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Zero CO2 emissions ‘spaceplane’ parts to be manufactured in Sydney

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Aerospace engineering startup Hypersonix Launch Systems has signed a Master Research Collaboration Agreement (MRCA) with the University of Sydney to research and manufacture the components of a zero emissions, hypersonic spaceplane – a launch vehicle capable of deploying small satellites into low earth orbit (LEO).

Named Delta Velos, the vehicle will be powered by four green hydrogen-fuelled scramjet engines, enabling carbon neutral propulsion.

It will also include the world’s first 3-D printed fixed geometry (no moving parts) scramjet engine in Australia, completed under the Australian Commercialisation grant awarded to Hypersonix in August 2020. [Read more…] about Zero CO2 emissions ‘spaceplane’ parts to be manufactured in Sydney

Light therapy helps burn injuries heal faster by triggering growth protein

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Light therapy may accelerate the healing of burns, according to a University at Buffalo-led study.

The research, published in Scientific Reports, found that photobiomodulation therapy – a form of low-dose light therapy capable of relieving pain and promoting healing and tissue regeneration – sped up recovery from burns and reduced inflammation in mice by activating endogenous TGF‐beta 1, a protein that controls cell growth and division.

The findings may impact therapeutic treatments for burn injuries, which affect more than 6 million people worldwide each year, says lead investigator Praveen Arany, DDS, PhD, assistant professor of oral biology in the UB School of Dental Medicine. [Read more…] about Light therapy helps burn injuries heal faster by triggering growth protein

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Crime scene tape set to revolutionize microplastics research

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An adhesive tape patented by Staffordshire University researchers to recover trace evidence from crimes scenes is being adopted to analyse microplastics more efficiently.

Man-made polymer particles or “microplastics” are proven to be present in land, air and water environments. However, despite extensive global studies, there is no standardised approach for their collection and analysis.

Currently, studies regularly involve retrieving microplastic samples from water using a filtration method. Samples are commonly analysed in situ on the filter or after removal from it by hand, which is time consuming and risks accidental loss of the particles and cross contamination. [Read more…] about Crime scene tape set to revolutionize microplastics research

Astronomers detect first ever hydroxyl molecule signature in an exoplanet atmosphere

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An international collaboration of astronomers led by a researcher from the Astrobiology Center and Queen’s University Belfast, and including researchers from Trinity College Dublin, has detected a new chemical signature in the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet (a planet that orbits a star other than our Sun).

The hydroxyl radical (OH) was found on the dayside of the exoplanet WASP-33b. This planet is a so-called “ultra-hot Jupiter”, a gas-giant planet orbiting its host star much closer than Mercury orbits the Sun and therefore reaching atmospheric temperatures of more than 2,500° C (hot enough to melt most metals).

The lead researcher based at the Astrobiology Center and Queen’s University Belfast, Dr Stevanus Nugroho, said: “This is the first direct evidence of OH in the atmosphere of a planet beyond the Solar System. It shows not only that astronomers can detect this molecule in exoplanet atmospheres, but also that they can begin to understand the detailed chemistry of this planetary population.” [Read more…] about Astronomers detect first ever hydroxyl molecule signature in an exoplanet atmosphere

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Skoltech researchers propose a new data-driven tool to better understand startups

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Skoltech researchers used Google Trends’ Big Data ensuing from human interactions with the Internet to develop a new methodology – a tool and a data source – for analyzing and researching the growth of startups. A paper reporting these important findings was published in technology management journal, Technological Forecasting and Social Change.

Startups and high-growth technology-based ventures they transform into are regarded as the key drivers of economic development, innovation, and job creation on the national and global level.

However, despite their crucial importance for the economy and high interest from researchers and policy-makers, startups display growth patterns that are difficult to analyze. [Read more…] about Skoltech researchers propose a new data-driven tool to better understand startups

3,500 year-old honeypot: Oldest direct evidence for honey collecting in Africa

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Honey is humankind’s oldest sweetener – and for thousands of years it was also the only one. Indirect clues about the significance of bees and bee products are provided by prehistoric petroglyphs on various continents, created between 8,000 and 40,000 years ago. Ancient Egyptian reliefs indicate the practice of beekeeping as early as 2600 year BCE. But for sub-Saharan Africa, direct archaeological evidence has been lacking until now.

The analysis of the chemical residues of food in potsherds has fundamentally altered the picture. Archaeologists at Goethe University in cooperation with chemists at the University of Bristol were able to identify beeswax residues in 3500 year-old potsherds of the Nok culture.

The Nok culture in central Nigeria dates between 1500 BCE and the beginning of the Common Era and is known particularly for its elaborate terracotta sculptures. These sculptures represent the oldest figurative art in Africa. Until a few years ago, the social context in which these sculptures had been created was completely unknown. [Read more…] about 3,500 year-old honeypot: Oldest direct evidence for honey collecting in Africa

As lumber prices skyrocket, professor develops method to predict future price changes

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At a time when lumber prices are skyrocketing, an Oregon State University researcher has developed a new way to predict the future price of logs that uses readily accessible economic information.

“Log prices are really variable,” said Jeff Reimer, a professor of applied economics at Oregon State. “That makes this a difficult business, whether you are land manager, mill owner, timberland investor or, as we are seeing now, a home builder.”

The timber industry is critical to the economy of many regions of the world, including the Pacific Northwest. [Read more…] about As lumber prices skyrocket, professor develops method to predict future price changes

NIH grants $1.6 million to Virginia Tech to study ‘one of the final frontiers of science’ – the brain

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Of all the worlds still to be explored, among the most mysterious may be closest to home. Indeed, it may be right between your ears.

A type of cell called the astrocyte accounts for more than 25 percent of the human brain, yet a small percentage of how this cell function contributes to brain function is actually understood.

Virginia Tech neuroscientist Michelle Olsen seeks to change that through a new five-year, $1.6 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health.

She hopes her work will one day allow scientists to more deeply understand how this cell develops and functions in the healthy brain so that they can better treat neurodevelopmental disorders and neurological disease. [Read more…] about NIH grants $1.6 million to Virginia Tech to study ‘one of the final frontiers of science’ – the brain

New technology allows scientists first glimpse of intricate details of Little Foot’s life

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In June 2019, an international team brought the complete skull of the 3.67-million-year-old Little Foot Australopithecus skeleton, from South Africa to the UK and achieved unprecedented imaging resolution of its bony structures and dentition in an X-ray synchrotron-based investigation at the UK’s national synchrotron, Diamond Light Source. The X-ray work is highlighted in a new paper in e-Life, published today (2nd March 2021) focusing on the inner craniodental features of Little Foot.

Little Foot is the nickname given to a nearly complete Australopithecus fossil skeleton found in 1994-1998 in the cave system of Sterkfontein, South Africa.

The remarkable completeness and great age of the Little Foot skeleton makes it a crucially important specimen in human origins research and a prime candidate for exploring human evolution through high-resolution virtual analysis.

To recover the smallest possible details from a fairly large and very fragile fossil, the team decided to image the skull using synchrotron X-ray micro computed tomography at the I12 beamline at Diamond, revealing new information about human evolution and origins. This paper outlines preliminary results of the X-ray synchrotron-based investigation of the dentition and bones of the skull (i.e., cranial vault and mandible). [Read more…] about New technology allows scientists first glimpse of intricate details of Little Foot’s life

Learn what you live? Study finds watching others can reduce decision bias

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New research from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business shows first evidence that watching and learning from others can help reduce bias and improve decision-making.

The research, published in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, used a computer game designed to decrease bias to see if people who watched others play the game could in turn reduce their own bias.

Through three experiments, researchers found that watching others solve bias-related problems helped the observers learn about decision biases and improve on their own. [Read more…] about Learn what you live? Study finds watching others can reduce decision bias