Plants' defense against insects is a bouquet

Michigan State University scholar Andrea Glassmire and her colleagues have revealed how the mixture of chemical weapons deployed by plants keeps marauding insects off base better than a one-note defense. This insight goes beyond the ecological convention of studying a single chem … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Study finds sewage bacteria lurking in Hudson river sediments

A new study shows that fecal bacteria from sewage are living in far greater quantities in near-shore sediments of the Hudson River than in the water itself. The river's pollution levels are generally monitored based on samples of clear water, not sediments, so the findings sugges … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Mass spectrometry sheds new light on thallium poisoning cold case

In 1994, Chinese university student Zhu Ling began experiencing stomach pain, hair loss and partial paralysis. By the time doctors diagnosed Ling with thallium poisoning about four months later, she was in a coma. Ling survived, but she suffered permanent neurological damage. A p … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Researchers pioneer machine learning to speed chemical discoveries, reduce waste

Machine learning algorithms can predict stock market fluctuations, control complex manufacturing processes, enable navigation for robots and driverless vehicles, and much more. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Study scrutinizes hidden marketing relationships on social media

Federal regulators require social media personalities to alert their viewers to promotional payments for products and gadgets shown on their channels, but an analysis by Princeton University researchers shows that such disclosures are rare. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New undersea maps lead to hydrothermal vent and species discoveries

A spectacular new hydrothermal vent field, named JaichMatt, has been discovered during an expedition aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute's R/V Falkor. The vents were identified using Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institution's (MBARI) Dorado autonomous underwater vehicle to conduct e … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New study says scientific basis for EPA's Endangerment Finding is stronger than ever

A new study published by Science this week has found that scientific evidence supporting the EPA's 2009 Endangerment Finding for greenhouse gases is even stronger and more conclusive now. This finding could strengthen challenges to proposed efforts to rollback emissions standards … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists overhaul corn domestication story with multidisciplinary analysis

Smithsonian scientists and collaborators are revising the history of one of the world's most important crops. Drawing on genetic and archaeological evidence, researchers have found that a predecessor of today's corn plants still bearing many features of its wild ancestor was like … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Team invents method to shrink objects to the nanoscale

MIT researchers have invented a way to fabricate nanoscale 3-D objects of nearly any shape. They can also pattern the objects with a variety of useful materials, including metals, quantum dots, and DNA. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists get first look at geometric phase effect in a chemical reaction

In the simplest chemical reaction in nature, the a well-known conical intersection exists between the ground and first excited state. Therefore, the H + H2 reaction and its isotopic variants have long been the benchmark system in the study of the geometric phase (GP) effect in ch … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New technology paints in-depth picture of organisms' response to climate change

Revolutionary new technology created at the University of Plymouth could fill a major gap in our understanding of how organisms' early development will be impacted by climate change. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Chemical biologists unearth cause of a rare brain disorder

Babies born with pontocerebellar hypoplasia type Ib often do not survive past one year. Born with an underdeveloped brain, infants struggle to move, feed and even breathe. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Hubble finds far-away planet vanishing at record speed

The speed and distance at which planets orbit their respective blazing stars can determine each planet's fate—whether the planet remains a longstanding part of its solar system or evaporates into the universe's dark graveyard more quickly. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Data use draining your battery? Tiny device to speed up memory while also saving power

The more objects we make "smart," from watches to entire buildings, the greater the need for these devices to store and retrieve massive amounts of data quickly without consuming too much power. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

No. 2 gas-producing state moves to curb air pollution

Pennsylvania is aiming to curb air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from its vast natural gas exploration fields, with the Democratic governor's administration proposing new regulations Thursday even as the Trump administration moves to relax federal requirements. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Death near the shoreline, not life on land

Our understanding of when the very first animals started living on land is helped by identifying trace fossils—the tracks and trails left by ancient animals—in sedimentary rocks that were deposited on the continents. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Neuroscientists uncover sensory switches controlling infanticide and parental behavior

Many species of mammals have evolved what appear to be paradoxical behaviours towards their young. Like humans, most exhibit nurturing, protective behaviours, and in some circumstances even act as surrogate parents. However, virgin males often engage in infanticide as a strategy … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Tangled magnetic fields power cosmic particle accelerators

Magnetic field lines tangled like spaghetti in a bowl might be behind the most powerful particle accelerators in the universe. That's the result of a new computational study by researchers from the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, which simulated parti … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Nations 'face extinction' without instant climate action

Dozens of nations threatened with catastrophe from unchecked climate change warned Thursday they "face extinction" without immediate action to rein in mankind's emissions, as UN climate talks limped towards their conclusion. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Ford accused of 'treachery' in France over factory closure

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire accused Ford of "treachery" and "cowardice" on Thursday in a furious reaction to the US automaker's decision to shutter a factory near Bordeaux and snub a potential buyer. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Record number of Mexican gray wolves found dead in 2018

Wildlife managers have confirmed a record number of Mexican gray wolves have been reported dead this year, fueling concerns about the decades-long effort to return the endangered predator to the southwestern U.S. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Virgin Galactic rocket ship reaches space in test flight

Virgin Galactic's tourism spaceship climbed more than 50 miles high above California's Mojave Desert on Thursday, reaching for the first time what the company considers the boundary of space. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists scour WWI shipwreck to solve military mystery

A hundred years ago, a mysterious explosion hit the only major U.S. warship to sink during World War I. Now the Navy believes it has the answer to what doomed the USS San Diego: An underwater mine set by a German submarine cruising in waters just miles from New York City. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

GPM observes heavy rainfall in intensifying Tropical Cyclone Owen

As expected, tropical cyclone Owen recently intensified as it moved over the Gulf of Carpentaria and NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's GPM core satellite found very heavy rainfall occurring within the revived storm. The storm has made a U-turn in the Gulf and is n … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Video: Should Santa wear a flame-retardant suit?

Saint Nick faces a host of hazards during the holiday season, from the calories in cookies to the dying embers in your fireplace. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists maximize the effectiveness of platinum in fuel cells

In the journal Science, Argonne chemists have identified a new catalyst that maximizes the effectiveness of platinum. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Research team discovers oldest known plant virus at ancient settlement

Researchers studying ancient corncobs found at a Native American archeological site have recovered a 1,000-year-old virus, the oldest plant virus ever reported. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Marine mammal experts gather to identify solutions to save threatened dolphins and porpoises

Thirty-seven experts from 14 countries are gathering at the Cistercian Monastery in Heilsbronn—Nuremberg from December 14 to 18 to discuss conservation options for coastal and riverine species of dolphins that are experiencing significant population declines and could be facing e … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Monitoring the environment with artificial intelligence

Microorganisms perform key functions in ecosystems, and their diversity reflects the health of their environment. However, they are still largely under-exploited in current biomonitoring programs because they are difficult to identify. Researchers from the University of Geneva (U … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Renault board maintains Ghosn as CEO, says pay was legal

The board of the French automaker Renault said Thursday that it was keeping Carlos Ghosn as its chief executive, after an internal review of his pay package found that it had conformed with French law. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

A new algorithm improves flight safety and reduce delays

The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) has taken part in the European research project TBO-Met, which has developed an algorithm that maximises the predictability of flights and reduces the risk of running into potentially dangerous storms. Thanks to this, safety can be impr … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Improved faunal status at the soft bottom in Skagerrak

Reductions of nutrients have led to a greater species richness at the seafloor in the Skagerrak after 1990. But warmer winter temperatures and increased river runoff might be the new challenges for the animal life at the soft bottom. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists crack the CRISPR code for precise human genome editing

Scientists at the Francis Crick Institute have discovered a set of simple rules that determine the precision of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in human cells. These rules, published in Molecular Cell, could help to improve the efficiency and safety of genome editing in both the lab a … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Neandertal genes shed light on unique aspects of the modern human brain

A characteristic feature of modern humans is the unusually round skull and brain, in contrast to the elongated shape seen in other human species. By studying Neandertal DNA fragments found in the genomes of living Europeans, scientists have now discovered genes that influence thi … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Biologists turn eavesdropping viruses into bacterial assassins

Princeton molecular biologist Bonnie Bassler and graduate student Justin Silpe have identified a virus, VP882, that can listen in on bacterial conversations—and then, in a twist like something out of a spy novel, they found a way to use that to make it attack bacterial diseases l … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Tumor cells conquer territory from their neighbors using a newly discovered mechanism

Despite decades of cancer research, the early phases of tumour progression that connect the appearance of few abnormal cells to the formation of a clinically detectable tumour mass remains poorly understood. It was previously proposed that certain mutations could give a competiti … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Ebola-fighting protein discovered in human cells

Researchers have discovered a human protein that helps fight the Ebola virus and could one day lead to an effective therapy against the deadly disease, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Five new species of sea slugs found in the ocean depths

When you think of sea slugs, you might envision dark, slimy relatives of the slugs you see in your garden. But one group of sea slugs, the nudibranchs (pronounced "nood-i-branks"), are gaudy, fascinating creatures. They come in a wide array of bright colors and psychedelic patter … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Researchers shine new light on disease-spreading mosquitoes

When the West Nile virus (WNV) was initially isolated in two patients at a Queens, N.Y., hospital in the summer of 1999, it would have been hard to anticipate how quickly one common species of house mosquito, Culex pipiens, would help begin to spread the virus throughout the west … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

The suburbs are the spiritual home of overconsumption. But they also hold the key to a better future

Suburban affluence is the defining image of the good life under capitalism, commonly held up as a model to which all humanity should aspire. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Ongoing spill in Mexico is flooding Tijuana River with millions of gallons of raw sewage

The equivalent of more than 6 million gallons a day of raw sewage has been spilling into the Tijuana River since Monday night, according to federal officials. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Swarming behavior discovered in fish-dwelling parasite

Johns Hopkins researchers have observed a previously unrecognized behavior in a single-celled parasite called Spironucleus vortens, which infects ornamental fish such as angelfish: The protozoans swarm. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Septin proteins act as cellular police to identify, imprison and kill 'superbug' Shigella

Using state-of-the art technologies to image human cells and study infection at the level of a single bacterial cell, the research team, led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, has uncovered the strongest evidence yet that septins take Shigella prisoner. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Robot makes world-first baby coral delivery to Great Barrier Reef

Ecology and technology have combined to give nature a helping hand, using a robot to deliver heat-tolerant coral larvae directly onto Australia's Great Barrier Reef in the first small-scale pilot of a new technique to help restore and recover coral reefs. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New early warning system could protect vulnerable islands from flooding

A recently developed early warning system can forecast floods on coral-lined coasts worldwide and could help save residents of low-lying island nations from unprecedented disaster, according to researchers. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

After a 1.2 billion-mile journey, a reward: There is water on the asteroid Bennu

Nineteen years ago, scientists discovered an asteroid oscillating between the orbits of Earth and Mars. In 2013, they mapped it, creating a model of what they thought it looked like. And on Monday, that model come to life. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New techniques better determine how ancient viral DNA influences human genes

New laboratory techniques can identify which of our genes are influenced by DNA snippets that are left behind in our genetic code by viruses, a new study finds. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Voters shrug as energized House Democrats vow action on climate

Polls show climate change still lags health care, jobs, immigration and the federal budget deficit among voters' priorities. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago