Pesticide pollution threatens shellfish safety, estuary study finds

New research led by Southern Cross University has found a cocktail of nasty pesticides in oysters and water from one of the NSW North Coast's dominant rivers. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Interior Department weighs in on Miami Wilds fight, warns critical bat habitat at risk

Hours before a planned vote on the Miami Wilds water park, federal wildlife regulators released a letter declaring the development site "environmentally sensitive" and likely "essential" for protecting an endangered bat. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Indigenous peoples' dissenting views on Arctic drilling fuels debate

Members of Congress agree that the administration needs to consider the concerns of indigenous communities when taking actions on oil and gas leasing in the Arctic. There is just disagreement on whose concerns should be prioritized. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Researchers identify molecular basis for morphological diversity of amniote skull

A research group led by Associate Professor Masayoshi Tokita explored the molecular basis generating the diversity of amniote skull morphology, using embryos of several amniote species as materials. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

A global biodiversity tipping point as first marine fish extinction declared

A species of ray, so rare it has only ever been recorded once back in the late 1800s, has been declared extinct after an assessment by an international team led by Charles Darwin University (CDU). The loss of the Java Stingaree, a small relative of stingrays, is the first marine … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Climate change research: If warming approaches 2°C, a trickle of extinctions will become a flood

As delegates discuss the climate crisis in Dubai for COP28, the dazzling variety of life found on Earth hangs in the balance. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Poverty trap: Some jobs are no protection against destitution

Many working people in Europe are at risk of economic hardship, prompting EU researchers to seek policy answers. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Underwater architects: The 'burrowing effect' of foraminifera on marine environments

Dr. Dewi Langlet, a scientist at the Evolution, Cell Biology and Symbiosis Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), studies foraminifera, single-cell organisms with shells made of calcium carbonate. He and his collaborators have shown for the first time tha … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

New technology to assemble three-dimensional structures using gold nanoparticles confined in nanocapsules

A research group led by Assoc. Prof. Shota Kuwahara of Toho University and Assoc. Prof. Masato Kuwahara of Nagoya University has developed a new technology that enables the creation of three-dimensional structures of gold nanoparticles confined within silica nanocapsules. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Scientists use large scientific facilities to test the synthesis and characterization of polymeric nitrogen

Polymeric nitrogen (PN), formed under high temperature and pressure conditions, is considered an ideal high energy density material (HEDM). Its application prospects extend beyond the field of energetic materials, showing significant relevance in the field of fundamental physics. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Study paves way for development of advanced quantum networks

The ability to transmit information coherently in the band of the electromagnetic spectrum from microwave to infrared is vitally important to the development of the advanced quantum networks used in computing and communications. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Citizen science project blends school curriculum to create eco warriors

They're among our youngest citizens, but when children learn about sustainability in their own backyard, they're more likely to protect the environment, say University of South Australia researchers. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Scientists discover how bacteria build protein signals in cells during infection

New research from Oregon Health & Science University could one day lead to therapies that prevent or treat diseases and infections tied to a protein that's found in all human cells. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Could UPS and FedEx get holiday packages to their destinations faster? This research suggests yes

Every year, parcel delivery companies—think UPS and FedEx—hire tens of thousands of seasonal driver helpers to handle the deluge of presents that arrive with the holidays. At peak times, shipping firms depend on their helpers just as much as Santa depends on his elves. And those … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Child abductions can be hard to identify, and people may not know they are witnessing a serious crime

On a summer's day in January 1970, three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer was kidnapped from Fairy Meadow Beach in Wollongong, New South Wales. This is the last time Cheryl was seen. Cheryl remains missing, 53 years later. She is one of the 2,500 people considered to be a long-term missin … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

What's the point of giving gifts? An anthropologist explains this ancient part of being human

Have you planned out your holiday gift giving yet? If you're anything like me, you might be waiting until the last minute. But whether every single present is already wrapped and ready, or you'll hit the shops on Christmas Eve, giving gifts is a curious but central part of being … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Customizing mRNA is easy, which makes it the next frontier for personalized medicine—a molecular biologist explains

While using mRNA as medicine is new, mRNA has been inside you for your entire life. The cells in your body create mRNAs that serve as instructions to make specific proteins you need to function. Researchers can create new mRNAs to correct those instructions when they aren't worki … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

How Christmas music in adverts and shops harnesses nostalgia to encourage you to spend more

In my research, I have spent a good deal of time speaking with people from across the world about their relationship with sound and music—how it features in their everyday lives and how it influences their attitudes and behavior. One of the most consistent findings is that, irres … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Wildfires can unlock toxic metal particles from soils, study finds

Wildfires can transform a benign metal in soils and plants into toxic particles that easily become airborne, according to a new study from Stanford University. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Digital platforms like TikTok could help China extend its censorship regime across borders

China's drive to expand its influence through soft power mechanisms like censorship is coming into sharper focus, especially under Xi Jinping's leadership. Recently, the social media app TikTok has become a prominent symbol of this global strategy. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Researcher: Teens don't know everything, and those who acknowledge that fact are more eager to learn

If you, like me, grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, you may have come across the classic refrigerator magnet, "Teenagers, leave home now while you still know everything." | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Experts provide a new theory for why larger mammals tend to have longer faces

A horse walks into a bar and the bartender asks, "why the long face"? It's one of the oldest puns in the book, and there's no shortage of entertaining answers. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

People worry Christmas beetles are disappearing. Researchers are gathering citizen data to see the full picture

In eastern Australia, the arrival of the summer holidays has traditionally been heralded by big iridescent beetles known as Christmas beetles due to their appearance during the Christmas season. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Koalas suffer in the heat: How Australians can help this summer

As we brace for an unusually hot summer, spare a thought for koalas. They will be out and about in search of love, food and water in the searing heat. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

How getting a second car mechanic's opinion can stop you being ripped off

You leave your car at the mechanic for a routine service. When your mobile rings, you are stricken by unwelcome news: The mechanic goes through a list of parts that urgently need replacing to avoid a breakdown in the middle of the freeway. After accepting your fate, you never lea … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Eight ways to tone down the Christmas lights to help wildlife, and why we should

The Australian government has launched a campaign asking people to "switch off light pollution" to protect wildlife. So, what does the science say? Should we rethink Christmas lights? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Potential signs of life on Mars might be easier to find than first thought

A school science experiment is answering questions that are out of this world. While there had been concerns that any evidence of organic matter on Mars might be obscured by the planet's geology, new research suggests this might not be the case. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Carbon nanotubes have progressed toward energy and health applications, but misconceptions remain

The increasing use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs)—and a proposal in the European Union to ban the entire class of materials—highlights the need for an updated and standardized approach to assess human and environmental impacts of CNTs and products that contain them, according to a ne … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Study shows how hurricane acted as a highway to transport microplastics to remote part of Newfoundland

When a hurricane approaches and crosses land, severe damage can occur—often leaving an obvious trail of physical destruction. What's less obvious to the naked eye is how these storms can carry harmful microplastics across the world. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

French 'Baguette One' rocket project gets funding

A French-led consortium said Tuesday it has received funding for its project to develop an innovative low-cost small rocket called "Baguette One" and launch it into space. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Survey results suggest men with expensive cars seen as having a higher mating value

A team of behavioral scientists at Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, in Brazil, has found via survey results that people view men who drive luxurious cars as having a higher mating value and other positive attributes. In their study, reported in the journal Personality a … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Optimization of hard–soft material interfaces: A 3D printed imitation of bone–tendon connections

Most people can relate to having a laptop charger break right where the flexible cable meets the solid adapter. This is just one example of how difficult it is to effectively interface hard and soft materials. Using a unique 3D printing process, TU Delft researchers produced hybr … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Making precision calculations at the cusp of the high-luminosity LHC era

There are many open questions about the Standard Model of particle physics (SM), which is currently the best description we have of the world of particle physics. Experimental and theoretical physicists vie with each other in a healthy competition to scrutinize the SM and identif … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Could the 'central dogma' of biology be misleading bioengineers?

Today, medicines based on antibodies—proteins that fight infection and disease—are prescribed for everything from cancer to COVID-19 to high cholesterol. The antibody drugs are supplied by genetically-engineered cells that function as tiny protein-producing factories in the labor … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

A nanoprobe with a barcode: Sensors detect active proteases

Protein-splitting enzymes play an important role in many physiological processes. Such proteases are generally present in an inactive state, only becoming activated under certain conditions. Some are linked to diseases like infections or cancer, making it important to have method … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Discovery of 72-kilometer fault line on Canada's Vancouver Island

A team of geologists, mineralogists and Earth and ocean scientists affiliated with institutions in Canada, the U.S. and France has discovered a 72-kilometer fault line on Canada's Vancouver Island. In their project, reported in the journal Tectonics, the group discovered the faul … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Researchers observe a hallmark quantum behavior in bouncing droplets

In our everyday classical world, what you see is what you get. A ball is just a ball, and when lobbed through the air, its trajectory is straightforward and clear. But if that ball were shrunk to the size of an atom or smaller, its behavior would shift into a quantum, fuzzy reali … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Migratory bats can detect the Earth's magnetic field, behavioral experiments show

Pipistrelle bats have a magnetic compass and calibrate it at sunset, according to a new study. An international team of researchers led by the University of Oldenburg has used behavioral experiments to show that two different components of the Earth's magnetic field influence the … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

The plague came from Egypt: Myth or reality?

Many reports from antiquity about outbreaks of plague mention Egypt as the source of pestilences that reached the Mediterranean. But was this really the case? Researchers from the University of Basel are conducting a critical analysis of the ancient written and documentary eviden … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Researchers develop chiral boryl radical catalysts in asymmetric catalysis

Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and collaborators, have developed an innovative chiral boryl radical catalysis method, enabling asymmetric catalytic radical cycloisomerization reactions. The study was publishe … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

The hidden impacts of climate change on a freshwater ecosystem

From melting glaciers to rising sea levels, from raging wildfires to devastating floods, society has grown increasingly aware of the increasingly frequent climate crises. But what about its subterranean flow? A research group led by Li Dongfeng at the College of Environmental Sci … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

A new microfabrication strategy for multifunctional 3D artificial sharkskin

Sharks in nature swim at high speeds in a deep ocean due to their high drag reduction ability. Water flows around the sharkskin become disrupted by staggered and overlapping microscale structures named denticles. In addition to this surface roughness, water slips at a fluid-solid … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Environmental stress rather than genetics influenced height differences in early Neolithic people: Study

The difference in height between female and male individuals in northern Europe during the Early Neolithic (8,000–6,000 years before present, bp) may have been influenced by cultural factors, a paper published in Nature Human Behaviour suggests. The findings indicate that height … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Extremely rare half female, half male bird captured on film

A striking and extremely rare half female, half male bird has been spotted by a University of Otago zoologist. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

A scheme for realizing nonreciprocal interlayer coupling in bilayer topological systems

The exchange of energy and environment is inevitable in any physical system, so non-Hermitian systems that can be described by non-Hermitian Hamiltonians are ubiquitous. There are two kinds of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, describing nonreciprocal systems with anisotropic coupling, … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Scientists release the recipe for lab-grown coffee to accelerate creation of new coffee ecosystem

Two years after the scientists in Finland successfully made coffee in a laboratory, VTT Technical Research Center of Finland Ltd has released detailed information on the process. Published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, the scientific paper describes the exact … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Fine-tuning gold nanoparticles in tellurite glass for unique photonics

Silicate glass is a commonly-used glass found in most households, in drinking glasses or windowpanes for example. The integration of gold nanoparticles (NPs) in silicate glass has been used in art and decoration for centuries. These NPs impact the way the silicate glass interacts … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago

Model shows New Zealand should expect 15-meter tsunami every 580 years

A team of geographers, Earth scientists and environmental scientists affiliated with several institutions in New Zealand, working with that country's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, has found that it is possible to model the number and type of tsunamis that … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 11 months ago