Immigration detention facilities that are privately operated or located in remote areas of the country garnered more grievances and held detainees significantly longer than in publicly run facilities, according to a study by USC Gould School of Law Professor Emily Ryo. | Continue reading
Algorithmic fairness is increasingly important because as more decisions of greater importance are made by computer programs, the potential for harm grows. Today, algorithms are already widely used to determine credit scores, which can mean the difference between owning a home an … | Continue reading
The development of spintronics depends on materials that guarantee control over the flow of magnetically polarized currents. However, it is hard to talk about control when the details of heat transport through the interfaces between materials are unknown. This thermal gap in our … | Continue reading
Gene trees, much like family trees, trace the lineage of a particular gene from its deep ancestral roots to its still-growing branches. By comparing gene trees to species trees, which map the evolutionary history of species, scientists can learn which species have which genes, wh … | Continue reading
Many scientists around the world are studying marine biodiversity—the variety of life forms in the ocean. But there is no common standard for how to conduct this research or to compile the data from different studies in different areas. MBARI's Francisco Chavez, a biological ocea … | Continue reading
Soot from road traffic in emerging countries can reach high altitudes, where it can be transported over long distances and thus contributes to global warming. This is the conclusion of a study performed by an international team of researchers in the Bolivian cities of La Paz (the … | Continue reading
Over the last few decades, the American West has seen major increases in wildfire activity and big decreases in groundwater supply. Warmer temperatures are paving the way for the invasion of destructive bark beetles, while lower precipitation is drying out lakes and rivers. | Continue reading
The present invention provides a method to produce black iron oxide nanoparticle slurry having a magnetite structure and homogenously disperse. It can be used as formed or mixed with another medium. | Continue reading
The dream of traveling to another star system, and maybe even finding populated worlds there, is one that has preoccupied humanity for many generations. But it was not until the era of space exploration that scientists have been able to investigate various methods for making an i … | Continue reading
Researchers are investigating ways to improve biodiesel production by using electrical fields to break open microalgae cells with varied results, according to a new study in the Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology. | Continue reading
Technology and environmental sustainability leaders must work together on collaborative solutions to unlock the power of emerging technology to address the challenges of environmental sustainability, including those related to climate change and responsible water management. | Continue reading
Icequakes created by a unique combination of weather and buckling lake ice—not earthquakes—caused the tremors that damaged homes and properties in several central Alberta communities last New Year's Day, according to new research. | Continue reading
Palentologists are announcing a new dinosaur discovery in the southwest United States. Crittendenceratops krzyzanowskii is a new ceratopsid (horned) dinosaur from 73-million-year-old (Late Cretaceous) rocks in southern Arizona. It is one of the few dinosaurs named from Arizona. | Continue reading
Complexity in nature often results from self-assembly, and is considered particularly robust. Compact clusters of elemental particles can be shown to be of practical relevance, and are found in atomic nuclei, nanoparticles or viruses. An interdisciplinary team of researchers led … | Continue reading
One transistor can become an oscillator with a surprising richness of behavior. However, even more interesting effects emerge if the structure of connections is fractal and shows some imperfections. Could similar rules explain the diversity and complexity of human brain dynamics? | Continue reading
Wind power is on track to supply almost a fifth of the world's demand for electricity by 2050, according to the Global Wind Energy Council. While wind turbines are generally thought of as a sustainable alternative to traditional energy sources, relatively little is known about th … | Continue reading
The SPHERE planet-hunting instrument on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope captured this image of a white dwarf feeding on its companion star, a type of Red Giant called a Mira variable. Most stars exist in binary systems, and they spend an eternity serenely … | Continue reading
The detection of Einstein's gravitational waves relies on highly precise laser measurements of small length changes. The kilometer-size detectors of the international network (GEO600, LIGO, Virgo) are so sensitive that they are fundamentally limited by tiny quantum mechanical eff … | Continue reading
Astronomers have captured one of the most detailed views of a young star taken to date, and revealed an unexpected companion in orbit around it. | Continue reading
In almost every dorm room, library, coffee shop, office and airport around the world, you will find someone with their head buried in a laptop. | Continue reading
Nano-sized particles already make bicycles and tennis rackets lighter and stronger, protect eyeglasses from scratches, and help direct chemotherapy drugs to cancer cells. But their usefulness depends on being able to precisely sculpt them into the right configurations—no easy tas … | Continue reading
On Nov. 26, NASA's InSight mission knew the spacecraft touched down within an 81-mile-long (130-kilometer-long) landing ellipse on Mars. Now, the team has pinpointed InSight's exact location using images from HiRISE, a powerful camera onboard another NASA spacecraft, Mars Reconna … | Continue reading
Medical magnetic resonance imaging, high-power microwave generators, superconducting magnetic energy storage units, and the solenoids in nuclear fusion reactors are very different technologies which all critically rely on the ability of superconducting materials to carry and stor … | Continue reading
A recent study used text-mining analysis to highlight the impact that microaggressions have on black faculty in computing disciplines, finding that it contributes to a sense of alienation from the larger higher education community. | Continue reading
A cheap and effective new catalyst developed by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, can generate hydrogen fuel from water just as efficiently as platinum, currently the best—but also most expensive—water-splitting catalyst out there. | Continue reading
A proposal this week by a California commission to impose a "texting tax" has raised more questions than answers. Here's what we know so far: | Continue reading
A new plant in Gary, Ind., plans to turn hundreds of thousands of tons of trash into fuel, some of which could end up powering United Airlines' planes. | Continue reading
Amazon continues its experiments with new physical retail formats and technologies, this time with a shrunken version of its no-checkout convenience stores. | Continue reading
Workers in low-skilled, low paid employment aren't prone to band together and form a common bond, new research has shown. | Continue reading
Marriage to a Vietnamese bride is just a click—and a few thousand dollars—away on a blizzard of Chinese websites promising to solve the "single problems" of China's men. | Continue reading
At just 1 year old, she is 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 15 pounds. She can hold 36 gallons of water for up to 4 1/2 hours. She has a detachable head but remains faceless. Her name is Marie, and no, this is not her online profile. | Continue reading
Hydraulic fracturing contributes significantly to US energy production. It works by tapping hard-to-reach pockets of oil and natural gas where more traditional drilling methods fall short. However, the process requires large amounts of water and chemicals, which can negatively im … | Continue reading
Tokelau's fish-dependent population may be at risk of seeing its main source of locally available animal protein dramatically reduced if the amounts and species of fish caught by local fishers in their waters stay the same or increase. | Continue reading
Bearings are used in many common applications such as wheels, drills, and even toys like the popular fidget spinner. Those applications and others like them rely on bearings to allow for smooth, efficient motion for millions of rotations. | Continue reading
It's a busy time for Santa Claus, but he's making time to feed some fish in San Francisco. | Continue reading
UN talks aimed at averting catastrophic climate change are set to wrap up in Poland Friday after two weeks of heated disputes between rich and poor nations that saw countries most at risk plead for action. | Continue reading
One tech giant strung dozens of North American cities through a circus-like contest that led mayors and governors to desperately pitch their regions—and offer huge sums of public money—in hopes of landing a gleaming new corporate campus. The other swept in quietly before making i … | Continue reading
Traditional cultural values and government policy influence how Chinese backpackers use technology while travelling, according to new research by the University of East Anglia (UEA). | Continue reading
New York state authorities on Thursday announced a lawsuit against retail giants Walmart and Target for selling Chinese-made toys that had up to 10 times the legal limit of lead. | Continue reading
When a building is damaged, a general contractor often oversees various subcontractors—framers, electricians, plumbers and drywall hangers—to ensure repairs are done in the correct order and on time. | Continue reading
When humans experience stress, their inner turmoil may not be apparent to an outside observer. But many animals deal with stressful circumstances—overcrowded conditions, not enough food—by completely remodeling their bodies. These stress-induced forms, whether they offer a protec … | Continue reading
Researchers have developed genetically modified pigs that are protected from classical swine fever virus (CSFV), according to a study published December 13 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Hongsheng Ouyang of Jilin University, and colleagues. As noted by the authors, … | Continue reading
Humans aren't the only species that have dinner parties. Scientists have observed many animals, including bats, eating in groups. However, little was known about whether bats actively help each other find food, a process known as social foraging. | Continue reading
Collagen is the fundamental building block of muscles, tissues, tendons, and ligaments in mammals. It is also widely used in reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. Although scientists have a good understanding about how it behaves at the tissue-level, some key mechanical properties … | Continue reading