Foreign language teachers facing a confidence conundrum
Foreign language teachers play a pivotal role in creating global citizens, but some teachers lack confidence in their ability to speak in their nonnative tongue, which could undermine the quality of language instruction, Michigan State University researchers argue.
Ensuring artisanal Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is the real deal
A parmesan scandal reported earlier this year highlighted how easy it is to doctor the cheese when it’s grated. For producers and consumers of some of the most expensive kinds, this is a big problem. Generic versions abound, but the traditional variety comes from only a handful of Italian provinces and commands twice the price. Now scientists report in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry a way to catch adulteration of the regional products.
Mechanism for herbicide resistance in Palmer amaranth identified
Corn and soybean farmers might as well be soldiers locked in an ever-escalating war against the weeds that threaten their crops. New weapons—herbicides—only work for so long before the enemy retaliates by developing resistance and refusing to die. So farmers attack with new herbicides or new mixtures of existing herbicides until the cycle starts again. This has been the case for decades for two familiar enemies, waterhemp and its aggressive cousin, Palmer amaranth.
Antidote to opioid drug overdoses could become more accessible
Over the past 15 years, deaths caused by heroin and prescription opioid overdoses have quadrupled despite the existence of a highly effective antidote. The cover story in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, explores what it might take to turn the tide.
April breaks heat records, 12th month in a row for global heat
Last month was the hottest April in modern history, marking the 12th consecutive month that global heat records have been shattered, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday.
The Latest: Android is core part of Google conference
The Latest from Google’s software conference in California (all times PDT):
US intelligence: Foreign hackers spying on campaigns
The United States sees evidence that hackers, possibly working for foreign governments, are snooping on the presidential candidates, the nation’s intelligence chief said Wednesday. Government officials are working with the campaigns to tighten security as the race for the White House intensifies.
Norway opens new Arctic zones to oil exploration
Norway awarded Arctic drilling licenses to 13 oil companies Wednesday, including in a hitherto unexplored part of the Barents Sea, provoking condemnation from environmental groups.
Study links student loans with lower net worth, housing values after college
Student loan debt may negatively impact young people’s ability to accumulate wealth after they graduate or drop out of college, a new study suggests.
Stellar cannibalism transforms star into brown dwarf
Astronomers have detected a sub-stellar object that used to be a star, after being consumed by its white dwarf companion.
How viruses infect bacteria: A tale of a tail
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. Using state-of-the-art tools, EPFL scientists have described a million-atom “tail” that bacteriophages use to breach bacterial surfaces. The breakthrough has major implications for science and medicine, as bacteriophages are widely used in research.
Scientists predict extensive ice loss from huge Antarctic glacier
Current rates of climate change could trigger instability in a major Antarctic glacier, ultimately leading to more than 2m of sea-level rise.
New model for controlling hot molecule reactions
Hot molecules, which are found in extreme environments such as the edges of fusion reactors, are much more reactive than those used to understand reaction studies at ambient temperature. Detailed knowledge of their reactions is not only relevant to modelling nuclear fusion devices; it is also crucial in simulating the reaction that takes place on a spacecraft’s heat shield at the moment when it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere. Further, it can help us understand the physics and chemistry of planetary atmospheres.
Cancer-fighting properties of horseradish revealed
Horseradish contains cancer-fighting compounds known as glucosinolates. Glucosinolate type and quantity vary depending on size and quality of the horseradish root. For the first time, the activation of cancer-fighting enzymes by glucosinolate products in horseradish has been documented.
Clean sweep for lung cells
A molecule discovered by A*STAR researchers to switch on the formation of brush-like projections on cells may explain how cells lining the airways of lungs develop. This factor, identified in zebrafish and tadpoles, but also present in humans, could shed light on respiratory disease and provide a new therapeutic strategy.
Isotope program provides target material for the discovery of superheavy elements
Two isotopes of a new element with atomic number Z=117 were created by an international collaboration in the reaction between unique radioactive 249Bk target material produced at ORNL through the DOE Isotope Program and an intense beam of 48Ca ions at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna, Russia). This result completed the 7th row of the Periodic Table of Elements and demonstrated the existence of long-sought Island of Stability for superheavy nuclei, originally proposed by Glenn Seaborg in the 1960s.
How would IBM’s quiz-show computer, Watson, do as a competitor in the National Science Bowl?
“This is one of the smartest audiences to whom I have ever presented,” said Eric Brown, after a question-and-answer session with the hundreds of students gathered for the plenary lecture at the 2016 U. S. Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl Science Day.
Simpler processing improves solar cells
By simplifying the process used to make a promising type of solar cell, A*STAR researchers have also improved the device’s performance. The discovery may lead to better manufacturing methods for the commercialization of solar cells that rely on light-harvesting compounds known as perovskites.
New Zealand teachers need to re-think mat time
Mat time may be an important part of a child’s education, but new research from Victoria University of Wellington suggests that teachers need to clarify why it matters, if students are to benefit from it.
For cells, some shapes are easier to swallow than others
Scientists have probed the process that allows cells to swallow up particles, finding that some shapes are easier to swallow than others. Cells take in small particles and other objects such as bacteria in a process called engulfment. Single-celled organisms use engulfment to take in food, while in humans it forms the first line of immune system defence, as white blood cells engulf harmful bacteria and other foreign bodies.
Cometary belt around distant multi-planet system hints at hidden or wandering planets
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio observatory in Chile have made the first high-resolution image of the belt of comets (a region analogous to the Kuiper belt in our own Solar System, where Pluto and may smaller objects are found) around HR 8799, the only star where multiple planets have been imaged directly. The shape of this dusty disk, particularly its inner edge, is surprisingly inconsistent with the orbits of the planets, suggesting that either they changed position over time or there is at least one more planet in the system yet to be discovered. The astronomers report their results in a paper in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
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