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Deep radio imaging by researchers in the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape, in South Africa, has revealed that supermassive black holes in a region of the distant universe are all spinning out radio jets in the same direction – most likely a result of primordial mass fluctuations in the early universe. The astronomers publish their results in a new paper in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Longer monsoon seasons with increased daily rainfall, aspects of climate change, are contributing to reduced tea yield in regions of China, with implications for crop management and harvesting strategies, according to findings by a global interdisciplinary team led by Tufts University researchers and published online today in Climate.

For decades, scientists have agreed that comets are mostly water ice, but what kind of ice—amorphous or crystalline—is still up for debate. Looking at data obtained by ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft in the atmosphere, or coma, around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, scientists at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) are seeing evidence of a crystalline form of ice called clathrates.

Although 98 percent of all organizations have sexual harassment policies, sexual harassment remains an issue in the workplace. Researchers at the University of Missouri are evaluating how employees’ interpretations of sexual harassment policies can invalidate the purpose of the policies

An international team of scientists led by the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) have managed to open a new window into the climate history of the Arctic Ocean. Using unique sediment samples from the Lomonosov Ridge, the researchers found that six to ten million years ago the central Arctic was completely ice-free during summer and sea-surface temperature reached values of 4 to 9 degrees Celsius

High-tech genome mapping of coral species from Guam’s marine environment put scientists from the University of Guam’s Marine Laboratory at the forefront of coral reef research. Using the NextSeq 500, a newly installed genetic sequencer, UOG scientists are investigating how fragile coral reefs and marine ecosystems adapt to extreme environmental changes, including impacts associated with climate change such as warmer ocean waters, excessive sedimentation, and ocean acidification.??

A research group at Osaka University has developed an application which is designed to allow anyone with a smartphone or tablet device to study ancient Japanese characters Kuzushi-ji. By using this application, those who are unfamiliar with pre-modern Japanese books or learning Japanese historical and classical literature outside Japan may obtain ability in reading hentaigana and cursive-style kanji, which will promote utilization of Japanese classical books and historical materials by a wider range of people.

Trace contaminants in water are often measured by taking samples from the environment to a lab for analysis, which can lead to inaccurate results due to delayed and irregular sample collection or long-transportation and handling times. Thus, techniques enabling in-situ or real-time measurements of water contaminants are no doubt one of the major steps towards effective control of water quality.

Hacking for ransom is on the rise—on pace to beat out last year’s figures—and hits people where it hurts, locking them out of files, photos and critical records until they pay hackers a bounty to restore their access. Hackers bait users to click on infected email links or open infected attachments, or they take advantage of outdated and vulnerable systems.

As vegetable growers face a lack of skilled farm labor and higher production costs, they are searching for effective, lower-cost mechanical means of getting their products to market. In a study in the February 2016 issue of HortTechnology, researchers looked at the feasibility of using automated thinners in romaine lettuce production.