Tag Archives: Distinctive

Novels with Distinctive Structures are Often Considered Classics

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The persistent appeal of books may hinge on more than their narratives

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What causes certain novels to be forgotten over time while others achieve bestseller status upon release only to vanish later? This research suggests the answers may lie within the intricacies of their language and sentence structure.

Prior studies have delved into the attributes that elevate certain books to bestseller status. Charming male protagonists often dominate; however, we know little about the factors that sustain a novel’s popularity a century later.

For deeper insights, refer to Leyao Wang from York University in Toronto, Canada. She and her colleagues examined 300 English novels published between 1909 and 1923. Half of these titles have made it to the top 10 bestseller lists. Publishers weekly commenced its trade in 1872 with titles like Lucky Young Man by William John Locke and Black Cow by Gertrude Thurston.

However, these novels don’t appear in readers’ top 10 read lists—past, present, or future. This data reflects the publication year of the novels. The other half, which includes titles like The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie and Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery, regardless of their bestseller status at the time, continue to gain traction on Goodreads today.

The research team employed AI models to classify these two categories based on 70% of the selected novels. When these models analyzed the full text for word patterns, it was observed that bestsellers were generally longer and incorporated more colloquial expressions like “yeah,” “oh,” and “okay.” These books also made greater use of punctuation.

Researchers assert these characteristics don’t carry the same weight in capturing today’s readers’ interest, yet they significantly enhance readability and overall appeal.

Notably, modern favorites tend to be concise yet feature more complex sentences and vocabulary. This prompted researchers to question whether this necessitates greater attention from readers.

When the AI models were evaluated against the remaining 30% of books, they successfully categorized them with approximately 70% accuracy.

“Numerous other factors likely influence longevity, such as themes, marketing strategies, and author recognition, yet our findings indicate that aspects of the text alone can potentially predict timelessness without considering these more apparent external factors,” the researchers noted. Gaining an understanding of what elements render literature both captivating and enduring “could prove crucial for both publishers and authors.”

However, Dorothy Hale at the University of California, Berkeley cautions that the impact of a novel should be assessed over a century before deeming it timeless. She highlights that the popularity of well-established classics also varies over time. “While many might regard Shakespeare as the quintessential timeless author in English literature, there’s a current trend in American institutions to drop Shakespeare requirements from English majors,” she observes.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

A newly discovered Stegosaurus species had distinctive skin armor

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A new genus and species of stegosaur from the Middle Jurassic period has been identified from fossilized posterior skulls discovered in the Middle Atlas Mountains, south of Fez, Morocco.

Artist’s impression Tireosaurus atlasix. Image credit: Sci.News.

Tireosaurus atlasix lived in North Africa during the middle Jurassic period, about 165 million years ago.

This species is closely related to Dakentrulus members of the clade Dacenturinae within the Tyreophoran dinosaur family Stegosauridae.

Dr. Mostafa Oukas of Casablanca’s Universidad Hassan II and his colleagues said, “Thireophora is a diverse clade of herbivorous ornithischians consisting of stegosaurs, sclerosaurs, and basal types.”

“Thyleophorans have an extensive fossil record spanning from the Early Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous and are best known from well-preserved specimens from Laurasia.”

“In contrast, fossil remains are poorly known in Gondwana, and most of them are partial,” the researchers added.

“In Africa, thyreophorans may have been present since the Early Middle Jurassic.”

“Stegosaur body fossils have been recorded from the Middle Jurassic of Morocco, the Late Jurassic of Tanzania, and the Early Cretaceous of South Africa.”

“African ankylosaurs are represented by Spicomerus afar from Morocco during the Middle Jurassic period.”

divided partial skeleton Tireosaurus atlasix found in gray marl. El Mars III formation is located in the northern part of the Bourafa region near Bourmane, in the Atlas region of central Morocco.

“In 2021, during a geological mapping mission south of Bourmane, we discovered a new site rich in dinosaur remains in the El Mars III Formation,” the paleontologists said.

“This site, named Bourafa North, is located north of the Bourafa quarry.”

“This material was collected during several consecutive field trips and consists of the posterior skull of a stegosaur, including dorsal vertebrae and ribs, limb bones, and skin armor.”

According to the team: Tireosaurus atlasix had a strange asymmetrical skin armor, unique among stegosaurs.

“Dermal armor is Tireosaurus atlasix “It is composed of up to 4 cm (1.6 in) thick bone oval to subrectangular shaped osteoderms,” ​​the researchers said.

“The asymmetrical texture of the sides, with one side roughly decorated with small holes and strands of fibers and the other with a distinct cross-hatch pattern, is unlike anything previously observed in other stegosaurs and sclerosaurs. It’s clearly different.”

“The bone histology of these osteoderms is reminiscent of the histology of stegosaur tail spines.”

“These osteoderms are interpreted to have been placed in a lying position on the animal’s body, rather than in an upright position.”

Tireosaurus atlasix was estimated to be over 6 meters (19.7 feet) long.

“The axial features indicate that this specimen belongs to a medium- to large-sized stegosaur,” the scientists said.

“The holotype corresponds to an adult individual that has not yet reached its maximum body size.”

discovery of Tireosaurus atlasix is important in understanding the evolutionary history of stegosaurs and other thyreophora dinosaurs.

“Recent discoveries are adraticrit and Tireosaurus atlasix “We provide insight into the early evolution of stegosaurs during the Middle Jurassic of Africa,” the authors concluded.

of findings appear in the diary Gondwana research.

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Omar Zafati other. 2024. A new stegosaur dinosaur (Ornithischian: Thyreophora) with prominent cutaneous armor that lived during the Middle Jurassic period of North Africa. Gondwana research 131: 344-362; doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2024.03.009

Source: www.sci.news

The distinctive chemical makeup of adolescent perspiration includes hints of musk and urine aromas

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Body odor usually worsens around puberty

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Teens appear to produce chemicals in their sweat that cause body odor, such as urine, musk, and sandalwood. Awareness of these chemicals may lead to more effective odor control measures, such as more effective deodorants.

Because the chemical compounds in sweat are volatile, they easily turn into gases that are perceived as odor. Hormonal changes that occur during puberty are associated with increased body odor.

helen ruth Researchers at Germany’s Friedrich-Alexander University studied how body odor changes from childhood to adolescence.

The team recruited 18 children up to the age of three and 18 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18. They all washed themselves with unscented gel before bed and had cotton pads sewn to the sides of their clothes.

The researchers then extracted the compounds absorbed by the pads and identified them using a technique called mass spectrometry. They then used a process called gas chromatography and trained evaluators to detect the odorous chemicals. “The human nose is used as a detector,” Roos says.

Overall, the body odor-causing chemicals in the two groups were similar, but the chemicals collected from the teens contained higher levels of some carboxylic acids, and the judges described it as “cheap”, “musty” and “earthy”.

The researchers also identified two steroids unique to the teens’ samples, which smelled of “urine and musk” and “sandalwood and musk,” respectively. Chemical differences between teen body odor and toddler body odor may be why toddlers are generally considered to have more pleasant smells, the researchers write.

Ruth says further research into the scents we produce at different ages could help scientists develop more effective odor control measures.

but andreas natsch Swiss fragrance maker Givaudan notes that the study only assessed overnight body odor. “In adults, more pungent odors occur when they are under mental or physical stress,” he says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The Role of Microorganisms in Creating Cheddar Cheese’s Distinctive Flavor

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Cheddar cheese often has a creamy, nutty flavor, but can also have fruity, meaty notes.

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Cheddar cheese’s nutty, creamy flavor depends slightly on a delicate balance of bacteria that scientists have now identified. Understanding how these bacteria interact can help cheesemakers achieve the specific flavor they are trying to create, and even help create starters with the right balance of microbes. This could lead to computer simulations for formulating cultures.

All fermented foods and beverages, including cheese, kimchi, and kombucha, rely on complex interactions between microorganisms. To make cheese in particular, a starter culture is added to milk to begin fermentation, acidifying the dairy product and giving it a slightly tangy taste.

Cheese makers have long known that some of the important bacteria involved in this process are: thermophilus and types LactococcusHowever, little was known about how these interact and whether those interactions affect the flavor of cheese.

Kratz Melkonian Researchers from Utrecht University in the Netherlands focused on cheddar cheese, one of the world’s most popular cheeses.

They used variations of four starter cultures to create different cheese samples. One was from an industrial producer of such starters and included both. thermophilus bacteria and types Lactococcusmainly seeds L. lactis and its variants L. cremoris. Others were made by researchers and either contained the same bacteria as before or not. thermophilus bacteria or there is no type Lactococcus.

After a year, the research team found that the cheese made from the starter thermophilus bacteria The population of the type of ~ was much smaller Lactococcus Better than anything else, even a starter of nothing Lactococcus The type to start with.this suggests thermophilus bacteria important to strengthen Lactococcus It will grow, Melkonian said.

When it comes to taste, L. cremoris It seems to control the production of diacetyl and acetoin, the chemicals that give buttery flavor, but in too high a quantity can cause an “unpleasant” taste.

L. cremoris It also increased the concentration of compounds that add subtle meaty, fruity notes, the researchers wrote in the paper. Without this variant, cheese tended to contain high levels of chemicals that add nutty and creamy flavors.

There was no difference in the microbial activity or taste of cheeses using the same starter bacteria, regardless of whether the starter was made industrially or by the team.

Overall, these findings indicate that the flavor within cheddar cheese is easily influenced by various bacterial interactions. This could help cheesemakers fine-tune the taste of the cheese they’re making, Melkonian says. “We now have targets whose interactions can affect different bacteria.” Computer simulations can help you formulate starters with the right proportions of different bacteria to achieve the desired flavor. You could do that, he says.

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  • microbiology/
  • Eating and drinking

Source: www.newscientist.com