Salish seafloor mapping identifies earthquake and tsunami risks

The central Salish Sea of the Pacific Northwest is bounded by two active fault zones that could trigger rockfalls and slumps of sediment that might lead to tsunamis, according to a presentation at the 2019 SSA Annual Meeting. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

How would you survive on Mars?

The Resilient ExtraTerrestrial Habitats Institute is working to ensure that the first long-term settlement on other planetary bodies are safe from hazards such as a meteoroid colliding with the moon or violent sandstorms on Mars. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New robust device may scale up quantum tech, researchers say

Researchers have been trying for many years to build a quantum computer that industry could scale up, but the building blocks of quantum computing, qubits, still aren't robust enough to handle the noisy environment of what would be a quantum computer. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

NASA's Aqua Satellite catches Tropical Cyclone Lorna organizing

Visible satellite imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite revealed the recently formed Tropical Storm Lorna was getting organized in the Southeastern Indian Ocean. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Crabs, lobsters and shrimp now have a family tree dating 500 million years

Researchers have for the first time traced the roots of crabs, lobsters and shrimp to create the family tree of crustaceans people love to eat. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Treating addiction: Cryo-EM technology enables the 'impossible'

Scientists used a compound found in a shrub native to Africa to reveal the three major shapes of the serotonin transporter, a protein in the brain linked to anxiety and depression. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Dark matter detector observes rarest event ever recorded

How do you observe a process that takes more than one trillion times longer than the age of the universe? The XENON Collaboration research team did it with an instrument built to find the most elusive particle in the universe—dark matter. In a paper to be published tomorrow in th … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Global warming hits sea creatures hardest

Global warming has caused twice as many ocean-dwelling species as land-dwelling species to disappear from their habitats, a unique Rutgers-led study found. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Microbes may act as gatekeepers of Earth's Deep Carbon

Two years ago a team of scientists visited Costa Rica's subduction zone, where the ocean floor sinks beneath the continent and volcanoes tower above the surface. They wanted to find out if microbes can affect the cycle of carbon moving from Earth's surface into the deep interior. … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Researchers create the first maps of two melatonin receptors essential for sleep

An international team of researchers used an X-ray laser at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to create the first detailed maps of two melatonin receptors that tell our bodies when to go to sleep or wake up and guide other biological processes. A bet … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Researchers dramatically clean up ammonia production and cut costs

Ammonia—a colorless gas essential for things like fertilizer—can be made by a new process which is far cleaner, easier and cheaper than the current leading method. UTokyo researchers use readily available lab equipment, recyclable chemicals and a minimum of energy to produce ammo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Migrating bats use the setting sun

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Study finds temperature can predict wildfires

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

New synthesis strategy speeds identification of simpler versions of a natural product

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Fluorescence probe shows the distribution of active lithium species on lithium metal anodes

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Reinforced concrete wall damage may be larger than expected in major Seattle quake

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Changes in rainfall and temperatures have already impacted water quality

Changes in temperature and precipitation have already impacted the amount of nitrogen introduced into U.S. waterways, according to new research from a team of three Carnegie ecologists published this week in Environmental Science & Technology. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Perfume makers seek natural, sustainable scents

In 1921, perfumer Ernest Beaux discovered that adding synthetic aldehydes to natural rose and jasmine scents produced just the right fragrance combination for the iconic CHANEL No. 5 perfume. Today, perfume makers have more than 3,000 synthetic scent molecules in their palettes. … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Study reveals vast diversity of ocean microbes

Advanced molecular techniques have revealed the diversity of a little-understood group of ocean microbes called protists, according to a new publication in Scientific Reports. The project analyzed samples collected by the global Tara Oceans expedition, documenting genomes that wi … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Chemists invent new Lewis acidity test using fluorescence

York University chemists have invented a new fluorescence-based method for accurately determining the strength of a range of Lewis acids, which could one day be used to help purify pharmaceutical drugs, improve industrial processes and explore next-generation technologies, accord … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Twitter users younger, better educated than general public: survey

Twitter users in the United States are younger, better educated and more left-leaning than the general population, a survey showed Wednesday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

AT&T shares slump as more TV customers leave

Shares of AT&T slid Wednesday as the wireless and entertainment company reported that its TV customer losses continued in the first quarter. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Foxconn says it's looking for 'flexibility' with Wisconsin

Foxconn Technology Group insists it remains committed to a $10 billion project in Wisconsin that employs up to 13,000 people, while saying it is also looking for "flexibility" in the deal struck with much fanfare in 2017 and heralded by President Donald Trump as the "eighth wonde … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Corruption contagion: How legal and finance firms are at greater risk of corruption

Companies with fewer levels of management such as legal, accountancy and investment banking firms could be up to five times more susceptible to corruption than similar sized organisations with a taller structure such as those in manufacturing, a new study by the University of Sus … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists are world's firsts to reproduce complete copy of 'anti-tumour antibiotic'

After 20 years of dedicated research, scientists have cracked the chemical code of an incredibly complex 'anti-tumour antibiotic' known to be highly effective against cancer cells as well as drug-resistant bacteria, and have reproduced it synthetically in the lab for the first ti … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New perennial brome-grass from Iberian Peninsula named after Picos de Europa National Park

Picos de Europa National Park has given its name to a new species of perennial bromegrass, discovered in Spain. Bromus picoeuropeanus belongs to a rather underrepresented on the Iberian Peninsula perennial group within the grass genus Bromus, with the new species being just the f … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

NASA examines Tropical Cyclone Kenneth in infrared light

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Cyclone Kenneth and analyzed the storm in infrared light. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Classroom crowdscience: UC students challenged to detect schizophrenia genes

Teaching big data to future scientists means having them think creatively about ways to harness the terabytes of information available to them. To that end, systems biologist Trey Ideker used his UC San Diego School of Medicine's Biological Networks and Biomedicine graduate cours … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Digital cathedrals: bringing Notre-Dame de Paris back to life

The devastating fire at Notre-Dame de Paris sparked intense emotion around the world, demonstrating the cathedral's important place in history and culture as well as its enormous symbolic power. As France and other countries around the world continue to mourn the tragedy, the Fre … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

A Neanderthal tooth discovered in Serbia reveals human migration history

In 2015, our Serbian-Canadian archaeological research team was working at a cave site named Pešturina, in Eastern Serbia, where we had found thousands of stone tools and animal bones. One day, an excited Serbian undergrad brought us a fossil they had uncovered: a small molar toot … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Antarctica: the final frontier for marine biological invasions?

A new study looking at the implications of increased shipping activity and the impact on Antarctic marine biodiversity is published this week in the journal Global Change Biology. The research is an important step in the quest to understand whether invasive species, introduced by … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Ghana eyes world record in medical drone service

Ghana launched a fleet of drones Wednesday to carry medical supplies to remote areas, with President Nana Akufo-Addo declaring it would become the "world's largest drone delivery service." | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Boeing's troubled jet prompts it to pull 2019 forecast

Boeing estimates that it will spend $1 billion to fix the 737 Max and has pulled its forecast of 2019 earnings because of uncertainty surrounding the jetliner, which remains grounded after two crashes that killed 346 people. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

We're all influenced by people in our networks – how to make this a force for good

As the social and economic divides between groups grow ever wider, and social mobility declines, the bonds that tie people together, within families or communities, have weakened over time. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Atom interaction discovery valuable for future quantum technologies

By breaking with conventionality, University of Otago physicists have opened up new research and technology opportunities involving the basic building block of the world—atoms. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

NIST tool enables more comprehensive tests on high-risk software

We entrust our lives to software every time we step aboard a high-tech aircraft or modern car. A long-term research effort guided by two researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and their collaborators has developed new tools to make this type of s … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Understanding the periodic table through the lens of the volatile Group I metals

The news broke that a railroad car, loaded with pure sodium, had just derailed and was spilling its contents. A television reporter called me for an explanation of why firefighters were not allowed to use water on the flames bursting from the mangled car. While on the air I added … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Ford to invest $500M in electric vehicle startup Rivian

Ford is sinking a half-billion dollars into electric vehicle startup Rivian in a deal that has the companies working together on a new Ford electric vehicle based on Rivian underpinnings. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

OCR4all: Modern tool for old texts

Historians and other humanities' scholars often have to deal with difficult research objects: centuries-old printed works that are difficult to decipher and often in an unsatisfactory state of conservation. Many of these documents have now been digitized—usually photographed or s … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Uncovering Polynya: Research unravels 43-year-old mystery in Antarctica

A study led by NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Research Scientist Diana Francis has unraveled the four decade long mystery surrounding the occurrence of a mid-sea Polynya - a body of unfrozen ocean that appeared within a thick body of ice during Antarctica's winter almost two years ago. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists develop low-cost energy-efficient materials

An international team of scientists from the National University of Science and Technology "MISIS" (NUST MISIS), Tianjin University (China), as well as from Japan and the United States, has developed new energy-efficient iron-based alloys which combine high mechanical and magneti … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Slow media: how to renew debate in the age of digital authoritarianism

The rise of a new global, digital and mobile form of capitalism has, since the 1970s, accelerated the pace of our lives. We produce more, consume more, make more decisions and have more experiences. This acceleration is driven by the underlying principles that "time is money", "t … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Rapid destruction of Earth-like atmospheres by young stars

The discoveries of thousands of planets orbiting stars outside our solar system has made questions about the potential for life to form on these planets fundamentally important in modern science. Fundamentally important for the habitability of a planet is whether or not it can ho … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Quality of laser beam shaping can be enhanced at no extra cost

Researchers from Osaka University have developed a technique for improving accuracy of laser beam shaping and wavefront obtained by conventional methods with no additional cost by optimizing virtual phase grating. The results of their research were published in Scientific Reports … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Big money goes around the world

Music is big business. It has been since the advent of the sheet music industry in the 19th Century and the ensuing piracy scandals, right through the invention of radio, recorded music, and the usurping of the family piano for devices that could replicate the songs we loved with … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New type of silicon promises cheaper solar technology

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Female warblers live longer when they have help raising offspring

Death is, unfortunately, an inevitable consequence of life. In most animals growing old is accompanied by progressive deterioration in health and vitality, leading to an increasing likelihood of death with age. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Rensselaer team developing tool to battle space debris

A team of researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is building a semi-autonomous trash collector for space, which they have fittingly named OSCaR. (You can see OSCaR here) The acronym stands for "Obsolete Spacecraft Capture and Removal," and it's a creative solution to a … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago