science

18776 readers
972 users here now

A community to post scientific articles, news, and civil discussion.

rule #1: be kind

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
1
2
3
4
 
 
5
6
 
 

Not only is Trump leveling science funding at NASA, like he did with the National Science Foundation, but look closely at the budget. Beginning next year at 800 million and by 2030, 3.5 billion (nearly 20% of its budget), NASA is required to work towards “Commercial Moon and Mars Infrastructure and Transportation”. The ultimate subsidy for the commercial space sector.

They also eliminated STEM engagement program, which provided funding for the next generation of scientists to participate in NASA opportunities. I can’t wait for all this greatness Trump has been preaching to arrive.

7
 
 

Found a study back in 2012 that went over human activity at different concentrations. Just wanted to know what the current research is on the subject. Back when the sudy was performed they observed Although typical outdoor CO2 concentrations are approximately 380 ppm which is lower than what we see nowadays (climate change and all that).

Synthesis and interpretation of findings. Performance for six of nine decision-making measures decreased moderately but significantly at 1,000 ppm relative to the baseline of 600 ppm, and seven decreased substantially at 2,500 ppm. For an eighth scale, “information search,” no significant differences were seen across conditions. In contrast to other scales, an inverse pattern was seen for “focused activity,” with the highest level of focus obtained at 2,500 ppm and the lowest at 600 ppm.  
Thus, most decision-making variables showed a decline with higher concentrations of CO2, but measures of focused activity improved. Focused activity is important for overall productivity, but high levels of focus under nonemergency conditions may indicate “overconcentration.” Prior research with the SMS has shown repeatedly that individuals who experience difficulty in functioning [e.g., persons with mild-to-moderate head injuries (Satish et al. 2008), persons under the influence of alcohol (Streufert et al. 1993), and persons suffering from allergic rhinitis (Satish et al. 2004)] tend to become highly focused on smaller details at the expense of the big picture.  

I would like to know the potential effects higher concentrations of CO2 will have on a growing human population of the future 20-50-100 years from now? Hope that makes sense.

8
 
 

‘Extinction-level cuts’ to space agency’s spending means labs will close and deep-space missions will be abandoned

Some of the greatest mysteries of the universe, such as the possibility of life on Mars or Venus, may never be solved because of Donald Trump’s proposed “extinction-level” cuts to Nasa spending, scientists are warning.

The Trump administration revealed last month its plan to slash the space agency’s overall budget by 24% to $18.8bn, the lowest figure since 2015. Space and Earth science missions would bear the brunt of the cutbacks, losing more than 53% of what was allocated to them in 2024.

If the budget is approved by Congress, opponents say, longstanding Nasa labs will close, deep-space missions, including many already under way, will be abandoned, and a new generation of exploration and discovery will never reach the launchpad.

9
 
 

This sort of time flip has been described as looking into a mirror and spotting your back instead of your face...By carefully adjusting electronic components on a strip of metal, they introduced a sudden jump that reversed the direction of incoming signals...The outcome was a time-reversed copy of the original wave, appearing just as predicted but never before seen with clarity...A wave that can jump to a new frequency and then rewind might open new possibilities for data transmission at different ranges of the spectrum. It could also reshape how certain sensors and imaging systems are designed.

10
11
12
13
14
15
16
14
submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) by tonytins@pawb.social to c/science@lemmy.world
 
 

In biology, enzymes have evolved over millions of years to drive chemical reactions. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) now derived universal rules to enable the de novo design of optimal enzymes. As an example, they considered the enzymatic reaction of breaking a dimer into two monomer molecules. Considering the geometry of such an enzyme-substrate-complex, they identified three golden rules that should be considered to build a functional enzyme.

17
18
19
-32
zazaz (www.coaz.com)
submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by dwazou@jlai.lu to c/science@lemmy.world
20
21
22
 
 

TLDR: Sentinel-2 detects up to 35% more vegetation in forests than Landsat

23
 
 

There is so much discussion and uncertainty on species when its really very simple. We can add categories under species for more specificity but the definition of species must be objective and true. A species is any group of creatures that can reproduce and produce fertile off spring. This is a clear line that objectively determines where 1 species ends and where 1 species begins.

Now we can use another term either subspecies or breed, which can be described as a population within a species that predominantly reproduces within their subgroup. Problem solved? This allows for cases where 2 subgroups of animals can reproduce with each other but rarely do and completes the tree/pyramid of life.

24
25
 
 

A new method for diagnosing brain tumours could cut the time patients wait for treatments by weeks to hours and raise the possibility of novel types of therapy, researchers have said.

According to the Brain Tumour Charity, about 740,000 people around the world are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year, around half of which are non-cancerous. Once a brain tumour is found, a sample is taken during surgery and cells are immediately studied under a microscope by pathologists, who can often identify the type of tumour. However, genetic testing helps to make or confirm the diagnosis.

“Almost all of the samples will go for further testing anyway. But for some of them it will be absolutely crucial, because you won’t know what you’re looking at,” said Prof Matthew Loose, a co-author of the research from the University of Nottingham.

The approach is based on devices that contain membranes featuring hundreds to thousands of tiny pores, each of which has an electric current passing through it. When DNA approaches a pore it is “unzipped” into single strands; as a strand passes through the pore it disrupts the electric current.

view more: next ›