How algae use memory to protect against sudden changes in sunlight

Fluctuating sunlight poses a challenge for plants and green algae, which must quickly adjust their photosynthetic systems to remain efficient in changing conditions. Aiding in that response is a kind of rudimentary memory that allows these organisms to respond more rapidly to cha … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Exploring advances in waveguide-based augmented reality displays

In recent decades, augmented reality (AR) has evolved from a futuristic concept to a tangible and pervasive technology. AR enhances our perception and interaction with the environment by seamlessly blending projected virtual content with real-world scenes. Waveguide-based AR disp … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Making extremely thing lubricating films predictable: Extension of the Reynolds equation by a non-linear wall slip law

When an electric vehicle accelerates, the motor generates maximum forces and enormous pressures act on the gears of the electric drivetrain. Surface meets surface, metal meets metal. If there were no lubricating film to allow the gears to slide more easily, they would not only be … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Fractal photonic anomalous Floquet topological insulators to generate multiple quantum chiral edge states

An anomalous Floquet topological insulator (AFTI) is a periodically driven topological insulator (TI with nonzero winding numbers to support topological edge modes, though its standard topological invariants like Chern numbers are zero. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Study: How farmers decide to store or sell their grain

When farmers harvest their grain, they can choose to sell it right away or store it to obtain better prices later in the season. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explores how Illinois corn and soybean producers make those decisions and why the cost-ben … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

It turns out, this plant fossil is really a baby turtle fossil

From the 1950s to the 1970s, a Colombian priest named Padre Gustavo Huertas collected rocks and fossils near a town called Villa de Levya. Two of the specimens he found were small, round rocks patterned with lines that looked like leaves; he classified them as a type of fossil pl … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Measuring the distances to galaxies with space telescopes

One of the James Webb Space Telescope's science goals is to understand how galaxies in the early universe formed and evolved into much larger galaxies like our own Milky Way. This goal requires that we identify samples of galaxies at different moments in the universe's history to … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

PACE testing and preparation continues for launch in early 2024

Engineers are executing a comprehensive performance test to ensure the PACE spacecraft is ready for launch. NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission will study what makes Earth so different from every other planet we study: life itself. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Most of the world's countries receive failing grade in global 'human rights report card'

A new report that grades all the countries of the world on their respect for human rights paints a grim picture of human rights practices in the 21st century. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Report says new models will improve understanding of America's forests

Forests and the carbon they capture play a pivotal role in combating climate change, and a new report co-authored by NAU researchers is set to transform forest conservation efforts nationwide by providing new, more accurate models for calculating and predicting how much carbon th … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

If humans disappeared, what would happen to our dogs?

For many of us, dogs are our best friends. But have you wondered what would happen to your dog if we suddenly disappeared? Can domestic dogs make do without people? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Researchers: Carbon removal is needed to achieve net zero but has its own climate risks

As delegates gather in Dubai at the COP28 climate conference—with the aim to ratchet up ambition towards meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement—a key component of these efforts are countries' pledges to achieve net-zero emissions around mid-century. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

When research study materials don't speak their participants' language, data can get lost in translation

Imagine your mother has cancer. You just heard about a promising new experimental treatment and want to enroll her in the study. However, your mother immigrated to the U.S. as an adult and speaks limited English. When you reach out to the research team, they tell you she is ineli … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Universal basic income: Wales is set to end its experiment—why researchers think that's a mistake

The Welsh government has announced that its universal basic income (UBI) project will not be continued after the initial pilot ends in 2025 because of the cost. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Not all jets radiate equally in quark-gluon plasma, study finds

Studying nuclear matter under extreme conditions allows scientists to better understand how the universe might have looked right after its creation. Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider achieve the conditions for recreating mini-Big Bangs in the lab by colliding nuclei at spee … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Using protein-glutaminase treatment to make veggie-burgers more moist

A trio of food scientists at Amano Enzyme Inc. Innovation Center, in Japan, has found that adding a protein-glutaminase treatment to plant-based meat alternatives can make the resulting product juicier. In their study, reported in PLOS ONE, Kiyota SakaiI, Masamichı´ Okada, and Sh … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Earth may have had all the elements needed for life—contrary to theories that they came from meteorites

For many years, scientists have predicted that many of the elements that are crucial ingredients for life, like sulfur and nitrogen, first came to Earth when asteroid-type objects carrying them crashed into our planet's surface. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Metamaterials and origamic metal-organic frameworks

Origami is a paper folding process usually associated with child's play mostly to form a paper-folded crane, yet it is, as of recently a fascinating research topic. Origami-inspired materials can achieve mechanical properties that are difficult to achieve in conventional material … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Large exomoons unlikely around Kepler-1625 b and Kepler-1708 b, astronomers say

Only two of the more than 5,300 known exoplanets have so far provided evidence of moons in orbit around them. In observations of the planets Kepler-1625b and Kepler-1708b from the Kepler and Hubble space telescopes, researchers discovered traces of such moons for the first time. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Time-tested magnesium oxide: Unveiling CO₂ absorption dynamics

Magnesium oxide is a promising material for capturing carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere and injecting it deep underground to limit the effects of climate change. But making the method economical will require discovering the speed at which carbon dioxide is absorbed and … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Researchers develop a reflective display technique based on electro-microfluidic assembly of particles

In an article published in Light: Science & Applications, a team of scientists, led by Professor Lingling Shui from the International Joint Laboratory of Optofluidic Technology and System (LOTS) at South China Normal University have developed an interesting reflective display tec … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Powerful earthquake shakes South Pacific nation of Vanuatu; no tsunami threat

A powerful earthquake shook the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Thursday evening, but countries in the region said there was no threat of a tsunami. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Heavier rains in East Africa due to human activity: study

Climate change caused by human activity made torrential rains that have lashed East Africa since October and killed more than 300 people up to twice as intense, a scientific study said Thursday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Antibiotic resistance genes are spread more widely between bacteria than previously thought

A new study published in The Lancet Microbe has found that the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes between different bacteria is considerably more widespread than previously thought. The study is titled "Interphylum dissemination of NDM-5-positive plasmids in hospital wastewa … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Minding the gap on tropical forest carbon: Reconciling data from Earth-observing satellites with national reporting

Tropical forests are clearly critical to Earth's climate system, but understanding exactly how much carbon they absorb from the atmosphere, store and release is tricky to calculate, not least because measuring and reporting methods vary. With these measurements paramount for nati … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Oldest fortresses in the world discovered

In a groundbreaking archaeological discovery, an international team led by archaeologists from Freie Universität Berlin has uncovered fortified prehistoric settlements in a remote region of Siberia. The results of their research reveal that hunter–gatherers in Siberia constructed … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Ancient Balkan genomes trace the rise and fall of Roman Empire's frontier, reveal Slavic migrations

A multidisciplinary study has reconstructed the genomic history of the Balkan Peninsula during the first millennium of the common era, a time and place of profound demographic, cultural and linguistic change. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Mediterranean green turtles' nesting range will expand under warming climate, modeling study finds

Rising global temperatures could lead to an increase in the nesting range of green turtles in the Mediterranean Sea, according to a modeling study published in Scientific Reports. Under the worst-case climate scenario, the nesting range could increase by over 60 percentage points … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Three-day exceptional heat wave in China linked to human-induced climate change

A record-breaking heat wave occurred in North China in June, marking the first time that temperatures reached or exceeded 40°C in Beijing for three consecutive days. A new paper, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, explores the extent to which such extreme he … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Acoustic monitoring shows surprising resilience of subtropical forests to extreme weather, but climate change looms

If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) have answered this question by remotely recording the soundscapes of Okinawan forests, allowing them to … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

First global estimate of marine aquarium trade to encourage sustainable practices

New research has generated the first global estimate of the number of fish and invertebrates within the Marine Aquarium Trade (MAT), as a way to incentivize industry sustainability and coral reef conservation. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

AI-powered satellite analysis reveals the unseen economic landscape of underdeveloped nations

The United Nations reports that more than 700 million people are in extreme poverty, earning less than two dollars a day. However, an accurate assessment of poverty remains a global challenge. For example, 53 countries have not conducted agricultural surveys in the past 15 years, … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Researchers steer microvehicles through blood vessels in the mouse brain using ultrasound

ETH Zurich researchers have shown for the first time that microvehicles can be steered through blood vessels in the brains of mice using ultrasound. They hope that this will eventually lead to treatments capable of delivering drugs with pinpoint precision. Their study is publishe … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Threefold coordinated germanium proved in GeO₂ melt

According to a study published in Nature Communications, threefold coordinated germanium has been proved for the first time in a germanium dioxide (GeO2) melt, potentially resolving the long-standing debate about the structure of GeO2 melt. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Growing biofilms actively alter host environment, study reveals

Dental plaque, gut bacteria and the slippery sheen on river rocks are all examples of biofilms, organized communities of microorganisms that colonize our bodies and the world around us. A recent study led by Penn State researchers reveals exactly how growing biofilms shape their … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Using logical qubits to make a quantum computer that can correct its errors

A team of physicists, computer scientists and information machine specialists at Harvard University, working with colleagues from QuEra Computing Inc., the University of Maryland and MIT, has created a quantum computer with the largest-ever number of logical quantum bits. In thei … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Exogenous arginine promotes coproduction of biomass and astaxanthin in Haematococcus pluvialis

Researchers led by Prof. Huang Qing from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have shown that arginine supplementation can improve the growth and astaxanthin production of Haematococcus pluvialis (H. pluvialis). | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Jet stream will get faster as climate change continues, study finds

A new study in Nature Climate Change takes one of the first deep dives into how climate change will affect the fastest jet streams—the powerful, narrow winds in the upper atmosphere that steer much of the Earth's weather systems and are connected to outbreaks of severe weather. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

X-ray method enables micron-resolution imaging of living organisms over long time periods

Researchers have developed an X-ray imaging technique that can produce detailed images of living organisms with a much lower X-ray dose than previously possible. The advance enables small organisms or other sensitive samples to be studied at high resolution over much longer perio … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Breakthrough in coherent two-photon LIDAR overcomes range limitations

New research has unveiled an advancement in Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology, offering unparalleled sensitivity and precision in measuring the distance of remote objects. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Four eruptive young stellar objects discovered

By analyzing the data from the SPICY catalog and from NASA's WISE spacecraft, an international team of astronomers has discovered four new eruptive young stellar objects (YSOs). The finding was presented in a research paper published in the December issue of the Journal of the Ko … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

To the moo-n: Cow dung fuels Japan's space ambitions

Japan's space industry opened potentially an udder-ly new chapter on Thursday with a start-up testing a prototype rocket engine that runs on fuel derived purely from a plentiful local source: cow dung. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

'Forever chemicals' found in freshwater fish, yet most states don't warn residents

Bill Eisenman has always fished. "Growing up, we ate whatever we caught—catfish, carp, freshwater drum," he said. "That was the only real source of fish in our diet as a family, and we ate a lot of it." | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Miami aquarium manatees Romeo and Juliet arrive at ZooTampa for care

Two Florida manatees whose living conditions at a Miami aquarium sparked online outrage have been escorted across the state by a caravan of wildlife officials to their new home at ZooTampa. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Engineers develop a way to determine how the surfaces of materials behave

Designing new compounds or alloys whose surfaces can be used as catalysts in chemical reactions can be a complex process relying heavily on the intuition of experienced chemists. A team of researchers at MIT has devised a new approach using machine learning, that removes the need … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

'Unabated': a word to split the world at COP28

The outcome of the most important climate negotiations in years could rest on the ambiguity surrounding one linchpin term, according to experts: "unabated fossil fuels". | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

'Ecocide': how war and climate change are often linked

The link between climate change and war has been a running theme at COP28, highlighting how many countries suffer from both deadly conflict and environmental disasters. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Eight-eyed cave creature with unique genitalia discovered as new species in China

As light filtered into a cave in southeastern China, an eight-eyed creature moved around underneath a rock. Despite its small size, the animal caught the attention of nearby scientists. It turned out to be a new species. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago