Smartphones can improve academic performance, when used appropriately

Smartphones can improve academic performance, when used appropriately, according to new research by the School of Business.

Pandemic led to lower birth rates in wealthy countries

A team of researchers at Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, has found evidence showing that birth rates in wealthy countries have declined during the global pandemic. For their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group studied birth rates in 22 of the wealthiest countries in the world over the period 2016 to the early months of 2021.

New birth of a mountain gorilla in DR Congo's Virunga park

DR Congo's famed Virunga National Park announced Friday the birth of a mountain gorilla in this tourist region threatened by armed groups.

Bangladeshi vaccine scientist wins Asia's 'Nobel Prize'

A Bangladeshi scientist who helped develop a cheap oral vaccine against cholera, a Pakistani microfinance pioneer and a Filipino fisherman were among Tuesday's winners of Asia's equivalent to the Nobel Prize.

State of Russia's ISS segment sparks safety concerns

A Russian space official on Tuesday raised concerns about the deteriorating state of Russia's segment of the International Space Station due to out-of-date hardware, warning it could lead to "irreparable failures".

Kenya hails anti-poaching efforts in first wildlife census

Kenya has hailed its efforts to crack down on poaching as it released the results of the country's first-ever national wildlife census, calling the survey a vital weapon in its conservation battle.

Algae bloom may be behind mysterious California deaths

On a remote trail in California's Sierra National Forest called the Devil's Gulch, a family of three and their dog were recently found dead. Authorities were at a loss to explain what happened.

Lake sediments show link between climate change and bushfires in Aussie Alps

A small lake just five kilometers from the peak of Mount Kosciuszko has given scientists the best indication yet of the link between rising temperatures, loss of native plant species and more frequent fires in the Snowy Mountains.

New measurement technique finds harmful PFAS in indoor air

The air we breathe in our homes, schools, and workplaces can be polluted with harmful PFAS chemicals, according to a study published today in Environmental Science & Technology Letters. A new measurement technique developed by the research team detected PFAS chemicals in the air of kindergarten classrooms, university offices and laboratories, and a home—some with levels as high as those measured at an outdoor clothing company and carpet stores selling PFAS-treated products. The results suggest indoor air is an underestimated and potentially important source of exposure to PFAS, particularly for children.

How to distribute scarce medical supplies in a pandemic, and do it fairly

In the spring of 2020, with global supply chains for medical equipment crumbling under the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic, states turned to the federal government for help. Since 1998, the United States has maintained the Strategic National Stockpile, a cache of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies intended for emergency use. The stockpile held ventilators, N95 masks, gloves, and gowns—the very things states desperately needed.

New study of fossil caimans in North America determines their evolutionary history

A new study of two approximately 52-million-year-old fossil finds from the Green River Formation in Wyoming, U.S., has fit them into the evolutionary history of crocodiles. Biogeologists Jules Walter, Dr. Márton Rabi of the University of Tübingen, working with some other colleagues, determined the extinct species Tsoabichi greenriverensis to be an early caiman crocodile. Species of caimans living today do not occur in North America. Their family tree reflects their history of migrations and dispersals. The study has been published in the latest edition of Historical Biology.

A push to make 'ecocide' a global crime

Scientists recently confirmed the Amazon rainforest is now emitting more carbon dioxide than it absorbs, due to uncontrolled burning and deforestation. It brings the crucial ecosystem closer to a tipping point that would see it replaced by savanna and trigger accelerated global heating.

Australia's coastal waters are rich in Indigenous cultural heritage, but it is hidden and under threat

When people arrived in Australia more than 65,000 years ago, they landed on shores that are now deep under water. The first footprints on this continent took place on these now-submerged landscapes.

Increasing sugar availability for oil synthesis

A team from the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has bred a plant that produces more oil by manipulating the availability of sugar for oil synthesis. The team, led by BNL's John Shanklin, achieved these results in using leaves of the fast-growing plant Arabidopsis, to mimic stem cells of plants like energycane and Miscanthus.

The magnetic properties of star-forming dense cores

Magnetic fields in space are sometimes called the last piece in the puzzle of star formation. They are much harder to measure than the masses or motions of star-forming clouds, and their strength is still uncertain. If they are strong, they can deflect or even oppose gas flowing into a young stellar core as it collapses under the influence of gravity. If they are moderate in strength, however, they act more flexibly and guide the flow, but don't prevent it. Early measurements of field strengths in molecular clouds were based on radiation from molecules whose energy levels are sensitive to magnetic field strengths. Those data suggested the fields were of moderate strength, but those conclusions were tentative. More recent observations with stronger signals measured the polarized radiation from dust grains aligned with the magnetic field. These observations obtain the field strength from the changes in field direction across the cloud map.

Birds of prey face global decline from habitat loss, poisons

Despite a few high-profile conservation success stories—like the dramatic comeback of bald eagle populations in North America—birds of prey are in decline worldwide.

Ida inflicts 'catastrophic' destruction on Louisiana

Rescuers on Monday combed through the "catastrophic" damage Hurricane Ida did to Louisiana, a day after the fierce storm killed at least two people, stranded others in rising floodwaters and sheared the roofs off homes.

Planet in peril: Global conservation congress urges wildlife protection

When the world's leading conservation congress kicks off Friday in the French port city of Marseille it will aim to deliver one key message: protecting wildlife must not be seen as a noble gesture but an absolute necessity—for people and the planet.

Oil-rich Gulf faces prospect of unlivable heat as planet warms

Gulf cities such as Dubai are known for their scorching summers, but experts warn climate change could soon make parts of the fossil fuel-rich region unlivable for humans.

In Argentina, giant rodents vie with the rich for top real estate

Families of a giant rodent native to South America have been invading a luxury gated community in Argentina, highlighting the country's controversial environmental and social policies.

California moves slowly on water projects amid drought

In 2014, in the middle of a severe drought that would test California's complex water storage system like never before, voters told the state to borrow $7.5 billion and use part of it to build projects to stockpile more water.

Researchers take step toward using cellular motion to help wound healing

With a technique that overcomes cells' innate social behaviors, researchers have taken an important step in directing skin cells to migrate en masse to close wounds—"literally making skin crawl," said principal investigator Daniel Cohen.

Doctoral student recruiting volunteers in effort to quadruple number of known active asteroids

The study of active asteroids is a relatively new field of solar system science, focusing on objects that have asteroid-like orbits but look more like comets, with visual characteristics such as tails.