Citizen scientists find new world with NASA telescope

Using data from NASA's Kepler space telescope, citizen scientists have discovered a planet roughly twice the size of Earth located within its star's habitable zone, the range of orbital distances where liquid water may exist on the planet's surface. The new world, known as K2-288 … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

The quest for the missing proteins in rice

Researchers have identified over 5,700 new proteins in rice and are calling for a global effort to find the remaining missing proteins, in a new study co-authored by Macquarie University. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Dark Energy Survey completes six-year mission

After scanning in depth about a quarter of the southern skies for six years and cataloguing hundreds of millions of distant galaxies, the Dark Energy Survey (DES) will finish taking data tomorrow, on Jan. 9. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

The shape of a perfect storm: Saving lives by predicting firestorms

Firestorms are a nightmare for emergency services and anyone in their path. They occur when a bushfire meets a 'perfect storm' of environmental conditions and creates a thunderstorm. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Study pinpoints how Salmonella sneaks into plant roots

In recent years, contamination of salad vegetables by E. coli and salmonella bacteria—the most common causes of food poisoning—have led to large-scale recalls. Although most salmonella outbreaks are linked to contamination from post-harvest handling and transportation, this infec … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Rotating black holes may serve as gentle portals for hyperspace travel

One of the most cherished science fiction scenarios is using a black hole as a portal to another dimension or time or universe. That fantasy may be closer to reality than previously imagined. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Circular economy: Ancient populations pioneered the idea of recycling waste

The circular economy is typically seen as the progressive alternative to our wasteful linear economy, where raw materials are used to make the products that feed today's rampant consumerist hunger, which are then thrown away. The idea of the circular economy only took off in the … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

For night vision, snakes see a clear choice

San Diego State University doctoral student Hannes Schraft wanted to learn whether rattlesnakes find their way around at night with their eyes alone, or get an assist from the same thermal-sensing abilities they use to hunt prey. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Twitter sentiment

Sentiment analysis is an increasingly important part of data mining, especially in the age of social media and social networking where there is endless opinion and commentary that could be of use to a wide range of stakeholders in commerce, other businesses, and even politics. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New Caledonian crows found able to infer weight of an object by watching how it behaves in the wind

A team of researchers with members affiliated with the University of Auckland, the University of Cambridge, Bertha von Suttner University and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History has found evidence that suggests New Caledonian crows can infer the weight of an … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Optoacoustic microscopy at multiple discrete frequencies

Optoacoustic imaging powered by short bursts of continuous wave (CW) lasers can stimulate the emission of ultrasound waves inside an animal or in human subjects. The method can noninvasively capture blood flow and produce 3-D images of cellular microarchitecture. Writing in Light … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Little Foot's inner ear sheds light on her movement and behaviour

MicroCT scans of the 3.67-million-year-old Australopithecus fossil known as Little Foot shed some light on how she lived and moved. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New research is using drones to tackle climate change

A team of Nottingham scientists is using drones to survey woody climbing plants and better understand how they may affect the carbon balance of tropical rainforests. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Evidence found of oysters syncing valve behavior with lunar cycle

A team of researchers from the University of Bordeaux and CNRS, EPOC, UMR has found evidence that suggests oysters sync their valve behavior with the lunar cycle. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, the group describes their study of oysters in the wild over … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Proba-V view of Aral Sea

This Proba-V view shows all that is left of the Aral Sea, once one of the four largest lakes in the world and now one of the world's major ecological disaster areas. It has shrunk into separate lakes, surrounded by Earth's youngest desert. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists confirm that chromosomes are formed by stacked layers

A new study based on electron microscopy techniques at low temperatures demonstrates that during mitosis, chromosome DNA is packed in stacked layers of chromatin. The research, published in EMBO Journal, confirms a surprising structure proposed by UAB researchers over a decade ag … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Childhood stress of mice affects their offspring behavior

Russian neuroscientists report that the stress experienced by mice during their first weeks of life affects not only them, but also their offspring. The data will help to understand how negative experience in early life affects the mammalian brain. The results are published in Ge … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

The new green alternative for drug production

Most of the processes for the production of drugs, pesticides and smartphone displays are cost-intensive and generate a large amount of waste. Scientists at the University of Göttingen have now succeeded in developing a resource-saving "green" alternative. The results were publis … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Artificial intelligence detects the presence of viruses

Many biosensing applications rely on characterization of specific analytes such as proteins, viruses and bacteria, among many other targets, which can be accomplished by using micro- or nano-scale particles. In such biosensors, these particles are coated with a surface chemistry … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New technology serves as fish body double

Hundreds of surrogate "fish" will be put to work at dams around the world through an agreement between ATS—Advanced Telemetry Systems—and the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to improve operations and increase sustainability. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

The ocean garbage patch is tiny compared to our carbon footprint

Last summer, I volunteered in Indonesia on the islands of Simeulue and Bangkaru. During this unique opportunity, I helped to monitor and protect the local green sea turtle population, and I witnessed firsthand the effects of waste on the environment. Despite Bangkaru's lack of hu … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Study shows younger children and chimps less likely to make irrational decisions when social comparison is in play

A team of researchers affiliated with the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Yale University and the University of Göttingen, has found that older children are more likely to make seemingly irrational decisions when social comparison is at play. In their paper pu … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Identifying lower-energy neutrinos with a liquid-argon particle detector

An experiment at the Department of Energy's Fermilab has made a significant advance in the detection of neutrinos that hide themselves at lower energies. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

T. rex bite 'no match for a finch'

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Autonomous robot that interacts with humans using natural language and vision processing

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Astronomers investigate open cluster NGC 6530

Italian astronomers have investigated the young open cluster NGC 6530 by conducting a statistical study of its global properties. The research, which provides important insights on the cluster membership, was presented in a paper published December 29 on the arXiv pre-print repos … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

'Environmentally friendly' flame retardant could degrade into less safe compounds

To reduce the risk of fire, many everyday products—from building materials to furniture to clothing—contain flame retardants. In recent years, some of these compounds were shown to have harmful effects on the environment, causing them to be replaced by more eco-friendly alternati … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Artificial bug eyes

Single lens eyes, like those in humans and many other animals, can create sharp images, but the compound eyes of insects and crustaceans have an edge when it comes to peripheral vision, light sensitivity and motion detection. That's why scientists are developing artificial compou … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Drug sponge could minimize side effects of cancer treatment

With the help of sponges inserted in the bloodstream to absorb excess drugs, doctors are hoping to prevent the dangerous side effects of toxic chemotherapy agents or even deliver higher doses to knock back tumors, like liver cancer, that don't respond to more benign treatments. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Magellanic Clouds prove it's never too late to get active

Wondering about that New Year's Resolution to get more exercise? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Researcher creates 'minimal chair' that can ship flat, take seconds to assemble with no tools

A Purdue University researcher has designed what he calls a "minimal chair" that can be shipped in a thin flat box, taking only seconds to assemble without tools, as part of an effort to create furniture design processes that could significantly change lean manufacturing across t … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Reimagining information processing

Because technology is a part of our everyday lives, it may be difficult to imagine what the future of technology will look like, let alone what it has the potential of accomplishing. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists realize a three-dimensional 'topological' medium for electromagnetic waves

Topological insulators are exotic states of matter that physicists have been intensely studying for the past decade. Their most intriguing feature is that they can be rigorously distinguished from all other materials using a mathematical concept known as "topology." This mathemat … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Apple's Tim Cook got big pay bump in 2018: filing

Apple gave its chief executive Tim Cook a hefty 22 percent pay raise in 2018, bringing his total compensation for the year to almost $15.7 million according to a filing submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists forecast where is the highly invasive fall armyworm to strike next

Known to be feeding on many economically important crops cultured across the world, including maize, rice, sugarcane, sorghum, beet, tomato, potato, cotton and pasture grasses, the larvae of the native to the Americas fall armyworm moth seem to have already found a successful sur … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Shutdown keeps US experts away from scientific conferences

This week, the American Astronomical Society is meeting in Seattle, but no one from NASA is attending. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Energy-related carbon emissions rose in US in 2018: study

Carbon dioxide emissions significantly increased in the United States in 2018, according to a study released Tuesday by research firm Rhodium Group. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

High society wants its fine foods to also be ethical

Truffles and caviar have traditionally been delicacies of the upper class, but a new study by UBC sociology professor Emily Huddart Kennedy and colleagues from the University of Toronto finds that free-range and fair-trade foods are becoming increasingly important among the elite … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Giant singers from neighboring oceans share song parts over time

Singing humpback whales from different ocean basins seem to be picking up musical ideas from afar, and incorporating these new phrases and themes into the latest song, according to a newly published study in Royal Society Open Science that's helping scientists better understand h … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

School counselors reflect on their experience following student deaths

When five school counselors who were part of a counseling team were interviewed to learn how they professionally and personally experienced the deaths of multiple students in one year in their school while attending to the needs of the school community, several themes emerged. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Ancient gene duplication gave grasses multiple ways to wait out winter

If you've ever grown carrots in your garden and puzzled over never once seeing them flower, don't blame your lack of a green thumb. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Facebook CEO plans 2019 forums on tech's role in society

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Japan court rejects Ghosn release bid

A Japanese court on Wednesday rejected a bid by former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn to end his detention over alleged financial misconduct, a day after he denied all accusations in a dramatic court appearance. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists discover a process that stabilizes fusion plasmas

Scientists seeking to bring the fusion reaction that powers the sun and stars to Earth must keep the superhot plasma free from disruptions. Now researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have discovered a process that can help … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Singapore eco-tourism plan sparks squawks of protest

Singapore is creating a vast eco-tourism zone in a bid to bring in more visitors, but environmentalists fear the development will damage natural habitats and are already blaming it for a series of animal deaths. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

High-tech border wall plan on display at CES

The same technology used in self-driving cars is being touted as a potential high-tech solution to the US border wall conundrum—with some added benefits. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

US startup eyes next generation of burgers with relish

Can a "high-tech" burger help save the planet? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

For auto tech at CES, 'user experience' becomes the key

Technology firms tackling the challenge of autonomous driving are focusing on the "user experience" of vehicles that are increasingly becoming an extension of people's digital life. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago