Food for seals and other Arctic predators is literally shrinking

Unchecked climate change may leave some Arctic predators surviving off of marine "junk food," according to a new UBC study. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Warming Atlantic forces whales into new habitats, danger

Warming oceans have driven the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale population from its traditional and protected habitat, exposing the animals to more lethal ship strikes, disastrous commercial fishing entanglements and greatly reduced calving rates. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Resuming geographic mobility will boost knowledge transfer

Among the casualties of the COVID-related decline in geographic mobility is effective knowledge transfer, that could have saved billions of dollars to companies across the world. According to research by Gianmario Verona, Professor of Management and Rector of Bocconi University, … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

By reducing forest floor temperature, invasive shrubs stifle native species

Invasive shrubs in Northeastern forests that sprout leaves earlier in the spring and keep them longer in the fall not only absorb more sunlight than native shrubs, but their foliage lowers air temperatures on the forest floor, likely giving them another competitive advantage. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Encapsulated NiCo alloy nanoparticles catalyzing HDO reactions

The conversion of abundant biomass and their derivatives into high value-added fuels and chemicals is envisaged as a promising green avenue to reduce our reliance on conventional fossil resources. Among them, the pyrolysis of lignocellulose has become a green and economic means f … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Ultrafast electronic control of magnetic anisotropy by mid-infrared light

One of the most important tasks in modern information technologies is controlling spin directions in magnets. State-of-the-art hard disk drives and large-volume magnetic storage used in data centers require magnetization in solids to switch their directions in nanoseconds, corres … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Prehistoric climate change repeatedly channelled human migrations across Arabia

Recent research in Arabia—a collaboration between scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany, the Heritage Commission of the Saudi Ministry of Culture, and many other Saudi and international researchers—has begun to document the incre … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Analysis of new species of ancient four-legged whale published

An international team of researchers led by a group at Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center (MUVPC), has released their long-awaited analysis of a fossil unearthed in Egypt 13 years ago. As they note in their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, th … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Hidden bacterial hairs power nature's 'electric grid'

A hair-like protein hidden inside bacteria serves as a sort of on-off switch for nature's "electric grid," a global web of bacteria-generated nanowires that permeates all oxygen-less soil and deep ocean beds, Yale researchers report in the journal Nature. "The ground beneath our … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Improving flood projections, predictions and protection in Venice

A new assessment of flood risk in Venice indicates that the impact of higher emissions on relative sea level rise during this century will be critical in planning future defense infrastructure for Venice and other coastal cities, state the authors of a new special issue published … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Dogs distinguish between intentional and unintentional action

Over their long shared history, dogs have developed a range of skills for bonding with human beings. Their ability to make sense of human actions, demonstrated by every "sit," "lay down," and "roll over," is just one such skill. But whether dogs understand human intentions, or me … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Improved fabrication technique paves way for improved quantum devices

Physicists and engineers have found a way to identify and address imperfections in materials for one of the most promising technologies in commercial quantum computing. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Afghanistan has vast mineral wealth but faces steep challenges to tap it

The official ending of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan leaves a number of long-term questions, including how the country can build a functioning economy. Now that U.S. assistance has evaporated and international aid is largely shut off, what options does Afghanistan have? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Research inspects the emission from millisecond pulsar PSR J0218+4232

By analyzing the data from NASA's Fermi spacecraft and Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC) telescope, an international team of astronomers has investigated a millisecond pulsar known as PSR J0218+4232. Results of the study, published August 25 on arXiv.org, shed mor … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Fast tool developed for quantum computing and communication

Isaac Nape, an emerging South African talent in the study of quantum optics, is part of a crack team of Wits physicists who led an international study that revealed the hidden structures of quantum entangled states. The study was published in the renowned scientific journal, Natu … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

New approach creates an exceptional single-atom catalyst for water splitting

A new way of anchoring individual iridium atoms to the surface of a catalyst increased its efficiency in splitting water molecules to record levels, scientists from the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University reported today. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Most stray cats die before they turn one, so what's the best way to deal with them?

Odds are, if you've seen a cat prowling around your neighborhood, it doesn't have an owner. Australia is home to hordes of unowned cats, with an estimated 700,000 living without appropriate care in urban areas, around rubbish dumps or on farms. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Dog vaccination essential for preventing rabies spread to humans and animals

A coordinated and sustained program of dog vaccination is essential for preventing rabies spread to humans and animals, according to new research. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

How much wildfire smoke is infiltrating our homes?

Though overall air quality in the U.S. has improved dramatically in recent decades, smoke from catastrophic wildfires is now creating spells of extremely hazardous air pollution in the Western U.S. And, while many people have learned to reduce their exposure by staying inside, ke … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Extremely strong nano-twinned pure nickel with extremely fine twin thickness

In a new report on Science Advances, Fenghui Duan and a research team in China detailed continuous strengthening in nanotwinned pure Nickel materials. The material recorded an unprecedented strength of 4.0 GPa at extremely fine twin thickness, 12 times stronger than that of conve … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Odds of asteroid Bennu hitting Earth put into perspective

Even Harry Stamper would probably like these odds. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Student-designed experiment to measure Earth's magnetic field arrives at Space Station

Oscar-Qube, short for Optical Sensors based on CARbon materials: QUantum Belgium, is an experiment developed by a group of students from the University of Hasselt, Belgium. Part of ESA Education Office's Orbit Your Thesis! program, the experiment arrived at the International Spac … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Segments of the scorpion metasoma described for the first time

A team of researchers at Institut für Biowissenschaften, the University of Tübingen, Muséum d'histoire Naturelle and Route de Malagnou has fully described the anatomy of the scorpion metasoma for the first time in their paper published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Young infant's laughter found to share features with ape laughter

A team of researchers from Leiden University, University College London and the University of Amsterdam, has found that human infants laugh in ways that are more like chimpanzees than adult humans. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, the group describes their … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Pregnant women victims of microaggressions in the workplace

Half of women questioned in a survey said that taking maternity leave had hurt their careers, new research says. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Closing educational engagement gap for young caregivers

In collaboration with Swansea University, a new study published today by Public Health Wales evidences the negative impact that caring responsibilities have on educational participation in those aged 16–22, and how this has the greatest impact on those living in the most deprived … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Cuts to housing benefits led to over 75,000 more overcrowded households during the pandemic

COVID-19 has been described as a "housing disease". Overcrowded living conditions make it easier for the virus to spread, and statistics show a link between overcrowding and mortality from COVID. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Zinc-infused proteins are the secret that allows scorpions, spiders and ants to puncture tough skin

Many small animals grow their teeth, claws and other "tools" out of materials that are filled with zinc, bromine and manganese, reaching up to 20% of the material's weight. My colleagues and I call these "heavy element biomaterials," and in a new paper, we suggest that these mate … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Simple economic method to measure soil health in dryland farming

USDA, Agricultural Research Service's (ARS) Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, in collaboration with the Soil Health Institute in N.C., evaluated the measurement of carbon dioxide flush—a rapid, reliable, and inexpensive method producers can use to measure soil hea … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Research sheds light on how economies may respond to COVID-19 restrictions

New research from the Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team sheds light on how economies might respond to different levels of COVID-19 restrictions. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

What's the point of homework?

Homework hasn't changed much in the past few decades. Most children are still sent home with about an hour's worth of homework each day, mostly practicing what they were taught in class. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Light-induced shape shifting of MXenes

Ultrafast laser spectroscopy allows to observe the motion of atoms at their natural time scales in the range of femtoseconds, the millionth of a billionth of a second. Electron microscopy, on the other hand, provides atomic spatial resolution. By combining electrons and photons i … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Distance learning skills are learnable

In the last 18 months, the coronavirus pandemic has made distance learning somewhat of a norm in almost all education levels. In the national surveys on students, the respondents often mention lack of motivation. During distance learning, staying motivated clearly has been challe … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Using DNA to search for the true origins of imported honey

Have you ever wondered where the honey you add to your morning tea and drizzle on your desserts or oatmeal comes from (besides bees)? The easy answer would be to check the label, which typically offers the country of origin along with all those wonderful nutritional benefits. Unf … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Women and ethnic minorities face 'severe disadvantages' in reaching top rank among surgeons

Women and ethnic minority surgeons who want to reach the top rank of their profession face "severe disadvantages" and a glass ceiling, new research shows. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Firms employing many scientists and engineers are riskier for investors

A highly skilled workforce of scientists and engineers may boost companies' performance but makes them a riskier investment on the stock market, research shows. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Sieving ions with a polymer membrane

Ion-sieving polymer membranes can perform with exquisite precision by gaining unprecedented control over pore size and uniformity within the membranes, KAUST researchers have shown. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Prime mechanism for antimicrobial resistance in gonorrhea analyzed with eye toward new treatments

Sexually transmitted infection (STI) gonorrhea is on the rise as a major public health burden worldwide, with around 87 million new infections a year largely caused by the superbug Neisseria gonorrhoeae which experts fear will soon be untreatable | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Satellites measure drought stress in plants with aim of increasing crop yields

With a satellite system that measures drought stress in plants, two researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI, have now founded the spin-off ConstellR. Their technology enables the agricultural sector to optimize the irrigation of … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Step by step to the end product through enzyme catalysis

Enzymes (for example, those derived from bacteria) can convert a wide variety of starting materials into a wealth of target products. So-called white biotechnology aims at harnessing this ability to produce chemicals in an eco-friendly way. Since it sometimes takes several cataly … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Aloof neutrons may actually 'talk' to one another briefly in new kind of symmetry

Even though neutrons love to partner with protons to make the nucleus of an atom, the particles have always been notorious for their reluctance to bind with each other. But according to a new proposed theory, these particles might communicate under certain circumstances, forming … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

The first farmers of Europe found in the Balkans date to the 5th millennium BC

A research team from the University of Bern has managed to precisely date pile dwellings on the banks of Lake Ohrid in the south-western Balkans for the first time: they came into being in the middle of the 5th millennium BC. The region around the oldest lake in Europe played a k … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Watercooler parts could be a source of organophosphate ester exposure

Watercoolers have become a staple in homes, offices and schools, but their tanks and parts are made of materials that could release unwanted or potentially harmful compounds into drinking water. In a preliminary study, researchers in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology Letter … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Hurricane Ida turned into a monster thanks to a giant warm patch in the Gulf of Mexico

As Hurricane Ida headed into the Gulf of Mexico, a team of scientists was closely watching a giant, slowly swirling pool of warm water directly ahead in its path. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Parks are about promoting everyone's public health, not just boosting homeowners' property value

The COVID-19 pandemic put a lot of attention on the role of parks and green spaces —particularly in large cities. But, not all of this attention has been positive. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Gap solitons break one-dimensional coherent atomic systems

As the core of the light field modulation technologies, optical lattice has highly tunability and is usually used to manipulate the nonlinear matter waves of Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). At present, the mainstream researches focus on coherent atomic systems like BECs which hav … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Setting biodiversity and climate targets for national conservation action by 2030 in Asia

A research team led by Prof. Ma Keping from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS), in collaboration with scientists from multiple universities and research institutions, developed a scalable framework to identify complementary biodiversity and climate … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Is it safe for unvaccinated children to go to school in person?

Back-to-school is here again. While we might hope that beginning the academic year with schools open for in-person learning would set the trend for the rest of the year, the presence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, makes everything less certain. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago