New open source software eases the pain of multiple UI designs

The time-consuming and labour-intensive task of designing multiple user interfaces for different screen sizes and orientations could become a thing of the past thanks to open-source software that uses a new paradigm to speed up or even automate the process. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Merging cell datasets, panorama style

A new algorithm developed by MIT researchers takes cues from panoramic photography to merge massive, diverse cell datasets into a single source that can be used for medical and biological studies. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Indigenous peoples, 'guardians of Nature', under siege

From Amazon rainforests to the Arctic Circle, indigenous peoples are leveraging ancestral knowhow to protect habitats that have sustained them for hundreds and even thousands of years, according to a landmark UN assessment of biodiversity released Monday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Google expected to show off new hardware, AI at annual event

Google CEO Sundar Pichai is expected to showcase much-anticipated updates to the company's hardware lines and artificial intelligence Tuesday during his keynote at the company's annual I/O conference for software developers. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Amazon to open first Go store that accepts cash

Amazon launched its high-tech Go convenience store a year ago, where shoppers can pull items off the shelf and walk out. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Modern sculpture meets ancient Greece in unique island exhibition

A stone's throw from the Greek island of Mykonos lies Delos, an uninhabited islet a world away from its neighbour's glamorous nightlife. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Canada lists three whale species as threatened

Canadian scientists on Monday listed three types of whale that swim its waters, including two of the world's largest species, as threatened. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Recent airline crashes run against trend toward safer flying

After a long trend toward greater safety in air travel, there has been an uptick in airline accidents and deaths in 2018 and 2019. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Strong 7.2 quake rocks Papua New Guinea

A powerful but deep 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, officials said, cutting power and knocking items off shelves though there were no immediate reports of serious damage. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

San Francisco to join list of those banning cashless stores

San Francisco is about to require brick-and-mortar retailers to take cash as payment, joining Philadelphia and New Jersey in banning a growing paperless practice that critics say discriminates against low-income people who may not have access to credit cards. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

NOAA picks URI to host its new ocean exploration institute

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Monday that it has picked the University of Rhode Island as the home of a new institute for ocean exploration. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

When a tree falls in St. Louis, will the power go out?

In a study recently published in Sensors, Saint Louis University researchers paired satellite imaging data with machine learning techniques to map local tree species and health. The data generated by the project will help inform best practices for managing healthy green spaces as … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Radical desalination approach may disrupt the water industry

Hypersaline brines—water that contains high concentrations of dissolved salts and whose saline levels are higher than ocean water—are a growing environmental concern around the world. Very challenging and costly to treat, they result from water produced during oil and gas product … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Shipwrecks off NC coast harbor tropical migrants

Tropical and subtropical fish are taking up residence on shipwrecks and other sunken structures off the North Carolina coast. This pattern may continue or even accelerate in coming years given predictions of warming oceans under climate change, a new study co-led by Duke Universi … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Homemade cat food diets could be risky

One quick Google search can net hundreds of homemade cat food recipes, but a new study from researchers at the University of California, Davis, finds most are unlikely to provide cats all their essential nutrients. Some recipes could also contain ingredients potentially toxic to … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Offshore wind farm increased tourism on Block Island

Researchers at the University of Rhode Island who analyzed AirBnB rental data before and after construction of the Block Island Wind Farm have found that, contrary to some concerns, the turbines have increased tourism on the island. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Study reveals final fate of levitating Leidenfrost droplets

Splash some water on a hot skillet, and you'll often see the droplets sizzle and quickly evaporate. But if you really crank up the heat, something different happens. The droplets stay intact, dancing and skittering over the surface in what's known as the Leidenfrost effect. Now a … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Experimental device generates electricity from the coldness of the universe

The obvious drawback of solar panels is that they require sunlight to generate electricity. Some have observed that for a device on Earth facing space, which has a frigid temperature, the chilling outflow of energy from the device can be harvested using the same kind of optoelect … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Staying healthy longer in space

Falling ill while traveling is an unfortunate yet common occurrence. Even a minor bug can ruin an entire trip. But for astronauts, getting sick on a long space voyage would have far more serious consequences than a little spoiled fun. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Red-legged frogs thriving in Yosemite after long absence

Red-legged frogs made famous by Mark Twain are thriving in Yosemite Valley after a decades-long absence. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Origin of Sino-Tibetan language family revealed by new research

The Sino-Tibetan language family includes early literary languages, such as Chinese, Tibetan and Burmese, and is represented by more than 400 modern languages spoken in China, India, Burma, and Nepal. It is one of the most diverse language families in the world, spoken by 1.4 bil … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Mechanics, chemistry and biomedical research join forces for noninvasive tissue therapy

A fortuitous conversation between two University of Illinois scientists has opened a new line of communication between biomedical researchers and the tissues they study. The new findings, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that high-intensity fo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

What does Earth's core have in common with salad dressing? Maybe this

A Yale-led team of scientists may have found a new factor to help explain the ebb and flow of Earth's magnetic field—and it's something familiar to anyone who has made a vinaigrette for their salad. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Ancient ritual bundle contained multiple psychotropic plants

A thousand years ago, Native Americans in South America used multiple psychotropic plants—possibly simultaneously—to induce hallucinations and altered consciousness, according to an international team of anthropologists. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Failure to account for genetic variation can result in overestimating extinction risk

New research led by the University of Southampton has shown that the threat of range losses for some species as a result of climate change could be overestimated because of the ability of certain animals to adapt to rising temperatures and aridity. The researchers have now develo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Vaccine design can dramatically improve cancer immunotherapies

When it comes to the effectiveness of nanotherapeutic vaccines, shape matters. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Rapid bacterial analysis and testing for antibiotic sensitivity demonstrated

Medical professionals may soon be able to detect bacteria in patient samples in minutes rather than days thanks to a new approach that traps and tests single cells, according to a team of biomedical engineers. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Microsoft's offers software tools to secure elections

Microsoft is announcing an ambitious effort intended to make U.S. voting more secure and verifiable. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Sensor can detect spoiled milk before opening

Expiration dates on milk could eventually become a thing of the past with new sensor technology from Washington State University scientists. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

NRL tests sensor on-orbit the ISS to protect space-based assets

Developed by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Plasma Physics Division, in conjunction with the Spacecraft Engineering Department, the Space PlasmA Diagnostic suitE (SPADE) experiment launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the International Space Station onboard the Sp … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New all-fiber device simplifies free-space based quantum key distribution

Researchers have developed a simple and stable device to generate the quantum states necessary for quantum key distribution. The device could make it more practical to develop a global data network that uses this very secure method of encryption to protect everything from credit … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Airbnb vs. hotels: New research sheds light on how they can compete and benefit

Researchers from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University published new research in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science which sheds new light on the impact Airbnb and similar "sharing economy" companies are having on the hospitality industry. The findings sug … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Cryptic mutation is cautionary tale for crop gene editing

Even in this "age of the genome," much about genes remains shrouded in mystery. This is especially true for "cryptic mutations"—mutated genes that are hidden, and have unexpected effects on traits that are only revealed when combined with other mutations. Learning from one infamo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Secrets of the 'blue supergiant' revealed

Blue supergiants are the rock-and-roll stars of the universe. They are massive stars that live fast and die young which makes them rare and difficult to study, even with modern telescopes. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Image: Storm in the Teacup quasar

This image shows a quasar nicknamed the Teacup due to its shape. A quasar is an active galaxy that is powered by material falling into its central supermassive black hole. They are extremely luminous objects located at great distances from Earth. The Teacup is 1.1 billion light y … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Demonstrating the impact of research to society is a worldwide challenge

Different societies have different expectations about the impact of research. Many seek immediate results from public investment in the various knowledge areas. However, warn heads of research funding organizations, it is important not to overlook the fact that many research proj … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Gray whales starving to death in the Pacific, and scientists want to know why

From Baja California to Puget Sound, scientists are seeing signs that gray whales are in distress. And they have no idea why. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Dynamic energy management system for SMBs

Solar power, wind power and the lot – the growing use of renewable energy sources is resulting in substantial fluctuations in energy production. Fraunhofer researchers have now made it possible to design industrial processes in small and medium-sized businesses to be demand-respo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Indicators point toward worse Great Lakes flooding than 2017

Record-high lake levels led to devastating flood damage in Great Lakes coastal communities in 2017, but in the two years since, little has changed. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Low-cost intervention boosts undergraduate interest in computer science

A recent study finds that an online intervention taking less than 30 minutes significantly increased interest in computer science for both male and female undergraduate students. However, when it comes to the intervention's impact on classroom performance, the picture gets more c … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Recognising sustainable behaviour

Solving the growing problem of space debris will require everyone who flies rockets and satellites to adhere to sustainable practices, which doesn't always happen. Now there will be a way to recognise those who do. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Swiss court declares driver an Uber employee

A Swiss court has ruled that a former Uber driver was an employee of the ride-sharing firm, not an independent contractor, in a potentially landmark decision, the driver's lawyer said Monday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

UN report: Humans accelerating extinction of species

People are putting nature in more trouble now than at any other time in human history, with extinction looming over 1 million species of plants and animals, scientists said Monday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Even more amphibians are endangered than we thought

At least a quarter of the world's approximately 8,000 known species of amphibian are recognized as threatened and at risk of extinction. But due to a lack of data on many amphibian species, only about 44 percent of amphibians have up-to-date assessments on their risk of extinctio … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Climate education for kids increases climate concerns for parents

A new study from North Carolina State University finds that educating children about climate change increases their parents' concerns about climate change. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Ash dieback is predicted to cost 15 billion in Britain

A team of researchers from the University of Oxford, Fera Science, Sylva Foundation and the Woodland Trust has calculated the true economic cost of ash dieback—and the predictions, published today in Current Biology, are staggering. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New three-foot-tall relative of Tyrannosaurus rex

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Johns Hopkins to offer school leaders safety programming

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@phys.org | 5 years ago