Inactivating genes can boost crop genetic diversity

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Macroscopic phenomena governed by microscopic physics

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@phys.org | 5 years ago

Three astronauts blast off to International Space Station

Three astronauts have blasted off to the International Space Station, a successful launch that follows October's aborted mission. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Why a curious crustacean could hold secret to making renewable energy from wood

Scientists studying the digestive system of a curious wood-eating crustacean have discovered it may hold the key to sustainably converting wood into biofuel. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Act now or risk disaster, nations told at UN climate summit

After the starkest warnings yet of the catastrophic threat posed by climate change, nations gathered in Poland on Sunday to chart a way for mankind to avert runaway global warming. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

World Bank promises $200 bn in 2021-25 climate cash

The World Bank on Monday unveiled $200 billion in climate action investment for 2021-25, adding this amounts to a doubling of its current five-year funding. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Turning the page: Japan's last pager service ends after 50 years

The end of the pager era is nigh in Japan after five decades as the country's last provider announced on Monday it would be scrapping its service next year. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Solving 21st-century problems requires skills that few are trained in, scientists find

From companies trying to resolve data security risks to coastal communities preparing for rising sea levels, solving modern problems requires teamwork that draws on a broad range of expertise and life experiences. Yet individuals receive little formal training to develop the skil … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

New data dashboards launched to inform policymaking on modern slavery and child labor

Marking the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, new interactive data dashboards have been launched that visualise trends in forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking, and child labour. For the first time, country-level data visualisations and details on governm … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists call for eight steps to increase soil carbon for climate action and food security

Leading scientists call for action to increase global soil carbon, in advance of the annual climate summit of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Katowice, Poland (COP24) and World Soil Day (5 Dec). | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Undercover investigation: Socio-economic survey of pangolin hunting in Assam, India

Alarming footage captured by World Animal Protection and the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) at University of Oxford reveals the heart-breaking moment a pangolin is brutally killed for its body parts to be sold on the black market in Assam, north-eastern India. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Big Brussels climate march marks COP24 start

Tens of thousands of marchers took to the streets of Brussels on Sunday to mark the start of the UN climate summit in Poland. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Weibo eyes expansion to 'Chinese-speaking world'

Chinese social media giant Weibo is making a push into foreign markets and is considering launching new products in different languages, a senior executive told AFP, brushing off concerns over censorship and credibility. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

First manned space mission launches since Soyuz failure

The first manned space mission to the International Space Station since an unprecedented accident in October, which raised concerns about Moscow's Soviet-designed spacecraft, will launch on Monday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Study finds toxic flame retardants in children's car seats

In a new study, Indiana University scientists found toxic flame retardants in newly manufactured children's car seats, sparking concerns about children's health. Of the 18 children's car seats tested, 15 contained new or traditional hazardous flame retardant chemicals. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Mars new home 'a large sandbox'

With InSight safely on the surface of Mars, the mission team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, is busy learning more about the spacecraft's landing site. They knew when InSight landed on Nov. 26 that the spacecraft had touched down on target, a lava pla … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Alarm sounded, nations urged to act at UN climate talks

With the direst warnings yet of impending environmental disaster still ringing in their ears, representatives from nearly 200 nations gather Sunday in Poland to firm up their plan to prevent catastrophic climate change. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

From Biblical to revival: Jordan's desert winemakers

Two Jordanian families aim to put wine from their desert land on the world viticultural map, reviving an age-old tradition that some suggest has Biblical heritage. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

How engineers are straightening the Leaning Tower of Pisa

"It's still straightening," said engineer Roberto Cela, gazing at the Leaning Tower of Pisa gleaming in the autumn sunshine of northern Italy. "And many years will have to pass before it stops." | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Olympic broadcasters gear up for the biggest show on earth

Clock-watching is an integral part of any Olympic Games but even the most eagle-eyed sporting anoraks might be forgiven for missing the fact that Sunday marks 600 days until the start of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Attack of the small screens: Africa eyes mobile gaming boom

An army of humans laid waste to an alien colony as South African video game maker Simon Spreckley enthusiastically controlled the action using his phone's touch screen. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Visually impaired sea lions join group at New Orleans zoo

A pair of visually impaired 2-year-old sea lions has joined the four sea lions already at the zoo in New Orleans. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Grim tidings from science on climate change

Scientists monitoring the Earth's climate and environment have delivered a cascade of grim news this year, adding a sense of urgency to UN talks starting next week in Poland on how best to draw down the greenhouse gases that drive global warming. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Planet Earth working on 3 Mars landers to follow InSight

As Mars' newest resident settles in, Planet Earth is working on three more landers and at least two orbiters to join the scientific Martian brigade. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Green finance blooms as investors look beyond profits

Environment-friendly finance is blooming thanks to investors willing to weigh profits against ecology, but decisions about meaningful investments can be complex. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Fix Facebook, whether it wants to or not: whistleblower

Eight months after revealing the links between Facebook and Cambridge Analytica (CA), whistleblower Christopher Wylie is pushing for the internet giant to be regulated—whether it wants to or not. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

France, Japan uphold auto alliance amid Ghosn crisis

The leaders of France and Japan on Friday stood by the Renault-Nissan auto alliance despite ructions from the arrest of its chief executive, officials said. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

NASA's Martian quake sensor InSight lands at slight angle

NASA's unmanned Martian quake sensor, InSight, has landed at a slight angle on the Red Planet, and experts are hopeful the spacecraft will work as planned, the US space agency said Friday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Alaska surveys damage from major earthquakes

Chris Riekena was driving his 7-year-old son to school when his car started acting up. As he pulled over, he realized the problem wasn't his car—it was a huge earthquake. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Snowpack declines may stunt tree growth and forests' ability to store carbon emissions

Researchers conducting a 5-year-long study examining snow cover in a northern hardwood forest region found that projected changes in climate could lead to a 95 percent reduction of deep-insulating snowpack in forest areas across the northeastern United States by the end of the 21 … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

US approves seismic tests despite dolphin, whale concerns

The US government Friday took a big step toward opening oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic ocean by approving seismic airgun tests that experts warn are harmful to dolphins and whales. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Study offers new approach to assess sustainability of reef fish

A new study helping to improve how sustainability is measured for popular reef fish could help better assess the eco-friendly seafood options at the dinner table. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

So you stayed at a Starwood hotel: Tips on data breach

If you stayed at one of Marriott's Starwood hotels in recent years, hackers might have information on your address, credit card and even your passport. Some of this can be used for identity theft, as hackers create bank and other accounts under your name. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Hawk native to South America wows crowd in Maine park

A hawk that is native to Central and South America generated a lot of attention from Maine's birding community Friday after appearing in a park, where it brawled with a fellow raptor and dined on a squirrel. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Greenhouse gas 'detergent' recycles itself in atmosphere

A simple molecule in the atmosphere that acts as a "detergent" to breakdown methane and other greenhouse gases has been found to recycle itself to maintain a steady global presence in the face of rising emissions, according to new NASA research. Understanding its role in the atmo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Scientists reveal substantial water loss in global landlocked regions

Along with a warming climate and intensified human activities, recent water storage in global landlocked basins has undergone a widespread decline. A new study reveals this decline has aggravated local water stress and caused potential sea level rise. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

A new light on significantly faster computer memory devices

A team of scientists from Arizona State University's School of Molecular Sciences and Germany have published in Science Advances online today an explanation of how a particular phase-change memory (PCM) material can work one thousand times faster than current flash computer memor … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

The Marriott breach compared with past security breakdowns

Marriott's revelation that as many as 500 million guests may have been affected by a data breach at Starwood hotels, which it bought two years ago, ranks among the largest hacks ever. It is not clear if some of those included in the final tally are individuals who were counted du … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

US image abroad: It's the message not the messenger

Today's political climate in the U.S. is often peppered with animosity from the U.S. president towards other countries but how has the U.S. image fared? A Dartmouth study finds that the U.S. image abroad appears to be influenced more by policy content than by the person deliverin … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Polluters in the room: big energy 'undermining' UN climate talks

Oil and coal giants are exploiting a lack of conflict-of-interest protection at UN climate talks to push for continued fossil fuel use despite its contribution to harmful climate change, several sources have told AFP. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

NASA chief says Elon Musk won't be smoking joints publicly again

NASA chief Jim Bridenstine elaborated this week on the reasons why the US space agency launched a safety review of SpaceX and Boeing, which are building spaceships for astronauts, including their workplace culture and drug-free policies. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Latest Facebook controversy puts heat on number two Sandberg

Facebook's number two executive Sheryl Sandberg, long seen as the "adult" at the youthfully-managed firm, has found herself the center of controversy over her role in pushing back at a growing chorus of criticism of the social media giant. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

The physics of extracting gas from shale formations

Extracting gas from new sources is vital in order to supplement dwindling conventional supplies. Shale reservoirs host gas trapped in the pores of mudstone, which consists of a mixture of silt mineral particles ranging from 4 to 60 microns in size, and clay elements smaller than … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

How microscopic machines can fail in the blink of an eye

How long can tiny gears and other microscopic moving parts last before they wear out? What are the warning signs that these components are about to fail, which can happen in just a few tenths of a second? Striving to provide clear answers to these questions, researchers at the Na … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

To image leaky atmosphere, NASA rocket team heads north

On a frigid morning in early December, a team of NASA rocket scientists will huddle in the control room in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, a remote archipelago off the northern coast of Norway. Here at the world's northernmost rocket range, operated by Norway's Andøya Space Center, the clo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

A study of almost 2600 IAU members shows that astronomers have a remarkable drive for public engagement

Because of the ubiquitous nature of its questions and the stunning insights into the nature of the Universe, astronomy has often been thought of as appealing and the natural science with the most far-reaching popularisation efforts. A recently published study of the outreach acti … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

A new way to see stress—using supercomputers

It's easy to take a lot for granted. Scientists do this when they study stress, the force per unit area on an object. Scientists handle stress mathematically by assuming it to have symmetry. That means the components of stress are identical if you transform the stressed object wi … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago

Planting more hedgerows and trees could hold the key to helping UK bees thrive once again, a new study argues

Planting more hedgerows and trees could hold the key to helping UK bees thrive once again, a new study argues. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 5 years ago