Canada's agricultural policies need to better serve local farmers and communities, says researcher

Canada's current agricultural production model is unsustainable and in desperate need of reform. A range of issues plague the current system, including corporate consolidation, farmland concentration in the hands of non-farmers and foreign buyers, pollution and animal welfare iss … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Mysterious fruit found to be the oldest known fossils of the Frankincense and Myrrh family

Early in the 1970s, a paleontologist working on the outskirts of an Indian village found small, bead-like fossils embedded in the gray chert dotting the surrounding fields. The site was notorious for turning up plant fossils that were difficult to identify, including the fruit of … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

After seeing the struggle of Palestinians in Gaza, TikTok users are learning about Islam

The ongoing conflict in Gaza between Hamas and Israel is playing out on screens like never before. Through social media, millions are witnessing the violence that has killed thousands since Oct. 7. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Online shoppers more likely to click ads with curvy designs and spend more money, says study

As you shop online, you may be drawn to digital ads with curvy designs without even realizing it. According to a new study from the University of South Florida, consumers click on curvy call-to-action buttons, such as "Shop Now" or "Add to Cart," at a significantly higher rate th … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Paratethys: The largest lake the Earth has ever seen

For the first time ever, research led by one of Utrecht University's earth scientists—Dr. Dan Palcu—has earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. His fascinating research shows the immense proportions of the largest lake the Earth has ever seen: the Paratethys. Guinne … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Is it OK to let my kids watch the same show over and over again?

"Are you sure you want Frozen again? You've already seen it 20 times!" | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Scientists discover how to degrade and reform thermoset polymers without loss of function

A team of UK scientists has got a step closer to making several different types of plastic much easier to recycle using a method that could be applied to a whole range of difficult-to-recycle polymers, including rubbers, gels, and adhesives. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Victorian Britain had its own anti-vaxxers—and they helped bring down a government

As the 1906 UK general election results rolled in, it became clear that the Conservative party, after 11 years in power, had suffered one of the most disastrous defeats in its history. Of 402 Conservative MPs, 251 lost their seats, including their candidate for prime minister, de … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

2023's extreme storms, heat and wildfires broke records—a scientist explains how global warming fuels climate disasters

The year 2023 was marked by extraordinary heat, wildfires and weather disasters. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Mapping the relations between Manhattan Project scientists using network science

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret program that culminated in the development of the first atomic bombs during World War 2. This covert and controversial research endeavor involved many gifted and reputable scientists, including physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Will gutted safeguards doom social media—and the election—in 2024?

Sometimes it seems like one year in the world of social media is the equivalent of five years everywhere else. Conversations, information, and controversies all move faster, and the state of play is constantly changing. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

How writing 'made us human'—an 'emotional history' from ancient Iraq to the present day

Evidence suggests that writing was invented in southern Iraq sometime before 3000BC. But what happened next? Anyone interested in this question will find How Writing Made Us Human by Walter Stephens both an enjoyable and stimulating read. It offers what it calls an "emotional his … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Why do some men commit domestic violence? Trauma and social isolation may play a role

Support for survivors of domestic violence is important, but to end domestic violence once and for all, society needs to understand the people who perpetrate it and how to intervene successfully. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Wild 'super pigs' from Canada could become a new front in the war on feral hogs

They go by many names—pigs, hogs, swine, razorbacks—but whatever you call them, wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are one of the most damaging invasive species in North America. They cause millions of dollars in crop damage yearly and harbor dozens of pathogens that threaten humans and pets … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

How active are the microorganisms in your yogurt? Chemists create a new tool to study probiotic activity

Humans have been fermenting food and drinks—everything from kimchi and yogurt to beer and kombucha—for more than 13,000 years. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

From laggard to leader? Why Australia must phase out fossil fuel exports, starting now

For years large fossil fuel producers—including Australia—have expanded fossil fuel production while maintaining rhetorically that the world needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But global emissions are overwhelmingly caused by the extraction, transport and burning of fossil … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Grenfell should have been a wake-up call—but the UK still doesn't take fire safety seriously

In March 2023, a fire in Tower Hamlets, east London, claimed the life of Mizanur Rahman, a 41-year-old father-of-two from Bangladesh. Five fire engines and 35 firefighters attended the call to the two-bedroom flat in Maddocks House, on the Tarling West housing estate, in the earl … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

How government payments to the vulnerable can multiply to create economic growth for everyone

The economic fallout of COVID-19 left people around the world facing a significant threat to their livelihood. As governments scrambled to mitigate the pandemic's impact on their populations, many decided to use direct payments to support vulnerable citizens. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Scientists discover novel way to attack the trypanosome parasite through its ribosome

Trypanosome is a single-celled parasite that takes an extensive human and economic toll due to its involvement in causing sleeping sickness in humans and a similar disease in cattle. The parasite, found mainly in rural areas of Africa, is transmitted to humans or cattle by the ts … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Europe's earliest cities relied on fertilizer and plant protein, isotope analysis shows

Nutrition in Trypillia mega-sites is currently the focus of the Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1266 at Kiel University (CAU). In the forest steppe northwest of the Black Sea—today the territory of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine—mega-sites of the Trypillia societies emer … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Snowflake accelerations mysteriously follow a predictable pattern

A winter wonderland calls to mind piles of fluffy, glistening snow. But to reach the ground, snowflakes are swept into the turbulent atmosphere, swirling through the air instead of plummeting directly to the ground. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Vervet monkeys follow different social 'norms' and respond to 'peer pressure,' new long-term study shows

People living in different communities follow different social customs or norms. In some places, for instance, it might be standard practice to greet each person you see on the street, while in others that simply isn't done. In some cases, such differences may even vary from one … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Study uncovers major hidden human-driven bird extinctions

Humans have wiped out around 1,400 bird species—twice as many as previously thought—with major implications for the ongoing biodiversity crisis, a new study has found. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Machine learning sifts through vast data from X-ray diffraction techniques to find new materials

Scientists from the University of Rochester say deep learning can supercharge a technique that is already the gold standard for characterizing new materials. In an npj Computational Materials paper, the interdisciplinary team describes models they developed to better leverage the … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Viral enhancement of nanomaterial cancer sensor improves early detection

Researchers from SUTD have developed an advanced system of breast cancer cell detection with improved speed and sensitivity, using a viral mechanism to enhance the tool's sensing accuracy. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Anthropologist's mapping project shows how Peru transformed after colonization

Parker VanValkenburgh has dedicated more than a decade of research to understanding how colonialism impacted Peru's Indigenous people in the 16th century. That time marked a turning point in the region: Spanish forces conquered the Inca Empire, initiating a period of social viole … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Recent volcanism on Mars reveals a planet more active than previously thought

A vast, flat, "featureless" plain on Mars surprised researchers by revealing a much more tumultuous geologic past than expected, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Arizona. Enormous amounts of lava have erupted from numerous fissures as recently as 1 mil … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Study shows how vertebrates shape the North Sea seafloor

The world's oceans are a vast habitat for countless creatures that settle, spawn, dig or feed on the seafloor. They also influence the shape of the ocean floor. How exactly this takes place has scarcely been investigated. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

A microfluidic magnetic detection system for tumor-derived exosome analysis

In a study published on 7 November 2023 in the journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering, researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Shanghai Tech University, have developed an innovative microfluidic magnetic … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Better fossil dating could help to clear up human evolution

Timing is crucial when it comes to understanding the origins of humanity. Developing better dating techniques to discover the ages of key fossils will help scientists to discover how Homo sapiens and our relatives evolved. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

A bacterial toolkit for colonizing plants

Using a novel experimental approach, Max Planck researchers have discovered a core set of genes required by commensal bacteria to colonize their plant hosts. The findings published in Nature Communications may have broad relevance for understanding how bacteria establish successf … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Antarctic krill head south: Scientists fear the movement will have a negative impact on predators

Some populations of Antarctic krill are shifting south, closer to Antarctica, as ocean warming and sea-ice changes alter their habitat. Scientists fear the movement of krill will have a negative impact on predators like whales, seals and penguins, and alter broader ocean ecosyste … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

'X-ray vision' for investigation of mRNA nanomedicines

A new technology co-developed at EMBL Hamburg provides new insights into mRNA pharmaceuticals and other nanomedicines, which can be helpful for the development of new products | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

A new inactive form of p38α protein discovered

p38α protein, a key enzyme in the regulation of various cellular functions, plays a crucial role in some diseases, including cancer, chronic inflammation, and neurodegenerative conditions. Since the discovery of p38α, various pharmaceutical companies and numerous research groups … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

New strategy reveals 'full chemical complexity' of quantum decoherence

In quantum mechanics, particles can exist in multiple states at the same time, defying the logic of everyday experiences. This property, known as quantum superposition, is the basis for emerging quantum technologies that promise to transform computing, communication, and sensing. … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Analysis of ancient Scythian leather samples shows two were made from human skin

A multi-institutional team of anthropologists has discovered that two pieces of ancient Scythian leather excavated at sites in Ukraine were made from human skin. In their project, reported on the open-access site PLOS ONE, the group tested an account by the Greek historian Herodo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Deep-sea octopus squid give up their secrets to a healthy, varied diet

Flinders University researchers have taken a look at why the large Dana octopus squid, which can weigh up to 160kg and measure 2.3 meters long, is so popular on sperm whales' menu. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Research suggests climate change will disrupt many age-old partnerships between aspen trees and fungi

Standing in an aspen grove, surrounded by slender white trunks and a canopy of leaves that rustle in the slightest breeze, it's easy to think only of the trees. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Single-celled protists in the guts of animals thrive without mitochondria, study finds

Almost all eukaryotic organisms, from plants and animals to fungi, can't survive without mitochondria, which generate chemical energy using oxygen. However, a new study by Lukáš Novák and Vladimír Hampl of Charles University, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, finds that mul … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Scientists construct a synthetic yeast genome

Chromosomes are long DNA molecules that collectively form a genome, containing all the genetic material of an organism. Advances in technology have allowed scientists to redesign and construct different chromosomal sequences, facilitating the study of the link between gene variat … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Newly discovered hedgehog species diverged from others more than a million years ago

Researchers at Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, China, have announced the discovery of a new species within the hedgehog genus Mesechinus. The eastern China hedgehog species was found to be distinct from other regional hedgehogs across morphological and phylogenetic characteristics … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Enhanced antioxidant activities unveiled in diverse water-soluble lignin-carbohydrate complexes

A recent study delves into unlocking enhanced antioxidant potential within water-soluble lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCCs), marked by their rich polysaccharide content. This study underscores the imperative need for advancements in the antioxidant activity of water-soluble LCC … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

The eBse model: A new perspective on dark energy and inflation

A new Scientific Reports study proposes an extension of the electron Born self-energy (eBse) model, unveiling a mechanism for cosmic inflation driven by a constant potential energy density, thereby challenging the conventional cosmological paradigm. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Southern California coastal wetlands would benefit from proposed $60 million federal program

Two local nonprofit leaders are praising Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, and others in Congress for introducing a bipartisan bill that would authorize $60 million annually to protect coastal wetlands. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Washington sets aside 2,000 acres of forest for conservation, cancels timber sale near Elwha River

Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz has announced a proposal to conserve some 2,000 acres of state forest land. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Release of five wolves in the Colorado mountains begins first-of-its kind state reintroduction effort

Five wolves dashed out of crates and into the Colorado landscape on Monday, culminating three years of work to implement a first-of-its-kind reintroduction of the controversial predator to the state. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Trust or distrust? There is an alternative mindset for confronting disinformation, argues researcher

In the face of rampant disinformation, Professor Ruth Mayo from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem delivers a fresh perspective on the cognitive mindsets influencing our susceptibility to false information. Her comprehensive review challenges the prevailing belief that trust or d … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Microwaves heat the soil to eliminate pests and help farmers manage soil diseases

A research team led by Dr. Sunshin Jung at the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) has developed a breakthrough technology that effectively eliminates pests without the use of pesticides and protects farms from soil diseases by using microwave heating, the core mech … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago