Latest news with #TexasA&MUniversity
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Scientists Developed a Kind of 'Living Concrete' That Heals Its Own Cracks
Concrete is an excellent and versatile material, but it's not without its limitations. One of the biggest problems materials scientists are keen to find a workaround for is its brittleness. Concrete doesn't have very high tensile strength at all, which means it's prone to cracking under stress. One way of resolving this issue would be to develop concrete that can fill in its own cracks, and a new method could be that panacea. A team led by mechanical engineer Congrui Grace Jin of Texas A&M University has developed concrete that can heal itself by harnessing the power of synthetic lichen. It improves on previous attempts at creating self-healing 'living' concrete made using bacteria, the researchers say, by being fully self sustainable. "Microbe-mediated self-healing concrete has been extensively investigated for more than three decades," Jin explains, "but it still suffers from one important limitation – none of the current self-healing approaches are fully autonomous since they require an external supply of nutrients for the healing agents to continuously produce repair materials." Approaches using bacteria, for instance, can require humans to spray nutrients by hand to encourage the organisms to get to work to repair the damaged concrete. In a paper first authored by Nisha Rokaya of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Jin and colleagues take this approach a step further. Lichens are not single organisms, but examples of obligate mutualism, a symbiotic partnership between fungus and cyanobacteria or algae. The researchers designed a bespoke lichen using cyanobacteria that fix carbon dioxide and nitrogen from the atmosphere, and a filamentous fungus that attracts ionized calcium and promotes the precipitation of large amounts of calcium carbonate – the material that makes eggshell, sea shells, coral, and chalk. In laboratory tests, these lichens were able to heal cracks in concrete by depositing large amounts of calcium carbonate, gluing the crack back together and preventing it from spreading further. It's actually not dissimilar to the ancient Roman self-healing concrete that uses chemical reactions to produce the calcium carbonate to repair concrete. Unlike the bacteria approaches, the lichen doesn't need to be fed: it just hangs out, doing its thing, and doesn't need to be tended by humans. It needs to be investigated further – the researchers next plan to see how the lichen deals with pre-existing cracks – but it could present a way to improve the lifespan of a material that has become vital to humanity's way of life. "The results demonstrated the potential of creating a stable phototrophic-heterotrophic system for self-sustained concrete repair," the researchers write, "utilizing the capabilities of two species simultaneously and eliminating the need for exogenous nutrient supplies." The findings have been published in Materials Today Communications. World's First CRISPR-Edited Spiders Shoot Fluoro Red Silk From Their Butts Who Gets Your 'Digital Remains' When You Die? Here's Some Expert Advice. Rubik's Cube Record Smashed in Less Time Than It Takes to Blink
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Revolutionary-era gunboat buried for centuries beneath Ground Zero gets new life
The Brief An incredible discovery dating back to the 1700s is now in the process of being restored before going on display at a museum. Pieces of an 18th-century wooden gunboat buried deep beneath what was the World Trade Center were uncovered back in 2010. "It was found in landfill that was used to expand New York City." NEW YORK CITY - An incredible discovery dating back to the 1700s – all unearthed beneath Ground Zero – is now in the process of being restored before going on display at the New York State Museum. Dig deeper The discovery happened back in 2010, when pieces of an 18th-century wooden gunboat buried deep beneath what was the World Trade Center were uncovered by archaeologists excavating the site. "We began looking at the ship itself and trying to piece ideas back together," said Dr. Peter Fix, associate research scientist with Texas A&M University. "One possibility that came up was a gunboat, built on probably the New Jersey side of the Delaware River, right across from Philadelphia, in the summer of 1775." What they're saying Fix and a team from the university studied and stabilized the water vessel. The original materials had to be worked with as the pieces of the ship were submerged in water for a long time. "The thing that we had to do was to document the ship in a way that we could rebuild all the individual pieces into the ship on a computer," Fix said. The ship, about 50 feet long, featured a raised deck. It's now being reconstructed at the New York State Museum. The process is open to the public as an exhibit called "The Gunboat at Ground Zero: A Revolutionary War Mystery." Once the ship, almost in its entirety, is back together, it will remain on display. "It was found in landfill that was used to expand New York City." Michael Lucas "Well, first of all, it's a very interesting artifact," Michael Lucas, curator of historical archeology at the museum in Albany, said. Local perspective How the ship ended up buried in New York City remains a mystery, but it's believed the war-era vessel was at some point abandoned along the Hudson River. "It was found in landfill that was used to expand New York City," Lucas said. "So, there's a story about the expanse of New York City in the 1790s, and then in order to expand the city, they had to make land out into the river." The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is now located where the Hudson River once was. Historians and archaeologists say evidence, including artifacts, suggests the vessel was likely captured by the British and traveled south, perhaps as far as the Caribbean before arriving in New York. "There was a British military button with a 52 on it, which stands for an infantry unit called the 52nd of Foot, so it's a British regiment. You have three gun flints. We have a couple of buttons. We have some, a lot of lead shots," Lucas said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
How 'tropical waves' carry confounding clues about huge hurricanes
Pull up the National Hurricane Center's daily map this week and you'll see that no tropical cyclone activity is expected within the next seven days as the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season kicks off on June 1. Twenty years ago, this 7-day outlook might have been unthinkable, but with improvements in satellites and forecast technology, meteorologists now know more than ever about when and where storms form and move. Thanks to higher resolution satellites, hurricane researchers also know more about the weather patterns that move westward across the Atlantic and Caribbean that could eventually become tropical storms or cyclones. Known as tropical waves, these patterns – found in the atmosphere above the surface and not in the ocean – have always moved across the Atlantic and around the globe. These waves are found in areas of low pressure above the surface in the atmosphere. Forecasters are watching these waves more closely than ever and understand more about how some of them become the seeds of tropical storms and hurricanes, said Kelly Núñez Ocasio, assistant professor in the atmospheric sciences department at Texas A&M University. As a result, the waves also catch the attention of casual observers who find their way to the page where the hurricane center's highly trained specialists present their discussion of what's happening across the Atlantic basin. When a tropical wave gets mentioned, there's no immediate cause for alarm or concern. Most of the waves "aren't very noteworthy, and about half of them are almost imperceptible," said Chris Landsea, chief of the National Hurricane Center's tropical analysis and forecast branch. They're mostly found in the lower latitudes, along a band across the Caribbean south of the Florida Keys. By themselves, the waves have little impact on states outside Florida to the north, he said. For example, 'the (waves) we're watching right now (on May 29, 2025) aren't going to be impacting the U.S. at all." Still, it's "very important" for the hurricane center to track tropical waves, Landsea said. Even without further development, tropical waves can impact local weather in Florida and the Caribbean by influencing thunderstorms and bringing gustier winds as they approach. The other reason to keep an eye on tropical waves is that some of the strongest that come off the African Coast tend to create the most dangerous hurricanes. Roughly 80 tropical waves are found across the Atlantic basin in a given year, said Landsea, who has studied tropical waves for decades. Between 40 and 60 of those emerge off the African Coast during the hurricane season that begins June 1 and ends December 1, said Núñez Ocasio. Fewer than two dozen of these waves become named tropical storms. Even fewer become hurricanes. However, the waves are particularly important for forecasters to observe because "most of the hurricanes that get strongest originate from tropical waves," Landsea said. An estimated 85% of the most intense hurricanes – the Category 3's, 4's and 5's, with winds of 111 mph or more – get their start in the tropical waves that move off the African coast, he said. To become a depression or storm, a tropical wave must encounter a perfect set of conditions in the surrounding ocean and atmosphere that include very warm ocean water, relatively moist air, and a potentially unstable atmosphere. How do you study a hurricane? Meet the fancy tech behind the science Researchers such as Núñez Ocasio are working to answer riddles such as what makes some hurricanes larger in size than others and why some waves form hurricanes and others do not. The more they learn, the more the information can be used to improve hurricane forecast models. The stronger waves often begin over the high mountains of Ethiopia in eastern Africa, gathering strength, size and moisture from the monsoon as they move west, said Núñez Ocasio. A lot of "very warm air" rises over the mountains in an area where the African easterly jet stream enters the region, she said. The resulting convection produces waves that interact with the West African monsoon and the wind energy in the jet, and by the time they reach the western coast, their structure is already more suitable to become a tropical depression, she said. It's only been within the last few years, that researchers have been able to correlate the intensity of a wave coming off Africa with the intensity of any tropical depression it forms, she said. "Those waves that originate over the Ethiopian highlands are actually the ones more likely to become hurricanes." Her research proved timely last summer, when an expected busy season kind of stalled out at one point in mid-summer. A very active monsoon ranged over Africa, so intense that it was flooding areas of the Sahara Desert where flooding hadn't been previously seen, she said. The tropical waves and the African jet were pushing farther north and not coming off the coast along the typical Atlantic hurricane track, she said. That pattern may suggest a shift in the peak of Atlantic hurricane season in response to climate change, with waves forming and moving more slowly, and gathering more moisture, she said. "All the entire tropical atmosphere is changing .... Tropical waves are getting more intense with the changing climate." Learning about potential tropical systems earlier than in the past is not a reason to worry, but it can be a reason to prepare early, she said. "It's about thinking twice, decision-making to safeguard life and property." Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, writes about hurricanes, violent weather and other environmental issues. Reach her at dpulver@ or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why hurricane forecasters closely watch 'tropical waves'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump Shows Signs of ‘Cognitive Decline' Says Speech Expert
Donald Trump's rambling speeches and stream-of-consciousness press briefings could be symptoms of his 'cognitive decline,' according to one of America's top rhetoric experts. The warning comes as Trump and his aides are seeking a congressional probe into Joe Biden's mental state during his one-term presidency. The extent to which Biden, now 82, hid his capability has led to major questions over whether he was fit to lead the country. Now, Trump, who was the oldest president to be inaugurated at the age of 78 and seven months in January, is facing scrutiny over his position as the most powerful man on the planet. His father, Fred, was reportedly diagnosed with dementia in the early 1990s and died of pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease at age 93 in 1999. Dr. Jennifer R. Mercieca, professor of Communication and Journalism at Texas A&M University, told the Daily Beast that the president's communication patterns could be a cause for concern. 'His lack of focus makes it seem as though he's experiencing cognitive decline, that his brain is not well-disciplined, and he's unable to maintain a thought and carry it through to a logical conclusion,' she said. Dr. Mercieca, the author of Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump, is an expert on speeches and rhetorical strategy. She said that while she's not a speech pathologist or an expert on ageing, she understands how an audience might easily become confused by the way he talks. 'Trump sees himself as someone who is unscripted and not teleprompter,' she added. 'He likes to brand himself as a 'truthteller' who can and will say anything that comes to mind. 'Unfortunately, that makes his speeches difficult to follow as he digresses from thought to thought—seemingly connecting ideas at random.' The president's April 11 annual physical, carried out by his physician Sean Barbabella, found him to be in 'excellent health.' 'President Trump's days include participation in multiple meetings, public appearances, press availability, and frequent victories in golf events,' Barbabella said in his report. 'President Trump exhibits excellent cognitive and physical health and is fully fit to execute the duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State.' The physician also gave Trump a perfect score for his mental health, claiming: 'Cognitive function, assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), was normal with a score of 30 out of 30.' But in recent public appearances, Trump has shocked audiences with sudden changes of subject and repeated topics and claims. He continually brings up Biden's alleged cognitive decline while in the Oval Office, blames the previous administration for the nation's ills, and goes back to his favorite issues like the price of eggs, the dangers represented by undocumented immigrants, and DEI time and time again. In a speech on Saturday at the prestigious West Point military academy, the president took credit for boosting recruitment and thanked parents for attending, which would be in line with most expectations. But during the nearly hour-long speech, Trump also strayed to say the forces should not 'host drag shows', there would be no teaching of critical race theory, he insisted that men playing women's sports would no longer be permitted, and claimed he was investigated 'more than the great, late Alphonse Capone.' Going off on a tangent, he continued: 'Alphonse Capone was a monster, he was a very hardened criminal. I went through more investigations than Alphonse Capone, and now I'm talking to you as president, can you believe this?' (This isn't true—Trump was indicted four times, and Capone was indicted six times). Even more bizarrely, the president told graduates not to marry 'trophy wives.' In December, Trump said that while his ramblings may appear incoherent, they were 'genius.' 'I do the weave,' he explained. 'You know what the weave is? I'll talk about, like, nine different things that they all come back brilliantly together. And it's like friends of mine that are like English professors, they say: 'It's the most brilliant thing I've ever seen.'' 'But the fake news, you know what they say, 'He rambled.' It's not rambling. What you do is you get off a subject to mention another little titbit, then you get back on to the subject, and you go through this and you do it for two hours, and you don't even mispronounce one word.' His explanation came after his 'weave' involved linking the cannibal serial killer Hannibal Lecter with his immigration policies. At one rally, reported The Guardian, he described the 'late, great Hannibal Lecter' as 'a wonderful man.' While the price of eggs coming down has been a recent topic, before his inauguration, he claimed that the price of wind power had driven up inflation so that people weren't buying bacon. 'You make a speech, and my speeches last a long time because of the weave, you know, I mean, I weave stories into it,' Trump told podcaster Joe Rogan. 'If you don't, if you just read a teleprompter, nobody's going to be very excited. You've got to weave it out. So you, but you always have to, as you say, you always have to get right back to work. Otherwise, it's no good. But the weave is very, very important. Very few weavers around. But it's a big strain on your, you know, it's a big, it's a lot of work. It's a lot of work.' Dr. Mercieca said the idea of the 'weave' was an attempt to deflect criticism. 'In order to counter the perception that these digressions are actually a strategy, Trump has branded his speaking style 'the weave' and claims that experts in rhetoric believe it's a good way to communicate,' she told the Beast. 'It's not a good or effective way to communicate. It shows a lack of discipline and control,' added the award-winning historian of American political rhetoric and rhetorical analyst. A White House spokesperson claimed the university professor suffered from 'Trump derangement syndrome' and insisted: 'President Trump is the most accessible and transparent president in history–constantly showing off his impeccable mental and physical health." However, the American public doesn't appear to be convinced by Trump's assurances about his robust health. A YouGov/Economist poll, conducted last week, found that 45 percent felt Trump had been 'not at all' or 'not very' transparent about his health. The poll also found that 31 percent believed Trump's age and health severely affected his ability as president.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Teachers bring back blue books to curb AI cheating in classrooms
(NewsNation) — Teachers nationwide are turning to a low-tech solution to curb artificial intelligence-assisted cheating: requiring students to write essays and take exams by hand. According to the Wall Street Journal, sales of blue books, the staple-bound exam packets with blue covers, are surging. Campus bookstores report a 30% increase at Texas A&M University, nearly 50% at the University of Florida, and an 80% jump at the University of California, Berkeley over the last two years, the Journal reported. Rubio says the US will begin revoking the visas of Chinese students This shift to handwritten assignments comes as educators grapple with handling AI tools in the classroom. A survey conducted by the American Association of Colleges and Universities and Elon University found that 59% of academic leaders believe cheating has increased since AI tools became widely available. In response, some professors and teachers are bringing back blue books to combat the rise in cheating, while also trying to determine how to evolve with the ever-increasing use of AI. Student visa pause 'disturbing': Ex-education secretary Some academic leaders argue AI can be used to improve students' creativity, writing and research skills. AI advocates believe it's time for teachers to start embracing the technology. 'AI is seeping into every corner of business, culture and society,' said author Matt Britton. 'I think it's up to educators and parents alike to be creative in figuring out ways to embrace it and have it be a part of our everyday lives because we're not going backwards.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
