Sep 22nd, 2020 - Recent, widespread and destructive forest fires in Oregon and throughout the West have rekindled debates about what really causes them. Scientists, forest managers and most all of us, want and need to understand causal factors in terms of individual events and the cumulative risk they represent over the years. Our knowledge has improved significantly over the last few decades.   It is clear that recent increases in the number of large fires, their size and their impact on the land and human communities are tied to both increasingly hot and dry climate patterns and fuel increases across ... [Read More]

Sep 22nd, 2020 - Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The Turing pattern theory, developed by mathematician Alan Turing , explains how patterns in nature can emerge naturally, via random disturbances, from a uniform state. The theory has previously been used to explain the emergence of zebra stripes and leopard spots. Earlier this year, scientists also used Turing pattern models to account for the distribution and segregation of non-territorial passerine birds . In a new paper, published this week in the Journal of Ecology , ecologists confirmed, for the first time, that Alan Turing's model successfully explains Australian ... [Read More]

Sep 22nd, 2020 - Vaccine candidates to protect against SARS-CoV-2 are typically aimed at neutralizing-antibodies. A new study suggests that boosting certain types of the body’s immunity may help too Why do children appear to fight off COVID-19 more effectively than adults? A new study published Tuesday on the immune response by children and adults to COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, has important implications for vaccines and drugs being developed to curb the novel coronavirus, according to the researchers. The study in Science Translational Medicine , an online journal that publishes research ... [Read More]

Sep 22nd, 2020 - A team of scientists combined their knowledge and expertise to assess the current status of the Na-ion technology from materials to cell development, offering a realistic comparison of the key performance indicators for NBs and LIBs. Lithium (Li)-ion batteries (LIBs) are the electrochemical energy storage systems of choice for a wide variety of applications, however other types of emerging battery technologies are currently on the path to share their dominant position. Among them Sodium (Na)-ion batteries (NIBs) have great potential to represent the next generation low cost and ... [Read More]

Sep 22nd, 2020 - Millions of mummified ibis and birds of prey, sacrificed to the Egyptian gods Horus, Ra or Thoth, have been discovered in the necropolises of the Nile Valley. Such a quantity of mummified birds raises the question of their origin: were they bred, like cats, or were they hunted? According to a team of scientists that carried out extensive geochemical analyses on mummies, they were wild birds. Millions of ibis and birds of prey mummies, sacrificed to the Egyptian gods Horus, Ra or Thoth, have been discovered in the necropolises of the Nile Valley. Such a quantity of mummified birds raises the ... [Read More]

Sep 22nd, 2020 - The colorful sarcophagi were buried more than 2,500 years ago and feature ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. E gyptian archaeologists have unearthed more than two dozen ancient coffins in a vast necropolis south of Cairo, an official said Monday. The sarcophagi have remained unopened since they were buried more than 2,500 years ago near the famed Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, said Neveine el-Arif, a spokeswomen for the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. She said 13 coffins were found earlier this month in a newly discovered, 11 meter-deep (36 feet) well and that 14 more were found last ... [Read More]

Sep 22nd, 2020 - Most wild animals show a suite of predator avoidance behaviors such as vigilance, freezing, and fleeing. But these are quickly reduced after the animals come into contact with humans through captivity, domestication, or urbanization, according to a new study. Most wild animals show a suite of predator avoidance behaviors such as vigilance, freezing, and fleeing. But these are quickly reduced after the animals come into contact with humans through captivity, domestication, or urbanization, according to a study led by Benjamin Geffroy from MARBEC (Institute of Marine Biodiversity, Exploitation ... [Read More]

Sep 22nd, 2020 - One in five maple species is threatened in the wild, according to the first full assessment of extinction risks. Known for the vivid colour of their autumn leaves, the trees are popular in parks and gardens. But in their natural habitats, they face a myriad of threats, including unsustainable logging, climate change, deforestation and forest fires. Botanists are calling for urgent action to protect rare maple trees. And they say seeds should be stored as an insurance policy against extinction. The assessment of all 158 species of maple is part of an effort to map the conservation status of ... [Read More]