What’s hot in science? Research news for the day of September 8 & 9, 2021

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Geologists are digging into the Grand Canyon's mysterious gap in time.

Wed, 08 Sep 2021
Geologists dig into Grand Canyon’s mysterious gap in time

Complex history behind well-known geologic feature

A U.S. National Science Foundation-funded study led by University of Colorado Boulder scientists

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Supercomputing-driven simulations depict the glycan N343 (magenta) acting as a molecular crowbar.

Wed, 08 Sep 2021
Researchers discover hidden SARS-CoV-2 ‘gate’ that opens to allow COVID-19 infection

Supercomputing-derived movies reveal details of deceptive sugar coating on spike protein

Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists have aggressively pursued the secrets of the mechanisms that allow severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2, to enter and infect healthy human cells.

Early in the pandemic, University of

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Satellite data show areas of the oceans where

Thu, 09 Sep 2021
Effect of ‘eddy killing’ in oceans is no longer a matter of guesswork

Scientists document a loss equivalent to detonating a Hiroshima nuclear bomb

Ocean currents, propelled by kinetic energy from the wind, are the great moderators of the Earth’s climate. By transferring heat from the equator to polar regions, they help make our planet habitable.
 
And yet, the large-scale models used by scientists to

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A new study looks at why North America is the global tornado hot spot.

Thu, 09 Sep 2021
Would there be severe thunderstorms over North America if the Gulf of Mexico were filled with land?

Study looks at why North America is the global tornado hot spot

The eastern half of the U.S is one of the principal hot spots for severe thunderstorm activity, especially tornadoes. The standard explanation is the combination of high terrain to the west and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. 

A

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