Deciphering seed dispersal decisions of agouti rodents

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists connect quantum bits with sound over record distances

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Humans will eat maggots, scientists insist

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Drought: A wide-angle picture

Disastrous droughts are striking widespread areas of the world, from South Africa to American West. Benjamin Cook, a research scientist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, has written a primer on everything o … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Middle Pleistocene human skull reveals variation and continuity in early Asian humans

A team of scientists led by Liu Wu and Wu Xiujie from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported the first ever Middle Pleistocene human skull found in southeastern China, revealing the variation and continuit … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New giant virus may help scientists better understand the emergence of complex life

The discovery of the Medusavirus holds clues to the evolution of more complex life. A paper published in the Journal of Virology earlier this year has been creating waves because of the ability of the Medusavirus to turn amoeba into "stone." However, the bigger discovery is the p … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Energy Department says it will remove plutonium from Nevada

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry is pledging to expedite the removal of weapons-grade plutonium secretly hauled to Nevada last year as the state and Trump administration remain locked in a court battle about whether the shipment was legal. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Searching for lost WWII-era uranium cubes from Germany

Back in 2013, Timothy Koeth, an associate research professor at the University of Maryland, received a rather extraordinary birthday gift: a little cloth lunch pouch containing a small object wrapped in brown paper towels. As Koeth peeled back the layers, his eyes grew wide with … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New study finds river wildlife contain cocaine, pharmaceuticals and pesticides

For the first time, researchers at King's College London, in collaboration with the University of Suffolk, have found a diverse array of chemicals, including illicit drugs and pesticides in UK river wildlife. The study published today in Environment International, looked at the e … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

'Exotic' genes may improve cotton yield and quality

Cotton breeders face a "Catch-22." Yield from cotton crops is inversely related to fiber quality. In general, as yield improves, fiber quality decreases, and vice-versa. "This is one of the most significant challenges for cotton breeders," says Peng Chee, a researcher at the Univ … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

EPA reaffirms glyphosate safe for users as court cases grow

The Environmental Protection Agency reaffirmed Tuesday that a popular weed killer is safe for people, as legal claims mount from Americans who blame the herbicide for their cancer. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Dreams of social robots dashed again

Hopes that the tech industry was on the cusp of rolling out personal robots into homes are dimming now that several once-promising consumer robotics companies have shut down. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

US searches of phones, laptops at airports rising, suit says

U.S. government searches of travelers' cellphones and laptops at airports and border crossings nearly quadrupled since 2015 and are being conducted for reasons beyond customs and immigration enforcement, according to papers filed Tuesday in a federal lawsuit that claims going thr … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Apple rallies as new services offset slump in iPhone sales

Apple said Tuesday that profits in the past quarter dropped amid falling iPhone sales, but the results were above Wall Street expectations and sent shares sharply higher. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New approach predicts glass' always-evolving behaviors at different temperatures

Not everything about glass is clear. How its atoms are arranged and behave, in particular, is startlingly opaque. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

In revamp, Facebook bets on small-scale connections, and romance

Got a crush on another Facebook user? The social network will help you connect, as part of a revamp unveiled Tuesday that aims to foster real-world relationships and make the platform a more intimate place for small groups of friends. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Genetic testing has a data problem. New software can help.

In recent years, the market for direct-to-consumer genetic testing has exploded. The number of people who used at-home DNA tests more than doubled in 2017, most of them in the U.S. About 1 in 25 American adults now know where their ancestors came from, thanks to companies like An … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Space station power shortage delays SpaceX supply run

A major power shortage at the International Space Station has delayed this week's SpaceX supply run. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Television programming for children reveals systematic gender inequality

Programming children watch on American TV shows systematic gender inequality, according to new research co-authored by Dafna Lemish of the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Destructive plant pest thwarted by two native fungi

Cornell University-led research reports that two local fungal pathogens could potentially curb an invasive insect that has New York vineyard owners on edge. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists investigate the relationship between bumphead parrotfish and their coral reef habitat on a molecular level

The next time you find yourself luxuriating in some exotic, Instagrammable vacation spot, thank a parrotfish. That white sand slithering between your toes? It consists mostly of their excrement. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Warmer water linked to higher proportion of male flounder

If southern flounder live in warmer water during a critical window of early development, a higher percentage become male—more than 90 percent in some cases—research from North Carolina State University found. Having a high proportion of adult males over the long term could threat … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New forecasting system alerts residents of New Delhi about unhealthy air

Residents of New Delhi and nearby heavily polluted areas of northern India now have access to air quality forecasts that provide critical information for reducing their exposure to potentially unhealthy air. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Biologists warn of peril from biological invasions as White House proposes to halve funding

As the Trump Administration prepares to cut in half the budget for the National Invasive Species Council, a group of invasive species experts led by a University of Rhode Island professor has issued a warning about the growing peril of biological invasions and the increasing thre … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

NASA's Aqua Satellite finds Tropical Cyclone Fani stronger, more organized

Visible imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite showed Tropical Cyclone Fani appeared more organized than the previous day. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Team develops system to legally test GPS spoofing vulnerabilities in automated vehicles

Southwest Research Institute has developed a cyber security system to test for vulnerabilities in automated vehicles and other technologies that use GPS receivers for positioning, navigation and timing. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Consumers prefer pork cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, study says

Are pork chops on the menu this grilling season? According to new research from University of Illinois meat scientists, pork enthusiasts can improve taste, juiciness, and tenderness by cooking chops to the new USDA standard: 145 degrees Fahrenheit (63 C). | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Field study finds pellet-fed stoves cut pollutant emissions 90 percent, nearing gas-stove performance

A study by North Carolina State University researchers finds that a new cookstove design, which makes use of compressed wood pellets, reduces air pollution by about 90% for a range of contaminants associated with health problems and climate change. The findings stem from a Rwanda … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Disease-causing nibbling amoeba hides by displaying proteins from host cells

A parasitic amoeba that causes severe gut disease in humans protects itself from attack by biting off pieces of host cells and putting their proteins on its own surface, according to a study by microbiologists at the University of California, Davis. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Isle Royale winter study: 13 new wolves, 20 radio-collared moose

Michigan Technological University's 2019 Isle Royale Winter Study focuses on the implications of newly introduced wolves and the movements of newly collared moose. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Evolving alongside viruses impacts susceptibility to future infections

Researchers have shown that when fruit flies co-evolve with viruses, different genetic changes occur to those caused by encountering a virus for the first time, altering the insects' susceptibility to future infection. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

High-efficiency thermoelectric materials: New insights into tin selenide

Tin selenide might considerably exceed the efficiency of current record holding thermoelectric materials made of bismuth telluride. However, it was thought its efficiency increased dramatically only at temperatures above 500 degrees Celsius. Now measurements at the BESSY II and P … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists develop new model to describe how bacteria spread in different forms

A new model describing how bacteria spread when moving in two different ways has been published today in the open-access journal eLife. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New three-dimensional imaging and visualization technique provides detailed views of muscle architecture

A new three-dimensional model of the skeletal muscles responsible for bird flight provides the most comprehensive and detailed picture of anatomy to date. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Excessive rainfall as damaging to corn yield as extreme heat, drought

Recent flooding in the Midwest has brought attention to the complex agricultural problems associated with too much rain. Data from the past three decades suggest that excessive rainfall can affect crop yield as much as excessive heat and drought. In a new study, an interdisciplin … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Rapid permafrost thaw unrecognized threat to landscape, global warming researcher warns

A "sleeping giant" hidden in permafrost soils in Canada and other northern regions worldwide will have important consequences for global warming, says a new report led by University of Guelph scientist Merritt Turetsky. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Advanced detection tool to limit the spread of devastating tree pathogens

Seeking to prevent the introduction and spread of quarantine tree pathogens, the EU Horizon 2020-funded project HOMED (HOlistic Management of Emerging forest pests and Diseases) supports the development of an innovative tool for on-site detection of pathogens. The tool was develo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

UK advisers set to recommend 2050 carbon neutral deadline

The UK's top advisory body on climate change is set to recommend the government reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, in a move that would help Britain reclaim its global leadership on the environment. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

American students pledge future salary to avoid debt

American college students are turning to a new strategy to avoid the debt trap that has captured millions, pledging a share of their future earnings to pay for their education rather than borrowing. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Cable firm Altice USA scoops up streaming news site Cheddar

Cable-broadband operator Altice USA said Tuesday it was acquiring the youth-focused streaming news group Cheddar for $200 million. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Zuckerberg to explain how Facebook gets 'privacy focused'

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will kick off the company's annual F8 developer conference Tuesday with what are expected to be more details about his new "privacy-focused" vision for the social network—part of his strategy for batting away Facebook's growing array of critics, embol … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Enigmatic Beluga whale off Norway so tame people can pet it

A beluga whale found in Arctic Norway wearing a harness that suggests links to a military facility in Russia is so tame that residents can pet the mammal on its nose. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Responding to extremist attacks: For Muslim leaders, 'It's damned if you do, damned if you don't'

Muslim leaders face a perilous task when asked to publicly respond to violent attacks carried out by Muslim extremists. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

UK car output to collapse on no-deal Brexit: industry

Britain's car output under a no-deal Brexit could collapse to a level last seen in "the dark days of the 1980s", the nation's industry body forecast on Tuesday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Amid genomic data explosion, scientists find proliferating errors

Washington State University researchers found a troubling number of errors in publicly available genomic data as they conducted a large-scale analysis of protein sequences. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Breaking open the gates of antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a major health threat, with about two million people in the US getting an antibiotic-resistant infection per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Gram negative bacteria, including types like E.coli and Salmonella, are o … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

NASA instrument to more accurately measure ozone discovered by 'accident'

NASA research scientist Tom Hanisco set out to build an instrument capable of measuring a short-lived chemical that cleanses the atmosphere of methane—a potent greenhouse gas—but found instead that his discovery outshined the best commercial instruments at measuring ambient level … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New mathematical approach tested for the search of flight MH370

The 2014 disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 remains ones of the biggest mysteries in aviation. More than $150 million has been spent so far to identify where the plane carrying 239 passengers crashed into the Indian Ocean, with no success. Recent efforts combining sa … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago