Science X Dialog

Science X Dialog is where researchers can share news and information about their own published journal articles.
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Dialog / I've been talking to conspiracy theorists for 20 years – here are my six rules of engagement

With prospects of a COVID-19 vaccine looking up, attention is also turning to the problem of anti-vax ideas. According to a recent survey, one in six Britons would refuse a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available. Although ...

Jul 22, 2020 in Other Sciences
Dialog / What makes people switch to reusable cups? It's not discounts, it's what others do

People are more likely to use re-usable coffee cups if they see others doing it, or if cafe owners charge extra for throwaway coffee cups, our research has found.

Jul 21, 2020 in Medicine & Health
Dialog / Until teachers feel safe, widespread in-person K-12 schooling may prove impossible in US

Safely resuming in-person instruction at U.S. public schools is important for the academic, physical, emotional and social well-being of children and their families. It's also a key factor for the nation's economic recovery.

Jul 16, 2020 in Other Sciences
Dialog / Which species will win and lose in a warmer climate? It depends where they evolved

As the global climate shifts, it's important to know which species have adaptations to survive. Our research published today in PNAS found it largely depends on where they evolved.

Jul 10, 2020 in Biology
Dialog / Most people carry remnants of a chemical pollutant, and ultrasound technology can help clean it up

There's a type of synthetic chemical which has been so widely used over the last 70 years that its remnants can be found in 99% of humans. Even low level exposure to this pollutant is known to increase the risks of several ...

Jul 8, 2020 in Chemistry
Dialog / How bird life may be affected by roads, and what to do about it

"Build, build, build." In an attempt to kickstart the UK's economic recovery from COVID-19, prime minister Boris Johnson has announced a £5 billion boost to infrastructure projects, including £100 million for roads. Sadly, ...

Jul 8, 2020 in Biology
Dialog / Sustaining the enhanced electrical conductivity of chemically doped carbon nanotube wires

Modern technologies continue to become lighter, smaller, and faster, although the conductors used to power these technologies remain relatively unchanged. Conventional metal conductors, largely copper, are used to power the ...

Jul 3, 2020 in Nanotechnology
Dialog / Novel nanomaterials for cheap and thin electrically responsive films

Is it possible for the next generation of optical nanomaterial films to outperform high-purity crystals? Can nanomaterial films form cheap screens that respond faster than liquid crystal displays?

Jul 1, 2020 in Nanotechnology
Dialog / Climate change: 40°C summer temperatures could be common in UK by 2100

A stark warning about the kind of summer that could become routine in the UK by the end of this century has been issued in a new study by the country's Met Office.

Jul 1, 2020 in Earth
Dialog / Aleppo pine population responses to climate change reveal differential sensitivity to precipitation

Trees are crucial organisms in many terrestrial ecosystems. Tree responses to climate variations could influence the global carbon and water cycles considerably and affect the ecosystem services that forests provide. However, ...

Jun 30, 2020 in Earth
Dialog / The sustainability of arsenic-safe groundwater in the Bengal Delta

Worldwide, an estimated 220 million people are drinking groundwater containing the toxin arsenic (As) at concentrations above the World Health Organization guideline of 10 parts per billion. About 94% of the people at risk ...

Jun 30, 2020 in Earth
Dialog / Coronavirus and cancer hijack the same parts in human cells to spread: Existing cancer drugs could fight COVID-19

Most antivirals in use today target parts of an invading virus itself. Unfortunately, SARS-CoV-2—the virus that causes COVID-19—has proven hard to kill. But viruses rely on cellular mechanisms in human cells to help them ...

Jun 29, 2020 in Medicine & Health