What other countries can teach the US about raising teacher pay

Teacher strikes swept the United States in 2018, from West Virginia to Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona, North Carolina and beyond. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Even if you don't live in the midwest, this spring's floods could still impact you

From enduring drought to intense floods, agriculture is particularly sensitive and vulnerable to changes in our climate. Floods are temporary, but their socioeconomic impact is long-lasting and far-reaching to every corner of the world. "It is clear that agriculture prices have e … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

High-density cities are economically beneficial but lead to greater inequality

Densely built cities with people living and working in close proximity are economically efficient but lead to higher levels of inequality, according to new research from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

A closer look at the molecular mechanism that switches control of activation of eIF2 by eIF2B

A team of researchers at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research in Japan has developed a tool to prevent neurogenerative diseases. They have demonstrated a way to observe the molecular mechanism that switches control of activation of eIF2 by eIF2B when a cell undergoes … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Globular cluster system of Messier 106—a relic of cosmic high noon?

An international scientific team led by a Mexican researcher discovered globular clusters rotating at the same speed as the gas in the disk of the spiral galaxy Messier 106 (also known as M106 or NGC 4258) to which they belong. Because of their disk-like arrangement and speed, th … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

A new synthetic nanofactory inspired by nature

Bacteria across our planet contain nanometer-sized factories that do many different things. Some make nutrients, others isolate toxic materials that could harm the bacteria. We have barely scratched the surface of their functional diversity. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Developing cells do synchronized swimming inside the embryo

The very beginnings of life inside a tiny developing embryo are mesmerizing to watch. Each movement and biochemical reaction is executed with well-ordered precision about 95 percent of the time, leading to the development of a healthy organism. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

A quantum leap in particle simulation

A group of scientists at the Department of Energy's Fermilab has figured out how to use quantum computing to simulate the fundamental interactions that hold together our universe. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Researcher investigates threats to coral and other ocean life

Before she turned into a deep-sea detective, Joleah Lamb herded fruit flies, groomed dogs and extracted blood from humans. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Biomedical devices designed with natural fluorescence for in vivo monitoring

Researchers at the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country have developed a biomedical device for cell immune-isolation (microcapsules) with luminescence for in vivo tracking. The work has been published in the Journal of Biophotonics. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Sweating the small stuff

Assistant professor of medical engineering Wei Gao is enriching the field of personalized and precision medicine with an abundant source of chemical data: sweat. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Study demonstrates seagrass' strong potential for curbing erosion

Most people's experience with seagrass, if any, amounts to little more than a tickle on their ankles while wading in shallow coastal waters. But it turns out these ubiquitous plants, varieties of which exist around the world, could play a key role in protecting vulnerable shores … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Robots to the rhino rescue

The critically endangered northern white rhino might have more of a chance thanks to a partnership between the University of California San Diego and San Diego Zoo Global. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Single molecule puts sperm on track

Sperm start their sprint to the ovum when they detect changes in the environment through a series of calcium channels arranged like racing stripes on their tails. A team of Yale researchers has identified a key molecule that coordinates the opening and closing of these channels, … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Bottom sediment reveals that climate change flows into lakes

Increasing amounts of dark-coloured carbon compounds that originate from catchment areas flow into the Arctic and northern lakes. They alter resource utilization and community structure of macroinvertebrates, says MSci Henriikka Kivilä in her doctoral thesis in aquatic sciences a … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Study examines impact of climate change on Louisiana's Houma tribe

While Indigenous populations such as the Houma tribe on Louisiana's Gulf Coast are especially vulnerable to environmental change, mistrust fomented by the tribe's history with overt discrimination, forcible relocation and institutional racism complicates efforts to help them adap … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Immigrants: Citizens' acceptance depends on questions asked

How many immigrants per year should Switzerland be prepared to welcome? Do the figures put forward by political parties and conveyed by the media play a role in influencing public opinion? Psychologists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, set about testing a well- … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Laser-driven spin dynamics in ferrimagnets: How does the angular momentum flow?

When exposed to intense laser pulses, the magnetization of a material can be manipulated very fast. Fundamentally, magnetization is connected to the angular momentum of the electrons in the material. A team of researchers led by scientists from the Max Born Institute for Nonlinea … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Study finds model for getting students to complete community college

Community college students who receive comprehensive supports are more than 30 percent more likely to enroll full-time and continue in their first year in the program, according to a new study by the University of Chicago Poverty Lab. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Image: Ries crater, Germany

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over an area in southern Germany, where approximately 15 million years ago an asteroid crashed through Earth's atmosphere. The high-speed impact formed what is now known as the Ries crater. Although difficult to spot at first in the imag … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Data with flippers? Studying the ocean from a seal's POV

Scientist Lia Siegelman is using a surprising data source to study the ocean around Antarctica—one that has flippers and bears a passing resemblance to Jabba the Hut. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Finnish school students outperform U.S. students on 'fake news' digital literacy tasks

A recent study revealed students at an international school in Finland significantly outperformed U.S. students on tasks which measure digital literacy in social media and online news. The researchers suggest this may be due to the Finnish and International Baccalaureate curricul … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Life's biochemical networks could have formed spontaneously on Earth

Researchers in Strasbourg, France, have found that mixing two small biomolecules, glyoxylate and pyruvate, in iron-salt-rich water produces a reaction network resembling life's core biochemistry. This discovery provides insight into how chemistry on the early Earth primed the evo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Rangers find three-eyed snake in Australia's Humpty Doo

A three-eyed snake found slithering down a road in the northern Australian town of Humpty Doo has sparked amusement in a country already accustomed to unusual wildlife. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

The village that keeps rising from the volcanic ashes

Four years after the volcano erupted—razing everything in its path in Cape Verde's Cha das Caldeiras valley—the floor tiles of the small, rebuilt inn are warm to the touch. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Uber hit with Australia class action ahead of stock listing

Global ride-sharing firm Uber on Friday faced another legal bump on the road to its blockbuster initial public offering, with taxi drivers launching a class action lawsuit in Australia. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Sweden's Ericsson launches AI lab in Canada

Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson on Thursday announced the launch of its "global artificial intelligence accelerator" in Montreal, where other tech heavyweights like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested in AI research and development. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

What is a storm surge and why is it so dangerous?

Severe cyclone Fani, which blasted ashore Friday in India, is expected to pack a frequently underestimated yet lethal threat: storm surge. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Climate change forcing Alaskans to hunt for new ways to survive

As far back as he can remember, Willard Church Jr. has gone out ice fishing well into the month of April, chopping holes that were easily four feet deep into the Kanektok River near his home. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Two dead as monster cyclone batters eastern India

Two people died Friday after Cyclone Fani slammed into eastern India, officials said, as the storm sent coconut trees flying, blew away food stands and cut off power and water. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Facebook considering its own bitcoin for payments

The Wall Street Journal reports that Facebook plans a cryptocurrency-based payment system that it could launch for billions of users worldwide. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

How could a changing climate affect human fertility?

Human adaptation to climate change may include changes in fertility, according to a new study by an international group of researchers. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Study reveals link between starch digestion gene, gut bacteria

A newly discovered relationship between genetic variation and the gut microbiome could help nutritionists personalize their recommendations. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists discover evolutionary link to modern-day sea echinoderms

Scientists at The Ohio State University have discovered a new species that lived more than 500 million years ago—a form of ancient echinoderm that was ancestral to modern-day groups such as sea cucumbers, sea urchins, sea stars, brittle stars and crinoids. The fossil shows a cruc … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

US lawmakers: social media answers on extremist content too vague

Two US lawmakers berated social media firms Thursday for failing to provide specific information on their efforts to root out extremist content on their platforms. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Facebook bans far-right leader, controversial black activist

Facebook on Thursday banned controversial black activist leader Louis Farrakhan, far-right icon Alex Jones and several others in a heightened crackdown on hate content at the leading social network. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

NASA goes infrared on powerful Tropical Cyclone Fani

NASA's Aqua satellite focused an infrared eye on a very powerful Tropical Cyclone Fani as it approached landfall in northeastern India. Fani is a powerful Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Chemical modifiers tag-team to regulate essential mechanism of life

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have made a key observation about one of the most fundamental biological processes: gene transcription. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Sculpting super-fast light pulses: Nanopillars shape light precisely for practical applications

Imagine being able to shape a pulse of light in any conceivable manner—compressing it, stretching it, splitting it in two, changing its intensity or altering the direction of its electric field. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Localized efforts to save coral reefs won't be enough, study suggests

A National Science Foundation study of factors that cause corals stress suggests that localized attempts to curb pollution on reefs won't save them without a worldwide effort to reduce global warming. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

A model to decipher the complexity of gene regulation

How, where and when genes are expressed determine individual phenotypes. If gene expression is controlled by many regulatory elements, what, ultimately, controls them? And how does genetic variation affect them? The SysGenetiX project, led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) in c … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

How genetics, resources and a long-distant relative helped killfish adapt to extreme pollution

The combination of a big population, good genes and luck helps explain how a species of fish in Texas' Houston Ship Channel was able to adapt to what normally would be lethal levels of toxins for most other species, according to a study to be published May 3 in the journal Scienc … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Computer model suggests earthquakes are triggered well beyond fluid injection zones

Using data from field experiments and modeling of ground faults, researchers at Tufts University have discovered that the practice of subsurface fluid injection used in 'fracking' and wastewater disposal for oil and gas exploration could cause significant, rapidly spreading earth … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

What makes a planet habitable

Which of Earth's features were essential for the origin and sustenance of life? And how do scientists identify those features on other worlds? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Running may have made dinosaurs' wings flap before they evolved to fly

Before they evolved the ability to fly, two-legged dinosaurs may have begun to flap their wings as a passive effect of running along the ground, according to new research by Jing-Shan Zhao of Tsinghua University, Beijing, and his colleagues. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Forest fires accelerating snowmelt across western US, study finds

Forest fires are causing snow to melt earlier in the season, a trend occurring across the western U.S. that may affect water supplies and trigger even more fires, according to a new study by a team of researchers at Portland State University (PSU) , the Desert Research Institute … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New clues to coastal erosion

New research has uncovered a missing nutrient source in coastal oceans, which could promote better water quality and sand management on popular beaches. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

What next for cyclone-hit Mozambique?

Mozambique is reeling after an unprecedented two cyclones swept ashore within six weeks, wreaking havoc and leaving hundreds dead and tens of thousands displaced. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago