143 articles from FRIDAY 6.9.2019

Spectacular discoveries during excavation of unique flagship Gribshunden

For three weeks the royal warship Gribshunden (1495) has been excavated on the seabed of the Baltic Sea off the coast of southern Sweden. Among others things, a very early firearm—one of the earliest to be found on a ship anywhere in the world—as well as a beautifully formed drinking tankard, with a crown-like engraving, have been found.

How our brain filters sounds

When two identical sounds are repeated quickly, a filter reduces the attention that the brain directs to the second sound it hears. In people with schizophrenia, this ability to reduce the brain's response to identical sounds does not function properly. But the question is: Why? Neuroscientists have been investigating the mechanism that lies behind this auditory sensory gating. Their results show...

How to build a 'perfect' language

It's well known that JRR Tolkien wrote the Lord of the Rings cycle to create people to speak the languages he had invented. But, in the television age, artificially created or invented languages—we call them "conlangs"—have been gaining increasing attention with the popularity of television series such as Star Trek and Game of Thrones, and films such as Avatar.

New insight into how much atmosphere Mars lost

A key tracer used to estimate how much atmosphere Mars lost can change depending on the time of day and the surface temperature on the Red Planet, according to new observations by NASA-funded scientists. Previous measurements of this tracer—isotopes of oxygen—have disagreed significantly. An accurate measurement of this tracer is important to estimate how much atmosphere Mars once had before...

Scientists couple magnetization to superconductivity for quantum discoveries

Quantum computing promises to revolutionize the ways in which scientists can process and manipulate information. The physical and material underpinnings for quantum technologies are still being explored, and researchers continue to look for new ways in which information can be manipulated and exchanged at the quantum level.

More targeted, less toxic: The golden future of cancer treatment

New synthetic molecules are up to 24 times more effective at killing cancer cells than a widely-used cancer drug and they're built with resistance-fighting features to keep them effective over time, unlike current chemotherapies. Pre-clinical studies show the molecules are promising candidates for development into a new class of gold-based drugs that can wipe out the cancer without destroying...

Swedish mountain loses highest peak title due to global heating

Glacier at Kebnekaise’s summit has shrunk amid soaring Arctic temperatures, say scientists Related: Climate emergency to blame for heather crisis – National Trust The mountain peak known to Swedes as their country’s highest can no longer lay claim to the title due to global heating, scientists have confirmed, as the glacier at its summit shrinks amid soaring Arctic temperatures. Continue...

More rain yet less water predicted for millions along Nile

In the coming decades, hot and dry conditions coupled with a rising population along the Nile River will reduce the amount of water available for residential, agricultural, and ecological uses. That's the troubling conclusion of a new study led by Ethan Coffel, a fellow at the Neukom Institute for Computational Science.