Gates says billionaires should pay 'significantly' more taxes
Bill Gates says he has paid more than $10 billion in taxes over a lifetime but billionaires like him should pay "significantly" more because they benefit more from the system.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2018-02-gates-billionaires-significantly-taxes.html
Earthquakes follow wastewater disposal patterns in southern Kansas
Wastewater created during oil and gas production and disposed of by deep injection into underlying rock layers is the probable cause for a surge in earthquakes in southern Kansas since 2013, a new report in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America concludes.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2018-02-earthquakes-wastewater-disposal-patterns-southern.html
First video of 'dumbo' octopod hatchling shows that they look like mini-adults
Researchers who've gotten the first look at a deep-sea "dumbo" octopod hatchling report in Current Biology on February 19 that the young octopods look and act much like adults from the moment they emerge from an egg capsule. Dumbo octopods are so named because their fins resemble Dumbo the elephant's ears.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2018-02-video-dumbo-octopod-hatchling-mini-adults.html
Computers aid discovery of new, inexpensive material to make LEDs with high color quality
A team led by engineers at the University of California San Diego has used data mining and computational tools to discover a new phosphor material for white LEDs that is inexpensive and easy to make. Researchers built prototype white LED light bulbs using the new phosphor. The prototypes exhibited better color quality than many commercial LEDs currently on the market.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2018-02-aid-discovery-inexpensive-material-high.html
France to let wolf packs grow despite angry farmers
The French government announced Monday it will allow the wolf population to grow 40 percent despite pressure from farmers in mountain regions who are worried about their sheep flocks.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2018-02-france-wolf-farmers-anger.html
Duplicate genes help animals resolve sexual conflict
Duplicate copies of a gene shared by male and female fruit flies have evolved to resolve competing demands between the sexes. New genetic analysis by researchers at the University of Chicago describes how these copies have evolved separate male- and female-specific functions that are crucial to reproduction and fertility. These changes occurred in just 200,000 years since the genes duplicated, meaning that this process can resolve selective pressures between sexes and specialize relatively quickly.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2018-02-duplicate-genes-animals-sexual-conflict.html
Farming crops with rocks to reduce CO2 and improve global food security
Farming crops with crushed rocks could help to improve global food security and reduce the amount of CO2 entering the atmosphere, a new study has found.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2018-02-farming-crops-co2-global-food.html
Global grazing lands increasingly vulnerable to a changing climate
Some 800 million people around the world depend on livestock that graze on natural vegetation for their livelihoods and food security. In a good season, grasses and other plants flourish, supporting robust herds. In a bad season, the system suffers - as do the people who rely on it. The difference between a good and bad year? One significant and increasingly volatile factor is precipitation.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2018-02-global-grazing-increasingly-vulnerable-climate.html
Pattern formation—the paradoxical role of turbulence
The formation of self-organizing molecular patterns in cells is a critical component of many biological processes. Researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich have proposed a new theory to explain how such patterns emerge in complex natural systems.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2018-02-pattern-formationthe-paradoxical-role-turbulence.html
Were Team GB's skeleton suits responsible for fantastic three medal haul?
Team GB skeleton rider Lizzie Yarnold won a stunning Winter Olympic gold on February 17, backed up by bronzes for Laura Deas and Dom Parsons. Thanks to drag-resistant ridges, 3-D laser scanning and topnotch material, Team GB's skeleton suits are said to have provided up to a one-second advantage per run over the rest of the field and have been a hot topic of controversy.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2018-02-team-gb-skeleton-responsible-fantastic.html
Source: https://phys.org/