'Flight shame' has Swedes rethinking air travel

Saddled with long dark winters at home, Swedes have for decades been frequent flyers seeking out sunnier climes, but a growing number are changing their ways because of air travel's impact on the climate. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Hawaii closer to forcing Airbnb to collect taxes on rentals

Hawaii lawmakers eager to gather tax revenue from the state's flourishing, yet mostly unpermitted, vacation rental sector on Tuesday passed legislation that would require websites like Airbnb to collect and pay taxes on behalf of short-term rental hosts. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Capitol Hill hearing on online hate sees it firsthand

A congressional hearing on online hate turned into a vivid demonstration of the problem Tuesday when a YouTube livestream of the proceedings was bombarded with racist and anti-Semitic comments from internet users. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists set to reveal first true image of black hole

The world is finally about to see a black hole—not an artist's impression or a computer-generated likeness, but the real thing. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Boeing reports 19% drop in Q1 plane deliveries on MAX grounding

Boeing on Tuesday reported a 19 percent drop in first-quarter commercial airplane deliveries as the global grounding of its 737 MAX plane hits results. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

CRISPR-based 'allelic drive' allows genetic editing with selective precision and broad implications

New CRISPR-based gene drives and broader active genetics technologies are revolutionizing the way scientists engineer the transfer of specific traits from one generation to another. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Genetic code of WWI soldier's cholera mapped

The oldest publicly-available strain of the cholera-causing bacterial species, Vibrio cholerae, has had its genetic code read for the first time by researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collaborators. The bacterium was isolated from a British soldier during World … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New model accurately predicts harmful space weather

A new, first-of-its-kind space weather model reliably predicts space storms of high-energy particles that are harmful to many satellites and spacecraft orbiting in the Earth's outer radiation belt. A paper recently published in the journal Space Weather details how the model can … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Boeing orders and deliveries tumble as Max jet is grounded

Orders and deliveries of Boeing's 737 Max plunged in the first quarter as the plane was grounded around the world following a second deadly crash. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Wipes labeled as 'flushable' wreak havoc on household plumbing and municipal sewers

Thinking twice about what you flush away may help you save money, and the environment. Today, Ryerson University released a new report on the first ever test of single-use wipes against rigorous criteria for flushability. The report, entitled Defining "Flushability" for Sewer Use … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Shrinking the carbon footprint of a chemical in everyday objects

The biggest source of global energy consumption is the industrial manufacturing of products such as plastics, iron, and steel. Not only does manufacturing these materials require huge amounts of energy, but many of the reactions also directly emit carbon dioxide as a byproduct. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Everyday enzymes, now grown in plants

The jeans you wear, the orange juice you drink, the laundry detergent you use: None would be possible without the activity of enzymes. Currently the enzymes used in industry are produced through an expensive, laborious process, requiring cold storage. But an innovative new approa … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Measurement of semiconductor material quality is now 100,000 times more sensitive

The enhanced power of the new measuring technique to characterize materials at scales much smaller than any current technologies will accelerate the discovery and investigation of 2-D, micro- and nanoscale materials. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Bacteria flip an electric switch to worsen food poisoning

Salmonella bacteria flip an electric switch as they hitch a ride inside immune cells, causing the cells to migrate out of the gut toward other parts of the body, according to a new study publishing on April 9 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Yaohui Sun and Alex Mogilner … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Can flipping coins replace animal experiments?

Instead of repeating an experiment in a mouse model of disease in their laboratory, researchers in Berlin, Germany used a coin toss to confirm whether a drug protects the brain against a stroke, as reported in their paper publishing April 9 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Disposable parts of plants mutate more quickly

Mutation rates are proposed to be a pragmatic balance struck between the harmful effects of mutations and the costs of suppressing them; this hypothesis predicts that longer-lived body parts and those that contribute to the next generation should have lower mutation rates than th … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

These 'eggs' are spying on whooping cranes to boost survival

Scientists are using fake eggs to spy on whooping cranes in hopes of learning why some chicks die in the egg, while others hatch. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Young entrepreneur aims to send 3-D-printed rockets to space

To see Tim Ellis hunched over his laptop, alone in a room at a major space industry conference in Colorado, you can hardly imagine that he might be the next Elon Musk. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Researchers prove Leonardo Da Vinci was ambidextrous

Researchers at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence have proved what was suspected for a long time: that Renaissance genius Leonardo Da Vinci was able to write, draw and paint with both hands. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Clues emerge in 'missing' ocean plastics conundrum

It's a puzzle that has perplexed scientists for years: humanity dumps millions of tonnes of plastics into the world's oceans annually, yet only a tiny fraction remains visible on the surface. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Facebook tweaks tools for remembering dead friends

Facebook says it will use artificial intelligence to help find profiles of people who have died, so their friends and family members won't get, for instance, painful reminders about their birthday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

How artificial intelligence can help in the fight against human trafficking

The crime of human trafficking—defined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as modern-day slavery that "involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act—is notoriously difficult to prosecute. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Life could be evolving right now on nearest exoplanets

Excitement about exoplanets skyrocketed when rocky Earth-like planets were discovered orbiting in the habitable zone of some of our closest stars – until hopes for life were dashed by the high levels of radiation bombarding those worlds. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

NASA imagery shows winds tearing Tropical Cyclone Wallace

Visible imagery from NASA's Terra satellite showed Tropical Cyclone Wallace being sheared apart from strong northwesterly winds. Clouds from Wallace stretched far inland over a well-known wilderness area. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Criminal justice system should be cautious when approaching risk assessment

Imagine a parole board trying to figure out whether a previously convicted person eligible for parole poses a future threat to the community. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Too hungry to learn—new research provides food for thought

Food insecurity—that is, limited access to sufficient safe and nutritious food at home—negatively impacts on the learning ability of adolescents in India, new research shows. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Study gives new insight into how climate change is transforming Virginia's barrier islands

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Graphene coating could help prevent lithium battery fires

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

NASA launches two rockets studying auroras

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Using bacteria to protect roads from deicer deterioration

Tiny bacteria could soon be chipping in to keep roads from chipping away in the winter, according to Drexel University researchers who are looking into new ways to make our infrastructure more resilient. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Cell death may be triggered by 'hit-and-run' interaction

A 'hit-and-run' interaction between two proteins could be an important trigger for cell death, according tonew research from Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Evidence: Inspirational augmented reality apps can improve brand attitude

More and more companies are using Augmented Reality Marketing to interact with customers. Augmented Reality Marketing is a strategic concept that uses Augmented Reality (i.e. the Integration of digital information or objects into the subject's perception of the physical world), o … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Genetic breakthrough on tropical grass could help develop climate-friendly cattle farms

Cattle are a mainstay for many smallholders but their farms are often on degraded lands, which increases cattle's impact on the environment and lowers their production of milk and meat. Researchers at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) have shown that Brachi … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Conservationists clash over ways forward despite sharing 'core aims', study finds

The first large-scale study of the views held by those working to protect the natural world has found agreement on the goals of conservation—but substantial disagreement on how to move towards them. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New research about biodiversity reveals the importance of climate on today's abundance of life

Biodiversity Natural history museum paleontologists in Copenhagen and Helsinki have succeeded in mapping historical biodiversity in unprecedented detail. For the first time, it is possible to compare the impact of climate on global biodiversity in the distant past—a result that p … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

The mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity is found

Russian physicist Viktor Lakhno from Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics, RAS considers symmetrical bipolarons as a basis of high-temperature superconductivity. The theory explains recent experiments in which a superconductivity was reached in lanthanum hydride LaH10 at extr … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

This compact and cheap lidar could steer small autonomous vehicles

Researchers in Sweden have developed cheaper, lighter and more efficient lidar technology that could pave the way for smaller autonomous craft such as drones and robots, and help enable better profitability in the vehicle industry. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

What makes the Impossible Burger look and taste like real beef?

People eat animals that eat plants. If we just eliminate that middle step and eat plants directly, we would diminish our carbon footprint, decrease agricultural land usage, eliminate health risks associated with red meat and alleviate ethical concerns over animal welfare. For man … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Simultaneous heatwaves caused by anthropogenic climate change

Without the climate change caused by human activity, simultaneous heatwaves would not have hit such a large area as they did last summer. This is the conclusion of researchers at ETH Zurich based on observational and model data. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Specialist enzymes make E. coli antibiotic resistant at low pH

Scientists long puzzled over why bacteria contain so many "redundant" enzymes. Why make several molecules that do the same job, interchangeably, when it would be much more efficient to make just one? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Novel membrane material removes more impurities without the need for toxic solvents

Natural gas and biogas have become increasingly popular sources of energy throughout the world in recent years, thanks to their cleaner and more efficient combustion process when compared to coal and oil. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

How to feed the world and preserve the environment

Farmers bear much of the burden for growing the food to feed billions of people as the world's population continually trends upward. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Airbus v. Boeing at the WTO: Only the lawyers win

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Paris orders 800 new electric buses to fight smog

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Uber Jumps into electric scooters in Europe

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

What is a black hole? Searching for what can't be seen

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Facebook, Google face House hearing on white nationalism

Executives from Google and Facebook are facing Congress Tuesday to answer questions about their role in the spread of hate crimes and the rise of white nationalism in the U.S. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

EU: Facebook changes terms to show it makes money from data

Facebook has changed the fine print in its terms of service to clearly explain to users that it makes money by using their data, the European Commission said Tuesday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago