# brain: cockroaches, a spatial representation of the olfactory space

AA were able << to show - for the first time - the existence of a spatial representation of the olfactory space in the brain of a cockroach >>

University of Konstanz. Spatial perception of odorants in cockroaches. Feb 19, 2018.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180219103904.htm

AA << identified 12 types of pheromone-responsive projection neurons (..), each with spatially tuned receptive field >>

Hiroshi Nishino, Masazumi Iwasaki, et al. Spatial Receptive Fields for Odor Localization. Current Biology 2018; 28 (4): 600 - 608.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.12.055.  Feb 8, 2018.

http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(17)31688-3

# evol: cockroaches, the most detailed information about their evolutionary history

<< As a widespread group of insects with a fossil record dating back 300 My, cockroaches provide an ideal model for testing hypotheses of vicariance through plate tectonics versus transoceanic dispersal >>

AA << analyses provide evidence that both vicariance and dispersal have played important roles in shaping the distribution and diversity of these insects >>

Thomas Bourguignon, Qian Tang, et al.  Transoceanic Dispersal and Plate Tectonics Shaped Global Cockroach Distributions: Evidence from Mitochondrial Phylogenomics. Molecular Biology and Evolution. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msy013. Feb 06,  2018.

https://academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/molbev/msy013/4827068

Oxford University Press. Cockroach ancient geographic and genomic history traced back to last supercontinent. Feb 6, 2018

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-02-cockroach-ancient-geographic-genomic-history.html 

# chem: how to quickly wrap droplets with a splash to stabilize emulsions

<< Whether an object has a regular or irregular shape, wrapping it with a thin film can be challenging >>

Deepak Kumar, Joseph D. Paulsen, et al.  Wrapping with a splash: High-speed encapsulation with ultrathin sheets. Science. 2018; 359 (6377): 775 - 8. doi: 10.1126/science.aao1290. Feb 16, 2018.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6377/775

<< The quick and simple solution Kumar [Deepak Kumar] has found is a huge advance, and once he mastered it and identified the most important parameters, he found he could get adventurous and make different shapes. "We show that we have made cubes and a tetrahedron, for example" >>

<< If you want to add complexity, you could put a layer or a pattern on the inside of the wrapping, or you could add a window to make it slightly leaky. Once you know how to do the technique, it's not fussy. >>

University of Massachusetts Amherst. Physicists speed up droplet-wrapping process. Feb 15, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-02-physicists-droplet-wrapping.html

# soc: just only one #POTUS Donald's (chaotic) tweet to change the course of California's 2018 elections, by John

<< Well, there's a guy who was supported by 76% of the party's voters in the PPIC survey. That would be Trump. And he's got an effective way to ensure a chosen candidate gets a ton of free attention. Yes, a presidential tweet. >>

<< The flip side, of course, is that an embrace from Trump could turn off millions of otherwise persuadable California voters. But for a party with limited options, firing up the voters you already have may be better than doing nothing at all. >>

John Myers. How one Trump tweet could change the course of California's 2018 elections. Feb 18, 2018.

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-road-map-trump-endorsement-republicans-governor-20180218-story.html

https://twitter.com/latimes/status/965137674112774145

<< His tweets have the power to shape international relations, send stock prices up — or down — and galvanize the American public. >>

Everything President Trump has tweeted (and what it was about)

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-updates-everything-president-trump-has-tweeted-and-what-it-was-about-2017-htmlstory.html

# chem: strange labyrinth structures when a crystal is split in two

<< what happens when the periodic pattern [of a ionic crystal] comes to an abrupt end? >>

<< If one splits a cubic crystal along a certain direction, one can end up with only positive or only negative charges at the surface. Such a situation would be highly unstable >>

<< Strangely though, by raising the temperature of the surface slightly, the islands break apart and the atoms form a labyrinth of jagged lines >>

<< The labyrinth structures are not only beautiful ... >>

Vienna University of Technology. Strange things happen when a crystal is split in two. Feb 2, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-02-strange-crystal.html 

Martin Setvin, Michele Reticcioli, et al. Polarity compensation mechanisms on the perovskite surface KTaO3(001). Science. 2018; 359 (6375): 572 - 5. doi: 10.1126/science.aar2287. Feb 2, 2018.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6375/572

# epidem: they fall from the sky

<< Aerosolization of soil-dust and organic aggregates in sea spray facilitates the long-range transport of bacteria, and likely viruses across the free atmosphere. >>

The << results provide an explanation for enigmatic observations that viruses with very high genetic identity can be found in very distant and different environments. >>

Isabel Reche, Gaetano D’Orta, et al. Deposition rates of viruses and bacteria above the atmospheric boundary layer. The ISME Journal.
doi: 10.1038/s41396-017-0042-4. Jan 29,  2018.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-017-0042-4

University of British Columbia.  Viruses - lots of them - are falling from the sky. Feb 6, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-02-viruseslots-themare-falling-sky.html

# astro: we have to escape with a speed of 550 km/s

<< When a rocket is launched into space, it is thrown out with a speed of 11 km/s to overcome the Earth's gravitational pull [..] Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is over a trillion times heavier than our tiny planet Earth so to escape its gravitational pull we have to launch with a speed of 550 km/s. >> Prajwal Kafle.

International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research. Milky Way ties with neighbor in galactic arms race. Feb 14, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-02-milky-ties-neighbor-galactic-arms.html  

FonT

intrigante il video che simula la collisione- fusione