling to analyse behavioural data have been published today in the open-access journal eLife. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Once hidden cellular structures emerge in fight against viruses New University of Arizona-led research has revealed the structure and function of one of bacteria’s latest strategies in the fight against viruses: a fleet of highly organized enzymes that provide a rapid immune response capable of quickly shredding the harmful DNA of viral invaders. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

NASA’s Webb to unveil the secrets of nearby dwarf galaxies In two separate studies using NASA’s upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, a team of astronomers will observe dwarf galaxy companions to the Milky Way and the nearby Andromeda galaxy. Studying these small companions will help scientists learn about galaxy formation and the properties of dark matter, a mysterious substance thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Carbon soccer ball with extra proton probably most abundant form in space It is one of the most common forms of carbon in space: C60, a soccer ball-shaped carbon molecule, but one that has an extra proton attached to it. This is the conclusion of research carried out at Radboud University, which has succeeded for the very first time in measuring the absorption spectrum of this molecule. Such knowledge could ultimately help us to learn more about the formation of planets. The researchers will publish their findings on November 25th in Nature Astronomy. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Probing exoplanet atmospheres could reveal telltale signatures of life It may be that life is lurking out there on other planets. But stuck here on Earth, how can we ever know for sure? A good place to start is by looking for the compounds on other worlds that are known to be the key ingredients of life as we know it. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Planets around a black hole? Calculations show possibility of bizarre worlds Theoreticians in two fields defied the received wisdom that planets only orbit stars like the sun. They proposed the possibility of thousands of planets around a supermassive black hole. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

How to build a 3-D map of the universe—and why One of the biggest mysteries in science began with a dying star. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Photometric study sheds more light on the properties of the intermediate polar V1033 Cas Using the Kourovka Astronomical Observatory, Russian astronomers have conducted an extensive photometric study of the intermediate polar V1033 Cas (also known as IGR J00234+6141). Results of the new research, presented in a paper published November 15 on arXiv.org, provide more details about the properties of this peculiar system. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Chemistry in the turbulent interstellar medium Over 200 molecules have been discovered in space, some (like Buckminsterfullerene) very complex with carbon atoms. Besides being intrinsically interesting, these molecules radiate away heat, helping giant clouds of interstellar material cool and contract to form new stars. Moreover, astronomers use the radiation from these molecules to study the local conditions, for example, as planets form in disks around young stars. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Image: Hubble eyes an emitting galaxy For this image, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope turned its powerful eye toward an emission-line galaxy called NGC 3749. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →