Science

On a number of occasions, the funding of basic scientific research has become a punching bag for politicians that are hoping to score points by hyping government waste or stoking the culture wars. To be fair, it can often be difficult to understand what the practical use of some of the research we fund might be, whether it's sending a rover to Mars or diving into the genetics of fruit flies. To make the case that this basic research is important, a number of Congressmen and a group of pro-science organizations have gotten together to hand out the Golden Goose awards, which focus on the economy-boosting output of basic research. Highlighting government spending, especially if it's of the "wasteful" variety, isn't exactly a new thing. One of its foremost practitioners, William Proxmire, handed out a monthly " Golden Fleece " award for over a decade (notably, Proxmire was a Democrat, suggesting the issue has bipartisan appeal). And science funding isn't immune from problems. Many … [Read more...] about “Wasteful” science that wasn’t: New prize honors US-funded basic research

Three years ago, Valli Fraser-Celin adopted a blonde husky mix puppy, whom she named Husk. Fraser-Celin soon started looking for ways to curb Husk’s “totally wild” behavior, she said, like stealing food from the kitchen counter and barking incessantly at strangers. Based on the advice of a YouTube trainer, Fraser-Celin started using an electronic collar, or e-collar, that delivered a small shock when Husk misbehaved, but said she felt “yucky” about it. Fraser-Celin rethought her approach after hearing about an animal trainer who taught a grizzly bear to cooperate with medical treatment using only positive reinforcement. If that hulking animal could learn with treats and praise, she thought, why were dog trainers using prong and shock collars? “That was the catalyst into my advocacy,” said Fraser-Celin, who studied African wild dogs for her Ph.D. and now works as a remote community liaison for the Winnipeg Humane Society and advocates independently for positive reinforcement … [Read more...] about Punishment, puppies, and science: Bringing dog training to heel

A type of cancer treatment that directs the body's own immune system to fight cancer cells has been named as the "breakthrough of the year" by one of the world's top science journals. The journal Science said today (Dec. 19) that research into cancer immunotherapy was the year's most groundbreaking scientific achievement, even though that research is still in its early stages. Cancer immunotherapy is causing a paradigm shift in the way cancer researchers think about treating people with the disease, the editors of Science said. Instead of targeting the tumor itself, cancer immunotherapy harnesses the immune system to fight cancer . This year, trials testing different types of cancer immunotherapy showed promising results, the editors said, hinting at a large potential for the treatment to help patients. [ 10 Do’s and Don’ts to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer ] "Cancer specialists are convinced that they are seeing the birth of an important new paradigm for cancer … [Read more...] about Cancer Immunotherapy Named Science ‘Breakthrough of the Year’

Micron Technology Inc , the biggest US memory chip company, on Monday will break ground for a $15 billion factory in Boise, Idaho, and its chief executive told Reuters an announcement of another new US plant will be coming soon. "We are in final stages of another high volume manufacturing site that is going to be announced in the coming weeks," CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said. Read Also Chip tech startup SiFive releases products targeted at automotive market Both plants will produce DRAM chips that are widely used in data centers, personal computers and other devices. Once operational, US plants will account for 40% of Micron 's DRAM production volume globally, up from 10% today, Mehrotra said. The Boise factory will be operational in 2025, he said. Micron said this will be the first new memory chip factory built in the United States in 20 years, and will create 2,000 Micron jobs by the end of the decade. Since US President Joe Biden signed … [Read more...] about micron: Micron breaks ground on $15 billion US chip plant, says more to come soon

India 's maiden human space-flight mission 'Gaganyaan' is expected to be launched in 2024, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology , Jitendra Singh said. Earlier, the mission was scheduled to be launched in 2022 but that could not be achieved due to Covid-19. Read Also Chairman Somnath on Isro developing ‘intelligent’ GSATs "The Covid-19 pandemic took a toll on the training of astronauts in Russia as well as India," Singh added as was quoted by an Indian news agency. The first test-flight will be followed by sending a female-looking spacefaring humanoid robot -- VyomMitra -- in outer space likely next year. The Indian Air Force had identified four fighter pilots as the potential crew for the human space flight mission. The potential crew had undergone basic training in Russia. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will send at least two astronauts into a low earth orbit (LEO) in 2024 after … [Read more...] about india: India to launch maiden human space-flight mission ‘Gaganyaan’ in 2024

Audio player loading… Microsoft is exploring a new avenue of research that could help address one of the most common video conferencing issues: interruptions and pauses. As explained in a new blog post (opens in new tab) , researchers at Microsoft recently trialled a new method for charting interruptions over the course of a meeting, by analyzing anonymized versions of call transcripts. To help identify useful patterns, the team mapped data points like speech duration, number of words spoken and frequency of interjection onto a timeline. According to Sean Rintel, one of the Microsoft scientists, “you could clearly find patterns of people taking longer turns or interrupting on a regular basis.” Hybrid meeting headaches Microsoft has long been aware of the problems unique to the digital meeting format. Alongside attendees forgetting to unmute themselves, the difficulty of interjecting in a seamless and polite way is among the most common issues, only made … [Read more...] about Microsoft is trying to eliminate one of the biggest video conferencing problems…with science

Elon Musk's SpaceX has made it to Antarctica and the National Science Foundation ( NSF ) is testing one of its Starlink internet terminals at one of the most extreme locations in the world. The McMurdo Station in Antarctica has nearly 1,000 people living and working there during the summer and they already have satellite internet which is not reliable in rough conditions. There is currently a 17 Mbps link for everyone, according to the United States Antarctic Programme . But with Starlink, the internet service will be better and not patchy like earlier. After its race with OneWeb to cover the North Pole and other Arctic areas with satellite internet, SpaceX has made it to the other extreme: the National Science Foundation (or NSF) is testing out one of its Starlink terminals at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. The NSF says the increased bandwidth will help scientists working on the remote continent near the South Pole. Read Also … [Read more...] about starlink: SpaceX Starlink satellite internet service is now available on the remotest place on Earth

As India and the US double down on domestic semiconductor manufacturing, China witnessed its biggest-ever monthly decline in chip manufacturing in August owing to Covid restrictions and weakening demand. According to the South China Morning Post , the production of integrated circuits (ICs) slumped 24.7% year on year to 24.7 billion units, marking the largest single-month decrease since 1997. Read Also Semiconductor firm Arm launches new chip design for cloud and data center This is also the second consecutive month of decline for chip manufacturing. In July, the output nosedived 16.6% to 27.2 billion units. Local output of microcomputers fell 18.6% to 317.5 billion units in August. In August, domestic manufacturing activity contracted for the first time in three months, the report mentioned. A record 3,470 chip-making companies "went out of business in the first eight months of the year", according to statistics from business … [Read more...] about india: How India and US ramping up local manufacturing of semiconductors hurting China

A gigantic moth that is almost never seen by humans was recently found on a building site at a school in Australia. The colossal insect is so heavy that it can't fly, and reaches its full size just a few days before mating. And then it dies. Giant wood moths ( Endoxyla cinereus ) are the largest species of moth in the world. When fully grown, the females, which are around twice the size of the males, can weigh up to 1 ounce (30 grams) and reach a wingspan of 10 inches (25 centimeters), according to the Australian Museum . They live in forests across Australia and New Zealand. Builders working at Mount Cotton State School discovered the female giant wood moth on the construction site of a new school building near the edge of a rainforest . After photographing their impressive find, the builders placed the moth back in the wild. Related: 7 insects you'll be eating in the future Meagan Steward, the school's principal, described it as "an amazing … [Read more...] about Rarely seen supersized moth with 10-inch wingspan found at Australian school

A long-bodied, sinuous reptile that lived about 310 million years ago has been named for a legendary giant snake in Viking mythology that once battled Thor, the Norse god of thunder. But while the Vikings ' mythic "World Serpent," named Jörmungandr, was large enough to wrap his body around the entire Earth, the ancient reptile Joermungandr bolti (YOR'-mun-gund BOL'-tee) measures just a couple of inches long. This creature is a microsaur ("small lizard "), an early group of reptiles that were among the first vertebrates (animals with backbones) to evolve on land. J. bolti had a slender, elongated body with short limbs and a blunt skull, and the fossil was so well preserved that it retained impressions of specialized scales that resemble dirt-repelling scales in modern reptiles. Together, these features suggest that the wee microsaur tunneled underground and slithered like a snake, researchers reported in a new study. Related: Wipe out: History's most … [Read more...] about Tiny ancient reptile named after Thor’s world-ending nemesis