244 articles from WEDNESDAY 13.11.2019

Hologram-like device animates objects using ultrasound waves

Unlike Star Wars projection, 3D technology whips polystyrene bead round at high speedIt may not rival the technology found in a galaxy far, far away, but everyone has to start somewhere. Researchers in Southampton have built a device that displays 3D animated objects that can talk and interact with onlookers.A demonstration of the display showed a butterfly flapping its wings, a countdown spelled...

Could the mysteries of antimatter and dark matter be linked?

Could the profound mysteries of antimatter and dark matter be linked? Thinking that they might be, scientists from the international BASE collaboration, led by Stefan Ulmer of the RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, and collaborators have performed the first laboratory experiments to determine whether a slightly different way in which matter and antimatter interact with dark matter might be a...

Extinct giant ape directly linked to the living orangutan

By using ancient protein sequencing, researchers have retrieved genetic information from a 1.9 million year old extinct, giant primate that used to live in a subtropical area in southern China. The genetic information allows the researchers to uncover the evolutionary position of Gigantopithecus blacki, a three-meter tall and possibly 600 kg primate, revealing the orangutan as its closest living...

Urban development reduces flash flooding chances in arid West

Urban development in the eastern United States results in an increase in flash flooding in nearby streams, but in the arid West, urbanization has just the opposite effect, according to a Penn State researcher, who suggests there may be lessons to be learned from the sharp contrast.

Hair-raising truth behind pigeons' lost toes

Next time you visit your hairdresser spare a thought for the pigeons. For a long time scientists thought the fact that pigeons in urban environments often lost their toes was due to some form of infection, or was a reaction to chemical pollutants. The team from the National Museum of Natural History and the University of Lyon recorded the occurrence and extent of toe mutilations from pigeons...

Chitin-binding proteins override host plant's resistance to fungal infection

An insoluble complex carbohydrate, chitin makes up fungal walls and plays a significant role in the interaction between fungal pathogens and their plant hosts. Plant cells harbor immune receptors that perceive chitin and work to stop fungal infection. However, fungal plant pathogens then release chitin-binding proteins that perturb the chitin-triggered immunity.

The smell of old books could help preserve them

Old books give off a complex mélange of odors, ranging from pleasant (almonds, caramel and chocolate) to nasty (formaldehyde, old clothes and trash). Detecting early signs of paper degradation could help guide preservation efforts, but most techniques destroy the very paper historians want to save. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Sensors have developed an electronic nose that can...

Body language key to zoo animal welfare

Watching the behaviour and body language of zoo animals could be the key to understanding and improving their welfare, new research suggests. Traditionally, zoos have focused on more straightforward measures such as whether animals are eating, sleeping and breeding.

'Give me the calcium!' Tulane virus takes over cellular calcium signaling to replicate

Some gastrointestinal viruses need calcium. They need calcium ions to carry out several essential aspects of viral life, such as entry into host cells, genome replication and building new viruses to invade other cells. The cells invaded by viruses also use calcium. They use it as signals to regulate many of the cells' own processes, but viruses can takeover cellular calcium signaling to satisfy...

Researchers capture moving object with ghost imaging

Researchers have developed a way to capture moving objects with the unconventional imaging method known as ghost imaging. The new method could make the imaging technique practical for new applications such as biomedical imaging, security checks and video compression and storage.

Someone, Somewhere review – slow-burn Parisian therapy romance

The meet-cute is neatly postponed in this entertaining story of two next-door neighbours, both seeing therapists and looking for loveMuch like the process of psychotherapy itself, patience is required for results while watching this modestly entertaining slow-burn Parisian romance from Cédric Klapisch, who pulls off a neat trick by bumping the meet-cute to the end of the film. What happens before...