Ford lifts forecast, citing better semiconductor supply

Ford reported better-than-expected results Wednesday, citing a "significant" improvement in semiconductor availability in the latest quarter and announcing it would restore dividends.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-10-ford-citing-semiconductor.html

Ransomware gang says it targeted National Rifle Association

A ransomware gang believed to operate out of Russia says it hacked the National Rifle Association, the most powerful gun-rights group in the United States.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-10-ransomware-gang-national-rifle-association.html

Scientists discover how forest fires influence rain cloud formation in the Amazon

A Brazilian study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment shows how wildfires and forest burning for agriculture influence rain cloud formation in the Amazon. According to the authors, aerosols (tiny solid particles and liquid droplets emitted into the atmosphere by fire) hinder the freezing of cloud droplets when the atmosphere is humidified, but can also promote freezing when the atmosphere is dry. This alters the natural functioning of clouds and their typical height, and may also affect precipitation and the amount of sunlight reaching the ground.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-10-scientists-forest-cloud-formation-amazon.html

Exploring the dual function of the CTCF protein

The rapid scientific advancements that followed the mapping of the human genome have revealed just how staggeringly complex the world of genetics is. We now know that proteins are not just the products of genes, but that they also interact with genes, influencing and regulating the rhythm of their expression. A typical example of this are transcription factors, which begin the transcription of genes from DNA into mRNA—the first step to making a protein.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-10-exploring-dual-function-ctcf-protein.html

How Black Twitter has become the new 'Green Book,' and more

In 1936 in Harlem, New York, a Black postal worker named Victor Green bound together a green, 15-page booklet listing New York City businesses that were welcoming to African Americans.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-10-black-twitter-green.html

Getting NASA data to the ground with lasers

NASA launches satellites, rovers, and orbiters to investigate humanity's place in the Milky Way. When these missions reach their destinations, their science instruments capture images, videos, and valuable insights about the cosmos. Communications infrastructure in space and on the ground enables the data collected by these missions to reach Earth. Without ground stations to receive it, the extraordinary data captured by these missions would be stuck in space, unable to reach scientists and researchers on Earth.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-10-nasa-ground-lasers.html

How to find hidden oceans on distant worlds? Use chemistry

A new study shows how the chemicals in an exoplanet's atmosphere can, in some cases, reveal whether or not the temperature on its surface is too hot for liquid water.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-10-hidden-oceans-distant-worlds-chemistry.html