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hubie writes:

Too much water can make whiskies taste the same:

While adding a little water is popularly thought to "open up" the flavor of whisky, a Washington State University-led study indicates there's a point at which it becomes too much: about 20%.

Researchers chemically analyzed how volatile compounds in a set of 25 whiskies responded to the addition of water, including bourbons, ryes, Irish whiskeys and both single malt and blended Scotches. They also had a trained sensory panel assess six of those whiskies, three Scotches and three bourbons.

Both tests found that adding a little water could change how the whiskies smelled, but after 20%, they may start to have the same aroma. Since smell and taste are often closely linked, this likely affected the spirit's flavor as well.

[...] Whisky is a mix of compounds that run the scale from hydrophilic to hydrophobic, in other words, ones that are attracted to water and others that are repelled by it. The addition of water sends the whisky's hydrophobic compounds into that headspace and leaves the hydrophilic ones behind, changing the aroma of the liquid.

Journal Reference:
P. Layton Ashmore, Aubrey DuBois, Elizabeth Tomasino, et al., Impact of Dilution on Whisky Aroma: A Sensory and Volatile Composition Analysis [open], Foods 2023, 12(6), 1276; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12061276

Original Submission

hubie writes:

The first building blocks of life on Earth may have formed thanks to eruptions from our Sun:

A series of chemical experiments show how solar particles, colliding with gases in Earth's early atmosphere, can form amino acids and carboxylic acids, the basic building blocks of proteins and organic life. The findings were published in the journal Life.

To understand the origins of life, many scientists try to explain how amino acids, the raw materials from which proteins and all cellular life, were formed. The best-known proposal originated in the late 1800s as scientists speculated that life might have begun in a "warm little pond": A soup of chemicals, energized by lightning, heat, and other energy sources, that could mix together in concentrated amounts to form organic molecules.

In 1953, Stanley Miller of the University of Chicago tried to recreate these primordial conditions in the lab. Miller filled a closed chamber with methane, ammonia, water, and molecular hydrogen – gases thought to be prevalent in Earth's early atmosphere – and repeatedly ignited an electrical spark to simulate lightning. A week later, Miller and his graduate advisor Harold Urey analyzed the chamber's contents and found that 20 different amino acids had formed.

[...] But the last 70 years have complicated this interpretation. Scientists now believe ammonia (NH3) and methane (CH4) were far less abundant; instead, Earth's air was filled with carbon dioxide (CO2) and molecular nitrogen (N2), which require more energy to break down. These gases can still yield amino acids, but in greatly reduced quantities.

[...] "During cold conditions you never have lightning, and early Earth was under a pretty faint Sun," Airapetian said. "That's not saying that it couldn't have come from lightning, but lightning seems less likely now, and solar particles seems more likely."

These experiments suggest our active young Sun could have catalyzed the precursors of life more easily, and perhaps earlier, than previously assumed.

Journal Reference:
Kensei Kobayashi, Jun-ichi Ise, Ryohei Aoki, et al., Formation of Amino Acids and Carboxylic Acids in Weakly Reducing Planetary Atmospheres by Solar Energetic Particles from the Young Sun [open], Life, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/life13051103

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upstart writes:

New York's skyscrapers are causing it to sink – what can be done about it?:

The ground under New York City is sinking partly due to the sheer mass of all its buildings [...] As sea levels also rise to meet these concrete jungles, can they be saved?

[...] On the 300sq miles (777sq km) that comprise New York City sit 762 million tonnes (1.68 trillion pounds) of concrete, glass and steel, according to estimates by researchers at the United States Geological Survey (USGS). While that figure involves some generalisations about construction materials, that prodigious tonnage does not include the fixtures, fittings and furniture inside those million-odd buildings. Nor does it include the transport infrastructure that connects them, nor the 8.5 million people who inhabit them.

All that weight is having an extraordinary effect on the land on which it is built. That ground, according to a study published in May, is sinking by 1-2mm (0.04-0.08in) per year, partly due to the pressure exerted on it by the city buildings above. And that is concerning experts – add the subsidence of the land to the rising of sea levels, and the relative sea level rise is 3-4mm (0.12-0.16in) per year. That may not sound like much, but over a few years it adds up to significant problems for a coastal city.

upstart writes:

A conductive self-healing hydrogel to create flexible sensors:

Recent advancements in the field of electronics have enabled the creation of smaller and increasingly sophisticated devices, including wearable technologies, biosensors, medical implants, and soft robots. Most of these technologies are based on stretchy materials with electronic properties.

While material scientists have already introduced a wide range of flexible materials that could be used to create electronics, many of these materials are fragile and can be easily damaged. As damage to materials can result in their failure, while also compromising the overall functioning of the system they are integrated in, several existing soft and conductive materials can end up being unreliable and unsuitable for large-scale implementations.

Researchers at Harbin University of Science and Technology in China recently developed a new conductive and self-healing hydrogel that could be used to create flexible sensors for wearables, robots or other devices. This material and its composition was outlined in the Journal of Science: Advanced Materials and Devices.

[...] In the future, the hydrogel created by this team of researchers could be used to develop a wide range of other sensors and wearable electronics, such as sensors that can detect human motion or medical devices that monitor specific biological signals. In addition, their work could pave the way for the development of similar flexible and conductive hydrogels with self-healing properties.

Journal Reference:
Xiaoming Wang et al, Constructing conductive and mechanical strength self-healing hydrogel for flexible sensor, Journal of Science: Advanced Materials and Devices (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jsamd.2023.100563

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upstart writes:

Multi-cancer blood test shows real promise in NHS study:

A blood test for more than 50 types of cancer has shown real promise in a major NHS trial, researchers say.

The test correctly revealed two out of every three cancers among 5,000 people who had visited their GP with suspected symptoms, in England or Wales.

In 85% of those positive cases, it also pinpointed the original site of cancer.

The Galleri test looks for distinct changes in bits of genetic code that leak from different cancers. Spotting treatable cancer early can save lives.

[...] "The test was 85% accurate in detecting the source of the cancer - and that can be really helpful because so many times it is not immediately obvious when you have got the patient in front of you what test is needed to see whether their symptoms are down to cancer," he said.

Original Submission

Motor Trend recently posted, "Just Wait Until You See How Bad the Lordstown Endurance's EPA Numbers Are" at https://www.motortrend.com/news/lordstown-endurance-epa-range-efficiency-estimates-official/ and other car-buff sites are running similar stories.

For a little background on Lordstown, we look to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lordstown_Endurance and see that the company has been going for a handful of years, with Foxconn as a recent investor. They have taken over the former GM Lordstown OH factory (similar to Tesla, which took over the former GM/Toyota NUMMI plant). Their initial product is a slick looking pickup truck.

However, as production has started, the EPA has done their official testing and:

The most notable number is the total estimated range: 174 miles. That puts it way at the bottom of the range scale, with more in common with the baffling Mazda MX-30 (rated at 100 miles) than the least-legged versions of EV pickup trucks, like the F-150 Lightning, that can manage 230 miles per the EPA.

And it's not a problem of overall battery capacity, either. The Endurance has a full 109 kWh of juice onboard. So the issue likely comes down to the Endurance's lackluster efficiency. Indeed, the mpge numbers tell the tale: 48 mpg combined, 49 city, and 46 highway. Whatever criticism you want to level at the EPA's testing regimen, comparing EPA numbers to numbers at least gives a sense of the relative efficiency of a vehicle (if not real-world figures). And by this measure, the EPA's least efficient pickup (the standard battery F-150 Lightning) manages 68 combined, 76 city, and 61 highway mpge—a significant difference.

It seems that designing an efficient BEV takes more system engineering than just some fancy styling.

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upstart writes:

Newly discovered stone tools drag dawn of Greek archaeology back by a quarter-million years:

Deep in an open coal mine in southern Greece, researchers have discovered the antiquities-rich country's oldest archaeological site, which dates to 700,000 years ago and is associated with modern humans' hominin ancestors.

The find announced Thursday would drag the dawn of Greek archaeology back by as much as a quarter of a million years, although older hominin sites have been discovered elsewhere in Europe. The oldest, in Spain, dates to more than a million years ago.

[...] It was found to contain rough stone tools from the Lower Palaeolithic period—about 3.3 million to 300,000 years ago—and the remains of an extinct species of giant deer, elephants, hippopotamus, rhinoceros and a macaque monkey.

[...] The artifacts are "simple tools, like sharp stone flakes, belonging to the Lower Paleolithic stone tool industry," the co-directors said in comments e-mailed to The Associated Press.

They said it's possible the items were produced by Homo antecessor, the hominin species dating from that period in other parts of Europe. Homo antecessor is believed to have been the last common ancestor of modern humans and their extinct Neanderthal cousins, who diverged about 800,000 years ago.

"However, we will not be able to be sure until hominin fossil remains are recovered," the project directorss said. "(The site) is the oldest currently known hominin presence in Greece, and it pushes back the known archaeological record in the country by up to 250,000 years."

[...] The area has long been known as a source of fossils, and in ancient times huge prehistoric bones dug up there were linked with the Greek myths of a long-vanished race of giants that fought the gods of Olympus. Some ancient writers cited Megalopolis as the site of a major battle in that supernatural war.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Twitter's second head of trust and safety under owner Elon Musk has resigned, according to reports:

Ella Irwin took the post when previous head Yoel Roth left in November 2022 - a month after Mr Musk took over the company.

The head of trust and safety is tasked with content moderation, a topic which has come under the spotlight since Mr Musk's takeover.

The BBC has approached Twitter and Ms Irwin for comment.

She confirmed to both Reuters and the Wall Street Journal that she has stepped down. The reason for her resignation is unclear.

However, it comes a day after Mr Musk publicly criticised a content moderation decision made at Twitter.

He called the decision to limit the visibility of a video over allegations of misgendering, "a mistake by many people at Twitter".

"Whether or not you agree with using someone's preferred pronouns, not doing so is at most rude and certainly breaks no laws," he wrote.

It comes a week after the social media platform pulled out of the European Union's voluntary code to fight disinformation.

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liar writes:

CUPERTINO, California, June 5 (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) unveiled an augmented-reality headset called the Apple Vision Pro at its annual software developer conference on Monday, its first big move into a new product category since the introduction of the Apple Watch nine years ago.

CEO Tim Cook described it as "spatial computing" with the device controlled by your eyes, hands and voice.

"It's the first Apple product you look through, not at," Cook said.

Apple's human interface chief Alan Dye said that users will select content inside the goggles with their eyes, tap their fingers together to click and gently flick to scroll.

The device also has an exterior display that shows the user's eyes to people on the outside world. The exterior screen goes dark when a user is fully immersed in a virtual world. When a person approaches a user who is in full virtual mode, the headset will show both the user and the outside person to each other. "You're never isolated from people around you," Dye said. "You can see them, and they can see you."

For work uses, Apple showed how the headset can be used with a trackpad and keyboard to work like a traditional computer with multiple displays.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-expected-reveal-mixed-reality-headset-developer-conference-2023-06-05/

Original Submission

hubie writes:

In mice, the treatment decreased infections caused by the Influenza A virus:

Inhaling low concentrations of ethanol vapor can disable the influenza A virus in mice, without harmful side effects, says a new study by scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST). The scientists believe it may also treat similar viruses such as the one that causes Covid-19.

[...] "Ethanol is an effective disinfectant for body surfaces, so we wanted to know whether ethanol could also be effective inside the body," said Dr. Miho Tamai, a scientist in Prof. Ishikawa's lab.

Using a humidifier to produce ethanol vapor in a small container, they found that when mice infected with influenza A inhale the vapor for ten minutes, the virus is inactivated. The study is published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Influenza A viruses accumulate in a thin fluid layer covering lung cells that protect the surface of the airway. The scientists think that the ethanol vapor must increase ethanol concentrations in the fluid to 20% to successfully treat the infection. This concentration is not toxic to lung cells the scientists created in the lab to mimic human cells. At body temperature, 20% ethanol can not only inactivate the influenza A virus outside of the cells in one minute, but also stop the virus from replicating inside these cells.

[...] Influenza A is a virus that has an outer membrane, called an envelope. "Ethanol vapor may also inactivate other enveloped viruses such as SARS-CoV-2," Prof. Ishikawa said, and so far, all viruses that have caused pandemics have been enveloped. "Once the next pandemic happens, maybe we can quickly apply the ethanol vapor inhalation therapy to prevent or cure the disease," he explained.

[...] The researchers believe that ethanol vapor inhalation treatment has great potential as a versatile and cost-effective new therapy against various respiratory infectious diseases. But Prof. Ishikawa cautioned that people should not try using ethanol as a therapy on their own. "That may lead to serious side-effects or explosion risks," he said. "The efficacy and safety of this new treatment on humans and other mammals should be carefully evaluated in the future."

Journal Reference:
Miho Tamai et al., Effect of Ethanol Vapor Inhalation Treatment on Lethal Respiratory Viral Infection With Influenza A, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2023; https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiad089

Original Submission

gawdonblue writes:

Full story here.

Imagine what an airport terminal would be like for a blind person. Unable to see the signs telling you where to go — a great cavernous space full of rushing strangers.

"There's just so much noise from all the travellers and suitcases around you echoing off the floor and walls," says Mick Curran, who has been completely blind since he was 15. "Airports can be pretty overwhelming."

But Mick has had to get used to airports. He and his childhood friend Jamie Teh, who is also blind, are rock stars of the software world and they get around.

"I have learned to roll with it," Jamie tells Australian Story. "Take it as it comes."

Mick and Jamie's disabilities have not been a barrier to success.

The pair created screen-reading software called NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access) when they were fresh out of university. Seventeen years later, it's now used by 275,000 people in 175 countries and has been translated into 50 languages.

[...] NVDA had the potential to make them very rich but from the outset, they were determined that the software would be free and open source.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

TeamGroup is demonstrating at Computex 2023 what it claims to be the world's first all-in-one liquid cooling system for hot-running M.2 SSDs:

In a sign of the times in the high-end SSD space, TeamGroup has developed a high-end liquid cooler just for M.2 SSDs. The T-Force Siren GD120S, an all-in-one closed loop liquid cooler with a fairly large M.2 compatible water block and a 120mm radiator. This cooling system will be the company's range-topping cooler for solid-state drives that will guarantee that they are going to hit their maximum performance – by giving them nothing less than an overkill amount of cooling.

For reference, the M.2 spec tops out at a sustained power draw of 14.85W (3.3v @ 4.5A), with momentary excursions as high as 25W. So even with a high-end SSD like a current-generation E26-based drive, the actual cooling needs are limited. However in keeping with true PC style, sometimes you just want to go big – and in those cases there's the Siren.

[...] TeamGroup has been particularly vocal about using liquid cooling for solid-state drives. The company's first liquid-cooled T-Force Cardea Liquid relied on the concept that largely resembled a vapor chamber. Then, the company introduced its T-Force Cardea Liquid II with an all-in-one LCS, but this device has never made it to the market and eventually transformed into a dual CPU and SSD cooler. Now, the company is finally ready to go with a dedicated AIO liquid cooler for M.2 SSDs.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Scientists detected light emitted when a special type of thorium nucleus decayed:

Hickory dickory dock, this nucleus could make a great clock.

A special variety of the element thorium hosts an atomic nucleus that could be used to keep time, scientists say. In a first, researchers have measured a type of decay of this thorium nucleus that releases a single particle of light. The measurement of the energy released in the decay is seven times as precise as estimates based on different types of decays, researchers report in the May 25 Nature. The improved energy measurement could galvanize work toward the first nuclear clock, which would follow in the footsteps of atomic timepieces.

"We have already amazing atomic clocks which run very precisely," says nuclear physicist Sandro Kraemer of KU Leuven in Belgium. Those atomic clocks are based on the physics of the electrons that surround an atom (SN: 10/5/17). A nuclear clock would be based on the atom's nucleus. Some scientists believe nuclear clocks could be even more precise than atomic clocks, which are already such powerful tools that they're used in everything from GPS satellites to experiments that test whether fundamental laws of physics hold true (SN: 6/4/21).

The well-established technology of atomic clocks is based on how an atom's electrons jump into a higher energy state. It takes a specific frequency of light, with just the right amount of energy, to initiate the jump. The oscillation of that light acts like the ticking of a clock. A nuclear clock would be based on similar energy jumps made by a nucleus.

Most atomic nuclei have energy levels too far apart to allow scientists to set the jump off with a laser — a necessity for building a clock. But a particular variety, or isotope, of thorium called thorium-229 has two energy levels unusually close together — about 8 electron volts. Still, no one has been able to initiate the jump with a laser, because the size of that energy gap wasn't precisely known until now.

upstart writes:

No vintage cameras were harmed in the making of this project:

When it comes to historical re-enactments, one thing you don't want to do is break immersion. That's where TankArchives' latest Raspberry Pi project comes into play. Using a Raspberry Pi Zero , he's turned a vintage 1940s Argust [sic] A camera digital thanks to a Raspberry Pi High Quality camera module. Best of all, the original camera was not damaged during the creation of the project. Using this Pi-powered digital camera, TankArchives can capture images while retaining the appropriate look and feel of the era.

The camera used in this project, the Argust A, isn't a terribly expensive antique to acquire. TankArchives explains that you can find a working model for around $50. That said, it's still a historical relic and being a re-enactment fan, it's no surprise TankArchives wanted to preserve it as much as possible.

[...] The software used to capture images was created using a mixture of Python 3 and libcamera2. Picamera2 can also be used and provides a Pythonic means to interact with the camera. According to TankArchives, capturing images is somewhat slow and the unit takes a minute or so to completely boot. Taking a photo requires a couple of seconds to fully capture.

If you want to recreate this Raspberry Pi project or just get a closer look at how it goes together, check out the original thread shared to Reddit by TankArchives.

Original Submission

hubie writes:

Comet C/2023 A3 Could Be the Next Great Comet:

Earlier this year, shortly after the excitement of comet C/2022 E3, astronomers found another icy visitor grazing through their images. This comet, C/2023 A3 ( Tsuchinan-Atlas), was discovered independently by ATLAS in South Africa and Tsuchinsan Observatory in China - and given their namesake. But will this one be the great naked-eye comet of the decade we've been waiting for?

[...] Currently , C/2023 A3 is very faint as it flies outside Jupiter's orbit, but the fun will peak next year when it skims closely past the Earth and the Sun. Its perigee, or closest approach to Earth, will occur on October 13 placing the comet less than 0.5 Earth-Sun distances (AU) from our planet. Perihelion will occur shortly before, on September 24 , 2024.

Interestingly, both of these points in the comet's orbit will position it between the Earth and Sun. This "forward scattering event" may bolster the comet's brightness. In this case, sunlight coming from behind the comet, according to our perspective on Earth , is scattered off of dust particles in the comet's coma towards our eyes . As a result, the comet could appear brighter than we would expect, but there is a caveat – its sandwiching between the Earth and the Sun means the best viewing will occur during the evening or morning instead of the darkness of night.

All in all, it is still too soon for us to know precisely what C/2023 A3 will do. Astronomers are still unsure of the comet's size, which could determine whether it breaks apart during an outburst of sublimation or stays intact. The type of ices and their distribution in the comet's nucleus can also affect how its brightness will change. However, with the help of Unistellar Citizen Astronomers, these unknowns aren't keeping SETI scientists from trying to predict how C/2023 A3 will act.

[...] As long as it survives its trip around the Sun, comet C/2023 A3 is bound to ignite a spark in the new generations on our planet. Even Graykowski's conservative estimates, shown in yellow, place the peak brightness at -0.1, which is still brighter than all but a handful of stars in the sky.

[...] As C/2023 A3 journeys closer to our corner of the solar system, researchers and citizen scientists will continue to gather data and watch it intently. Through the diligent efforts of astronomers and the power of the SETI Institute/Unistellar Network, we have obtained valuable glimpses into the early stages of this comet's trek across the solar system to inform us about its future. Stay tuned for 2024!

Original Submission