Farmers impoverished by climate change make 'lose–lose' choices, says researcher

Climate change is pushing farmers in the Global South towards short-term choices that further increase their vulnerability, research involving a Bayes Business School academic suggests. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

RGB imaging and neural networks unveil seasonal oil and phenol variations for olive crop quality assessment

Olive oil, renowned for its antioxidants like phenolic compounds, plays a pivotal role in the global olive crop. The concentration of oil and phenols in olives, varying seasonally, significantly affects crop profitability and quality, dictating the optimal harvest time. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Weather in the solar system can teach us about weather on exoplanets

The way astronomers study planets in our own solar system is surprisingly similar to the way they study exoplanets, despite the latter being orders of magnitude more distant. The key is spectroscopy—examining the wavelengths of light that reach a telescope from a planet's atmosph … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Surface of Saturnian moon Enceladus shields buried organics

The Saturnian moon Enceladus presents a unique opportunity in our solar system to search for evidence of life, given its habitable ocean and plume that deposits organic-bearing ocean material onto the surface. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Gender gap in prokaryotes: Only 14.8% of bacteria and archaea named after women

In microbiology, microorganisms may be named after well-known scientific personalities to honor them. Such eponyms are common in the natural sciences, such as pasteurization (after the microbiologist Louis Pasteur). | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Could there be a black hole inside the sun?

It's a classic tale of apocalyptic fiction. The sun, our precious source of heat and light, collapses into a black hole. Or perhaps a stray black hole comes along and swallows it up. The End is Nigh! If a stellar-mass black hole swallowed our sun, then we'd only have about eight … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

What's the source of binary rogue planets?

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is already making great strides in helping us to unravel the mysteries of the universe. Earlier this year, hundreds of rogue planets were discovered in the Orion Nebula. The real surprise to this discovery was that 9% of the planets were pair … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Why the American technological war against China could backfire

The technological war waged by the United States against China has the potential to backfire, supercharging China's creation of an independent computer chip industry that would directly compete with American manufacturers. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Multispectral imaging unlocks genetic secrets of Phedimus plants for rooftop gardening

Ornamental plants, valued for their varied morphological characteristics, are increasingly used in urban greening initiatives such as rooftop greening. But this application presents challenges like limited soil depth and no irrigation, requiring plants such as the Phedimus specie … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Crop phenotyping research: Self-supervised deep learning enhances green fraction estimation in rice and wheat

The accurate measurement of the green fraction (GF), a critical photosynthetic trait in crops, typically relies on RGB image analysis employing segmentation algorithms to identify green pixels within the crop. Traditional methods have limitations in accuracy due to environmental … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Novel lightweight deep learning models unveiled for multi-crop protection and plant disease diagnosis

Swift plant disease diagnosis is vital to prevent extensive production losses and uphold food security. Recently, object detection-based methods using deep learning have shown promise in accurately identifying and locating crop diseases. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

'Technostress' and the role of the welfare state

Technological change is currently driving fundamental changes to the world of work—with significant consequences for social inequality. Against this backdrop, the interdisciplinary research project "Digitalization, Automation and the Future of Work in Post-Industrial Welfare Stat … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

'Teleporting' images across a network securely using only light

Nature Communications published research by an international team from Wits and ICFO- The Institute of Photonic Sciences, which demonstrates the teleportation-like transport of "patterns" of light—this is the first approach that can transport images across a network without physi … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Hubble looks at a late-type galaxy

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image features NGC 2814, an irregular galaxy that lies about 85 million light-years from Earth. In this image, which was captured using Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys, the galaxy appears to be quite isolated: visually, it looks a little like … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Q&A: Why small organisms can make big impacts on climate, emissions

This week, representatives from nearly 200 countries reached an agreement at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai to begin reducing global consumption of fossil fuels in efforts to reduce carbon emissions and stave off the worst-case scenarios of climate change. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Consumer confusion still hindering recycling, finds survey

A new survey of 2,000 European consumers reveals persistent confusion around recycling food packaging, despite sustainability efforts by brands. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Can software tools help students avoid distraction during digital learning?

Those who learn digitally are quickly distracted. This is because the devices used offer many opportunities to pass the time in other ways. Meanwhile, a large number of software applications have been designed to help you stay focused. But how are these self-control tools used an … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Scientists collect aardvark poop to understand how the species is impacted by climate in Africa

In a first-of-its-kind study of aardvarks, Oregon State University researchers spent months in sub-Saharan Africa collecting poop from the animal and concluded that aridification of the landscape is isolating them, which they say could have implications for their long-term surviv … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

New ecosystem mapping workflow tackles unique challenges of Antarctic continent

A study conducted by QUT researchers has developed a pioneering ecosystem mapping workflow that combines drones, advanced imaging techniques, and machine learning to map and monitor vegetation in Antarctica's protected regions with unprecedented accuracy. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Researchers: Genetically modified crops aren't a solution to climate change, despite what the biotech industry says

The European Commission launched a proposal in July 2023 to deregulate a large number of plants manufactured using new genetic techniques. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

If a tree burns in Canada's unmanaged forest, does anyone count the carbon?

Earlier this fall, a commentary in the journal Communications Earth & Environment argued for a change to the implementation of the Paris Agreement's reporting mechanisms. The authors called for all countries to report carbon emissions and removals taking place across their entire … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Paying people to replant tropical forests and letting them harvest the timber can pay off

Tropical forest landscapes are home to millions of Indigenous peoples and small-scale farmers. Just about every square meter of land is spoken for, even if claims are not formally recognized by governments. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

History and contents of the universe can be determined using radio telescopes on the moon, researchers say

A study from Tel Aviv University has predicted for the first time the groundbreaking results that can be obtained from a lunar-based detection of radio waves. The study's findings show that the measured radio signals can be used for a novel test of the standard cosmological model … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

University isn't right for everyone. Pushing young people to go can have devastating effects, say researchers

(Names have been changed to protect identities.) | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Viewpoint: Private landholders control 60% of the Australian continent—so let's get them involved in nature protection

As the federal government attempts a major overhaul of national environment law, all options must be on the table to prevent the fast deterioration of Australia's natural places. And more than ever before, the efforts of private landholders should be front and center. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Genetic sequencing uncovers unexpected source of pathogens in floodwaters

Researchers report in the journal Geohealth that local rivers and streams were the source of the Salmonella enterica contamination along coastal North Carolina after Hurricane Florence in 2018—not the previously suspected high number of pig farms in the region. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

A new strategy for making and manipulating higher-temperature superconductors

Superconductors have intrigued physicists for decades. But these materials, which allow the perfect, lossless flow of electrons, usually only exhibit this quantum-mechanical peculiarity at temperatures so low—a few degrees above absolute zero—as to render them impractical. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Coral atoll islands may outpace sea-level rise with local ecological restoration, scientists say

Ecological restoration may save coral atoll islands from the rising seas of climate change, according to an international team of scientists, conservationists, and an indigenous leader. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Exoplanets' climate: It takes nothing to switch from habitable to hell, say researchers

The Earth is a wonderful blue and green dot covered with oceans and life, while Venus is a yellowish sterile sphere that is not only inhospitable but also sterile. However, the difference between the two is only a few degrees in temperature. A team of astronomers from the Univers … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Photodynamic action weakens resistance to antibiotics in bacteria that attack airways

The development of antibiotics to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria, especially those that infect the airways, has been increasingly tricky, and some scientists have opted to try to weaken the bacteria so that the available therapeutic substances are made more effective. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Little bacterium may make big impact on rare-earth processing

A tiny, hard-working bacterium—which weighs one-trillionth of a gram—may soon have a large influence on processing rare earth elements in an eco-friendly way. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

AI generates proteins with exceptional binding strengths

A new study in Nature reports an AI-driven advance in biotechnology with implications for drug development, disease detection, and environmental monitoring. Scientists at the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington School of Medicine used software to create p … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Study provides insights into diets of early primates

Turns out our love of sweet food goes back—way back—to our early primate ancestors, a University of Otago-led study has found. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Characterizing the role of oxidized tryptophan residues in repairing damaged photosystem II protein

Photosynthesis refers to the fundamental biological process of the conversion of light energy into chemical energy by chlorophyll (a green pigment) containing plants. This seemingly routine process in plants sustains all the biological life and activities on Earth. The first reac … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin pushes back return to space

Blue Origin on Monday postponed its long-awaited return to space, citing technical reasons and promising to try again later this week. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

A novel sandwich-structured composite from biopolymers for building envelope applications

A new sandwich-structured composite has been developed from the surface layers of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and the interlayer of polylactic acid and cellulose microfibers. The biodegradable cellulose microfibers can be modified chemically with a sol-gel process to improve the c … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Ecosystem benefits to humanity expected to decline by 9% by 2100

As climate change redistributes terrestrial ecosystems across the globe, the world's natural capital is expected to decrease, causing a 9% loss of ecosystem services by 2100. That's according to a study of natural capital published in the journal Nature led by scientists at the U … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Horizon scan identifies 15 most pressing issues for conservation, including invertebrate decline and marine ecosystems

Since 2009, the Cambridge Conservation Initiative has coordinated an annual horizon scan, a well-established method for predicting which threats, changes, and technologies will have the biggest impact on biological conservation in the following year. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Hydrothermal mercury: The natural story of a contaminant

An international team of researchers including scientists from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel has produced the first global estimate of mercury emissions from hydrothermal sources at mid-ocean ridges based on measurements. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Researchers use vapor deposition to make covalent organic framework films

Rice University materials scientists developed a fast, low-cost, scalable method to make covalent organic frameworks (COFs), a class of crystalline polymers whose tunable molecular structure, large surface area and porosity could be useful in energy applications, semiconductor de … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Overcoming our psychological barriers to embracing AI

As AI increasingly transforms our lives and is predicted to do so in profound ways, there are mixed feelings about its adoption around the globe. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

New possibilities for the medical use of botulinun toxin A1

PSI researchers have discovered a surprising trick that could expand the possibilities for medical use of botulinun toxin A1, better known under the name Botox, as an active agent. They have developed antibody-like proteins that speed up the enzyme's effect on the transmission of … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Researchers discover novel antibiotic substance in the human nose

Researchers at the University of Tübingen have discovered a novel antibiotic substance from the human nose that can be used against pathogenic bacteria. Named epifadin, the molecule is produced from specific strains of the bacterial species Staphylococcus epidermidis, which occur … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Study: Physicists create giant trilobite Rydberg molecules

Kaiserslautern physicists in the team of Professor Dr. Herwig Ott have succeeded for the first time in directly observing pure trilobite Rydberg molecules. Particularly interesting is that these molecules have a very peculiar shape, which is reminiscent of trilobite fossils. They … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

A new mathematical language for biological networks

A team of researchers around Berlin mathematics professor Michael Joswig is presenting a novel concept for the mathematical modeling of genetic interactions in biological systems. Collaborating with biologists from ETH Zurich and Carnegy Science (U.S.), the team has successfully … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Astronomers look billions of years into the past to study Pandora's Cluster

Two McMaster astronomers have used recent deep imaging data from the James Webb Space Telescope to look 3.5 billion years into the past to study a remote giant cluster of galaxies. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

New technique could make modeling molecules much easier

Much like the humans that created them, computers find physics hard, but quantum mechanics even harder. But a new technique created by three University of Chicago scientists allows computers to simulate certain challenging quantum mechanical effects in complex electronic material … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Global inventory of sound production brings us one step closer to understanding aquatic ecosystems

Scientists looking to uncover the mysteries of the underwater world have more valuable information at their fingertips thanks to an international team that has produced an inventory of species confirmed or expected to produce sound underwater. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago