Scientists | Common News Update

Sep32023 by adminNo Comments

UK scientists tackle the taboo subject of periods in polar research

Science

This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.By Harriet BradshawBBC Climate & Science reporterYou're tied to co-workers, on a glacier, in icy conditions, and then you realise… it's that time of the month. What do you do? Dealing with your period during fieldwork in the Arctic or Antarctic can be a challenge.And yet talking about menstruation has remained taboo. It's why it is on the agenda for the UK Polar Network (UKPN), a voluntary organisation which represents more than 400 early career scientists, and which is piloting a new workshop to tackle the issue head on. "I've had so many of my friends and my peers come and say, 'God, I couldn't talk to anyone about this; I felt so uncomfortable; I felt scared at times'," explains Ellie Hona...

Mar72022 by adminNo Comments

Abandoned rocket ‘hits the Moon’ – scientists

Science

Peter BirtwhistleA discarded part of a rocket should have crashed into the Moon's far side by now, say scientists who were expecting the impact at 12:25 GMT. The three-tonne rocket part had been tracked for a number of years, but its origin was contested.At first, astronomers thought it might have belonged to Elon Musk's SpaceX firm, and then said it was Chinese - something China denies.The effects of the impact on the Moon should have been minor.The rocket stage would have dug out a small crater and created a plume of dust.Scientists hope to get confirmation in the coming days, or weeks.The rocket part was first sighted from Earth in March 2015. A Nasa-funded space survey in Arizona spotted it, but quickly lost interest when the object was shown not to be an asteroid.The rocket part is wh...

Apr112021 by adminNo Comments

Scientists measure ocean currents underneath ‘Doomsday Glacier’

Science

April 9 (UPI) -- For the first time, climate scientists have measured ocean conditions beneath Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier, sometimes called the "Doomsday Glacier." The fresh observations, published Friday in the journal Science Advances, show Thwaites is exposed to larger amounts of warm water than previously estimated. Advertisement Thwaites is thought to be one of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet's most vulnerable glaciers, its location and structure making it especially susceptible to influxes of warm, salty water. In recent years, scientists have watched its grounding line recede and its height shrink as melting rates accelerate. To better understand the vulnerabilities of the glacier's underbelly, scientists sent a remote-controlled submersible named Ran beneath the ice shelf to inve...

Mar192021 by adminNo Comments

Scientists use DNA technology to build tough 3D nanomaterials

Science

March 19 (UPI) -- Researchers at Columbia University have found a way to marry the versatility of DNA nanotechnology with the toughness of silica-based materials. DNA technology can be used to design self-assembling, complexly organized nanoparticle structures. Advertisement In theory, these structures can be designed for a variety of applications, but in reality, these structures are too soft and only stable in specific environs -- limiting their usefulness. Scientists described the novel fabrication process in a new paper, published Friday in the journal Science Advances. "A significant level of designability at nanoscale, through our assembly approach, combined with demonstrated robustness, opens opportunities to build targeted 3D nanomaterials from nanoparticles," Oleg Gang, professo...

Mar162021 by adminNo Comments

Lab scientists grow mini human tear glands that cry

Science

March 16 (UPI) -- Using new organoid technology, scientists have successfully grown miniature tear glands that actually cry. The breakthrough -- described Tuesday in the journal Cell Stem Cell -- could help researchers study the tear-production process and determine why some duct cells fail to produce tears. Advertisement Scientists hope the organic models can be used to develop treatments for tear gland disorders like dry eye disease. Eventually, tear glands grown in the lab could be used as transplants. Tears are vital to healthy eyes. Produced by the ducts in the corner of the eye socket, tears lubricate the eyes and deliver nutrition to the cornea. Antibacterial properties in tears also help prevent eye infections. "Dysfunction of the tear gland, for example in Sjögren's syndrome, ca...