Tag: system
See the First Complete Map of a Mammal’s Peripheral Nervous System in Stunning Detail
These Stunning Images Show Every Nerve in a Mouse This new “connectome” could bring researchers one step closer to understanding how nerves connect to organs throughout the body By Nora Bradford edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier The mouse vagus nerve (white) branches into the stomach and small intestine. Join Our Community of Science Lovers! Your…
Government plans to overhaul asylum appeals system
The government is planning an overhaul of the asylum appeals system, as it tries to cut the number of migrants staying in hotels while they await a ruling. A new, independent body will be established, staffed by independent adjudicators, with the aim of hearing cases more quickly. The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said she was…
Trump Cuts Could End U.S. Exploration of the Outer Solar System
NASA Budget Cuts Could End U.S. Exploration of the Outer Solar System By Hannah Richter edited by Lee Billings A pellet of plutonium 238, illuminated by the glow of its own radioactivity. NASA and other space agencies use this material in radioisotope power sources for interplanetary missions to the solar system’s darkest, most distant destinations.…
The secret system Hamas uses to pay government salaries
After nearly two years of war, Hamas’s military capability is severely weakened and its political leadership under intense pressure. Yet, throughout the war Hamas has managed to continue to use a secret cash-based payment system to pay 30,000 civil servants’ salaries totalling $7m (£5.3m). The BBC has spoken to three civil servants who have confirmed…
This Number System Beats Binary, But Most Computers Can’t Use It
This Number System Beats Binary, But Most Computers Can’t Use It Why do computers only work with the numbers 0 and 1? There are machines that process three digits with more efficiency than you might expect By Manon Bischoff edited by Daisy Yuhas The Babylonians used separate combinations of two symbols to represent every single…
Astronomers See Planet Formation ‘Time Zero’ in an Alien Solar System
Astronomers Witness an Alien Solar System’s Birth for the First Time Observations of a baby star may show the earliest stages of planet formation that astronomers have ever seen By Lee Billings edited by Dean Visser A view of HOPS-315, a baby star some 1,400 light-years from Earth where astronomers have observed evidence for the…
Japan’s New Undersea Earthquake Detection System Will Improve Tsunami Prediction
Japan Wires the Ocean with an Earthquake-Sensing ‘Nervous System’ Japan’s new earthquake-detection network lengthens warning times, and researchers in Wales have harnessed nuclear blast detectors to gauge tsunami risks. But the U.S. lags in monitoring the massive Cascadia megathrust fault By Deni Ellis Béchard edited by Dean Visser Aerial view of the devastated along the…
New Interstellar Object Comet 3I/ATLAS—What We Know So Far as It Zips through the Solar System
New Interstellar Object Stuns Scientists as It Zooms through Solar System All eyes are on Comet 3I/ATLAS as astronomers worldwide chase the exotic ice ball through our solar system By Nora Bradford edited by Lee Billings A diagram shows the trajectory of interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS as it passes through the solar system. It will make…
A Gigantic Megacomet Is Erupting as It Zooms through the Solar System
Astronomers Spy Jets Spewing from Megacomet Zooming through the Solar System Recent observations have revealed carbon monoxide venting from the largest comet ever seen, providing clues about its origins in the mysterious depths of the outer solar system By Jonathan O’Callaghan edited by Lee Billings In this artist’s impression, a comet erupts with jets of…
Could the Solar System Lose a Planet to a Passing Star?
The UniverseFridays How a Passing Star Could Oust Planets from the Solar System Close stellar encounters could change the structure of our planetary system, potentially dooming Earth or other worlds to oblivion By Phil Plait edited by Lee Billings This artist’s concept depicts one of the solar system’s inner planets slamming into Earth after being…
NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft, Exploring Solar System Origins, Is Back on Track after Thrusters Lost Power
NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft, Exploring Solar System Origins, Is Back on Track after Thrusters Lost Power This explorer spacecraft is heading to a rare asteroid with a naked metal core. It could hold clues to how Earth began By Josh Fischman edited by Dean Visser Artist rendering of the Psyche spacecraft in orbit around its namesake…
PM promises tougher visa rules to fix ‘broken’ migration system
Sir Keir Starmer has promised to overhaul a “broken” immigration system, with plans to tighten English tests for all visa applicants and their adult dependents among the reforms being considered. Migrants will also have to wait 10 years to apply to settle in the UK, instead of automatically gaining settled status after five years, under…
Mysterious Glowing Structure Discovered Near Solar System
Giant, Glowing Gas Cloud Discovered Just 300 Light-Years Away An enormous glowing cloud that contains approximately 3,400 solar masses worth of gas has been discovered near the solar system By Keith Cooper & SPACE.com A crescent-shaped gas cloud has been spotted on the edge of the so-called Local Bubble, shown here in this artist’s illustration…
How Plastic, Glass and Paper Move through the Recycling System
What Happens to the Plastic in Your Recycling Bin? Much of the U.S. uses single-stream recycling, where plastic, glass and paper go into one bin. Here’s what happens to that material and ways engineering is trying to improve the process By Alex Jordan & The Conversation US A truck dumps its contents of recyclable items…
Myanmar earthquake death toll tops 2,000, as health system ‘overwhelmed’
WHO warns there is urgent need for care capacity, while US agency says number of dead could eventually exceed 10,000 The fallout from Myanmar’s earthquake has overwhelmed parts of the healthcare system, the World Health Organization has said, as the official death toll rose to more than 2,000, with many more missing. “The earthquake’s devastation…
At-a-glance: The key changes to the benefits system
The government has announced plans for major changes to the benefits system aimed at cutting the growing amount the UK spends on welfare. Pip is paid to people in England and Wales who have difficulty completing everyday tasks or getting around as a result of a long-term physical or mental health condition. It is not…
In the federal court system, law clerks find little recourse for bullying and abuse
Carrie Johnson This story includes descriptions of sexual abuse. In 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic began its rampage, a recent law school graduate started a new job in Alaska. She hoped the coveted post – as law clerk to a federal judge – would jump-start her career. Instead, it was almost derailed by harassment and…
Africa’s medical system risks ‘collapse in next few years’, warns health leader
Focusing foreign aid on infectious diseases has allowed a rise in cancer and diabetes that African governments don’t have resources to fight, says Dr Githinji Gitahi Health services in Africa are at risk of “collapse in the next few years” due to soaring chronic diseases, a senior public health leader has warned. Foreign aid to…
Tumors Hijack the Nervous System to Fuel Their Own Growth
Tumors Hijack the Nervous System to Fuel Their Own Growth Interrupting signals exchanged between tumors and the nervous system could become a critical pillar of cancer care By Ingrid Wickelgren edited by Gary Stix Brain tumor. Cancer arises as an enemy from within. One of the body’s own cells becomes damaged or corrupted and then…
Which Foods Are the Most Ultraprocessed? New System Ranks Them
Which Foods Are the Most Ultraprocessed? New System Ranks Them Scientists have created a ranking of grocery store items based on their degree of processing By Lori Youmshajekian edited by Tanya Lewis Most grocery stores seem to offer endless options in their aisles, which are full of cereals, pastas and baked goods available in hundreds…
How Many Planets Are in the Solar System?
The UniverseFridays How Many Planets Are in the Solar System? The number of planets that orbit the sun depends on what you mean by “planet,” and that’s not so easy to define By Phil Plait edited by Lee Billings All eight of the solar system’s “major” planets appear in this illustration, but the actual number…
Visa-waiver system could overwhelm UK immigration services, law firm warns
There are also fears electronic travel authorisation will threaten post-peace tourism sector in Northern Ireland The UK Home Office’s already burdened immigration services could be overwhelmed this summer when a new visa-waiver system comes into force for European business travellers and tourists in April, a leading law firm has said. There have also been fresh…
Los Angeles Fires Could Push California’s Insurance System to the Brink
Los Angeles Fires Could Push California’s Insurance System to the Brink Damages from the recent fires in the Los Angeles area could overwhelm California’s already stressed insurer of last resort By Blanca Begert, Camille von Kaenel, Thomas Frank, Zack Colman & E&E News A cyclist pedals along Pacific Coast Highway past burning homes in Malibu,…
How the Outdoors Affects Our Nervous System and Changes Our Microbiome
Nature Affects Our Hormones and Changes Our Microbiome Nature can affect our nervous system and diversify our microbiome—and you don’t need to go on a hike to reap the benefits. By Rachel Feltman & Fonda Mwangi Rachel Feltman: Happy new year, listeners! For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, this is Rachel Feltman. Whether you’re an avid…