Combined Arctic ice observations show decades of loss
Seattle WA (SPX) Mar 04, 2015 -
It's no surprise that Arctic sea ice is thinning. What is new is just how long, how steadily, and how much it has declined. University of Washington researchers compiled modern and historic measurements to get a full picture of how Arctic sea ice thickness has changed.
The results, published in The Cryosphere, show a thinning in the central Arctic Ocean of 65 percent between 1975 and 2012. ...
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Parasite provides clues to evolution of plant diseases
Norwich, UK (SPX) Mar 04, 2015 -
A new study into the generalist parasite Albugo candida (A. candida), cause of white rust(1) of brassicas(2), has revealed key insights into the evolution of plant diseases to aid agriculture and global food security.
How generalist parasites with wide host ranges evolve is a central question in parasite evolution. Parasites adapt in response to their host organisms' defences and in many c ...
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Predicting human crowds with statistical physics
Washington DC (SPX) Mar 02, 2015 -
For the first time researchers have directly measured a general law of how pedestrians interact in a crowd. This law can be used to create realistic crowds in virtual reality games and to make public spaces safer.
People intuitively know how to navigate through crowds in a way that both minimizes distance travelled and avoids collisions. But the 'force' that governs human interactions has ...
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Origins of AIDS virus strains traced to gorillas
Washington (AFP) March 3, 2015 -
Two of four strains of the virus that can cause AIDS come from gorillas in southwestern Cameroon, an international team of scientists reported in studies published Monday in the United States.
The new information means that researchers now know the origins of all strains of the HIV virus that occur in people.
HIV (HIV-1) has at least four strains. Known as Groups M, N, O and P, each one ...
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The hidden burden of dengue fever in West Africa
Coral Gables FL (SPX) Mar 04, 2015 -
Misdiagnosis of febrile illnesses as malaria is a continuing problem in Africa. A new study shows that in Ghana, dengue fever is circulating in urban areas and going undiagnosed. The authors of the study hope to use the findings to launch a widespread initiative to better understand acute undifferentiated febrile illnesses in West Africa.
"We believe dengue to be one of many diseases with ...
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Munching bugs thwart eager trees, reducing the carbon sink
Madison WI (SPX) Mar 04, 2015 -
In a high carbon dioxide world, the trees would come out ahead. Except for the munching bugs. A new study published in Nature Plants shows that hungry, plant-eating insects may limit the ability of forests to take up elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, reducing their capacity to slow human-driven climate change.
The finding is significant because climate change models typi ...
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Lockheed demos new high-power laser weapon
Bethesda, Md. (UPI) Mar 4, 2015 -
A 30-kilowatt fiber laser weapon system from Lockheed Martin successfully disabled a vehicle engine from a distance of more than one mile.
In the test - said to represent the highest power ever documented by a laser weapon of its type - the beam from the Advanced Test High Energy Asset, or ATHENA, quickly burned through the engine manifold of a truck mounted and running on a test plat ...
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