A high-performance nanopowder facility for metal 3-D printing

Scientists from the Department of Industrial Technologies of the Yurga Institute of Technology of Tomsk Polytechnic University are developing an advanced high-performance facility for the production of metal powders used for 3-D printing. The TPU project has been recently support … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Will there be enough water in the future? Interactive world map visualises water scarcity around the globe

The Water Scarcity Atlas is a freely available educational tool to help us all make more sustainable choices in day-to-day life. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

New findings on ocean warming: Five questions answered

A new study by scientists in the United States, China, France and Germany estimates that the world's oceans have absorbed much more excess heat from human-induced climate change than researchers had estimated up to now. This finding suggests that global warming may be even more a … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Image: Semarang, Indonesia

The Copernicus Sentinel-2B satellite takes us over Semarang, Indonesia. A port city on the north coast of Java, Semarang is the fifth-largest city in the country, covering some 374 sq km and home to just over 1.5 million people. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Researchers help map and scout for hydrothermal vents in Gulf of California

Almost 4,000 meters below the sea surface, in the southern Pescadero Basin, jagged ivory towers rise from the seafloor and emit hot shimmering fluid. They are the deepest known hydrothermal vents in the Gulf of California. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

One way to reduce food waste: Use it to make soil healthier

Imagine that one-third of cars manufactured by Ford or GM were never even driven once, but instead were left to rust and ended up in landfills. This exact situation is true today in agriculture, where up to 40 percent of food produced every year in the United States is never eate … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Novel protective mask for medical personnel

Laughter is the best medicine, says medical research. But how are patients supposed to feel like smiling if the faces of the nursing staff and even their beloved ones are covered with masks? Researchers from Empa and EPFL are currently developing a novel face mask, which offers a … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Researchers explain the origin of the mysterious periodicity of the genome

Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) have found an explanation for a periodicity in the sequence of the genomes of all eukaryotes, from yeast to humans. The results published in the journal Cell offer an alternative explanation to the one based … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Ring-shaped protein complex wrangles DNA

Biological physicists at Rice University have a new cellular mechanics theory that rings true. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Natural nanotech anticancer drug

Sanguinarine is a natural product, a chemical made by certain plants including the bloodroot plant (Sanguinaria canadensis), the Mexican prickly poppy (Argemone mexicana), Chelidonium majus, and Macleaya cordata. It is a slightly toxic polycyclic ammonium ion, an alkaloid, and ha … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

The Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes makes all Kepler data publicly available

The Kepler spacecraft launched in 2009 with the goal of finding exoplanets orbiting distant stars. In the years since, astronomers have used Kepler observations to discover 2,818 exoplanets as well as another 2,679 exoplanet candidates which need further confirmation. On October … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

New quantum criticality discovered in superconductivity

Using solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) techniques, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory discovered a new quantum criticality in a superconducting material, leading to a greater understanding of the link between magnetism and unconventional s … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Friends to the end? Social cues cause fish to delay survival tactic

Getting into trouble after succumbing to peer pressure isn't just a human experience. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

How to make the liquefied natural gas industry more sustainable

The recently announced $40 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in northern British Columbia represents the single largest private sector investment in Canadian history. And construction will soon begin on two more LNG projects, one in Nova Scotia and another in British Co … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Highly secure physically unclonable cryptographic primitives based on interfacial magnetic anisotropy

In a step forward for information security for the Internet of Things, a team of researchers has published a new paper in the online edition of Nano Letters in which they have engineered a new type of physically unclonable function (PUF) based on interfacial magnetic anisotropy e … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Capitalism is killing the world's wildlife populations, not 'humanity'

The latest Living Planet report from the WWF makes for grim reading: a 60% decline in wild animal populations since 1970, collapsing ecosystems, and a distinct possibility that the human species will not be far behind. The report repeatedly stresses that humanity's consumption is … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Quantum predictions

Solving a complex problem quickly requires careful tradeoffs – and simulating the behavior of materials is no exception. To get answers that predict molecular workings feasibly, scientists must swap in mathematical approximations that speed computation at accuracy's expense. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Study finds that consuming a flavonoid in cocoa helped healthy mice delay skeletal muscle aging

As if you needed another reason to enjoy cocoa products, a recent study by Tufts researchers found that epicatechin, a flavonoid found in cocoa, certain fruits and beans, and green tea, has protective anti-aging effects in healthy mice. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Paper-based lateral flow device to detect uranium in groundwater

The presence of uranium in groundwater can lead to severe health problems, from renal failure to cancer. Standard methods to detect uranium involve time-consuming processes and expensive, non-portable equipment. Measurements are therefore rarely performed in-field, which adds tim … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Cellular atlas of brain region leads researchers to new discoveries

For decades, scientists have viewed the brain as a veritable black box—and now Catherine Dulac and Xiaowei Zhuang are poised to open it. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Was Oumuamua an Alien Solar Sail?

On October 19th, 2017, the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System-1 (Pan-STARRS-1) in Hawaii announced the first-ever detection of an interstellar asteroid, named 1I/2017 U1 (aka, "Oumuamua). In the months that followed, multiple follow-up observations were conducte … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Study of Google data collection comes amid increased scrutiny over digital privacy

Google may not know whether you've been bad or good but it knows when you're sleeping and when you're awake. If you use an Android device with the Chrome browser running, the tech giant knows whether you are traveling by foot or car, where you shop, how often you use your Starbuc … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

New book examines energy justice, how policy affects those outside of decision makers, politicians

The 2015 UN Paris Climate Accords brought energy regulation's role in climate change to the international forefront. And even though the United States has since withdrawn from the agreement, energy development decisions both here and abroad have consequences felt around the globe … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Physicists upgrade cheap diode laser for use in precise measurements

Russian physicists have developed a method for drastically narrowing the emission spectrum of an ordinary diode laser, like that in a laser pointer. This makes their device a useful replacement for the more complex and expensive single-frequency lasers, enabling the creation of c … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

New method could lead to more powerful quantum sensors

As quantum technology continues to come into its own, investment is happening on a global scale. Soon, we could see improvements in machine learning models, financial risk assessment, efficiency of chemical catalysts and the discovery of new medications. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Astronomer Jill Tarter discusses the search for intelligent life

The question of whether we're alone in the universe has haunted humankind for thousands of years, and it's one astronomer Jill Tarter has tried to answer for much of her life. Tarter, chair emeritus of the Center for SETI Research, worked as a project scientist for NASA's SETI pr … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

First images of asteroid Bennu obtained by the NASA OSIRIS-REx spacecraft

After two years traveling through space, the NASA OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has started to obtain images of the mission target, primitive asteroid Bennu. As part of the scientific team, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias researchers Javier Licandro and Julia de León have already st … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Groundwater and precipitation provided water to form Hellas Basin lakes throughout Mars history

The northeastern rim region of Hellas impact basin, located in the southern hemisphere of Mars, contained numerous ephemeral lakes throughout Mars' history, a new study reveals. A new paper published in Astrobiology examines a region where depressions may have been hosted ponding … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Machine learning tool can predict viral reservoirs in the animal kingdom

Many deadly and newly emerging viruses like Ebola and Zika circulate in wild animal and insect communities long before spreading to humans and causing severe disease. However, finding these natural virus hosts – which could help prevent the spread to humans – currently poses an e … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Chocolate, tea or coffee with zinc could reduce oxidative stress

Ageing and a low life expectancy are caused, at least partly, by oxidative stress. A team of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Ivana Ivanovi-Burmazovi from the Chair of Bioinorganic Chemistry at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), together with researchers from th … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Bioluminescent substance discovered in Brazilian cave worm larva

An insect larva found in the caves of Intervales State Park, an Atlantic Rainforest remnant in the municipality of Ribeirão Grande, São Paulo State, Brazil, was initially of no interest to the research group led by biochemist Vadim Viviani, a professor at the Federal University o … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

New open access database for medieval literature

The new Norse World database will make it easier for researchers to study perceptions of the surrounding world in Medieval Scandinavian literature. The new tool is a digital resource aimed at researchers in fields such as language history and philology, comparative literature, ma … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

The protein Matrin-3 determines the fate of neural stem cells in brain development

A research group from Kumamoto University, Japan, has discovered a new neurogenic mechanism responsible for brain development. By applying proprietary technology to detect trace proteins in living organisms, they found that a novel protein called Matrin-3 is responsible for deter … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Atomic view of nature's amazing molecular machines at work

Researchers from the MPSD's Department of Atomically Resolved Dynamics at the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, the Centre for Ultrafast Imaging (all in Hamburg), the University of Toronto in Canada and the ETH in Zurich, Switzerland, have developed a new method to watch bi … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Top Australia defence firm reports serious cyber breach

A top Australian defence firm with major US Navy contracts has admitted its personnel files were breached and that it was the subject of an extortion attempt. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Small rockets are taking off

In mid-November, a company called Rocket Lab will try to send six small satellites into orbit around Earth—a fairly banal undertaking, save for the size of the launch rocket. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

'Good guys' in superhero films more violent than villains

In a film genre more popular than ever, courageous superheroes wield special powers to protect the public from villains. But despite positive themes these films may offer, new research suggests superhero characters often idolized by young viewers may send a strongly negative mess … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Are children's television programs too cool for school?

Television has a large impact on children's lives; studies have shown that for every 3 hours children spend in school, 5 hours are spent watching TV. While other studies have looked at how television impacts aspects of childhood, such as diet and exercise, little research has bee … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

'Robust' corals primed to resist coral bleaching

Using advanced genomic techniques, a team of researchers led by Dr. Hua (Emily) Ying of The Australian National University (ANU) and Prof David Miller of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) at James Cook University (JCU), have found that the group of c … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Take a lot of sick days? Who you know and where you live might be partly to blame

New research led by Lijun Song, associate professor of sociology at Vanderbilt University, and graduate student Phillip Pettis suggests that knowing people in high and diverse positions may be good or bad for your health. The culprit? Economic inequality. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Your showerhead slime is alive—and mostly harmless

The day after Halloween, something scary may still lurk inside your showerhead. Researchers at CIRES have identified Mycobacterium as the most abundant genus of bacteria growing in the slimy "biofilm" that lines the inside of residential showerheads—and some of those bacteria can … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

New study finds unique immunity genes in one widespread coral species

A new study led by researchers at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science found that a common coral species might have evolved unique immune strategies to cope with environmental change. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Heat-resistant enzymes could produce more cost-effective drugs

A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences could change the way scientists look at one of the most essential enzymes in medicine in hopes of designing better and more cost-effective drugs in the future. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Apple delivers strong profits, but shares slip on outlook

Apple on Thursday delivered stronger than expected profits in the recently ended quarter, but shares slid on disappointing iPhone sales and the forecast going into the year-end holiday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

eDNA emerges as powerful tool for tracking threatened river herring in Chesapeake Bay

Using environmental DNA (eDNA) to track the presence of fish in waterways is emerging as a powerful tool to detect and understand the abundance of species in aquatic environments. However, relatively few studies have compared the performance of this emerging technology to traditi … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

New photonic devices are said to be poised to enable the next leap in deep space exploration

New directed energy propulsion systems may enable the first interstellar missions, with small, robotic spacecraft exploring neighboring solar systems, according to experimental cosmologist Philip Lubin. He will present these and other advances at The Optical Society's (OSA) Laser … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Editing nature: Scientists call for careful oversight of environmental gene editing

In Burkina Faso, the government is considering the use of genetically modified mosquitoes to eradicate malaria. In Nantucket, Mass., officials are looking at gene editing as a tool in the fight against Lyme disease. And scientists are using gene technology to adapt coral to chang … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Quantum on the edge: Light shines on new pathway for quantum technology

Scientists in Australia have for the first time demonstrated the protection of correlated states between paired photons—packets of light energy—using the intriguing physical concept of topology. This experimental breakthrough opens a pathway to build a new type of quantum bit, th … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago