Google employees to walk out to protest treatment of women

Hundreds of Google engineers and other workers are expected to walk off the job Thursday morning to protest the internet company's lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Palau plans sunscreen ban to save coral

The tiny Pacific island nation of Palau will ban "reef-toxic" sunscreens from 2020 in what it claims is a world-first initiative to stop chemical pollution killing its famed corals. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Barn swallows may indeed have evolved alongside humans

The evolution of barn swallows, a bird ubiquitous to bridges and sheds around the world, might be even more closely tied to humans than previously thought, according to new study from the University of Colorado Boulder. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Scientists 'tame' some disruptive environmental effects on quantum computers

A team of scientists, led by Professor Winfried Hensinger at the University of Sussex, have made a major breakthrough concerning one of the biggest problems facing quantum computing: how to reduce the disruptive effects of environmental "noise" on the highly sensitive function of … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Troubled Alitalia says gets three takeover bids

Troubled Italian carrier Alitalia has received three takeover offers as part of its latest rescue efforts, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

New study found deep sea chemical dispersants ineffective in Deepwater Horizon oil spill

A new study of the Deepwater Horizon response showed that massive quantities of chemically engineered dispersants injected at the wellhead—roughly 1,500 meters (4,921 feet) beneath the surface—were unrelated to the formation of the massive deepwater oil plume. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Hot brew coffee has higher levels of antioxidants than cold brew

In a new study, Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University) researchers found chemical differences between hot and cold brew coffee that may have health impacts. In particular, the researchers found that hot-brewed coffee has higher levels of antioxidants, w … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

UK, Canada seek to question Facebook's Zuckerberg on fake news

Mark Zuckerberg has testified to the U.S. Congress. Could a visit before U.K. and Canadian lawmakers be next? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Earth's oceans have absorbed 60 percent more heat than previously thought

For each year during the past quarter century, the world's oceans have absorbed an amount of heat energy that is 150 times the energy humans produce as electricity annually, according to a study led by researchers at Princeton and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the Un … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Italy tells Ryanair, Wizz Air to suspend bag charge

Italy's competition watchdog told low-cost airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air Wednesday to suspend planned charges for carry-on bags that are to take effect on November 1. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Researchers find the origin of an isolated bird species on South Atlantic island

By wings or maybe riding on debris, that's how a now-flightless and rare species of tiny birds likely got to Inaccessible Island, an aptly named small island of volcanic origin in the middle of the South Atlantic. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Seattle tech startup 98point6 raises $50 million for virtual doctor's visits

Seattle startup 98point6, whose app lets consumers consult with a primary-care doctor via text messages, has raised $50 million from investors. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Apple updates iOS12 with new emojis, group FaceTime video calls

Beyond the new iPad, MacBook Air and Mac Mini refresh, Apple also gave the world new emoji, the ability to do multi-person FaceTime video calling, and some cool photo tools in an update of iOS12, Apple's mobile operating system. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Cargill robot moves cattle herds with less stress, more safety

Meet the world's first cowboy robot. It does not look like something from Hollywood or Silicon Valley. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Spotify to give family plan subscribers a free Google Home Mini speaker

Spotify is giving a Google Home Mini speaker to family plan subscribers for a song—free. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

UT students' startups land share of $50,000 entrepreneurship cash

Texas undergraduate teams pitched their startup ideas recently at the University of Texas-Austin to win their share of $50,000. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Controlling future summer weather extremes still within our grasp

Continued burning of fossil fuels is likely to fuel even more extreme summers than that of 2018 because of its impact on the jet stream. The rapid disappearance of aerosols produced by pollution may, however, mitigate the impact until mid-century if countries like China phase out … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Researchers discover earliest recorded lead exposure in 250,000-year-old Neanderthal teeth

Using evidence found in teeth from two Neanderthals from southeastern France, researchers from the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai report the earliest evidence of lead exposure in an extinct human-like species … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

World's last wilderness may vanish

The world's last wilderness areas are rapidly disappearing, with explicit international conservation targets critically needed, according to University of Queensland-led research. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

'Nanostraws' deliver molecules to human cells safely and efficiently

Researchers can design the perfect molecule to edit a gene, treat cancer or guide the development of a stem cell, but none of that will matter in the end if they can't get their molecules into the human cells they want to manipulate. The solution to that problem, described in a s … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Researchers see signs of interactive form of quantum matter

JILA researchers have, for the first time, isolated groups of a few atoms and precisely measured their multi-particle interactions within an atomic clock. The advance will help scientists control interacting quantum matter, which is expected to boost the performance of atomic clo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Dinosaurs put all colored birds' eggs in one basket, evolutionarily speaking

A new study says the colors found in modern birds' eggs did not evolve independently, as previously thought, but evolved instead from dinosaurs. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Ballistic beetles seek safety in numbers by sheltering with other species

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@phys.org | 6 years ago

Changes to RNA aid the process of learning and memory

RNA carries pieces of instructions encoded in DNA to coordinate the production of proteins that will carry out the work to be done in a cell. But the process isn't always straightforward. Chemical modifications to DNA or RNA can alter the way genes are expressed without changing … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Baby-naming trends reveal ongoing quest for individuality

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@phys.org | 6 years ago

Major corridor of Silk Road already home to high-mountain herders over 4,000 years ago

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@phys.org | 6 years ago

Astronomers discover the giant that shaped the early days of our Milky Way

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@phys.org | 6 years ago

Cryo-EM reveals structure and mechanism of the 5-HT3 receptor

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@phys.org | 6 years ago

Earth's oceans have absorbed 60 percent more heat than previously thought

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@phys.org | 6 years ago

Naturally occurring 'batteries' fueled organic carbon synthesis on Mars

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@phys.org | 6 years ago

What happened in the past when the climate changed?

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@phys.org | 6 years ago

Flexy, flat and functional magnets

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@phys.org | 6 years ago

Portugal bans use of wild circus animals

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@phys.org | 6 years ago

GM reports strong profits, lifting shares

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@phys.org | 6 years ago

Location of wastewater disposal drives induced seismicity at US oil sites

The depth of the rock layer that serves as the disposal site for wastewater produced during unconventional oil extraction plays a significant role in whether that disposal triggers earthquakes in the U.S., according to a new study that takes a broad look at the issue. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Hubble reveals a giant cosmic 'Bat Shadow'

Shadows on Earth can be mysterious and foreboding, but when they occur in space, they can convey information we otherwise could not know. In a stellar nursery called the Serpens Nebula, nearly 1,300 light-years away, a young star's game of shadow play is revealing secrets of its … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

EU countries back single-use plastics ban

EU countries on Wednesday backed the outlawing of certain single-use plastics, bringing the bloc a step closer to an outright ban on the products which account for huge quantities of waste in the world's oceans. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Law enforcement faces dilemma in assessing online threats

Their anger is all over social media for the whole world to see, with rants about minorities, relationships gone bad or paranoid delusions about perceived slights. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Justices weigh $8.5M settlement with $0 to 129M Google users

The Supreme Court is struggling over what to do about an $8.5 million class-action settlement involving Google and privacy concerns in which all the money went to lawyers and nonprofit groups and nothing was paid to 129 million people who used Google to perform internet searches. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Vietnam rolls out web monitor to control 'false information'

Vietnam said Wednesday it has set up a web monitoring unit that can scan up to 100 million news items per day for "false information", in a move that tightens its grip on internet freedom. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

NASA gets an infrared view of Hurricane Oscar

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the North Atlantic Ocean and gathered temperature data on Hurricane Oscar. The data showed the bulk of strong storms were in the northwestern quadrant as Oscar began transitioning into an extra-tropical storm. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

CloudSat gets a slice of Typhoon Yutu's eye

NASA's CloudSat satellite captured a stunning image of Typhoon Yutu as it passed over the eye of the storm. The storm has since weakened to a tropical storm. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Too many fishers in the sea: The economic ceiling of artisanal fisheries

A new study shows that even if fishers used the most efficient and sustainable known practices, they wouldn't generate enough revenue to maintain a living above poverty level. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Oxygen levels impact on species' ability and willingness to fight

Environmental conditions could play a major role in the instigation of fights within the animal kingdom, according to new research. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Monitoring air pollution after Hurricane Maria

When Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, the storm devastated the island's electrical grid, leaving many people without power for months. This lack of electricity, as well as other storm-related damage, prevented air-quality monitoring in many areas. Now res … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Important biomedical microscopy technique can now image deeper into tissue

A recently developed technique known as light-sheet fluorescence microscopy has led to many biological discoveries by allowing researchers to create 3-D images of tissue, even live animal embryos, using fluorescent tags. Now, researchers report the ability to increase the imaging … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

A bullet-proof heating pad

Sometimes nothing feels better on stiff, aching joints than a little heat. But many heating pads and wraps are rigid and provide uneven warmth, especially when the person is moving around. Researchers have now made a wearable heater by modifying woven Kevlar fabric with nanowires … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Hard cider, with a shot of sugar

Autumn is the season for falling leaves, pumpkin-spice-flavored everything and apple cider. Yet new research indicates that, in addition to alcohol, some hard ciders may contain a hefty dose of added sugar, which may not be disclosed on the label. The researchers report their res … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago