Showing 20 articles starting at article 261
Categories: Mathematics: Puzzles, Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published Flightless bird species at risk of extinction
(via sciencedaily.com) Bird species that have lost the ability to fly through evolution have become extinct more often than birds that have retained their ability to fly, according to new research.
Published Ancient blanket made with 11,500 turkey feathers
(via sciencedaily.com) New research sheds light on the production of an 800-year-old turkey feather blanket and explores the economic and cultural aspects of raising turkeys to supply feathers in the ancient Southwest.
Published Quantum magic squares
(via sciencedaily.com) The magic of mathematics is particularly reflected in magic squares. Recently, quantum physicists and mathematicians introduced the notion of the quantum magic square, and for the first time studied in detail the properties of this quantum version of magic squares.
Published A biochemical random number
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have generated a huge true random number using DNA synthesis. It is the first time that a number of this magnitude has been created by biochemical means.
Published Henderson island fossils reveal new Polynesian sandpiper species
(via sciencedaily.com) Fossil bones collected in the early 1990s on Henderson Island, part of the Pitcairn Group, have revealed a new species of Polynesian sandpiper. The Henderson Sandpiper, a small wading bird that has been extinct for centuries, is formally named Prosobonia sauli after Cook Islands-based ornithologist and conservationist Edward K Saul.
Published Computer scientists launch counteroffensive against video game cheaters
(via sciencedaily.com) Computer scientists have devised a new weapon against video game players who cheat. The researchers developed their approach for detecting cheaters using the popular first-person shooter game Counter-Strike. But the mechanism can work for any massively multiplayer online (MMO) game that sends data traffic to a central server.
Published New genome alignment tool empowers large-scale studies of vertebrate evolution
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Three new articles present major advances in understanding the evolution of birds and mammals, made possible by new methods for comparing the genomes of hundreds of species. Researchers developed a powerful new genome alignment method that has made the new studies possible, including the largest genome alignment ever achieved of more than 600 vertebrate genomes.
Published Giant lizards learnt to fly over millions of years
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Most detailed every study into how animals evolve to better suit their environments shows that pterosaurs become more efficient at flying over millions of years before going extinct with the dinosaurs.
Published Random effects key to containing epidemics
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have discovered why dividing a large population into multiple subpopulations that do not intermix can help contain outbreaks without imposing contact restrictions within those local communities.
Published A new method for directed networks could help multiple levels of science
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers reveal a new method for analyzing hierarchies in complex networks and illustrate it by applications to economics, language and gene expression.
Published Battery-free Game Boy runs forever
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers develop first-ever battery-free, energy-harvesting, interactive device. And it looks and feels like a retro 8-bit Nintendo Game Boy.
Published Revolutionary quantum breakthrough paves way for safer online communication
(via sciencedaily.com) The world is one step closer to having a totally secure internet and an answer to the growing threat of cyber-attacks, thanks to a team of international scientists who have created a unique prototype which could transform how we communicate online.
Published Skat and poker: More luck than skill?
(via sciencedaily.com) Chess requires playing ability and strategic thinking; in roulette, chance determines victory or defeat, gain or loss. But what about skat and poker? Are they games of chance or games of skill in game theory? This classification also determines whether play may involve money. Economists have studied this question and developed a rating system similar to the Elo system used for chess.
Published Randomness theory could hold key to internet security
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers identified a problem that holds the key to whether all encryption can be broken -- as well as a surprising connection to a mathematical concept that aims to define and measure randomness.
Published More realistic computer graphics
(via sciencedaily.com) New software techniques make lighting in computer-generated images look more realistic for use in video games, extended reality, and scientific visualization tools.
Published Links between video games and gambling run deeper than previously thought, study reveals
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study suggests that a number of practices in video games, such as token wagering, real-money gaming, and social casino spending, are significantly linked to problem gambling.
Published Consumers prefer round numbers even when the specific number is better news
(via sciencedaily.com) Consider this scenario: A vaccine for the novel coronavirus has been developed that is 91.27% effective. If public health officials present this information using the specific number, people are likely to think the vaccine is actually less effective than if it is presented as being 90% effective. This concept is a real-life application of recent findings from Gaurav Jain, an assistant professor of marketing in the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, published recently in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Process.
Published Smokers good at math are more likely to want to quit
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source For smokers who are better at math, the decision to quit just adds up, a new study suggests. Researchers found that smokers who scored higher on a test of math ability were more likely than others to say they intended to quit smoking.
Published Achievement isn't why more men are majoring in physics, engineering and computer science
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have found that the reason there are more undergraduate men than women majoring in physics, engineering and computer science is not because men are higher achievers. On the contrary, the scholars found that men with very low high-school GPAs in math and science and very low SAT math scores were choosing these math-intensive majors just as often as women with much higher math and science achievement.