China's big three airlines seek 737 MAX payouts from Boeing: reports

China's three biggest airlines have filed claims seeking compensation from Boeing over the grounding and delayed delivery of 737 MAX 8 aircraft following two deadly crashes, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New method could shed light on workers' historical radiation exposure

Researchers in the UK have developed a new method for evaluating plutonium workers' historical internal radiation exposure in a study funded by the National Institute for Health Research. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Chemical engineers develop biosecurity tool to detect genetically engineered organisms in the wild

If a genetically or synthetically engineered organism is released into the environment, how will we know? How can we tell it apart from the millions of microorganisms that exist naturally in the wild? That's the challenge being taken on by a multi-institution research team, inclu … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Researchers create most complete model of complex protein machinery

Environmental conditions, lifestyle choices, chemical exposure, and foodborne and airborne pathogens are among the external factors that can cause disease. In contrast, internal genetic factors can be responsible for the onset and progression of diseases ranging from degenerative … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Ammonium fertilized early life on Earth: study

A team of international scientists—including researchers at the University of St. Andrews, Syracuse University and Royal Holloway, University of London—have demonstrated a new source of food for early life on the planet. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

What makes a place a home?

Invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles) are now ubiquitous throughout the Caribbean and Western Atlantic on both shallow and deep reefs. While many invasive species disrupt natural ecosystems by spreading disease or competing for food and habitat, lionfish are particula … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Eastern forests shaped more by Native Americans' burning than climate change

Native Americans' use of fire to manage vegetation in what is now the Eastern United States was more profound than previously believed, according to a Penn State researcher who determined that forest composition change in the region was caused more by land use than climate change … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Strain enables new applications of 2-D materials

Superconductors' never-ending flow of electrical current could provide new options for energy storage and superefficient electrical transmission and generation, to name just a few benefits. But the signature zero electrical resistance of superconductors is reached only below a ce … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Extreme draining of reservoir aids young salmon and eliminates invasive fish

A new study finds that the low-cost, extreme draining of a reservoir in Oregon aided downstream migration of juvenile chinook salmon—and led to the gradual disappearance of two species of predatory invasive fish in the artificial lake. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Mathematicians revive abandoned approach to the Riemann Hypothesis

Many ways to approach the Riemann Hypothesis have been proposed during the past 150 years, but none of them have led to conquering the most famous open problem in mathematics. A new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) suggests that one of these old … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

US delay to Huawei ban gives tech sector time to adjust

The United States is delaying some restrictions on U.S. technology sales to Chinese tech powerhouse Huawei in what it calls an effort to ease the blow on Huawei smartphone owners and smaller U.S. telecoms providers that rely on its networking equipment. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New study finds distinct microbes living next to corals

Symbiotic algae living inside corals provide those animals with their vibrant color, as well as many of the nutrients they need to survive. That algae, and other microbes within the bodies of corals, have been extensively studied—yet until now, researchers have largely ignored th … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Life in evolution's fast lane

Most living things have a suite of genes dedicated to repairing their DNA, limiting the rate at which their genomes change through time. But scientists at Vanderbilt and University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered an ancient lineage of budding yeasts that appears to have accu … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Statistical model could predict future disease outbreaks

Several University of Georgia researchers teamed up to create a statistical method that may allow public health and infectious disease forecasters to better predict disease reemergence, especially for preventable childhood infections such as measles and pertussis. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Solving a scientific mystery and finding a solution for industry

In solving a scientific mystery, researchers from the University of Houston and the nation's national laboratories also discovered a new avenue for clearing toxins from water, including wastewater produced by hydraulic fracturing. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Want to eliminate workplace bias? Watch your rating system, study says

What's the difference between a 10-point and a six-point performance rating scale, besides four points? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

First report of powdery mildew on phasey bean in Florida could spell trouble for papaya

Phasey bean, also known as wild bush bean, is an invasive species native to the tropical Americas and the Caribbean. In 2017, the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC) listed phasey bean under Category II on the invasive species list, indicating that the species has increase … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Studies find no yield benefit to higher plant populations

As seed prices rise, growers must be increasingly mindful of the density and configuration of cotton in their fields. However, current cotton plant population recommendations aren't always helpful or based on the latest research. Experts often offer guidance, rather than direct a … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Berkeley lab project to pinpoint methane 'super emitters'

Methane, a potent greenhouse gas that traps about 30 times more heat than carbon dioxide, is commonly released from rice fields, dairies, landfills, and oil and gas facilities—all of which are plentiful in California. Now the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Labo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Testifying while black: A linguistic analysis of disparities in court transcription

A new study has found that court reporters transcribe speakers of African American English significantly below their required level of accuracy. The study "Testifying while black: An experimental study of court reporter accuracy in transcription of African American English," by T … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Fish fences across the tropical seas having large-scale devastating effects

Huge fish fences which are commonly used in tropical seas are causing extensive social, ecological and economic damage and are threatening marine biodiversity and human livelihoods, according to a new study. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New lidar instruments peer skyward for clues on weather and climate

Researchers have developed a set of diode-based lidar instruments that could help fill important gaps in meteorological observations and fuel a leap in understanding, modeling and predicting weather and climate. The instruments are particularly well suited for insights on atmosph … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Researchers discover a new beneficial function of an ancient protein

Cell boundaries are made of lipids. When cells are severely damaged, these lipids need to be rapidly removed to avoid toxicity and facilitate tissue healing. Researchers have discovered that a small ancient protein, Serum Amyloid A (SAA), plays a previously unknown key role in th … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

DNA analysis of shark barf tells scientists what kinds of birds the sharks scavenge

Tiger sharks have a reputation for being the "garbage cans of the sea"—they'll eat just about anything, from dolphins and sea turtles to rubber tires. But before these top predators grow to their adult size of 15 feet, young tiger sharks have an even more unusual diet. Scientists … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Subtropical storm Andrea jumps the gun as the first storm of 2019 Atlantic season

Andrea becomes the first subtropical storm for the 2019 season although we are two weeks short of the official start date of June 1. This storm was first spotted on Monday, May 20, 2019 forming over the western Atlantic. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

How to program materials

Ali Gooneie simulates on his computer what holds the world together right at its very core: atoms, molecules, molecular chains and bundles—then lumps and fibers, which emerge from these. With his calculations, the Empa researcher can also explain properties we can feel with our f … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

How usable is virtual reality?

Virtual Reality and the virtual world are taking over more and more areas of our lives. This means that it is really important that virtual worlds are user-friendly and offer a high usability. Up until now, the only way to check this was to conduct manual tests with volunteers. T … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Employees are pressuring Amazon to become a leader on climate. Here's how that could work

Amazon is preparing to do something it's never done before: disclose its companywide greenhouse gas emissions. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Tropical Pacific variability key for successful climate forecasts

The warming of the Earth by the human-caused greenhouse effect is progressing. But predictions for the next decades still show relatively large uncertainties. A German-Australian research team headed by GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel identified the large natural … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Huawei will make do without Google, but how well?

Life without Google is normal in China. About 1.4 billion Chinese people wake up each day to check WeChat instead of Gmail, navigate with Baidu instead of Google Maps, and watch videos on Youku instead of YouTube. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New technique promises improved metastatic prostate cancer detection

Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of male cancer deaths worldwide. Deaths from prostate cancer are primarily due to metastasized cancer, in which cancer cells have migrated through the body and begun to grow in other areas. Results reported in Biomicrofluidics promise a … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Facial recognition bans: What's next in Oakland, at Amazon and more

Efforts to rein in government use of facial recognition have a big couple of weeks ahead, days after San Francisco approved a first-of-its-kind ban on use of the technology by police and other city agencies. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Refugee personality is one of the factors determining how successful integration is

Refugees who are more willing to take risks, who tend to reciprocate friendliness, and who are more strongly convinced than others are that they are in control of their lives integrate into society faster. This is the result of a study undertaken on the basis of the IAB-BAMF-SOEP … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Wanted: Digital whizzes to work in agriculture

To the uninitiated, it can be hard to imagine. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New ultra-fast imaging technology with high frame rate and frame number

Acquiring images of ultrafast processes is a technology vitally needed for many cutting-edge physical, chemical, and biological studies. The latest research conducted by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and Xi'an Jiaotong University has successfully developed a novel compress … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Formation of the moon brought water to Earth

The Earth is unique in our solar system: It is the only terrestrial planet with a large amount of water and a relatively large moon, which stabilizes the Earth's axis. Both were essential for Earth to develop life. Planetologists at the University of Münster (Germany) have now be … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Protests as Bangladesh slaps two-month ban on shallow-water fishing

Bangladesh has banned fishing in the Bay of Bengal for the next two months in an effort to replenish stocks, a minister said Tuesday, triggering protests by hundreds of fishermen. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

US Postal Service to launch test of self-driving trucks

The US Postal Service said Tuesday it would begin its first tests of self-driving trucks to deliver mail between two distribution centers in the southwest. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

CBD clinical trial results on seizure frequency in dogs 'encouraging'

Promising and exciting. Those are the words used by Dr. Stephanie McGrath to describe findings from a pilot study to assess the use of cannabidiol, or CBD, for dogs with epilepsy. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Guiding vibration simulations for turbines

If you've ever felt frustrated while staring at a little spinning pinwheel while a computer finishes a task, try waiting for six weeks. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

10 questions about blockchain

What is blockchain, where is it used, and will it become mainstream? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Cooking, cleaning and personal hygiene: Why video games make you feel right at home

Video games are often seen as immersive fantasies, which offer a means of escape from the humdrum chores and duties of everyday life. Games studies scholars speak of players entering a "magic circle", forged by programmers—an act apart", with its own unique rules and rituals. But … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

The cultural significance of carbon-storing peatlands to rural communities

A group of UK and Peruvian researchers have carried out the first detailed study of how rural communities interact with peatlands in the Peruvian Amazon, a landscape that is one of the world's largest stores of carbon. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Novespace microgravity experiment to make Zero-G Spider-Man

Gravity: We can live with it, and it turns out we can live without it, for a little while anyway. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Quantum communication: making two from one

In the future, quantum physics could become the guarantor of secure information technology. To achieve this, individual particles of light—photons—are used for secure transmission of data. Findings by physicists from the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research could play a … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New book reveals the extent to which women are undervalued in global value chains

A new book by Professor Stephanie Barrientos consolidates more than 10 years of research on contemporary working conditions and gender discrimination in a new book Gender and Work in global value chains: Capturing the Gains? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Unprecedented nature of extreme flooding in North West England revealed

A new study of UK lake sediment records stretching back over several centuries has found that the floods that hit Northern England in 2009 and 2015 (Storm Desmond), were the largest in 600 years—pointing to the impact of climate change on the frequency and magnitude of extreme ev … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Low-speed electric vehicles could affect Chinese demand for gasoline and disrupt oil prices worldwide, says expert

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@phys.org | 5 years ago