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Current global environmental law and policy are failing, experts say
In 'Our Earth Matters: Pathways to a Better Common Environmental Future,' spanning two special issues of Environmental Policy and Law (EPL), leading scholars from more than five continents call for an honest introspection of what has been attained over the last 50 years relating to regulatory processes and laws and explore future trajectories with new ideas and frameworks for environmental governance in the 21st century.
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Laser physics: Two-stage particle-beam booster
In collaborative international effort, laser physicists at LMU have built the first hybrid plasma accelerator.
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RUDN University chemists created cheap catalysts for ethanol conversion
RUDN University chemists proposed a new way to synthesize catalysts for the conversion of ethyl alcohol. The obtained materials are promising catalysts for the selective conversion of ethanol, which is an important stage in the development of an alternative technology for obtaining valuable chemical synthesis products based on plant raw materials.
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Metal ions help COVID-19 virus to disguise itself
Researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio are reporting a mechanism by which the COVID-19 virus takes advantage of changes in metal ion concentrations to disguise itself. Nature Communications published the findings on June 2.
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Want to Talk About Prenups? Describe Them as Something Else
Prenuptial agreements, or "prenups," can be difficult to talk about. But a recent study offers insights into how people can discuss this often taboo subject. One approach? Use metaphors.
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Cancer-promoting Ras protein exists in a pair within cells
Researchers from Bochum and Osnabrück have gained new insights into the structure of the Ras protein, which acts as a molecular switch for cell growth and is involved in the development of cancer. With the help of fluorescence markings, they have demonstrated that the protein is deposited in a pair at the cell membrane, and with the very structure that they predicted in theory back in 2012.
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Understanding feelings: When less is more
Researchers discover a paradoxical relationship between the intensity of emotional expressions and how they are perceived.
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Nanomaterials with laser printing
An interdisciplinary team from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces presents a laser-driven technology that enables them to create nanoparticles out of materials such as copper, cobalt and nickel oxides. At the usual printing speed, photoelectrodes are produced in this way, for example, for a wide range of applications such as the generation of green hydrogen.
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Gut to brain: Nerve cells detect what we eat
Nerve cells of the vagus nerve fulfil opposing tasks
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Autistic people find it harder to identify anger in facial expressions -- new study
Autistic people's ability to accurately identify facial expressions is affected by the speed at which the expression is produced and its intensity, according to new research at the University of Birmingham.
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Regulation of the genome affects its 3D structure
The Molecular Modelling lab at IRB Barcelona describes the impact of DNA methylation, a known gene regulation mechanism, on the 3D structure of the genome and on gene expression.Published in Nature Communications, the work highlights the connections between epigenetic changes, chromatin structure and gene regulation and may have implications for the study of cancer and ageing, among others.
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Researchers figured out how the ancestors of modern horses migrated
Ancient horse genomes reveal the timing and extent of dispersals across the Bering Land Bridge.
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Acoustic solutions made from natural fibers can reduce buildings' carbon footprints
Good acoustics in the workspace improve work efficiency and productivity, which is one of the reasons why acoustic materials matter. The acoustic insulation market is already expected to hit 15 billion USD by 2022 as construction firms and industry pay more attention to sound environments. Researchers at Aalto University, in collaboration with Finnish acoustics company Lumir, have now studied how these common elements around us could become more eco-friendly, with the help of cellulose fibres.
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App helps pregnant women to a healthy lifestyle
Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden have developed an app to help women achieve a healthy weight gain and lifestyle during a pregnancy. The results from an evaluation of the app have now been published in two scientific articles. Using the app contributed to a better diet. Pregnant women with overweight or obesity who received the app also gained less weight during pregnancy.
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Growing evidence fruit may lower type 2 diabetes risk
Eating at least two serves of fruit daily has been linked with 36% lower odds of developing type 2 diabetes, a new Edith Cowan University study has found. The study, published today in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, revealed that people who ate at least two serves of fruit per day had higher measures of insulin sensitivity than those who ate less than half a serve.
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Using the fungal electrical activity for computing
This research investigated the information-theoretic complexity of fungal electrical activity and pave the way for additional investigation into sensorial fusion and fungi decision making
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Juvenile white-tailed sea eagles stay longer in the parental territory than assumed
The white-tailed sea eagle is known for reacting sensitively to human disturbances. Forestry and agricultural activities are therefore restricted in the immediate vicinity of the nests. However, these seasonal protection periods are too short in the German federal States of Brandenburg (until Aug. 31) and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (until July 31), as a new scientific analysis by a team of scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) suggests.
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Luring bacteria into a trap
Researchers at ETH Zurich and the University of Basel have developed a vaccine that protects animals from Salmonella. These bacteria often escape the effects of vaccination by genetically modifying their protective coat. The researchers have succeeded in manipulating this process to lure the bacteria into an evolutionary trap.
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A speedy trial: What it takes to be the fastest land predator
The cheetah is the fastest land animal, but how? Not much is understood about the dynamics underlying its characteristic "flight" and spine movement. Now, in a new study, a team of researchers from Japan propose and validate an analytical model for studying cheetah galloping by comparing its predictions with cheetah data. While improving upon the current understanding of cheetah's locomotion, their findings pave the way for designing legged robots!
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Activation of carbon-fluorine bonds via cooperation of a photocatalyst and tin
Researchers at Osaka University discover a new organic reaction that selectively converts only a specific carbon-fluorine (C-F) bond in perfluorinated compounds to other functional groups. This is expected to lead to the expansion of the library of seed compounds for fluorine-containing drug discovery.
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