The AlphaGalileo Blog 11/06/2021
June eNews
Welcome to the June edition of our eNews.
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Top 5 May 2021
1. Queen’s historian releases new book on American evangelicals and the radical right, published by Queen’s University, Belfast, on 6 May 2021
An historian from Queen’s University Belfast has launched a new book on one of the most controversial political movements in the American Christian Right. ‘Survival and Resistance in Evangelical America: Christian Reconstruction in the Pacific Northwest’, by Professor Crawford Gribben from the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics at Queen’s, has recently been published by Oxford University Press.
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2. Conspiracy theories characterise views in and about Europe, published by Uppsala Universitet, Sweden, on 3 May 2021
Conspiratorial narratives of internal disintegration and external threats affect views in the European Union and Europe to an increasing extent. Our trust in society is put to the test in crises such as COVID-19 when various groups are singled out as the villains. In extreme cases, this can inspire acts of terror. Researchers from Uppsala University are among those demonstrating this in the new book Europe: Continent of Conspiracies. Conspiracy Theories in and about Europe.
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3. Stirling experts develop artificial intelligence to monitor water quality more effectively, published by the University of Stirling on 4 May 2021
Artificial intelligence that enhances remote monitoring of water bodies – highlighting quality shifts due to climate change or pollution – has been developed by researchers at the University of Stirling.
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4. New report reveals impact of over £1.8billion on UK science and economy by Diamond Light Source, published by Diamond Light Source Ltd, UK
A new study by Technopolis and Diamond estimates a cumulative monetised impact of at least £1.8 billion from the UK’s synchrotron, Diamond Light Source, reflecting very favourably with the £1.2 billion investment made in the facility to date. And it costs less than a cup of coffee as each taxpayer contributes only £2.45 a year towards it. The study, published today (26 May), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4769839 set out to measure and demonstrate Diamond’s scientific, technological, societal, and economic benefits. The report summarises the findings and highlights the significant impact it has achieved to date.
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5. Pollutant degradation and greenhouse gas reduction: New study explores functionality in aquatic ecosystems, published by the University of Bayreuth, Germany, on 7 May 2021
The functions of water-dominated ecosystems can be considerably influenced and changed by hydrological fluctuation. The varying states of redox-active substances are of crucial importance here. Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have discovered this, in cooperation with partners from the Universities of Tübingen and Bristol and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Halle-Leipzig. They present their discovery in the journal Nature Geoscience.
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Editor's choices
SARS-CoV-2 research accelerator: worldwide network headed by Goethe University develops protocols for laboratories by Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main on 4th May 2021
For the development of drugs or vaccines against COVID-19, research needs virus proteins of high purity. For most of the SARS-CoV-2 proteins, scientists at Goethe University Frankfurt and a total of 36 partner laboratories have now developed protocols that enable the production of several milligrams of each of these proteins with high purity, and allow the determination of the three-dimensional protein structures. The laboratory protocols and the required genetic tools are freely accessible to researchers all over the world.
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Image Caption: Scientists Martin Hengesbach (left) und Andreas Schlundt at the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometre at Goethe-University Frankfurt, Germany. Photo: Uwe Dettmar for Goethe-University Frankfurt, Germany
Which animals will survive climate change? published by McGill University on 14th May 2021
Genetic changes in threespine stickleback fish driven by seasonal shifts could help scientist predict how certain species will adapt to new environments
Climate change is exacerbating problems like habitat loss and temperatures swings that have already pushed many animal species to the brink. But can scientists predict which animals will be able to adapt and survive? Using genome sequencing, researchers from McGill University show that some fish, like the threespine stickleback, can adapt very rapidly to extreme seasonal changes. Their findings could help scientists forecast the evolutionary future of these populations.
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Image caption: Threespine stickleback fish. Credit: Rowan Barrett
Image of the month
Young Orangutans Have Sex-Specific Role Models published by University of Zurich on 20th May 2021
Social learning in orangutans is shaped by their sex. Young males learn their foraging skills from immigrant individuals, while young females get their skills by observing their mothers and other residents in the area. These different sets of ecological knowledge help secure their survival.
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Image caption: Different role models: Females develop a similar feeding pattern to their mothers, while males extend it. (Image: Julia Kunz)
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