Hacker News
- The blast that shook the ionosphere https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/the-blast-that-shook-the-ionosphere/ 5 comments
- Electronic amoeba finds solution to traveling salesman problem in linear time https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/electronic-amoeba-finds-approximate-solution-to-traveling-salesman-problem-in-linear-time/ 9 comments
- Fresh look at mysterious Nasca lines in Peru https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/fresh-look-at-mysterious-nasca-lines-in-peru 25 comments
- Why don’t fish freeze to death in icy water? https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/why-dont-fish-freeze-to-death-in-icy-water/ 32 comments
- A bacterium (named PBSase) found in the sea can degrade a plastic (PBS) that otherwise resists microbial breakdown in marine environments https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/marine-bacteria-take-a-bite-at-plastic-pollution/ 32 comments science
- ‘Presolar’ meteorite grains, older than our Solar System, may have formed in steps not predicted by conventional theory — research that may aid understanding of nanoparticle formation, and how stars evolve https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/the-world-in-grains-of-interstellar-dust/ 2 comments science
- Chaos theory improves understanding of Arctic narwhal behavior, with the aim of helping efforts to protect this vulnerable species.They are one of the most vulnerable Arctic species due to climate change, human activity, and predation by such invasive species as killer whales. https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/clarifying-the-chaos-of-narwhal-behavior/ 10 comments science
- Study shows that Greenland ice sheet may halve in volume by year 3000 https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/greenland-ice-sheet-may-halve-in-volume-by-year-3000/ 55 comments science
- Scientists predict that continued global warming under current trends could lead to an elevation of the sea level by as much as five meters by the year 3000 CE https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/melting-of-the-antarctic-ice-sheet-could-cause-multi-meter-rise-in-sea-levels-by-the-end-of-the-millennium/ 52 comments science
- Scientists predict that continued global warming under current trends could lead to an elevation of sea level by as much as five meters by 3000 CE. The study demonstrates clearly that the impact of 21st-century climate change on the Antarctic ice sheet extends well beyond the 21st century itself. https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/melting-of-the-antarctic-ice-sheet-could-cause-multi-meter-rise-in-sea-levels-by-the-end-of-the-millennium/ 9 comments science
- Scientists have uncovered a summertime climate pattern in and around the Arctic that could drive co-occurrences of European heatwaves and large-scale wildfires with air pollution over Siberia and subpolar North America. Wildfire smoke that increases PM2.5 and heatwaves are of significant concern. https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/newly-identified-atmospheric-circulation-enhances-heatwaves-and-wildfires-around-the-arctic/ 4 comments science
- A hydrogel, a type of soft matter, developed at Hokkaido University successfully reverted cancer cells back to cancer stem cells within 24 hours, in six different human cancer types https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/uprooting-cancer-hydrogel-rapidly-reverts-cancer-cells-back-to-cancer-stem-cells/ 14 comments science
- Scientists in Japan have found that the atmospheric wave from the Beirut blast led to electron disturbances high in Earth’s upper atmosphere. It generated a wave that travelled in the ionosphere in a southwards direction at a velocity of around 0.8 KM per second, similar to the speed of sound waves. https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/the-blast-that-shook-the-ionosphere/ 7 comments science
- Scientists from Japan and the USA have confirmed the presence in meteorites of a key organic molecule which may have been used to build other organic molecules, including some used by life. The discovery validates theories of the formation of organic compounds in extraterrestrial environments. https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/key-building-block-for-organic-molecules-discovered-in-meteorites/ 502 comments science
- Scientists have estimated that the age of an individual does not indicate how likely they are to be infected by SARS-CoV-2. However, development of symptoms, progression of the disease, and mortality are age-dependent https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/age-does-not-contribute-to-covid-19-susceptibility/ 6 comments science
- New insight into the origin of water on Earth. Scientists have found the interstellar organic matter could produce an abundant supply of water by heating, suggesting that organic matter could be the source of terrestrial water. https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/new-insight-into-the-origin-of-water-on-the-earth/ 5 comments science
- Bio-inspired hydrogel stiffens 1,800-fold into rigid plastic when exposed to heat and softens when cooled, doing the opposite of what polymer-based plastic materials normally do, that could protect motorcyclists and drivers during accidents, inspired by thermophiles from deep sea thermal vents. https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/bio-inspired-hydrogel-can-rapidly-switch-to-rigid-plastic/ 6 comments science
- Computer simulations provide evidence that an insulating layer of gas hydrates could keep a subsurface ocean from freezing beneath Pluto's ice. A gassy insulating layer beneath the icy surfaces of distant celestial objects could mean there are more oceans in the universe than previously thought. https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/gas-insulation-could-be-protecting-an-ocean-inside-pluto/ 3 comments science
- Scientists have demonstrated for the first time that horses integrate human facial expressions and voice tones to perceive human emotion, regardless of whether the person is familiar or not. https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/how-do-horses-read-human-emotional-cues/ 15 comments science
- Obesity is a known risk factor for certain types of cancer, including colon, pancreatic and breast cancer. Now researchers have identified a molecular mechanism whereby obesity can inhibit a “first-line” anti-tumor defense mechanism. https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/obesity-inhibits-key-cancer-defense-mechanism/ 36 comments science
- Ants selectively farm aphids for their sweetness: ants manipulate aphid reproduction rates to achieve a specific mix of green and red aphids, maintaining the inferior green aphids which produce the ants' favorite snack. https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/ants-master-manipulators-for-biodiversity-or-sweet-treats/ 10 comments science