Disturbed sleep linked to mental health problems in natural disaster survivors

Preliminary results from a new study suggest that sleep disturbances are associated with mental health problems among survivors of a natural disaster even two years after the event.

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Investigating the implications of social robots in religious contexts

Researchers at Siegen University and Würzberg University, in Germany, have recently carried out a study investigating the user experience and acceptability associated with the use of social robots in religious contexts. Their paper, published in Springer's International Journal of Social Robotics, offers interesting insight into how people perceive blessing robots compared to other robots for more conventional purposes.

* This article was originally published here

Manipulating electron spin using artificial molecular motors

Artificial molecular switches and machines have undergone rapid advances over the past several decades. Particularly, artificial molecular motors are highly attractive from the viewpoint of chirality switching during rotational steps. Now, researchers fabricated an electron's spin-filtering device that can switch the spin polarization direction by light irradiation or thermal treatment. The present results are beneficial to the development of solid-state functionalities emerging from nanosized motions of molecular switches.

* This article was originally published here

Four new species of plume moths discovered in Bahamas

Deborah Matthews hunts for plume moths in darkness, waiting for the halo of her headlamp to catch a brief flicker. About the size of mosquitoes, the delicate, feathery moths fly only a few feet at a time. Matthews must watch for that short flight while keeping clear of poisonwood, cracks in the limestone and sinkholes, common hazards of fieldwork in the Bahamas.

* This article was originally published here

Legislators: Boeing wanted to wait 3 years to fix Max flaw

Two key lawmakers said Friday that Boeing planned to delay fixing a nonworking safety alert on its 737 Max aircraft for three years and sped up the process only after the first of two deadly crashes involving Max planes last October.

* This article was originally published here

Scholars investigate how mirror activity works

A team of researchers from Germany and Russia, including Vadim Nikulin from the Higher School of Economics, have demonstrated that long contraction of muscles in one hand increases involuntary reaction of the other one. Meanwhile, the time between muscle contractions in both hands decreases. The results of the study have been published in Neuroscience.

* This article was originally published here

14 lions on the loose in South Africa, with nowhere to go

A pride of 14 lions is on the loose near a mining community bordering South Africa's Kruger National Park, officials said Friday, and warned members of the public to be alert.

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Everything will connect to the internet someday, and this biobattery could help

In the future, small paper and plastic devices will be able to connect to the internet for a short duration, providing information on everything from healthcare to consumer products, before they are thrown away. Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York have developed a micro biobattery that could power these disposable sensors.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers find ways to hackproof smart meters

Smart electricity meters are useful because they allow energy utilities to efficiently track energy use and allocate energy production. But because they're connected to a grid, they can also serve as back doors for malicious hackers.

* This article was originally published here