Video courtesy of David Kleinfeld, UC San Diego LA JOLLA–For decades, astronomers have solved the problem of removing the “twinkle” from images of stars in the night sky. They use a process called “adaptive optics” (AO) to correct for changes in the density and moisture of air in the atmosphere that scatters the incoming star […]
Department Of Energy Announces $20 Million For Artificial Intelligence Research
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a total of $20 million in funding for innovative research and development in artificial intelligence (A.I.) and machine learning. DOE’s Office of Electricity has selected eight projects to receive nearly $7 million in total to explore the use of big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning technologies to improve existing […]
A “Post-Antibiotic World?”
(Newswise)–The products of wastewater treatment have been found to contain trace amounts of antibiotic resistant DNA. These products are often reintroduced to the environment and water supply, potentially resulting in the spread of antibiotic resistance. As such, researchers at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering have been studying the development of these […]
Amazonian Peatlands May Soon Switch From A Carbon Sink To A Carbon Source
(Newswise)–Until humans can find a way to geoengineer ourselves out of the climate disaster we’ve created, we must rely on natural carbon sinks, such as oceans and forests, to suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. These ecosystems are deteriorating at the hand of climate change. Once destroyed, they may not only stop absorbing carbon […]
NASA Sends New Research, Hardware To Space Station On SpaceX Mission
Experiments in forest observation, protein crystal growth and in-space fuel transfer demonstration are heading to the International Space Station following the launch Wednesday of SpaceX’s 16th mission for NASA under the agency’s Commercial Resupply Services contract. The company’s Dragon spacecraft lifted off at 1:16 p.m. EST on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex […]
NASA InSight Lander Arrives On Martian Surface To Learn What Lies Beneath
Mars has just received its newest robotic resident. NASA’s Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) lander successfully touched down on the Red Planet after an almost seven-month, 300-million-mile journey from Earth. InSight’s two-year mission will be to study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky […]
Scientists Find Corals in Deeper Waters Under Stress Too
LA JOLLA–(Newswise)–Coral reefs around the world are threatened by warming ocean temperatures, a major driver of coral bleaching. Scientists routinely use sea-surface temperature data collected by satellites to predict the temperature-driven stress on reef communities, but new research shows that surface measurements alone may not accurately predict the full extent of thermal stress on deeper […]
Archaeologists Identify Ancient North American Mounds Using New Image Analysis Technique
Binghamton, N.Y. (Newswise)–Researchers at Binghamton University, State University at New York have used a new image-based analysis technique to identify once-hidden North American mounds, which could reveal valuable information about pre-contact Native Americans. “Across the East Coast of the United States, some of the most visible forms for pre-contact Native American material culture can be […]
Where Do Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Come From, and What Can Be Done to Reduce Them?
(Newswise)–Agronomists and farmers are working hard to improve the sustainability of agricultural land. The June 22nd Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains which greenhouses gases are released in agriculture, and efforts to reduce them. Agriculture is a basic need for society. “In addition to feeding the world, our current agricultural land provides fibers for clothing (cotton, […]
Ocean Warming, ‘Junk-Food’ Prey Cause Of Massive Seabird Die-Off, Study Finds
(Newswise)–In the fall of 2014, West Coast residents witnessed a strange, unprecedented ecological event. Tens of thousands of small seabird carcasses washed ashore on beaches from California to British Columbia, in what would become one of the largest bird die-offs ever recorded. A network of more than 800 citizen scientists responded as the birds, called […]