How do we cope with demands for water as we enter an era of scarcity?

Urban water systems in California and elsewhere face a time of reckoning, warns Richard Luthy, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Researchers switch material from one state to another with a single flash of light

Scientists from the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have demonstrated a surprisingly simple way of flipping a material from one state into another, and then back again, with single flashes of laser light. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Understanding architecture of cancer-linked BAF protein complexes provides insight into disease

In 2013, Broad Institute member Cigall Kadoch, then a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University, discovered that approximately 20 percent of all human cancers involve mutations in a group of proteins called BAF, a complex that is also linked to intellectual disability and au … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

AI and human creativity go hand in hand

What does AI look like? You might say it looks like a robot, or flashing LEDs, or a waveform on a screen. But what would AI say AI looks like? To find out, IBM Research asked AI to draw us a picture… of itself. AI's self-portrait was published in The New York Times today and, loo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Washing hands despite lack of water

Even though the water we've used for washing hands is barely contaminated, it usually goes down the drain. A newly developed system allows handwashing water to be recycled, thus not only saving water, but also helping to prevent infectious diseases in developing countries. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

How mission delays hurt young astronomers

Back in Ye Olden Times, the job of astronomer was a pretty exclusive club. Either you needed to be so rich and so bored that you could design, build, and operate your own private observatory, or you needed to have a rich and bored friend who could finance your cosmic curiosity fo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Gravitational waves could shed light on dark matter

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@phys.org | 6 years ago

NASA calls for instruments, technologies for delivery to the moon

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@phys.org | 6 years ago

Understanding the building blocks for an electronic brain

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@phys.org | 6 years ago

Astronomers propose a new method for detecting black holes

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@phys.org | 6 years ago

Some cybersecurity apps could be worse for privacy than nothing at all

It's been a busy few weeks for cybersecurity researchers and reporters. There was the Facebook hack, the Google plus data breach, and allegations that the Chinese government implanted spying chips in hardware components. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Can schools of fish be identified without human intervention?

Researchers are developing an autonomous system to monitor coastal and deep waters for fish stock. Their technology could enhance marine environment protection. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Ridding waters of plastic waste with jellyfish filters

What do microplastic filters, fertilisers and fish feed have in common? They can all be produced using jellyfish. At least, that's what one research team has set out to prove as they look into reducing the plastic waste in our oceans. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Study describes cellular factories in greater detail

Many important natural products such as antibiotics, immunosuppressants and cancer drugs are derived from microorganisms. These natural products are often small proteins or peptides generated in the cell by NRPS enzymes similar to a modern automobile factory: At each station, add … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

One more reason to love the striped bass: Antimicrobials

It's hard to think of a fish with a higher across-the-board value than the striped bass—or rockfish, as it's known in the Chesapeake Bay region. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Itchy Dog Project extended to all breeds of dog

A popular University of Nottingham veterinary survey into the problem of itchy skin allergies in dogs is being extended to include all breeds of dog after some interesting initial results. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Kes 75—Milky Way's youngest pulsar exposes secrets of star's demise

Scientists have confirmed the identity of the youngest known pulsar in the Milky Way galaxy using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This result could provide astronomers new information about how some stars end their lives. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Why some earthquakes are so deadly

You feel a jolt. Was that … no, it couldn't be. Wait, it is an earthquake. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

The evolutions of religion in the workplace in France

In France, the principle of laicity is a pillar of society, and it is unusual to display one's spirituality and religiosity in the workplace. However, since the early 2010s, the succession of cases leading to court decisions both on a national international levels has contributed … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Heredity matters: Ancestral protease functions as protein import motor in chloroplasts

Over 1 billion years ago, a relationship began between the ancestor of all living plants and a type of bacterium that paved the way for the evolution of life as we know it. The single-celled algal ancestor engulfed, but crucially, did not destroy, a cyanobacterium-like organism w … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Electronics giant Philips posts mixed results in Q3

Dutch electronics giant Philips, which is focusing its business on medical equipment and services, on Monday posted higher third quarter sales but profits dipped due to currency headwinds. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

'Oumuamua one year later

One year ago this week astronomers discovered an unusual object moving through space not too far from the Earth's orbit. In just a few days they realized it could not be a normal asteroid or comet – its path showed that it was not gravitationally bound to the solar system. It was … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

OECD predicts unsustainable rise in use of raw materials

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is warning that the world's consumption of raw materials will rise sharply, putting greater pressure on the environment. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Japan firms fined $3.4 million over maglev bid-rigging

Two major construction companies were Monday ordered to pay fines totalling more than $3 million for colluding to win contracts on Japan's multi-billion-dollar maglev project. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Fiat sells auto parts unit to Japan's Calsonic for 6.2 bn euros

Fiat Chrysler said Monday it was selling its Italian auto parts unit Magneti Marelli to Japan's Calsonic Kansei (CK) in a deal worth 6.2 billion euros. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Japan orders Facebook to improve data protection

The Japanese government on Monday ordered Facebook to improve protection of users' personal information following data breaches affecting tens of millions of people worldwide. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Rising temperatures and human activity are increasing storm runoff and flash floods

Hurricanes Florence and Michael in the U.S. and Super Typhoon Mangkhut in the Philippines have shown the widespread and harmful impact of weather extremes on both ecosystems and built communities, with flash floods causing more deaths, as well as property and agriculture losses t … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

New algorithm can more quickly predict LED materials

Researchers from the University of Houston have devised a new machine learning algorithm that is efficient enough to run on a personal computer and predict the properties of more than 100,000 compounds in search of those most likely to be efficient phosphors for LED lighting. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Guilty until proven innocent: police perceptions jeopardize investigations

An investigator's belief that a person is guilty may be the reason innocent people get convicted, according to a recent study. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Offshore wind farms to test business in deep water

As wind turbines become increasingly familiar sights along shorelines, developers of offshore floating platforms, which harness the powerful winds further out to sea, are seeking to establish their technologies as a major viable source of clean energy. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Dangerous Hurricane Willa closes in on Mexico

Hurricane Willa surged to a dangerous Category Four storm off Mexico's Pacific coast, US forecasters said Sunday, warning of a life-threatening storm surge and heavy winds and rainfall. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Ryanair first-half profits fall 7% after widespread strikes

Ryanair's first half to September profits fell seven percent to €1.2 billion, the low-cost airline announced Monday, after widespread strike action by pilots and cabin crew disrupted operations. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Japanese Nobel chemistry laureate Shimomura dies at 90

Japanese-born Marine biologist Osamu Shimomura, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry, has died. He was 90. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Stephen Hawking's wheelchair, thesis for sale

Stephen Hawking was a cosmic visionary, a figure of inspiration and a global celebrity. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Labrador retrievers at risk of various health problems

Labrador retrievers, the second most popular dog breed in the UK, are vulnerable to a number of health conditions, according to a study published in the open access journal Canine Genetics and Epidemiology. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

UTSA creates web-based open source dashboard of North Pole

It's called ArcCI (or Arctic CyberInfrastructure) and promises to combine the thousands of images that have been taken along the years of the Arctic Ocean into one global database that will help scientists and the world see the physical changes occurring in the region including i … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Climate fund approves $1B for projects in poor countries

A U.N.-backed fund has approved more than $1 billion for 19 new projects to help developing countries tackle climate change, officials said Sunday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Two rhinos die in Chad after being relocated from S.Africa

Two of six critically endangered black rhinos have died of unknown causes five months after being flown from South Africa to Chad in a pioneering project to re-introduce the animals, officials said Sunday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Merging mathematical&physical models toward building a perfect flying vehicle

When designing flying vehicles, there are many aspects of which we can be certain but there are also many uncertainties. Most are random, and others are just not well understood. University of Illinois Professor Harry Hilton brought together several mathematical and physical theo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Melting glacier in China draws tourists, climate worries

The loud crack rang out from the fog above the Baishui No. 1 Glacier as a stone shard careened down the ice, flying past Chen Yanjun as he operated a GPS device. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Delhi holds breath as burning farms herald pollution season

Harpal Singh struck a match and watched his fields burn, the acrid smoke drifting toward New Delhi where a lethal smog cocktail is once again intensifying over the world's most polluted megacity. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Germany urges global minimum tax for digital giants

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said in an interview for publication Sunday he backed a global minimum fiscal regime for multinationals as Europe looks to levy tax notably on US tech giants. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

China-backed hydro dam threatens world's rarest orangutan

A billion-dollar hydroelectric dam development in Indonesia that threatens the habitat of the world's rarest great ape has sparked fresh concerns about the impact of China's globe-spanning infrastructure drive. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Albatrosses to spy out illegal fishing

Fishermen illegally trawling the Indian Ocean might soon find they have more to worry about than the proverbial albatross around their neck—real bad luck might now lurk in the form of one of the birds spying on them from the sky. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Brazil recovers ancient human fossil fragments from burnt Rio museum

Brazilian officials said Friday they have recovered pieces of a 12,000-year-old fossil of a neolithic woman that was among the prized artifacts in Rio de Janeiro's burnt down National Museum. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Despite talk of equality, women bosses still rare in the US

This year was touted as the year of women in politics in the United States, but in the business world, female bosses remain few and far between. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Merging mathematical and physical models toward building a more perfect flying vehicle

When designing flying vehicles, there are many aspects of which we can be certain but there are also many uncertainties. Most are random, and others are just not well understood. University of Illinois Professor Harry Hilton brought together several mathematical and physical theo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Researchers find genomic evidence of rapid adaptation of invasive Burmese pythons in Florida

Florida has become a haven for invasive species in the United States, but perhaps the most well-known of the State's alien residents is the Burmese python. These giant snakes, native to Southeast Asia, have become well-established over the past few decades and even flourish in th … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago