Quake from Mount Etna volcano jolts Sicily, sparks panic

A quake triggered by Mount Etna's eruption jolted eastern Sicily before dawn Wednesday, injuring at least 10 people, damaging churches and houses on the volcano's slopes and prompting panicked villagers to flee their homes. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Digitally enhanced: Estonia plots the end of bureaucracy

In the Estonian capital of Tallinn, three-day-old Oskar Lunde sleeps soundly in his hospital cot, snuggled into a lime green blanket decorated with red butterflies. Across the room, his father turns on a laptop. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

As TikTok videos take hold with teens, parents scramble to keep up

Millions of teenagers seeking their 15 seconds of fame are flocking to TikTok, but many of their parents are only now learning about the express-yourself video app—often to their dismay. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Israeli anti-drone company sees spike in interest

An Israeli technology company says its anti-drone system is drawing major interest after rogue unmanned aircraft sowed chaos at London's Gatwick Airport last week. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Japan will resume commercial whaling, but not in Antarctic

Japan announced Wednesday it is leaving the International Whaling Commission to resume hunting the animals for commercial use but said it will no longer go to the Antarctic for its much-criticized annual killings of hundreds of whales. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Indonesia says avoid coast near volcano, fearing new tsunami

Indonesian authorities asked people to avoid the coast in areas where a tsunami killed more than 420 people last weekend in a fresh warning issued on the anniversary of the catastrophic 2004 Asian earthquake and tsunami. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Research shows biases against immigrants with non-anglicized names

Immigrating to a new country brings many challenges, including figuring out how to be part of a new community. For some people, voluntarily adopting a name similar to where someone is living, rather than keeping an original name, is one part of trying to assimilate or fit in with … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Britain bans puppy and kitten sales by pet shops

Britain is forbidding puppies and kittens from being sold by pet shops in a bid to crack down on animal exploitation and abuse. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

'Run to the hills': Tsunami fears spark chaos in Indonesia town

Hundreds of panicked residents, many sobbing and clutching small children, tried to flee Sumber Jaya village Tuesday as word spread that another tsunami was about to smash into the shattered Indonesian community. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Sicilian airport reopens amid Mount Etna's latest eruption

Italy's Catania airport is reopening after an ash cloud from Mount Etna's latest eruptions forced it to shut down. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Did 2018 usher in a creeping tech dystopia?

We may remember 2018 as the year when technology's dystopian potential became clear, from Facebook's role enabling the harvesting of our personal data for election interference to a seemingly unending series of revelations about the dark side of Silicon Valley's connect-everythin … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Court orders bail for Nissan executive linked to Ghosn case

A Tokyo court on Tuesday granted bail for a Nissan executive accused of a key role in the financial misconduct case involving auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn, who remains in detention. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Solar panels repay their energy 'debt': study

The climate-friendly electricity generated by solar panels in the past 40 years has all but cancelled out the polluting energy used to produce them, a study said Tuesday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Death toll climbs past 370 in Indonesian tsunami disaster

Body bags were laid out along the shattered coastline as Indonesian authorities stepped up efforts to collect the dead and save the injured Monday in the aftermath of a tsunami that was apparently triggered by a volcanic eruption. The death toll climbed to 373 and was certain to … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Idaho lab protects US infrastructure from cyber attacks

It's called the "Dark Side" because the 50 workers there prefer to keep the lights low so they can dim the brightness on their computer screens. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Mount Etna eruption causes airspace closure

The Mount Etna volcano erupted on Monday, spewing ash as several minor earthquakes hit the region, and prompting a partial closure of the Sicilian airspace around the mountain. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Sustainable 'plastics' are on the horizon

A new Tel Aviv University study describes a process to make bioplastic polymers that don't require land or fresh water—resources that are scarce in much of the world. The polymer is derived from microorganisms that feed on seaweed. It is biodegradable, produces zero toxic waste a … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Hotter days will boost Chinese residential electric use

A new study from Duke University and Fudan University in China is the first to estimate how much Chinese residential electricity consumption would increase due to climate change. It's a lot. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New global migration estimates show rates steady since 1990, high return migration

On today's increasingly crowded globe, human migration can strain infrastructure and resources. Accurate data on migration flows could help governments plan for and respond to immigrants. Yet these figures, when available, tend to be spotty and error-ridden, even in the developed … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Trees' enemies help tropical forests maintain their biodiversity

Scientists have long struggled to explain how tropical forests can maintain their staggering diversity of trees without having a handful of species take over—or having many other species die out. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

How Miami's Amazon reseller army serves shoppers worldwide—and makes millions

If you bought your Christmas presents on Amazon this year, there is a decent chance someone in South Florida was taking your money. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Here's how California can use fire to solve its wildfire problem

If California wants to get out in front of its wildfire problem, scientists have some clear but counterintuitive advice: Start more forest fires. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Apple tweaks app rules to allow users to gift in-app purchases

Just in time for the holidays, Apple added a new gifting option that will allow you to give the gift of in-app purchases to your friends and family. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Hunt for survivors as Indonesian tsunami death toll climbs to 373

Dozens of filled body bags were hauled away from buildings flattened by Indonesia's volcano-triggered tsunami Monday, as the death toll climbed to 373 and search teams pushed on with the grim hunt for corpses. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

At botanical garden in Mexico, natural species blossom again

Imagine a botanical garden, and acres of carefully designed, highly manicured, delicately pruned "zoos for plants" may come to mind. But at El Charco del Ingenio, a botanical garden and natural protected area in central Mexico, the sprawling scrubland has been allowed to return t … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

South Korea to fine BMW $10 mn over engine fires response

South Korea said Monday it will fine German automaker BMW 11.2 billion won ($10 million) for allegedly dragging its feet in recalling cars with faulty engines linked to dozens of engine fires. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

No warning meant no escape from Indonesia tsunami

An unpredictable chain of events and an inadequate early warning system combined to deadly effect with the tsunami that slammed into coastal areas of Indonesia killing nearly 300 people, disaster officials and experts said Monday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

NASA spacecraft hurtles toward historic New Year's flyby

A NASA spacecraft is hurtling toward a historic New Year's Day flyby of the most distant planetary object ever studied, a frozen relic of the early solar system called Ultima Thule. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Australia to beef up technology for drone 'crackdown'

Australia will introduce new surveillance technology for a "crackdown" on drones next year, aviation authorities said Monday, as concerns mount over their increasing prevalence in public areas. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Another tsunami could hit Indonesia, experts warn

Another tsunami could strike Indonesia, experts warned on Sunday, a day after more than 200 people were killed by a wave triggered by a volcanic eruption. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Harnessed horse unearthed in ancient stable near Pompeii

Archaeologists have unearthed the petrified remains of a harnessed horse and saddle in the stable of an ancient villa in a Pompeii suburb. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

222 dead as volcano-triggered tsunami hits Indonesia

A volcano-triggered tsunami has left at least 222 people dead and hundreds more injured after slamming without warning into beaches around Indonesia's Sunda Strait, officials said Sunday, voicing fears that the toll would rise further. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Indonesia's angry 'Child of Krakatoa' rumbles on

The volcano that triggered a deadly tsunami in Indonesia late Saturday emerged from the sea around the legendary Krakatoa 90 years ago and has been on a high-level eruption watchlist for the past decade. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

SpaceX launches Air Force's best GPS yet, ends banner year

SpaceX has launched the U.S. Air Force's most powerful GPS satellite ever built. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

India's no-frills hotel giant eyes European markets

An Indian startup is turning its attention towards usurping the West's largest hotel chains after establishing itself as India's biggest player and shaking up the Chinese market. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

China's Huawei faces new setbacks in Europe's telecom market

The U.S. dispute with China over a ban on tech giant Huawei is spilling over to Europe, the company's biggest foreign market, where some countries are also starting to shun its network systems over data security concerns. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Connected cars accelerate down data-collection highway

That holiday trip over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house could turn into nice little gift for automakers as they increasingly collect oodles and oodles of data about the driver. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

'Volcano' tsunami kills at least 43 in Indonesia

At least 43 people have been killed and nearly 600 injured in a tsunami in Indonesia that may have been caused by a volcano known as the "child" of the legendary Krakatoa, officials said Sunday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Slack: Some accounts mistakenly deactivated during update

Slack says it mistakenly deactivated accounts for some of the users of its work-focused messaging service this week as it implemented a system update to comply with U.S. economic sanctions and trade embargoes. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Brazil court overrules injunction on Boeing-Embraer tie-up

A Brazilian court on Saturday shot down a fresh injunction by a judge over a plan by planemakers Boeing of the US and Embraer of Brazil to create a $5.26-billion joint venture, Brazil's state news agency said. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Howler monkey study examines mechanisms of new species formation

A new University of Michigan study of interbreeding between two species of howler monkeys in Mexico is yielding insights into the forces that drive the evolution of new species. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Protected Chilean sea lions are the 'enemy' of fishermen

Off the coast of Chile, fisherman face competition from a cunning carnivorous hunter that has decimated their industry due to its voracious appetite. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Study finds Tropical Cyclone Winston damaged fisheries as well as homes in Fiji

A newly published study by WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) has found that impacts of Tropical Cyclone Winston on the coastal communities of Fiji went beyond the immediate loss of lives and infrastructure. The cyclone also had a lingering effect on the fisheries many communiti … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Holiday asteroid imaged with NASA radar

The December 2018 close approach by the large, near-Earth asteroid 2003 SD220 has provided astronomers an outstanding opportunity to obtain detailed radar images of the surface and shape of the object and to improve the understanding of its orbit. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Chemical engineers publish paper challenging theories of glass transition

Greg McKenna, Horn Professor and the John R. Bradford Chair in the Department of Chemical Engineering in Texas Tech University's Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering, has published his paper, "Testing the Paradigm of an Ideal Glass Transition: Dynamics of an Ultra-stable … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Surfer's ear points to ancient pearl divers in Panama

While examining a skull from an ancient burial ground in a pre-Columbian village in Panama, Nicole Smith-Guzmán, bioarchaeologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), was surprised to discover an example of surfers' ear: a small, bony bump in the ear canal commo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Satellite sees Tropical Cyclone Cilida north of Mauritius

Tropical Cyclone Cilida appeared as a large and powerful hurricane on imagery from NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite on Dec. 21. Cilida is located north of the island of Mauritius in the Southern Indian Ocean. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Ruling that blocked grizzly bear hunt plans appealed by US

U.S. government attorneys filed notice Friday that they are appealing a court ruling that restored protections for grizzly bears in the Northern Rockies and blocked plans to hold the first public hunts for the animals in decades. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago