physics

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Millions of people in the United States have a criminal conviction and are searching for work. But most employers are reluctant to hire people with records, especially those with felony convictions, a disproportionate share of whom are people of color. In a new study, researchers sought to determine whether government-provided incentives … Read more

Response of microtubules to the essential oil of M. x piperita in Arabidopsis. Credit: Horticulture Research A recent study reveals the natural compound (-)-carvone in spearmint as a potent and sustainable alternative to chemical herbicides. This research demonstrates how (-)-carvone targets and degrades microtubules in weeds, inducing cell death and inhibiting growth without harming the … Read more

Both versions of the Solar Array Sun Shield for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope appear in this photo, taken in the largest clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The flight version lies flat in the foreground, while the qualification assembly stands upright in the background. The flight panels will shade the mission’s … Read more

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The tumultuous 2024 U.S. presidential election season is fraught with partisan battles over contentious issues such as abortion, immigration, racial violence and climate change. In a national political culture so heated and discordant that expressing differing views is often met with attacks on the speaker’s motives, patriotism and intelligence, is there … Read more

Nomburg and his colleagues used computational and deep learning tools to predict the 3D shapes of proteins from nearly 4,500 species of viruses that infect animals and humans, providing clues to their biological functions. Credit: Gladstone Institutes Viruses are tricky to keep up with. They evolve quickly and regularly develop new proteins that help them … Read more

Engineering ocRNAs and icRNAs. Credit: Nature Biomedical Engineering (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41551-024-01245-z New methods to shape RNA molecules into circles could lead to more effective and long-lasting therapies, shows a study by researchers at the University of California San Diego. The advance holds promise for a range of diseases, offering a more enduring alternative to existing … Read more

Effect of JrGA20ox1-transformed rootstocks on WT walnut scions. Credit: Horticulture Research (2024). DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhae143 Drought is a major threat to walnut production globally, often resulting in lower yields and weaker trees. While grafting has traditionally been used to improve the resilience of fruit and nut trees, the exact mechanisms of signal transfer between rootstocks and … Read more

by Kevin Walby, Gustavo da Costa Markowicz and Oluwasola Mary Adedayo, The Conversation Credit: cottonbro studio from Pexels Artificial intelligence (AI) is a powerful tool. In the hands of public police and other criminal justice agencies, AI can lead to injustice. For example, Detroit resident Robert Williams was arrested in front of his children and … Read more

Color map of the differential conductance as a function of increasing magnetic field (x axis) in niobium deposited on 2D molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2). The red spikes are oscillations of the MoTe2 edge supercurrent due to magnetic field flux. Credit: Princeton University Topological materials are materials that have unusual properties that arise because their wavefunction—the physical … Read more

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Wildfires and the pain they cause to people, property and the planet are here to stay. And if Western management practices don’t change to anticipate more and more record fire years, that pain may spread and worsen. “It’s no longer about living with fire,” said Stephen Pyne, an Arizona State University … Read more