541
Why Are Sloths So Slow?
What does it really mean to be a sloth? Why are they so slow? And why does it work?
New
The latest blog posts to take off on Hacker News. 2,418 posts.
542
A Trial HIV Vaccine Triggered Elusive and Essential Antibodies in Humans
DURHAM, N.C. – An HIV vaccine candidate developed at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute triggered low levels of an elusive type of broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies among a small group of people enrolled in a 2019 clinical trial.The finding, reported May 17 in the journal Cell, not only provides proof that a vaccine…
543
Wind farms can offset their emissions within two years, new study shows
After spinning for under two years, a wind farm can offset the carbon emissions generated across its entire 30-year lifespan, when compared to thermal power plants. That’s according to a new peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand – which also shows within six months a turbine…
544
Students invent quieter leaf blower
Patent-pending design by Hopkins undergrads could be available in stores within two years
545
Three of the oldest stars in the universe found circling the Milky Way
MIT astronomers discovered three of the oldest stars in the universe, and they live in our own galactic neighborhood. The stars are in the Milky Way’s “halo” — the cloud of stars that envelopes the entire main galactic disk — and they appear to have formed between 12 and 13 billion years ago, when the very first…
546
Fastest rate of natural carbon dioxide rise over the last 50k years
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Today’s rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide increase is 10 times faster than at any other point in the past 50,000 years, researchers have found through a detailed chemical analysis of ancient Antarctic ice. The findings, just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provide…
547
New work extends the thermodynamic theory of computation
In a paper published in Physical Review X on May 13, a quartet of physicists and computer scientists expand the modern theory of the thermodynamics of computation. By combining approaches from statistical physics and computer science, the researchers introduce mathematical equations that reveal the minimum and maximum…
548
New gel breaks down alcohol in the body
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a protein-based gel that breaks down alcohol in the gastrointestinal tract without harming the body. In the future, people who take the gel could reduce the harmful and intoxicating effects of alcohol.
549
New mRNA cancer vaccine triggers immune response to malignant brain tumor
In a first-ever human clinical trial of four adult patients, an mRNA cancer vaccine developed at the University of Florida quickly reprogrammed the immune…
550
Ancient Egyptian Stone-Drilling (1983)
<p>More than most technical procedures in the ancient world, drilling of hard stone such as quartz and granite has evoked […]</p>
551
Jim Simons has died
It is with great sadness that the Simons Foundation announces the death of its co-founder and chair emeritus, James Harris Simons, on May 10, 2024, at the age of 86, in New York City. Jim (as he…
552
AlphaFold 3 predicts the structure and interactions of life's molecules
Our new AI model AlphaFold 3 can predict the structure and interactions of all life’s molecules with unprecedented accuracy.
553
Sound-suppressing silk can create quiet spaces
MIT researchers developed a silk fabric, which is barely thicker than a human hair, that can suppress unwanted noise and reduce noise transmission in a large room.
554
Cold brew coffee in 3 minutes using acoustic cavitation
UNSW Sydney engineers have utilised sound waves to cut the time it takes to make a cold brew coffee from many hours down to mere minutes.
555
556
Georgia Tech, Meta create open dataset to advance solutions for carbon capture
To avoid catastrophic climate impacts, excessive carbon emissions must be addressed. At this point, cutting emissions isn’t enough. Direct air capture, a technology that pulls carbon dioxide out of ambient air, has great potential to help solve the problem.
557
Building a rocket engine from scratch
How I learned to stop worrying and love the burn.
558
Gene banks aren’t enough to save the world’s food
Why gene banks aren’t enough to save the world’s food
559
Enzymes open new path to universal donor blood
Researchers at DTU and Lund University have discovered enzymes that remove hindrances that stood in the way of developing universal donor blood.
560
Webb captures iconic Horsehead Nebula in unprecedented detail
The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has captured the sharpest infrared images to date of one of the most distinctive objects in our skies, the Horsehead Nebula. These observations show a part of the iconic nebula in a whole new light, capturing its complexity with unprecedented spatial resolution.
561
Atomic nucleus excited with laser: A breakthrough after decades
The "thorium transition", which physicists have been looking for for decades, has now been excited for the first time with lasers. This paves the way for revolutionary high precision technologies, including nuclear clocks.
562
How to prevent Lyme disease this summer
The risk of Lyme disease has increased due to climate change and warmer temperature. A rheumatologist offers advice on how to best avoid ticks while going outdoors.
563
Our biggest ever river catch?
Interceptor 006 captured over 250 truckloads of trash – and counting – in just a few hours in the first flood of the year.
564
565
Goldene: A single atom layer of gold
For the first time, scientists have managed to create sheets of gold only a single atom layer thick. According to the researchers from LiU this has given the gold new properties that can make it suitable for use in various applications.
566
2023 ACM Turing Prize awarded to Avi Wigderson
Avi Wigderson is the recipient of the 2023 ACM A.M. Turing Award for foundational contributions to the theory of computation, including reshaping our understanding of the role of randomness in computation, and for decades of intellectual leadership in theoretical computer science.
567
568
Deep sea mining could be worse for the climate than land ores
As decisions over the future viability of deep sea mining are under review, Planet Tracker’s latest report ‘The Climate Myth of Deep Sea Mining’ examines deep sea mining companies’ claim that mining polymetallic nodules could be a low carbon alternative to mining on land.
569
Terraform makes carbon neutral natural gas
We did it! After two years of hard work we hold in our hands hard proof that the incredible team at Terraform can make synthetic natural gas from sunlight and air, as reported in TechCrunch. Last W…
570
Study uses wearables to show that physical activity lengthens REM latency
AUSTIN, Texas — A new study by an interdisciplinary team of researchers at The University of Texas at Austin provides the most reliable validation to date