ScienceDaily: All - July 31, 2024
Today's top research news
Super-black wood can improve telescopes, optical devices and consumer goods
Thanks to an accidental discovery, researchers have created a new super-black material that absorbs almost all light, opening potential applications in fine jewelry, solar cells and precision optical devices.
Mucus-based bio-ink could be used to print and grow lung tissue
Lung diseases kill millions of people around the world each year. Treatment options are limited, and animal models for studying these illnesses and experimental medications are inadequate. Now, researchers describe their success in creating a mucus-based bioink for 3D printing lung tissue. This advance could one day help study and treat chronic lung conditions.
Researchers develop general framework for designing quantum sensors
Researchers have designed a protocol for harnessing the power of quantum sensors. The protocol could give sensor designers the ability to fine-tune quantum systems to sense signals of interest, creating sensors that are vastly more sensitive than traditional sensors.
Scientists have revealed that injury dressings found in first-aid kits can reliably be used to identify shark species involved in bite incidents by deploying medical gauze to gather DNA samples from aquatic equipment, such as surfboards.
Working from home is stifling innovation
Remote and hybrid working may be great for employees' work-life balance, but it may be stifling innovation, according to new research.
Image: Diana Grytsku/Shutterstock.com
What no one has seen before -- simulation of gravitational waves from failing warp drive
Physicists have been exploring the theoretical possibility of spaceships driven by compressing the four-dimensional spacetime for decades. Although this so-called 'warp drive' originates from the realm of science fiction, it is based on concrete descriptions in general relativity. A new study takes things a step further -- simulating the gravitational waves such a drive might emit if it broke down.
Scientists using new sound tech to save animals from extinction
Scientists are using new technology to help endangered animals by listening to their sounds.
A tool for visualizing single-cell data
Modern cutting-edge research generates enormous amounts of data, presenting scientists with the challenge of visualizing and analyzing it. Researchers have developed a tool for visualizing large data sets. The sCIRCLE tool allows users to explore single-cell analysis data in an interactive and user-friendly way.
Using the term 'artificial intelligence' in product descriptions reduces purchase intentions
Companies may unintentionally hurt their sales by including the words 'artificial intelligence' when describing their offerings that use the technology, according to a recent study. Researchers conducted experimental surveys with more than 1,000 adults in the U.S. to evaluate the relationship between AI disclosure and consumer behavior. The findings consistently showed products described as using artificial intelligence were less popular.
'Holiday' or 'Vacation': Similar language leads to more cooperation
'Holiday' or 'vacation', 'to start' or 'to begin', 'my friend's cat' or 'the cat of my friend' -- in our language, there are different ways of expressing the same things and concepts. But can the choice of a particular variant determine whether we prefer to cooperate with certain people rather than with others? A research team investigated this and showed that people are more likely to co-operate with others if they make similar linguistic choices in a conversation. The experiment suggests that the decisive factor is probably the feeling of belonging to the same social group.
How obstetric interventions affect the birthing experience
The Childbirth Experience Questionnaire (CEQ2) was used to investigate how medical interventions influence the individual birth experience. The overall experience was rated positively.
The corona is weirdly hot: Parker Solar Probe rules out one explanation
By diving into the sun's corona, NASA's Parker Solar Probe has ruled out S-shaped bends in the sun's magnetic field as a cause of the corona's searing temperatures.
How researchers turn bacteria into cellulose-producing mini-factories
Researchers have modified certain bacteria with UV light so that they produce more cellulose. The basis for this is a new approach with which the researchers generate thousands of bacterial variants and select those that have developed into the most productive.
Is that glass bottle of OJ better for the planet than a plastic container?
Which packaging type for a 12-ounce, single-serve container of orange juice would you choose as the most sustainable option: Aluminum/canned, made with recycled material; Carton, described as biodegradable/compostable; Glass, 100% recyclable; or Plastic, described as biodegradable/compostable? If you were like the U.S. consumers surveyed by food scientists you'd prefer glass and believe it was the most sustainable choice. And you all would be mistaken.