MI weekly selection #316
Ginger molecules may boost growth of beneficial gut bacteria
Molecules found in ginger may help beneficial gut bacteria grow. An increase in such bacteria was observed in mice fed ginger-derived nanoparticles.
Curiosity’s accelerometers help measure Mount Sharp’s density
Accelerometers aboard the Mars rover Curiosity that are used to collect data about the machine itself have also provided information about the density of Aeolis Mons, a mountain informally known as Mount Sharp. Researchers used the accelerometer data to calculate gravity variations, leading them to conclude that Mount Sharp’s rocks may be porous.
Sensors offer new data about Atlantic circulation
The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, or AMOC, may not slow down as much from climate change as once believed, according to data collected by an international group of ocean observers. Initial data from the Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program’s sensors are helping researchers better understand how the AMOC works.
World’s purest light beam
A portable laser device that emits the purest light of its kind is described in Optica. The laser maintains the light’s purity by constantly measuring its wavelengths against earlier measurements and adjusting as errors are detected.
More words may mean more money for writers of grant abstracts
Writing style may influence how much grant funding is awarded to researchers, writes David Markowitz. Markowitz examined over 19,000 National Science Foundation grant abstracts and found that those “with more words and more markers of verbal confidence received more award money.”