Public dread of nuclear power limits its deployment

In the ongoing effort to decarbonize U.S. energy production, there is one energy source that often attracts great controversy. Nuclear power has been a part of the American energy portfolio since the 1950s and still generates one in every five kilowatt-hours of electricity produc … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Banana disease boosted by climate change

Climate change has raised the risk of a fungal disease that ravages banana crops, new research shows. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

UV lights on power lines may help save Sandhill cranes

Crane species are declining around the world, and lethal collisions with power lines are an ongoing threat to many crane populations. Current techniques for marking power lines and making them more visible to cranes aren't always effective, but new research published in The Condo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Rethinking digital service design could reduce their environmental impact

Digital technology companies could reduce the carbon footprint of services like YouTube by changing how they are designed, experts say. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Using a mobile while browsing the shelves may make shoppers buy more

In-store mobile phone use that is unrelated to shopping may be associated with an increase in unplanned purchases, according to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

The Pakistani popcorn seller who built his own plane

The engine is from a roadcutter, the wings are burlap, the wheels are borrowed from a rickshaw: a popcorn seller has caught the attention of the Pakistan Air Force by building his own plane. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Boeing didn't tell airlines that safety alert wasn't on

Boeing said Sunday that it discovered after airlines had been flying its 737 Max plane for several months that a safety alert in the cockpit was not working as intended, yet it didn't disclose that fact to airlines or federal regulators until after one of the planes crashed. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

G7 environment ministers meet to discuss climate crisis

Environment ministers of the G7 nations met in France Sunday, a day ahead of the release of what is expected to be another alarming report on the state of the planet. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Smart tech the new tool for African farmers

How do you manage the trick of feeding school children better and at a lower cost? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Technology could help reduce exploitation of traditional weavers in Malaysia

New smartphone apps and greater use of social media could help reduce the exploitation of traditional weavers in poor rural regions of Malaysia, new research suggests. An interdisciplinary team of researchers, including experts in human-computer interaction, information managemen … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

UN biodiversity meet wraps up, report due Monday

Diplomats and scientists from 132 nations wrapped up six days of negotiations in Paris Saturday over the wording of a landmark report on the dire state of Nature and its impact on humanity, a UN official told AFP. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Boeing plane skids into Florida river in crash-landing, no fatalities

A Boeing 737 skidded off a runway into a river after crash-landing during a lightning storm in Florida on Friday, officials said, with terrified passengers all safely evacuated to shore from the stricken jet's wings. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

No crime in Huawei 5G leak: British police

The top-secret leak that Britain had conditionally allowed China's Huawei to develop its 5G network, which brought down the defence minister, does not amount to a criminal offence, police concluded Saturday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Changing water flow leads to more bugs in Grand Canyon

Ted Kennedy sums up what he sees along the river in the Grand Canyon: "It's buggy out there." | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Egypt says ancient cemetery found at Giza famed pyramids

Egypt's Antiquities Ministry says archaeologists have uncovered part of an ancient cemetery near the country's famed pyramids on the Giza plateau just outside Cairo. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

SpaceX launches supplies to space station after power delays

SpaceX launched a load of supplies to the International Space Station on Saturday following a pair of power delays. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

At least nine dead as monster cyclone enters Bangladesh

Cyclone Fani, one of the biggest to hit India in years, barrelled into Bangladesh on Saturday after leaving a trail of deadly destruction in India. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Carbon tax best way to cut greenhouse gas emissions: IMF

At $70 per ton of carbon dioxide, a carbon tax would be the most efficient means of cutting greenhouse gas emissions, according to an International Monetary Fund report published Friday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Killer asteroid flattens New York in simulation exercise

After devastating the French Riviera in 2013, destroying Dhaka in 2015 and saving Tokyo in 2017, an international asteroid impact simulation ended Friday with its latest disaster—New York in ruins. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Japan's private rocket reaches outer space for first time

A Japanese aerospace startup funded by a former internet maverick successfully launched a small rocket into space Saturday, making it the first commercially developed Japanese rocket to reach orbit. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Wisconsin university helps cat get new back legs

A tabby cat has new back legs, with the help of some University of Wisconsin-Madison students and a 3D printer. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Industry-ready process makes plastics chemical from plant sugars

Developing renewable, plant-based alternatives for petroleum-derived chemicals is a major piece of the effort to transition away from a fossil-fuel based economy toward a more sustainable and environmentally friendly bio-based economy. But integration of novel and unproven techno … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

A novel technique that uses quantum light to measure temperature at the nanoscale

Being able to measure, and monitor, temperatures and temperature changes at miniscule scales—inside a cell or in micro and nano-electronic components—has the potential to impact many areas of research from disease detection to a major challenge of modern computation and communica … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Bottom-up approach can synthesize microscopic diamonds for bioimaging, quantum computing

Scientists are excited about diamonds—not the types that adorn jewelry, but the microscopic variety that are less than the width of a human hair. These so-called "nanodiamonds" are made up almost entirely of carbon. But by introducing other elements into the nanodiamond's crystal … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

'Russian' whale leads to espionage speculations in Norway

A spy, a far away visitor or a fugitive on the run? A mysterious Beluga whale, caught wearing a suspicious harness, has ignited the imaginations of Norwegians who have yet to receive answers. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

NASA reveals heavy rainfall in Tropical Cyclone Fani

Satellite data revealed heavy rainfall in powerful Tropical Cyclone Fani before it made landfall in northeastern India. Fani brought that soaking rain to the region and continues to drop heavy rainfall on May 3, as it moves toward Bangladesh. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Overfishing risks ocean deserts as stocks plummet

With bigger boats, deeper nets and better sonar than ever before, the fishing industry's response to our insatiable appetite for fish risks transforming much of the world's oceans into aquatic desert. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Lost world: UN report shows Nature at death's door

A landmark UN report on the state of Nature, obtained by AFP, makes for grim reading, showing how humanity has wreaked havoc with the environment. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Research shows cattle ranching could help conserve rare African antelope, lions

Endangered African antelope and the lions that prey on them may benefit from certain cattle ranching practices in Kenya, according to newly published research led by a 2017 University of Wyoming Ph.D. graduate. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New approach for solving protein structures from tiny crystals

Using x-rays to reveal the atomic-scale 3-D structures of proteins has led to countless advances in understanding how these molecules work in bacteria, viruses, plants, and humans—and has guided the development of precision drugs to combat diseases such as cancer and AIDS. But ma … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Strong cyclone lashes east India, impacts Asian subcontinent

Cyclone Fani tore through India's eastern coast on Friday as a grade 5 storm, lashing beaches with rain and winds gusting up to 205 kilometers (127 miles) per hour and affecting weather as far away as Mount Everest as it approached the former imperial capital of Kolkata. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Climate student protesters grab mic at RWE investor huddle

German students brought their weekly climate protests to energy giant RWE's home turf Friday, grabbing the microphone from bosses to urge a speedier exit from coal at the group's annual shareholder meeting. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Big Island residents struggle a year after historic eruption

A year after a volcano on Hawaii's Big Island rained lava and gases in one of its largest and most destructive eruptions in recorded history, people who lost their homes and farms in the disaster are still struggling to return to their cherished island lifestyle. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Preventing 2020 campaign cyberattacks won't be easy or cheap

While candidates were focused on campaigning in 2016, Russians were carrying out a devastating cyber operation that changed the landscape of American politics, with aftershocks continuing well into Donald Trump's presidency. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

UN panel calls WikiLeaks founder's UK sentence excessive

A panel of legal experts affiliated with the United Nations has criticized the 50-week sentence a British judge imposed on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for jumping bail. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Tesla raises goal in capital hunt and Musk doubles down

Tesla is increasing the amount of money it will attempt to raise to as much as $2.7 billion. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Hubble spots a stunning spiral galaxy

Few of the universe's residents are as iconic as the spiral galaxy. These limelight-hogging celestial objects combine whirling, pinwheeling arms with scatterings of sparkling stars, glowing bursts of gas, and dark, weaving lanes of cosmic dust, creating truly awesome scenes—espec … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Breaking bread with rivals leads to more fish on coral reefs

Cooperation is key to most successful endeavours. And, scientists find, when fishermen and women cooperate with other fishers, this can boost fish stocks on coral reefs. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Climate extremes explain 18%-43% of global crop yield variations

Researchers from Australia, Germany and the US have quantified the effect of climate extremes, such as droughts or heatwaves, on the yield variability of staple crops around the world. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

More than 100 years of data show Pennsylvania tick population shift

The prevalence of the most abundant species of ticks found in Pennsylvania has shifted over the last century, according to Penn State scientists, who analyzed 117 years' worth of specimens and data submitted primarily by residents from around the state. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Quantum sensor for photons

A photodetector converts light into an electrical signal, causing the light to be lost. Researchers led by Tracy Northup at the University of Innsbruck have now built a quantum sensor that can measure light particles non-destructively. It can be used to further investigate the qu … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Tiny Australia bird stalls divisive coal mine project

A tiny finch flew into the centre of Australia's bitter environmental politics Friday when local authorities blocked the construction of a contentious coal mine until the rare bird is protected. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Trump offshore drilling plan may be dead in the water, but there are better ways to lead on energy

President Trump's effort to expand offshore oil and gas exploration has stalled, and may be dead in the water. The newest obstacle is an April ruling in Alaska's U.S. District Court that blocked Trump's order to lift a ban on energy leasing in Arctic waters. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Monitoring the lifecycle of tiny catalyst nanoparticles

Nanoparticles can be used in many ways as catalysts. To be able to tailor them in such a way that they can catalyse certain reactions selectively and efficiently, researchers need to determine the properties of single particles as precisely as possible. So far, an ensemble of man … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

What the wheat genome tells us about wars

First they mapped the genome of wheat; now they have reconstructed its breeding history. Joining forces with other European researchers, scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München have examined the genetic diversity of wheat varieties in the WHEALBI study. By doing so, they disc … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Many electric utilities are struggling – will more go bankrupt?

Over the past 12 months, consumers in the U.S. have experienced the disappearance of familiar retailers, such as Toys R Us and Sears, due in part to how online shopping has changed the way consumers shop for goods. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

How to increase train use by up to 35% with one simple trick

Train riders have to get to stations somehow. This is often referred to as the "first mile" or "last mile" problem. There are many technical solutions to help travellers get from home to the station and back, ranging from cars to electronic scooters, but most people use a much ol … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Addressing food insecurity in the digital age

In the search for food —whether through foraging, hunting or agriculture —we are constantly at war with nature. In addition, food is distributed unequally: over 800 million people experience hunger while two billion are overweight or obese. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago