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6 days ago | 
science.org | Michael Funk |Bianca Lopez |Jake Yeston |Marc S. Lavine
Environmental Science Mapping metalsBianca LopezHistoric and current human activities, such as copper mining near this tailing pond in Romania, pose serious threats to soil health globally. PHOTO: PAL SZILAGYI PALKO/ALAMY STOCK PHOTOMetals and metalloids are ubiquitous in soils, originating from bedrock and from human activities and infrastructure. These compounds can be toxic to humans and other organisms, and their soil distribution and concentrations at global scale are not well known.
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2 months ago | 
science.org | Shixin Ma |Léa Meneu |Hongbo Liu |Ian S. Osborne |Michael Funk |Madeleine Seale | +11 more
Topological Optics Viewing topology in higher dimensionsIan S. OsborneArtistic depiction of a four-dimensional regular lattice that forms a quasicrystalline pattern with fivefold symmetry when projected in two dimensions. The symmetry and topology of physical systems are closely related to the symmetries governing the topological properties. Quasicrystals are ordered systems but have no translation or rotational symmetries.
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Jan 2, 2025 | 
science.org | Michael Funk |Jesse R. Smith |Phil Szuromi |Sacha Vignieri |Jake Yeston |Mattia Maroso | +8 more
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Jan 2, 2025 | 
science.org | Corinne N. Simonti |Jesse R. Smith |Di Jiang |Bianca Lopez |Sarah Ross |Jelena Stajic | +2 more
Deep-Sea Life A bizarre sea slug in the deepDi JiangDeep-sea biodiversity and the ecological adaptations of life are less explored in the bathypelagic zone than in other oceanic zones. Robison and Haddock describe Bathydevius caudactylus, a new nudibranch (sea slug) species that is found at depths of 1013 to 4009 meters in the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
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Dec 19, 2024 | 
science.org | Michael Funk |Ian S. Osborne |Jake Yeston |Madeleine Seale |Sarah Ross |Di Jiang | +7 more
Optomechanics Motions of the quantum collectiveIan S. OsborneMicro- and nanomechanical oscillators can now be manipulated in the quantum regime. They can be entangled with other degrees of freedom and used for quantum teleportation and quantum storage. To date, these systems have been limited to single or pairs of oscillators. Chegnizadeh et al. now demonstrate scale-up, preparing a collective macroscopic system composed of several individual mechanical oscillators in the quantum ground state.
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Oct 24, 2024 | 
science.org | Manojit M. Swamynathan |Madeleine Seale |Sacha Vignieri |Michael Funk
Plant Genetics Gluten forensicsMadeleine SealeTheft of grains, such as wheat, can now be detected by DNA analysis. PHOTO: HEYWOOD YU/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGESAnalyzing human DNA is now commonplace in criminal investigation. However, forensic analysis of plant genetic information is also valuable, for example, to detect grain theft. Kozub et al. analyzed allelic variants encoding wheat gliadin proteins, a component of gluten.
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Sep 5, 2024 | 
science.org | L. Bryan Ray |Jake Yeston |Michael Funk |Iyinoluwa Sofowora
Cell Cycle Choreographing centromere functionL. Bryan RayChromosomes, seen here in a transmission electron micrograph, have a central region known as the centromere that serves as an anchor for cytoskeletal proteins during mitosis. PHOTO: DR. KLAUS BOLLER / SCIENCE SOURCESuccessful cell division requires precise separation of chromosomes with near perfect fidelity to the daughter cells.
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Jul 25, 2024 | 
science.org | Christie Wilcox |Sarah Crespi |Michael Funk |Daniel Clery
Today’s Deep Dive explores the science on the ground at the Olympic Games in Paris. But first, catch up on the latest science news, including how climate change makes rain unpredictable and whether scientists can help corals by killing starfish. Health | News from ScienceAir pollution’s ‘silent’ threatResearchers call osteoporosis, which weakens bones, the “silent” disease, because it often isn’t recognized until a person suffers a debilitating injury.
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Jul 25, 2024 | 
science.org | Giulia Santoni |Natalia Condic |Alice-Agnes Gabriel |Michael Funk
Introduction to Special IssueMichael A. Funk, Caroline Ash, [...] , Jesse Smith, Ekeoma Uzogara, and Brad Wible+2 authors fewerAuthors Info & AffiliationsScience25 Jul 2024Vol 385, Issue 6707pp. 378-379Despite a clear blue sky overhead, a dense haze hangs over central Paris, France, in this photo taken in December 2016 from Montparnasse Tower. Such pollution is typical of inversion layers, in which cold air is held close to the ground by a layer of warmer air.
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Jul 25, 2024 | 
science.org | Sarah Crespi |Michael Funk |Daniel Clery |Angela Saini
Prashanth Vishwanathan/Bloomberg via Getty Images First up this week, Science Senior Editor Michael Funk joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about the magazine’s special issue on air pollution. The two discuss the broad scope of air pollution, from home cooking to transmissible disease. Next, how burned-up satellites may cause pollution problems as megaconstellations take to the skies. Staff Writer Daniel Clery talks about how metals from deorbiting spacecrafts might change the chemistry of the...
