Cold plasma can kill 99.9% of airborne viruses, study shows

Dangerous airborne viruses are rendered harmless on-the-fly when exposed to energetic, charged fragments of air molecules, University of Michigan researchers have shown. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

uliCUT&RUN maps protein binding on chromatin in single cells and single embryos

Groundbreaking research by Sarah Hainer, an assistant professor of gene expression and cell fate in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Biological Sciences, and Thomas G. Fazzio of the University of Massachusetts Medical School has adapted the CUT&RUN method to examine map … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

JILA's 5-minute sample processing enhances DNA imaging and analysis

JILA scientists have developed a fast, simple sample preparation method that enhances imaging of DNA to better analyze its physical properties and interactions. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Boeing shares slump as 737 earnings hit is weighed

Boeing shares slumped Monday on the company's weakened profit outlook after it announced last week it will cut production of 737 planes following two deadly crashes. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Researchers use genomic data to map 'refugia' where North American trees survived the ice age

During the last ice age, which peaked around 21,500 years ago, glaciers covered large portions of North America, including the entire Great Lakes region. Once the ice retreated, the land was gradually repopulated by trees that eventually formed dense forests. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

How a bacterium feeds an entire flatworm

In the sandy bottom of warm coastal waters lives Paracatenula—a small worm that has neither mouth, nor gut. Nevertheless, it lacks nothing thanks to Riegeria, the bacterium that fills most of the body of the tiny worm. Riegeria looks after its host—it is farmer, quartermaster and … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Carbon-negative power generation for China

If we're going to limit global temperature increases to 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels, as laid out in the Paris Climate Agreement, it's going to take a lot more than a transition to carbon-neutral energy sources such as wind and solar. It's going to require carbon-negativ … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Elements can be solid and liquid at the same time, study reveals

Scientists have discovered a new state of physical matter in which atoms can exist as both solid and liquid simultaneously. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

France begins debating digital tax, defying US ire

French lawmakers on Monday began debating a new tax on digital giants such as Facebook and Apple that has angered the United States, with Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire boasting that France was proud to be in the vanguard of such a move. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Iron volcanoes may have erupted on metal asteroids

Metallic asteroids are thought to have started out as blobs of molten iron floating in space. As if that's not strange enough, scientists now think that as the metal cooled and solidified, volcanoes spewing liquid iron could have erupted through a solid iron crust onto the surfac … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Tax incentives target poor neighborhoods but leave communities behind

Lawmakers often tout pro-gentrification tax incentives such as the new federal "opportunity zone" tax incentive—the tax break offered to developers in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017—as tools to promote capital investment in poor neighborhoods. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Testing how well water disinfectants damage antibiotic resistance genes

Each year at least 2 million Americans are infected with bacteria that cannot be treated with antibiotics, and at least 23,000 of these people die, according to the Centers for Disease Control. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Declassified U2 spy plane images reveal bygone Middle Eastern archaeological features

In the 1950s and early '60s, with the Cold War at its peak, the United States flew U2 spy planes across Europe, the Middle East, and central eastern Asia, taking images of interesting military targets. Though the missions typically connected Point A to Point B, say an air field a … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientific computing in the cloud gets down to Earth

In a groundbreaking effort, seismology researchers have conducted a continent-scale survey for seismic signatures of industrial activity in the Amazon Web Services commercial cloud (AWS), then rapidly downloaded the results without storing raw data or needing a local supercompute … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

NASA-NOAA satellite finds a more circular Tropical Cyclone Wallace

NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed over the Southern Indian Ocean and captured a visible image of what appeared to be a more organized Tropical Cyclone Wallace, off the coast of Western Australia. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Hate incidents are notoriously underreported; now, there's an app for that

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is responsible for tracking hate crimes across the country, but the data are notoriously unreliable. Despite the FBI recording an all-time high in hate-motivated incidents in 2017 (the most recent year's statistics available) the number is like … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Woolly mammoths and Neanderthals may have shared genetic traits

A new Tel Aviv University study suggests that the genetic profiles of two extinct mammals with African ancestry—woolly mammoths, elephant-like animals that evolved in the arctic peninsula of Eurasia around 600,000 years ago, and Neanderthals, highly skilled early humans who evolv … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Investment firm buys Gizmodo sites and The Onion

A private equity firm said Monday it was acquiring Gizmodo Media Group as well as the satirical news site The Onion for an undisclosed amount from New York-based Univision Communications. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Hundreds of cab drivers protest Uber in Warsaw

Hundreds of taxi drivers on Monday blocked downtown Warsaw in protest over a Polish draft law they see as favourable to ride-sharing app Uber as well as over US support for the American firm. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New commentary on the famous 'Warning to Humanity' paper brings up global inequalities

By pointing out the western lifestyle is not "the norm and end goal of societal evolution", the research team of Dr. Mohsen Kayal (University of Perpignan, France) contributes to the debate on the urgency of achieving sustainability, as ignited by the largely publicised article " … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Amazon may be gearing up to take on Apple's AirPods, report says

Amazon may be getting ready to spread its might yet again. The newest target: Apple's AirPods. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Revolutionary camera allows scientists to predict evolution of ancient stars

For the first time scientists have been able to prove a decades old theory on stars thanks to a revolutionary high-speed camera. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Pollen detectives work to predict asthma and hay fever

The presence of different strains of grass pollen in the atmosphere can help predict when hay fever and asthma could strike, a study involving a University of Queensland researcher has found. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Just how much does enhancing photosynthesis improve crop yield?

In the next two decades, crop yields need to increase dramatically to feed the growing global population. Wouldn't it be incredibly useful if we had a crystal ball to show us what are the best strategies available to increase crop yields? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Is it genetic code or postal code that influence a child's life chances?

Most children inherit both their postal code and their genetic code from their parents. But if genetic factors influence where families are able to live and children's health and educational success, improving neighborhoods may not be enough. Latest research at Columbia Universit … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Breaking down Beowulf: Statistical technique finds evidence that Old English poem had a single author

It's been a towering landmark in the world of English literature for more than two centuries, but Beowulf is still the subject of fierce academic debate, in part between those who claim the epic poem is the work of a single author and those who claim it was stitched together from … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Carbon lurking in deep ocean threw ancient climate switch, say researchers

A million years ago, a longtime pattern of alternating glaciations and warm periods dramatically changed, when ice ages suddenly became longer and more intense. Scientists have long suspected that this was connected to the slowdown of a key Atlantic Ocean current system that toda … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

International team decodes the durum wheat genome

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Melting glaciers causing sea levels to rise at ever greater rates

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Global study shows exotic species are a complex threat

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Beer and fodder crop has been deteriorating for 6,000 years

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Evolution imposes 'speed limit' on recovery after mass extinctions

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Banned pesticides in Europe's rivers

Tests of Europe's rivers and canals have revealed more than 100 pesticides—including 24 that are not licensed for use in the EU. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Editorial: Protect California's environmental legacy from Trump's onslaughts

California's native species and its precious water resources are in serious need of some Trump insurance. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Do we really own our digital possessions?

Microsoft has announced that it will close the books category of its digital store. While other software and apps will still be available via the virtual shop front, and on purchasers' consoles and devices, the closure of the eBook store takes with it customers' eBook libraries. … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Image: Mars dust devil detail

Mars may have a reputation for being a desolate world, but it is certainly not dead: its albeit thin atmosphere is still capable of whipping up a storm and, as this image reveals, send hundreds – maybe even thousands – of 'dust devils' scurrying across the surface. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Pinterest sets IPO to raise up to $1.5 billion

Pinterest said Monday it would raise up to $1.5 billion in its stock offering, setting a price range that trims the value of the online visual discovery startup. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Official stats mask shark and ray species caught in the Mediterranean and Black seas

Shark and ray species commonly caught in the Mediterranean and Black seas are not being reported in official statistics, new research from the Sea Around Us initiative at the University of British Columbia shows. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Antioxidants protect cells from harmful water contaminant

Antioxidants such as vitamin C could help reduce harmful effects from hexavalent chromium, according to a new study performed with human cells. The contaminant, which is often produced by industrial processes, was featured in the biographical movie Erin Brockovich. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Air pollution causes chronic health problems – will London's new charge on drivers help?

A new ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) is being introduced in London, to reduce harmful emissions from traffic and improve air quality. Those who drive polluting vehicles into the city centre will face a daily charge – £12.50 for cars, motorcycles and vans, and £100 for lorries, bu … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Slug glue reveals clues for making better medical adhesives

The Dusky Arion slug produces a defensive glue that fouls the mouthparts of any would-be predator. Two new studies reveal more about how this glue achieves its strong sticking power and flexibility, insights that could be used to create better medical adhesives. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

An analysis of nearly 4 million pitches shows just how many mistakes umpires make

Baseball is back, and fans can anticipate another season of amazing catches, overpowering pitching, tape-measure home runs – and, yes, controversial calls that lead to blow-ups between umpires and players. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Research team expands quantum network with successful long-distance entanglement experiment

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, Stony Brook University, and DOE's Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) are collaborating on an experiment that puts U.S. quantum networking research on the international map. Researchers have built a quant … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

The replication crisis is good for science

Science is in the midst of a crisis: A surprising fraction of published studies fail to replicate when the procedures are repeated. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New biologically derived metal-organic framework mimics DNA

The field of materials science has become abuzz with "metal-organic frameworks" (MOFs), versatile compounds made up of metal ions connected to organic ligands, thus forming one-, two-, or three-dimensional structures. There is now an ever-growing list of applications for MOF, inc … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Video: Staying fit in space

Managing the health of astronauts orbiting Earth at 28 000 km/h is a challenge, but how will we equip astronauts to stay healthy and deal with any medical emergencies during missions to the Moon or Mars? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Time-reversal violation may explain abundance of matter over antimatter, physicist says

Why does the observable universe contain virtually no antimatter? Particles of antimatter have the same mass but opposite electrical charge of their matter counterparts. Very small amounts of antimatter can be created in the laboratory. However, hardly any antimatter is observed … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

When the extreme becomes the norm for Arctic animals

Think of reindeer on Norway's Svalbard archipelago as the arctic equivalent of sloths. It's not a perfect analogy, except that like tropical sloths, Svalbard reindeer move as little as possible to conserve energy. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago