New method to create fluorescent solids developed | Jupiter's moons may work together for warmth | Female peers' presence lifts women's class performance
Chemists have created a new way to make fluorescent solids, paving the way to create materials in a wider array of colors and for use in many more applications. The process, described in Chem, mixes cyanostar molecules with the dyes, which keeps the dye molecules farther apart so they can retain their fluorescent properties while in a solid state.
Getting to September, Part II: The First Four Weeks As students and teachers prepare to begin the 2020-2021 school year, questions linger. What will instruction look like this year? Will learning be fully online, in person or a mix of both? Tune in August 18th to hear a panel of educators discuss strategies for navigating the first few weeks successfully. Register Now
Some of the heat generated to keep oceans wet on Jupiter's moons may be produced by the moons working together gravitationally, according to findings published in Geophysical Research Letters. Researchers say the moon neighbors may create tidal waves on each other's surfaces to produce resonance and generate heat due to friction.
Female students in undergraduate life sciences courses perform better and participate more if there are more female peers in the class, a study in Life Sciences Education suggests. Researchers noted even better scores for female students if the instructor was a woman too.
A study in Psychological Bulletin has found that youths who experienced threat-related trauma such as abuse or violence were more likely to show signs of accelerated aging on a cellular level and are more likely to enter puberty early compared with those who did not experience these traumas. However, the findings, based on a review of 54 studies assessing links of early-life adversity to pubertal timing and cellular aging and 25 studies evaluating early-life adversity and neural markers of accelerated development, showed that youths who experienced neglect or poverty did not exhibit either of the early-aging signs.
Arsenic, mercury and other toxic substances were found in the bodies of dolphins and whales that were stranded along the shore of the Southeast, researchers reported in Frontiers in Marine Science. The team looked at 11 species that came ashore between 2012 and 2018 in North Carolina and Florida, and they found sex-specific and geographic differences in chemical concentrations.
Social grooming strengthens bonds between dairy cows, and age, social rank and repeated grooming between the same animals play a role in those bonds, researchers report in Frontiers in Veterinary Science. The team studied 38 cows at a Chilean agricultural research station, and said the findings underscore the value of monitoring herd interactions and investigating when social grooming declines.
Crohn's disease patients who participated in six months of impact and resistance training saw improvements in muscle function and bone mineral density, according to a study published in Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. The results showed improvements in lumbar spine bone mineral density, better muscle function and lower fatigue among those who participated in the training.
The National Science Foundation has awarded a $411,058 grant to University of California at Santa Cruz, to study languages that are on the verge of dying out. "We will be investigating a fundamental aspect of cognition: how language users refer to the world around them through their system of pronouns, and how this system is shaped by animacy -- how much something is conceived of as alive or human," says principal investigator Maziar Toosarvandani.
Sigma Xi joined other organizations in signing a letter to United States Vice President Mike Pence that voices support for "leading with science and with the best data available" during a national public health emergency such as the coronavirus pandemic. The letter names Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as one expert who is leading with science. Please visit this link for more information.
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society's magazine American Scientist has been recognized for its excellence and leadership in association publishing. A pre-recorded announcement released on July 14 named the Society's magazine as the winner of three EXCEL Awards from SIIA's Association Media and Publishing. The awards competition, which is open to nonprofit and for-profit associations, received more than 800 entries and gives awards in Gold, Silver, and Bronze tiers. American Scientist won a Gold Award in Digital Media-Single Blog Post, a Gold Award in Journals-General Excellence, and a Bronze Award in Journals-Design Excellence. Please visit this link for more information.
