Light measurement enables estimation of the chemical attributes of spice extracts

Spices and other plant-derived products contain many active components, such as polyphenols and flavonoids. However, even the slightest variations in conditions can considerably affect the extraction efficiency of these active components, posing challenges in determining the exac … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Switching off from work has never been harder, or more necessary. Here's how to do it

In the hit dystopian TV series "Severance," employees at biotech corporation Lumon Industries find it easy to separate work and home life. A computer chip is inserted in their brains to act as a "mindwipe." They leave all thoughts of home behind while at work, and completely forg … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

New model sheds light on grassland desertification dynamics

In a study published in Remote Sensing, scientists from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have employed a Desertification Difference Index (DDI) model to better understand and combat global grassland desertification. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

How to make your life greener in 2024

People all around the world traditionally use their new year to embark on a change in lifestyle. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

A legal scholar explains the need for government databases to retract information

In 2004, Hwang Woo-suk was celebrated for his breakthrough discovery creating cloned human embryos, and his work was published in the prestigious journal Science. But the discovery was too good to be true; Dr. Hwang had fabricated the data. Science publicly retracted the article … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Harnessing all-dielectric metamaterials to manipulate the polarization state of light

Polarization is one of the fundamental characteristics of electromagnetic waves. It can convey valuable vector information in sensitive measurements and signal transmission, which is a promising technology for various fields such as environmental monitoring, biomedical sciences, … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Latest search for new exotic particles at CERN

The CMS experiment has presented its first search for new physics using data from Run 3 of the Large Hadron Collider. The new study looks at the possibility of "dark photon" production in the decay of Higgs bosons in the detector. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

The atmosphere of an exoplanet reveals secrets about its surface

As astronomers have begun to gather data on the atmospheres of planets, we're learning about their compositions and evolution. Thick atmospheres are the easiest to study, but these same thick atmospheres can hide the surface of a planet from view. A Venus-like world, for example, … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Western Cascades landscapes in Oregon historically burned more often than previously thought

Forests on the west slope of Oregon's Cascade Range experienced fire much more often between 1500 and 1895 than had been previously thought, according to new research by scientists at Oregon State University. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

How to start a successful innovation ecosystem

The emergence of informal voluntary organizations capable of triggering "coopetition" where sheer competition and poor resource management prevailed, can be the key to tackling the hurdles that prevent the establishment of an innovation ecosystem, according to Dovev Lavie (Boccon … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Selfies and social media: How tourists indulge their influencer fantasies

A town in the US state of Vermont closed its roads to tourists in September 2023 after a social media tag sparked a swarm of visitors that overwhelmed the rural destination. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Miniaturized jumping robots could study an asteroid's gravity

Missions focusing on small bodies in the solar system have been coming thick and fast lately. OSIRIS-Rex, Psyche, and Rosetta are all examples of projects that planned or did rendezvous with a small body in the solar system. But one of their biggest challenges is understanding th … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

New method of cultivating human norovirus using zebrafish embryo

Food virologists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have successfully propagated the human norovirus using zebrafish embryos, providing a valuable platform to assess the effectiveness of virus inactivation for the water treatment and food industries. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

New species of Arum family reported from Myanmar

The Arum family (Araceae) consists of terrestrial or aquatic shrubs, vines, or herbs. Amorphophallus is a large genus of about 200 tropical and subtropical tuberous herbs of the Arum family. Fifteen Amorphophallus species have been reported from Myanmar, five of which are known t … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Draw-and-write mapping: Effective way to capture children's natural representations

Mental representations play a crucial role in shaping attitudes and behavior. Children's representations of 'nature' can be assessed along several dimensions, including aspects such as level of wildness, cognitive complexity, degree of elaboration, emotional expression, and repre … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Arabia's alluvial fans grow and decay with Earth's orbital cycles

Erosion of Earth's topography entrains sediment in rivers flowing across mountains, canyons and other naturally steep landscapes within the catchment. This silt, sand and gravel is transported variably by suspension in the water column, bouncing along the river bed (saltation), o … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Reusing plastic waste to kickstart radical chain reactions, improving process safety and efficiency

Single-use plastics are a major environmental concern, but now, rather than being disposed of as garbage, used plastic bags from the grocery store could be utilized to carry out a reaction that can detoxify hazardous chemicals. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Apple preharvest drop not linked to xylem functionality

Heat stress induces and accelerates leaf senescence, which is characterized by a loss of chlorophyll and cellular membrane deterioration, as well as oxidative damage). Leaf senescence can be exacerbated by the hormone ethylene, which acts as a signal to trigger cellular maturatio … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Development of tissue molecular imaging technique using multiple probes at hundreds of microns

Researchers have shown it is possible to image small animal tissue clearly to several hundred micrometers using multi-probe imaging, reports a recent study in Scientific Reports. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Novel molecular ionization dissociation pathway induced by Interatomic Coulombic Decay

A research group led by Prof. Ma Xinwen at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has observed a novel molecular ionization dissociation pathway triggered by Interatomic Coulombic Decay (ICD). The study, published in Physical Review Letters … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

AI predicts the influence of microplastics on soil properties

Plastic waste and its buildup in nature has become a major environmental concern in recent times. While plastic pollution in the oceans is undoubtedly a problem, the presence of plastics in soils around the world is also known to cause severe environmental and health issues. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

In quest to prevent debilitating traumatic brain injuries, new foam material rises to the top

From falls to football tackles, most blows to the head occur at odd angles. And those impacts trigger simultaneous linear and rotational head motions. The rotating movement in particular causes shear strain, which is especially damaging to the brain. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Special publication investigates paleopathology and evolution of tuberculosis

Recent research suggests that the emergence of tuberculosis infection (TB) in human populations dates back tens of thousands of years earlier than previously known cases in the Middle East. In collaboration with an international research team, Hungarian researchers have edited an … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Images hidden in noise revealed by a quantum-inspired phase-imaging method

Researchers at the University of Warsaw's Faculty of Physics with colleagues from Stanford University and Oklahoma State University have introduced a quantum-inspired phase-imaging method based on light intensity correlation measurements that is robust to phase noise. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Forest fires: a record year

As the deadliest year this century for forest fires comes to a close, attention is turning to how to prevent such infernos happening again. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Social media platforms generate billions in annual ad revenue from US youth: Study

Social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube collectively derived nearly $11 billion in advertising revenue from U.S.-based users younger than 18 in 2022, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Which zoo animals are most active in winter and what times are best to see them?

The temperature has dropped, the nights have drawn in. The winter holidays have started, families are gathered—so where can you go to fuel the imagination and get some fresh air? A zoo might not be your first thought—but with some offering reduced ticket prices and smaller crowds … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Unusual ancient elephant tracks had our team of fossil experts stumped—how we solved the mystery

Over the past 15 years, through our scientific study of tracks and traces, we have identified more than 350 fossil vertebrate tracksites from South Africa's Cape south coast. Most are found in cemented sand dunes, called aeolianites, and all are from the Pleistocene Epoch, rangin … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

From the moon's south pole to an ice-covered ocean world, several exciting space missions are slated for launch in 2024

The year 2023 proved to be an important one for space missions, with NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returning a sample from an asteroid and India's Chandrayaan-3 mission exploring the lunar south pole, and 2024 is shaping up to be another exciting year for space exploration. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Examining how fiber content affects mechanical properties in flax and pineapple leaf fiber-reinforced plastic composites

A new study has compared the reinforcing efficiency of pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) and cultivated flax fiber in poly(butylene succinate) composites. PALF, a less explored but potentially sustainable alternative, outperformed flax at 20 wt.%, showcasing its potential in high-perfo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Reducing PM2.5 disparity in China: Progress and challenges

A pivotal study, published in Eco-Environment & Health, has examined the evolution of PM2.5 pollution disparity in China from 2013 to 2020, revealing both progress and persistent challenges in air quality management. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Researchers prove human influence on large herbivore diets during Anthropocene

The human population explosion, soaring from 1.6 billion to more than 6 billion during the 20th century, has had a profound impact on global environments and biodiversity. However, large mammalian herbivores, including species such as elephants and deer that are sensitive to habi … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Enhancing coastal cities' flood resilience through smart city technologies

Over the rest of this century due to global warming, coastal populations are likely to face increased risk of flooding. A team of researchers has proposed how the integration of Internet of Things, 5G mobile telephony, big data and machine learning into "smart cities" can be harn … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Engineers pair laser light to crystal lattice vibrations to enhance optical properties of 2D material

Engineers at Columbia University and theoretical collaborators at the Max Planck for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter have found that pairing laser light to crystal lattice vibrations can enhance the nonlinear optical properties of a layered 2D material. The research is publi … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Singapore's species extinction rate found to be 37% over the past 200 years

A multi-institutional team of biologists and life and environmental scientists has found that Singapore's rate of plant and animal extinction over the past 200 years is approximately 37%. This finding is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Researchers find natural spa water in central Japan is long-trapped lithospheric water

Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have made a groundbreaking discovery regarding the origins of non-meteoric water in natural spa waters located in central Japan. Based on numerical modeling, their results suggest that this water has been confined within the lithosphere fo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Researchers reveal anthropogenically-induced atmospheric lead cycle in low-latitude Asia

In recent decades, environmental lead (Pb) pollution has posed a significant threat to public health and ecological systems due to its harmful and irreversible effects. It has also been proposed that the distinct Pb pollution signals in geological archives may define the new Anth … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

World's first coffee bean Certified Reference Material for component analysis

The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) has developed the world's first Certified Reference Material (CRM) capable of accurate measurement of the nutritional and harmful elements in coffee beans. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

LST-1 discovers the most distant active galactic nucleus at very high energies

On 15 December, the Large-Sized Telescope (LST) Collaboration announced through an Astronomer's Telegram (ATel) the detection of the source OP 313 at very high energies with the LST-1. Although OP 313 was known at lower energies, it had never been detected above 100 GeV, making t … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Measuring methane intensity is a key step on the path to net zero

After Canada and the United States both announced new policy measures to address oil and gas methane at the COP28 climate summit—just weeks after the EU agreed to extend its methane intensity standards to imported natural gas—it is clear that global policy to address the potent c … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Complex floral traits affect pollinator attraction to urban green spaces

Pollinators are in decline globally and regionally. Building pollinator-friendly urban green spaces is an effective way to mitigate the negative impacts of urbanization on pollinator diversity and services. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

High-sensitivity terahertz detection by 2D plasmons in transistors

A research group from Tohoku University and RIKEN has developed a high-speed, high-sensitivity terahertz-wave detector operating at room temperature, paving the way for advancements in the development of next generation 6G/7G technology. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Tatahouine: 'Star Wars meteorite' sheds light on the early solar system

Locals watched in awe as a fireball exploded and hundreds of meteorite fragments rained down on the city of Tatahouine, Tunisia, on June 27, 1931. Fittingly, the city later became a major filming location for the Star Wars movie series. The desert climate and traditional villages … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Let there be light: Many photons are better than one for advancing quantum technologies

Quantum objects, such as electrons and photons, behave differently from other objects in ways that enable quantum technology. Therein lies the key to unlocking the mystery of quantum entanglement, in which multiple photons exist in multiple modes or frequencies. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Shedding light on the origin of the photovoltaic effect in organic–inorganic perovskites

A team led by RIKEN researchers has investigated how special crystals convert light into electricity. Their findings will help inform efforts to improve their efficiency, which could lead to the crystals being used in solar cells. The study is published in the journal Angewandte … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

New study shows Small Magellanic Cloud is actually two smaller galaxies

A large international team of astronomers and astrophysicists has found evidence showing that the Small Magellanic Cloud is not a single galaxy—it is actually two, one behind the other. The group has written a paper describing their work and posted it to the arXiv preprint server … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Marine heat waves: Why the East Sea experienced extreme conditions in 2021

Extreme environmental events are becoming an ever more pressing concern with the continued stresses of climate change, both on land and in the marine realm. While terrestrial heat waves tend to occur over a few days, those in the oceans often have longer timescales of weeks to mo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Successful test paves the way for magnet production at CERN

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) needs specific types of magnets to tightly control the beams of particles at its collision points. Called final-focusing quadrupoles, these magnets are installed in the LHC's interaction regions around the experiments. For the high-luminosity upgra … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago