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Categories: Biology: Botany, Physics: Optics
Published The positional transmitter of statoliths unveiled: It keeps plants from getting lazy
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Plants orient their organs in response to the gravity vector, with roots growing towards gravity and shoots growing in the opposite direction. The movement of statoliths responding to the inclination relative to the gravity vector is employed for gravity sensing in both plants and animals. However, in plants, the statolith takes the form of a high-density organelle, known as an amyloplast, which settles toward gravity within the gravity sensing cell. Despite the significance of this gravity sensing mechanism, the exact process behind it has eluded scientists for over a century.
Published Making molecules dance to our tune reveals what drives their first movements
(via sciencedaily.com) Bringing ultrafast physics to structural biology has revealed the dance of molecular 'coherence' in unprecedented clarity.
Published Researchers identify peptides for pollen tube growth in rice
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Rapid alkalinization factors (RALFs) are required for pollen tube germination and elongation, an essential process in plant fertilization. But their role in monocot plants remains unexplored. Scientists have now identified OsRALF17 and OsRALF19 in rice and determined their functions in pollen tube germination and growth. This study provides novel insights into the role of RALFs in rice fertilization, paving the way for enhanced grain yield.
Published The oldest and fastest evolving moss in the world might not survive climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A 390-million-year-old moss called Takakia lives in some of Earth's most remote places, including the icy cliffs of the Tibetan Plateau. In a decade-long project, a team of scientists climbed some of the tallest peaks in the world to find Takakia, sequence its DNA for the first time, and study how climate change is impacting the moss. Their results show that Takakia is one of the fastest evolving species ever studied -- but it likely isn't evolving fast enough to survive climate change.
Published Technology advance could expand the reach of 3D nanoprinting
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed an easy-to-build, low-cost 3D nanoprinting system that can create arbitrary 3D structures with extremely fine features. The new 3D nanoprinting technique is precise enough to print metamaterials as well as a variety of optical devices and components such as microlenses, micro-optical devices and metamaterials.
Published Researchers use SPAD detector to achieve 3D quantum ghost imaging
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have reported the first 3D measurements acquired with quantum ghost imaging. The new technique enables 3D imaging on a single photon level, yielding the lowest photon dose possible for any measurement.
Published Potential novel breakthrough treatment for fungal infections
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fungal infections are killing thousands of Americans each year, some with a morbidity rate of nearly 80%. To make matters worse, only a handful of antifungal treatments are available, and even those are becoming less effective as fungi become more resistant. However, researchers recently published findings indicating that a novel breakthrough treatment may have been discovered.
Published Uncovering the Auger-Meitner Effect's crucial role in electron energy loss
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Defects often limit the performance of devices such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The mechanisms by which defects annihilate charge carriers are well understood in materials that emit light at red or green wavelengths, but an explanation has been lacking for such loss in shorter-wavelength (blue or ultraviolet) emitters.
Published Self-supervised AI learns physics to reconstruct microscopic images from holograms
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have unveiled an artificial intelligence-based model for computational imaging and microscopy without training with experimental objects or real data. The team introduced a self-supervised AI model nicknamed GedankenNet that learns from physics laws and thought experiments. Informed only by the laws of physics that universally govern the propagation of electromagnetic waves in space, the researchers taught their AI model to reconstruct microscopic images using only random artificial holograms -- synthesized solely from 'imagination' without relying on any real-world experiments, actual sample resemblances or real data.
Published New photocatalytic system converts carbon dioxide to valuable fuel more efficiently than natural photosynthesis
(via sciencedaily.com) A research team recently developed a stable artificial photocatalytic system that is more efficient than natural photosynthesis. The new system mimics a natural chloroplast to convert carbon dioxide in water into methane, a valuable fuel, very efficiently using light. This is a promising discovery, which could contribute to the goal of carbon neutrality.
Published Unleashing a new era of color tunable nano-devices -- smallest ever light source with switchable colors formed
(via sciencedaily.com) New research has achieved a significant breakthrough in color switching for nanocrystals, unlocking exciting possibilities for a simple, energy efficient display design and for tunable light sources needed in numerous technologies. The discovery also has potential applications in sensitive sensors for various substances, including biological and neuroscience uses, as well as advancements in quantum communication technologies. This nanomaterial breakthrough holds the promise of inspiring exciting innovations in the future.
Published Butterfly-inspired films create vibrant colors while passively cooling objects
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New films inspired by butterfly wings circumvent the heating effect usually experienced by colored objects absorbing light on a hot day. The new films could be used on the outside of buildings, vehicles and equipment to reduce the energy needed for cooling while preserving vivid color properties.
Published Fiber optic cables detect and characterize earthquakes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The same fiber optic networks that provide internet can simultaneously act as earthquake sensors, as demonstrated in a new study.
Published Thermal imaging innovation allows AI to see through pitch darkness like broad daylight
(via sciencedaily.com) Engineers have developed HADAR, or heat-assisted detection and ranging.
Published Absence of universal topological signatures in high harmonic generation
(via sciencedaily.com) Theoreticians report that they found no evidence of any universal topological signatures after performing the first ab initio investigation of high harmonic generation from topological insulators.
Published Sun 'umbrella' tethered to asteroid might help mitigate climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Earth is rapidly warming and scientists are developing a variety of approaches to reduce the effects of climate change. An astronomer has proposed a novel approach -- a solar shield to reduce the amount of sunlight hitting Earth, combined with a tethered, captured asteroid as a counterweight. Engineering studies using this approach could start now to create a workable design that could mitigate climate change within decades.
Published New method improves proton acceleration with high power laser
(via sciencedaily.com) Bringing protons up to speed with strong laser pulses -- this still young concept promises many advantages over conventional accelerators. For instance, it seems possible to build much more compact facilities. Prototypes to date, however, in which laser pulses are fired at ultra-thin metal foils, show weaknesses -- especially in the frequency with which they can accelerate protons. An international working group has tested a new technique: In this approach, frozen hydrogen acts as a 'target' for the laser pulses.
Published Novel Raman technique breaks through 50 years of frustration
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a new technique that vastly improves readings of protein-to-ligand interactions through Raman spectroscopy.
Published Engineering team uses diamond microparticles to create high security anti-counterfeit labels
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a pioneering technological solution that counterfeiters have no response to.
Published Dry days trigger leaves to send a surprising growth signal telling roots to keep growing
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered a new molecular signalling pathway, triggered when leaves are exposed to low humidity, that ensures plant roots keep growing towards water. A new study has found that when the leaves of a plant are exposed to dry air (low humidity), they send a shoot-to-root signal, using abscisic acid (ABA), to tell the roots to keep growing. This is a surprising finding as ABA is usually thought to be a growth inhibitor, not a growth promoter.