Welcome to Overnight News Digest- Saturday Science. Since 2007 the OND has been a regular community feature on Daily Kos, consisting of science stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time.
Topics in today’s digest include:
- Air conditioning poses a climate conundrum
- NASA’s solar sail mission is stuck
- A window coating to help cool your house
- The ground-breaking naturalist who bankrupted himself to share his science
- A Swiss chocolate breakthrough?
- Teaching ibis to migrate
- Using locally-sourced clay, mud, or cement to 3D-print affordable homes
- Study finds gut health critical to Alzheimer’s prevention and cure
- Scientists find synchronization effect among classical music listeners
- Keeping garden pests off veggies with trap plants
- Using largemouth bass to reduce invasive goldfish
Phys.org
by Renée Cho
Air Conditioning Poses a Climate Conundrum
Because heat can be a life or death issue, air conditioning is essential. But not only is it a necessity for human health; we also need it to refrigerate food and medicines, to cool computers in data centers and in manufacturing processes for electronics and pharmaceuticals, among other reasons. The problem: The more we cool, the more planet-warming global greenhouse gas emissions we pump into the atmosphere.
[…]
Before the invention of the air conditioner in the 1920s, cities were designed with narrow streets exposed to the sun only for short periods during the day. Cul-de-sacs created barriers against the heat. Shady squares with fountains gave people places to retreat from the heat.
What follows in the article are several non-ac solutions.
Gizmodo
by Passant Rabie
NASA’s Pioneering Solar Sail Mission Is Stuck
It’s been a few months since launch, and NASA’s solar sail mission isn’t looking so good; ground teams have so far failed to deploy its massive Sun-gliding system. The mission is designed to test new materials and deployable structures for solar sail propulsion as a form of space travel, but the mission’s success could be in jeopardy.
[…]
During an initial attempt to unfurl, the mission’s solar sail paused when an onboard power monitor detected higher-than-expected motor currents, NASA wrote in a recent update. NASA engineers are analyzing data from the spacecraft to understand what may have caused the sudden glitch. The spacecraft’s communications, power, and attitude control are operating normally in the meantime, according to NASA.
BGR
by Joshua Hawkins
This is the most bizarre idea we’ve seen to cool your home in a heat wave, but it works
A British engineer has come up with a bizarre but genuinely intriguing idea to help cool down homes during the heat waves still hitting Europe and the United Kingdom. Instead of having to rely on expensive air conditioning units—many homes don’t have them—Tom Greenhill has recommended using a yogurt window coating to help cool your house off.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why would you put yogurt on your windows? Well, turns out the reason is that when the yogurt dries, it actually creates this “fritted glass effect” that Greenhill says causes the window to reflect light and heat instead of letting it inside.
The Conversation
by Bienvenido León
Alexander von Humboldt: the groundbreaking naturalist who bankrupted himself to share his life’s work
Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was one of the most famous figures of his time, not only in his native Prussia but throughout the world. In addition to being a leading geographer, climatologist, ecologist and oceanographer, he attached great importance to the dissemination of knowledge to society as a whole.
[…]
In 1799 Humboldt requested permission from King Charles IV of Spain to explore the Spanish colonies in America. Against all odds, the monarch authorised the trip, apparently impressed by the young man’s knowledge and the arsenal of scientific instruments at his disposal.
[…]
After his voyage, Humboldt returned to Europe and devoted himself to sharing his findings. He published 32 volumes of his Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America between 1814 and 1831. He subsequently published five volumes of his magnum opus, Cosmos, between 1845 and 1848, which aimed to be a compendium of all existing knowledge of natural science at the time.
[…]
These costly publications were paid for by Humboldt himself, eventually leading him to bankruptcy.
BBC
by Imogen Foulkes
Have Swiss scientists made a chocolate breakthrough?
Imagine picking up a nice juicy apple - but instead of biting into it you keep the seeds and throw the rest away.
That's what chocolate producers have traditionally done with the cocoa fruit - used the beans and disposed of the rest.
But now food scientists in Switzerland have come up with a way to make chocolate using the entire cocoa fruit rather than just the beans - and without using sugar.
The Guardian
by Phoebe Weston
This bird came back from extinction - now scientists in an aircraft are teaching it to migrate
The northern bald ibis was extinct in central Europe for 300 years. Now, it has returned – and scientist “foster parents” aboard a tiny plane are teaching the birds to fly their long-forgotten migration routes.
Thirty-six of these endangered birds are now following an ultralight aircraft 1,740 miles (2,800km ) from Austria to Spain, on a trip that could take up to 50 days to complete.
During the flight, human foster parents sit on the back of the microlight, waving and shouting encouragement to the birds as they fly. Biologist Johannes Fritz – who came up with the idea – pilots the small aircraft, which has a small fan-like motor on the back and yellow parachute keeping it aloft.
New Atlas
by Joe Salas
Wasp-inspired setup 3D-prints complete homes for $1,000
The Crane WASP, also known as "the infinity 3D printer," uses locally sourced clay, mud or cement to 3D-print affordable homes. It can even use agricultural waste as aggregate. The system is now being used to build much-needed housing in Colombia.
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has recently acquired a
Crane WASP to print affordable homes in Colombia, utilizing local soil and resources. The printer itself is worth about US$180,000.
The Brighter Side News
by Joseph Shavit
Lifechanging study finds gut health is critical to the prevention and cure of Alzheimer’s disease
Recent groundbreaking research spearheaded by Drs. Yuhai Zhao and Walter J Lukiw at the LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center unveils a previously unknown pathway from the gut to the brain which may be a pivotal contributor to the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
The fascinating twist? There’s also a relatively straightforward way to prevent this from happening. The study's results are now accessible in the esteemed scientific journal, Frontiers in Neurology.
PsyPost
by Eric W. Dolan
Scientists observe a remarkable synchronization effect among classical music listeners
Picture yourself at a classical music concert, enveloped by the sweeping melodies of Beethoven or Brahms. As you listen, you may not realize that your heart rate and breathing are subtly syncing with those of the people around you. A new study has shown that the shared experience of live music creates a remarkable physiological bond among audience members, revealing the profound impact of music on the human body. The research has been published in Scientific Reports.
The Cooldown
by Mandy Carr
Gardener shares unbelievable method to keep hungry pests off your garden greens: 'My mind is blown'
Having your own garden can help you eat healthier and save money, but pests can be a pain to deal with. It's not easy keeping them away from plants.
Luckily, a gardener posted a video on Instagram showing how trap plants can save the plants you want.
Aly (@ourmidwestroots) posted a video showing the trap plant she uses to protect other plants in her garden. Trap plants are usually used around the perimeter, but she doesn't have a perimeter, so she found another way.
The Cooldown
by Kaiyo Funaki
Officials introduce voracious fish to fend off invasive species before it spreads to major lake: 'Ecologically important'
Keeping invasive species in check can be an arduous task that sometimes requires labor-intensive solutions. However, conservationists in upstate New York have implemented a creative yet simple method to rid their waters of destructive predators.
The Adirondack Explorer reported that authorities released five largemouth bass into a pond at the artificial wetlands of Charles R. Wood Park to eliminate goldfish that have plagued the area.
Their reputation as a small and low-maintenance pet belies the havoc they can wreak on an ecosystem, as they can swell to an average of 14 inches long in the wild by preying on native snails, insects, fish eggs, small fish, and aquatic vegetation.
This is an open thread where everyone is welcome, especially night owls and early birds, to share and discuss the science news of the day. Please share your articles and stories in the comments.
August 31st is moving day #1 so I may not be back on 9/1 to comment. We’ll see how it goes… Please talk amongst yourselves.
