Newborn southern resident orca spotted in Puget Sound

The J pod of endangered southern resident orcas has a new baby. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Oral peptides: A new era in drug development

For decades, a substantial number of proteins, vital for treating various diseases, have remained elusive to oral drug therapy. Traditional small molecules often struggle to bind to proteins with flat surfaces or require specificity for particular protein homologs. Typically, lar … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Enantiomeric lead-free double perovskites rationally designed by achiral-chiral cation intercalation

Chiral optical materials have attracted great attention in multiple disciplines due to their wide application value in fields such as remote sensing, three-dimensional display, information communication, and optical information storage. With the strong demand for stable and envir … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

BarbNet: Awn phenotyping with advanced deep learning, potential applications in the automation of barley awns sorting

Awns, bristle-like extensions on grass crops like wheat and barley, are vital for protection and seed dispersal, with barbs on their surface playing a crucial role. While the genetic basis of barb formation has been explored through genome-wide association and genetic mapping, th … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Developing nanocatalysts to overcome limitations of water electrolysis technology

Green hydrogen can be produced through water electrolysis technology, which uses renewable energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen without emitting carbon dioxide. However, the production cost of green hydrogen is currently around $5 per kilogram, which is two to three tim … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Novel strategy stabilizes zinc-ion batteries

According to a study published in Advanced Functional Materials, a research team led by Prof. Hu Linhua from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that adding disodium maleate (DMA) to the electrolyte of aqueous zinc-ion batteries would … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Further evidence for quark-matter cores in massive neutron stars

Neutron-star cores contain matter at the highest densities reached in our present-day universe, with as much as two solar masses of matter compressed inside a sphere of 25 km in diameter. These astrophysical objects can indeed be thought of as giant atomic nuclei, with gravity co … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Oil spill blackens part of Venezuela's western coast

An oil spill is sloshing tarry ooze onto beaches in the state of Carabobo along Venezuela's western coastline, several environmental groups said on Wednesday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

In Colombia, illegally felled timber repurposed to help bees

In northeast Colombia, police guard warehouses stacked high with confiscated timber with a noble new destiny: transformation into homes for bees beleaguered by pesticides and climate change. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Studying combustion and fire safety

Research on the International Space Station is helping scientists to understand how fire spreads and behaves in different environments and learn how to prevent and extinguish fires in space. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Japan sets third launch attempt of next-gen rocket for February

Japan's space agency announced Thursday it will launch its next-generation H3 rocket in February after two failed attempts early this year. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Russia, NASA agree to continue joint ISS flights until 2025

Russian and US space agencies have agreed to keep working together to deliver crews to the International Space Station (ISS) until at least 2025, Russian corporation Roscosmos said Thursday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Juvenile sperm whale euthanized after stranding on North Carolina beach

A juvenile sperm whale that appeared to be in poor health was euthanized Wednesday after stranding on a North Carolina beach. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Older workers still struggle with work-life balance—and there's no one-size-fits-all remedy

The idea that we can comfortably manage all the different facets of life—work, family, other responsibilities—is certainly appealing. But in reality, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to work-life balance—especially for older workers. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

20 people, 2.4 quintillion possibilities: The baffling statistics of Secret Santa

Christmas, we're told, is the most wonderful time of the year. For many of us, however, it is preceded by one of the least wonderful times: the awkward social spectacle of the office Secret Santa or Kris Kringle, where employees agree to purchase a gift for a randomly allocated c … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

'Rights of nature' are being recognized overseas. In Australia, local leadership gives cause for optimism

As each day passes, the need to protect Australia's environment grows more urgent. As noted in the most recent State of Environment Report in 2021, we are increasingly turning to "measures of last resort" to prevent species extinctions and the collapse of ecosystems. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

California seal pups were turning up headless. Experts finally confirmed the culprit

Finding dead seals along California's coast is not novel in and of itself. The marine mammals get sick, are stillborn or even wash ashore after being fatally struck by a boat. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Using smart materials to deploy a Dark Age explorer

One of the most significant constraints on the size of objects placed into orbit is the size of the fairing used to put them there. Large telescopes must be stuffed into a relatively small fairing housing and deployed to their full size, sometimes using complicated processes. But … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Light measurement enables estimation of the chemical attributes of spice extracts

Spices and other plant-derived products contain many active components, such as polyphenols and flavonoids. However, even the slightest variations in conditions can considerably affect the extraction efficiency of these active components, posing challenges in determining the exac … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Switching off from work has never been harder, or more necessary. Here's how to do it

In the hit dystopian TV series "Severance," employees at biotech corporation Lumon Industries find it easy to separate work and home life. A computer chip is inserted in their brains to act as a "mindwipe." They leave all thoughts of home behind while at work, and completely forg … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

New model sheds light on grassland desertification dynamics

In a study published in Remote Sensing, scientists from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have employed a Desertification Difference Index (DDI) model to better understand and combat global grassland desertification. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

How to make your life greener in 2024

People all around the world traditionally use their new year to embark on a change in lifestyle. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

A legal scholar explains the need for government databases to retract information

In 2004, Hwang Woo-suk was celebrated for his breakthrough discovery creating cloned human embryos, and his work was published in the prestigious journal Science. But the discovery was too good to be true; Dr. Hwang had fabricated the data. Science publicly retracted the article … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Harnessing all-dielectric metamaterials to manipulate the polarization state of light

Polarization is one of the fundamental characteristics of electromagnetic waves. It can convey valuable vector information in sensitive measurements and signal transmission, which is a promising technology for various fields such as environmental monitoring, biomedical sciences, … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Latest search for new exotic particles at CERN

The CMS experiment has presented its first search for new physics using data from Run 3 of the Large Hadron Collider. The new study looks at the possibility of "dark photon" production in the decay of Higgs bosons in the detector. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

The atmosphere of an exoplanet reveals secrets about its surface

As astronomers have begun to gather data on the atmospheres of planets, we're learning about their compositions and evolution. Thick atmospheres are the easiest to study, but these same thick atmospheres can hide the surface of a planet from view. A Venus-like world, for example, … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Western Cascades landscapes in Oregon historically burned more often than previously thought

Forests on the west slope of Oregon's Cascade Range experienced fire much more often between 1500 and 1895 than had been previously thought, according to new research by scientists at Oregon State University. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

How to start a successful innovation ecosystem

The emergence of informal voluntary organizations capable of triggering "coopetition" where sheer competition and poor resource management prevailed, can be the key to tackling the hurdles that prevent the establishment of an innovation ecosystem, according to Dovev Lavie (Boccon … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Selfies and social media: How tourists indulge their influencer fantasies

A town in the US state of Vermont closed its roads to tourists in September 2023 after a social media tag sparked a swarm of visitors that overwhelmed the rural destination. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Miniaturized jumping robots could study an asteroid's gravity

Missions focusing on small bodies in the solar system have been coming thick and fast lately. OSIRIS-Rex, Psyche, and Rosetta are all examples of projects that planned or did rendezvous with a small body in the solar system. But one of their biggest challenges is understanding th … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

New method of cultivating human norovirus using zebrafish embryo

Food virologists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have successfully propagated the human norovirus using zebrafish embryos, providing a valuable platform to assess the effectiveness of virus inactivation for the water treatment and food industries. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

New species of Arum family reported from Myanmar

The Arum family (Araceae) consists of terrestrial or aquatic shrubs, vines, or herbs. Amorphophallus is a large genus of about 200 tropical and subtropical tuberous herbs of the Arum family. Fifteen Amorphophallus species have been reported from Myanmar, five of which are known t … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Draw-and-write mapping: Effective way to capture children's natural representations

Mental representations play a crucial role in shaping attitudes and behavior. Children's representations of 'nature' can be assessed along several dimensions, including aspects such as level of wildness, cognitive complexity, degree of elaboration, emotional expression, and repre … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Arabia's alluvial fans grow and decay with Earth's orbital cycles

Erosion of Earth's topography entrains sediment in rivers flowing across mountains, canyons and other naturally steep landscapes within the catchment. This silt, sand and gravel is transported variably by suspension in the water column, bouncing along the river bed (saltation), o … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Reusing plastic waste to kickstart radical chain reactions, improving process safety and efficiency

Single-use plastics are a major environmental concern, but now, rather than being disposed of as garbage, used plastic bags from the grocery store could be utilized to carry out a reaction that can detoxify hazardous chemicals. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Apple preharvest drop not linked to xylem functionality

Heat stress induces and accelerates leaf senescence, which is characterized by a loss of chlorophyll and cellular membrane deterioration, as well as oxidative damage). Leaf senescence can be exacerbated by the hormone ethylene, which acts as a signal to trigger cellular maturatio … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Development of tissue molecular imaging technique using multiple probes at hundreds of microns

Researchers have shown it is possible to image small animal tissue clearly to several hundred micrometers using multi-probe imaging, reports a recent study in Scientific Reports. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Novel molecular ionization dissociation pathway induced by Interatomic Coulombic Decay

A research group led by Prof. Ma Xinwen at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has observed a novel molecular ionization dissociation pathway triggered by Interatomic Coulombic Decay (ICD). The study, published in Physical Review Letters … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

AI predicts the influence of microplastics on soil properties

Plastic waste and its buildup in nature has become a major environmental concern in recent times. While plastic pollution in the oceans is undoubtedly a problem, the presence of plastics in soils around the world is also known to cause severe environmental and health issues. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

In quest to prevent debilitating traumatic brain injuries, new foam material rises to the top

From falls to football tackles, most blows to the head occur at odd angles. And those impacts trigger simultaneous linear and rotational head motions. The rotating movement in particular causes shear strain, which is especially damaging to the brain. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Special publication investigates paleopathology and evolution of tuberculosis

Recent research suggests that the emergence of tuberculosis infection (TB) in human populations dates back tens of thousands of years earlier than previously known cases in the Middle East. In collaboration with an international research team, Hungarian researchers have edited an … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Images hidden in noise revealed by a quantum-inspired phase-imaging method

Researchers at the University of Warsaw's Faculty of Physics with colleagues from Stanford University and Oklahoma State University have introduced a quantum-inspired phase-imaging method based on light intensity correlation measurements that is robust to phase noise. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Forest fires: a record year

As the deadliest year this century for forest fires comes to a close, attention is turning to how to prevent such infernos happening again. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Social media platforms generate billions in annual ad revenue from US youth: Study

Social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube collectively derived nearly $11 billion in advertising revenue from U.S.-based users younger than 18 in 2022, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Which zoo animals are most active in winter and what times are best to see them?

The temperature has dropped, the nights have drawn in. The winter holidays have started, families are gathered—so where can you go to fuel the imagination and get some fresh air? A zoo might not be your first thought—but with some offering reduced ticket prices and smaller crowds … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Unusual ancient elephant tracks had our team of fossil experts stumped—how we solved the mystery

Over the past 15 years, through our scientific study of tracks and traces, we have identified more than 350 fossil vertebrate tracksites from South Africa's Cape south coast. Most are found in cemented sand dunes, called aeolianites, and all are from the Pleistocene Epoch, rangin … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

From the moon's south pole to an ice-covered ocean world, several exciting space missions are slated for launch in 2024

The year 2023 proved to be an important one for space missions, with NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returning a sample from an asteroid and India's Chandrayaan-3 mission exploring the lunar south pole, and 2024 is shaping up to be another exciting year for space exploration. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Examining how fiber content affects mechanical properties in flax and pineapple leaf fiber-reinforced plastic composites

A new study has compared the reinforcing efficiency of pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) and cultivated flax fiber in poly(butylene succinate) composites. PALF, a less explored but potentially sustainable alternative, outperformed flax at 20 wt.%, showcasing its potential in high-perfo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago