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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months 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 | 11 months ago

Florida the only state to turn down millions to lessen emissions, feds say

Congress in 2021 provided $6.4 billion to states to curb tailpipe emissions and reduce the effects of climate change. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

A mathematical framework for evo-devo dynamics

Natural selection acts on phenotypes constructed over development, which raises the question of how development affects evolution. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Some coral species might be more resilient to climate change than previously thought

Some coral species can be resilient to marine heat waves by "remembering" how they lived through previous ones, research by Oregon State University scientists suggests. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Challenging assumptions: The 8.5-year rhythm of Earth's inner core

Researchers from China have confirmed the existence of an approximately 8.5-year Inner Core Wobble (ICW) in both polar motion and length-of-day variations, revealing a static tilt of about 0.17 degrees between the Earth's inner core and mantle, challenging traditional assumptions … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

First discovery of carbon-based cave art in France's Dordogne region could pave way for precise radiocarbon dating

The Dordogne region of southern France is home to over 200 caves decorated with colorful Paleolithic art, but little is known about how old it is. Due to its coloration with iron- or manganese-oxide-based material, radiocarbon dating of the art has not been possible, and it has b … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Second radio relic discovered in the galaxy cluster Abell 2108

Astronomers from India and Taiwan have used the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) to perform radio observations of a galaxy cluster known as Abell 2108. As a result, they detected a second radio relic, which is much larger and differs in morphology from the previou … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Two possible ways to use black holes as energy source in the distant future

A pair of astrophysicists at Tianjin University, in China, has proposed ways that humans in the distant future might use black holes as an energy source. In their paper published in the journal Physical Review D, Zhan-Feng Mai and Run-Qiu Yang outline two possible scenarios in wh … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Wildfires increasing across eastern US, new study reveals

In a new analysis of data spanning more than three decades in the eastern United States, a team of scientists found a concerning trend—an increasing number of wildfires across a large swath of America. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Cattle ranchers want Florida to preserve their land. Will DeSantis, Legislature fund the programs?

Cattle rancher Billy Kempfer would love for Florida to pay him for the development rights on his land, keeping it as ranchland forever. But it all comes down to the list. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Colorado wolf reintroduction to move forward as ranchers' legal effort fails

The reintroduction of wolves in Colorado this month will proceed as planned after a federal judge on Friday 15 Dec. denied ranchers' request to stop the state's efforts to allow for further environmental analysis. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Uncontrolled chemical reactions fuel crises at LA County's two largest landfills

Hundreds of feet underground, in a long-dormant portion of Chiquita Canyon landfill, tons of garbage have been smoldering for months due to an enigmatic chemical reaction. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Could Culver City's landmark deal to end oil production be a model for other cities?

Culver City has struck a deal with one of California's largest oil producers to end petroleum extraction and plug all wells within the city limits by the end of the decade—an agreement that environmentalists say could serve as a model for other municipalities. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Research reveals regions in US where heat adaptation and mitigation efforts can most benefit future populations

Extreme heat waves, once considered rare, are now frequent and severe in cities due to climate change. Phoenix faced such a brutal heat wave in July of 2023 when it endured 31 consecutive days of high temperatures of at least 110° F. The severity of the heat wave triggered a stat … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Drones help solve forest carbon capture riddle

On a hillside overlooking cabbage fields outside the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, a drone's rotors begin to whir, lifting it over a patch of forest. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin headed back into space after accident

The American company Blue Origin plans to launch its rocket Big Shepard Monday for the first time since an accident more than a year ago, as the firm founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos heads back into space. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Native oysters return to Belfast after a century's absence

Long gone from Belfast's famed harbor where the Titanic was built, oysters are making a comeback thanks to a nursery installation project aimed at boosting marine life and water quality. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Shaggy dog yarn: Study unravels history and demise of long-haired canine

A little-known dog lineage with fur so thick it was spun into blankets was selectively bred for millennia by Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest until its rapid demise following European colonization, a study in Science showed Thursday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

'CountShoots' unveils advanced UAV and AI techniques for precise slash pine shoot counting

In southern China, the genetically improved slash pine (Pinus elliottii) plays a crucial role in timber and resin production, with new shoot density being a key growth trait. Current manual counting methods are inefficient and inaccurate. Emerging technologies such as UAV-based R … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

The Sahara Desert used to be a green savannah: Research explains why

Algeria's Tassili N'Ajjer plateau is Africa's largest national park. Among its vast sandstone formations is perhaps the world's largest art museum. Over 15,000 etchings and paintings are exhibited there, some as much as 11,000 years old according to scientific dating techniques, … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Research finds women 'turn inward' when they experience ambiguous workplace incidents

That gender discrimination is wrong is beyond argument. But identifying which incidents are cases of it is not always so clear cut. That's why researchers are recommending that organizations develop processes that encourage workers to share their concerns when they suspect but ar … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Pesticide residue from farms and towns is ending up in fresh oysters

For years, oysters have been lauded as one of the most sustainable and healthy seafood options. But our food is only as healthy as the environment it is grown in. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Saturday Citations: Dogs (woolly) and cats (athletic). Plus: Amino acid precursors on Enceladus, beer goggles on Earth

This week, scientists reported on drinking beer, Saturnian expulsions, an ancient North American dog breed, and cats playing dogs' favorite game, fetch. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

From 'liquid lace' to the 'Drop Medusa,' researchers compete for the best image of fluid flow

Each year at its annual meeting, the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics sponsors a contest for the best images in a variety of categories, all related to the flow of fluids. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

A new tool to better model future wildfire impacts in the United States

Wildfire management systems outfitted with remote sensing technology could improve first responders' ability to predict and respond to the spread of deadly forest fires. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

North America's first people may have arrived by sea ice highway as early as 24,000 years ago

One of the hottest debates in archaeology is how and when humans first arrived in North America. Archaeologists have traditionally argued that people walked through an ice-free corridor that briefly opened between ice sheets an estimated 13,000 years ago. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

California children sue US govt over pollution

Children in California are suing the US government over its failure to curb pollution, the latest in a series of legal actions by young people around the world worried about climate change. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Electronic pathways may enhance collective atomic vibrations' magnetism

Materials with enhanced thermal conductivity are critical for the development of advanced devices to support applications in communications, clean energy and aerospace. But in order to engineer materials with this property, scientists need to understand how phonons, or quantum un … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Researchers fill the final gaps in the Arabidopsis genome sequence

Arabidopsis thaliana is a species grown worldwide for genetic research and was the first plant to have its complete set of chromosomes (its genome) sequenced. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Study identifies Florida's potential invasive species threats

In a first-of-its-kind study for North America, scientists accumulated a list of potential invasive species for Florida, and researchers deemed 40 pose the greatest threat. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Scientists use fiber optic cable to study Arctic seafloor permafrost

The Arctic is remote, with often harsh conditions, and its climate is changing rapidly—warming four times faster than the rest of the Earth. This makes studying the Arctic climate both challenging and vital for understanding global climate change. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago