Unearthing the sources of cave-forming sulfuric acid

A study published in the journal Geology uses isotopes of sulfur to fingerprint the sources of sulfuric acid that have carved unique and beautiful cave systems in the Pyrenees mountains of southern France. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Recyclable mobile phone batteries are a step closer with rust-busting invention

Mobile phone batteries with a lifetime up to three times longer than today's technology could be a reality thanks to an innovation led by engineers at RMIT University. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Supporting evidence-based policymaking in The Gambia

Researchers working on the FACE-Africa project have co-developed country-specific information and tools with Gambian food system stakeholders to evaluate possible strategies for adapting to climate change and ensuring sufficient healthy food for The Gambia. Their recommendations … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Berlin could produce more than 80% of its fresh vegetables locally, says study

Berlin has enough space for urban gardening, and up to 82 percent of Berlin's vegetable consumption could be produced locally, a new study finds. "The amount of vegetables represents a significant share of the annual consumption," highlights Diego Rybski, an external faculty memb … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Were galaxies much different in the early universe?

An array of 350 radio telescopes in the Karoo desert of South Africa is getting closer to detecting "cosmic dawn"—the era after the Big Bang when stars first ignited and galaxies began to bloom. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Elio Antonio de Nebrija: From academic icon to object of mockery

Professor Lola Pons, of the Department of Spanish Language, Linguistics and Literature at the University of Seville, has just published a study of a satirical work on marriage written in the 17th century by an anonymous author. Joking about courtship or wedding nights has a long … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

'Friend or foe' bacteria kill their algal hosts when coexisting is no longer beneficial

Scientists have detailed a lifestyle switch that occurs in marine bacteria, in which they change from coexisting with algae hosts in a mutually beneficial interaction to suddenly killing them. The results are published today in eLife. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

North or south? How sea surface temperature anomalies in the North Pacific can influence the Arctic polar vortex

Previous studies have found that phase changes in the sea surface temperature (SST) of the North Pacific can modulate the variations in the stratospheric polar vortex (SPV) in the Arctic, which is a circulation of winds high up in the stratosphere with strong impacts on regional … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

How plants are inspiring new ways to extract value from wastewater

Scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) are drawing inspiration from plants to develop new techniques to separate and extract valuable minerals, metals and nutrients from resource-rich wastewater. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Veterinary researchers uncover novel amyloidosis

A collaboration led by scientists at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), Japan, has discovered a novel amyloid protein from canine mammary tumors. This amyloid protein, α-S1 casein, normally plays a vital role in the transport of calcium phosphate as a milk pro … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Obtaining color images from the shadow of a sample

A research team at the University of Göttingen has developed a new method to produce X-ray images in color. In the past, the only way to determine the chemical composition of a sample and the position of its components using X-ray fluorescence analysis was to focus the X-rays and … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Investigations of online trade in jaguar parts show threat is widespread

Researchers with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) published the results of an international investigation finding that the online trade of jaguar parts is openly detectable on multiple online platforms, representing an emerging and serious threat to jaguar populations acro … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Exploring the role of organ and immune aging in heart and lung diseases

Cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases are closely linked. Researchers at the MHH now want to demonstrate the molecular mechanisms and investigate the influence of age-related changes in the heart, lungs and immune system. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Combating antisemitism today: Holocaust education in the era of Twitter and TikTok

In the era of social media, antisemitism and Holocaust denial are no longer hidden in the margins, spewed by fringe hate groups. From Ye—formerly known as Kanye West—and NBA player Kyrie Irving to members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, well-recognized personalities have … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Mimicking an enigmatic property of circadian rhythms through an artificial chemical clock

Circadian rhythms are natural, internal oscillations that synchronize an organism's behaviors and physiological processes with their environment. These rhythms normally have a period of 24 hours and are regulated by internal chemical clocks that respond to cues from outside the b … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Veganism: Political philosophers argue we should see it as a political movement rather than a dietary choice

The start of a new year these days signals the launch of Veganuary, a campaign which encourages people to give up animal products for the month of January. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Why forecasting snow is so difficult in the UK

Cold winter weather in the UK almost always brings with it talk of snow. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Study lays out chirality-flipping theory

Chemists can make a career out of controlling whether certain molecules are generated as a lefty or a righty. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

UK survey identifies potential pitfalls of science communication

Why do people hold highly variable attitudes toward well-evidenced science? For many years researchers focused on what people know about science, thinking that "to know science is to love it." But do people who think they know science actually know science? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Humans can recognize and understand chimpanzee and bonobo gestures

Humans retain an understanding of gestures made by other great apes, even though we no longer use them ourselves, according to a study by Kirsty E. Graham and Catherine Hobaiter at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, publishing January 24 in the open access journal PLOS Biolo … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Prion disease: PRNP sequences of wild animals from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Tibetan antelope (Rhinopithecus), blue sheep (Pseudois nayauris), and plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) are wild animals living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. There have been no reports of naturally occurring transmissible spongioform encephalopathies (TSEs) involving these animal … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Stress may trigger male crucian carp defense against predators

Only males among the fish species crucian carp have developed a strategy to protect themselves from hungry predators, according to a new study from Lund University in Sweden published in the journal Evolution. The explanation could lie in that the surrounding environment affects … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Boosting efficiency of genome editing procedures to modify initially inaccessible DNA sequences

In the course of optimizing key procedures of genome editing, researchers from the department of Developmental Biology / Physiology at the Center for Organismal Studies of Heidelberg University have succeeded in substantially improving the efficiency of molecular genetic methods … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Researchers find impacts of biased 1930s lending practices persist today

Eighty years after the federal Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) carved up the nation's metropolitan neighborhoods into redlined maps, researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine performed an autopsy on the discriminatory lending practice. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Europe's JUICE spacecraft ready to explore Jupiter's icy moons

Europe's JUICE spacecraft is all ready to embark on an eight-year odyssey through the Solar System to find out whether the oceans hidden under the surface of Jupiter's icy moons have the potential to host extraterrestrial life. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

How researchers cracked the mystery of Australia's prehistoric giant eggs

It's a long-running Australian detective story. From the 1980s onwards, researchers found eggshell fragments, and on rare occasions whole eggs, exposed in eroding sand dunes within the country's arid zone (which covers most of Australia's landmass). | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

NASA, Pentagon developing nuclear-powered rocket for Mars voyage

NASA is partnering with a Pentagon research agency to develop a nuclear-powered rocket engine in preparation for sending astronauts to Mars. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

New research shows milk restriction affects calves' ability to learn

New research has shown calves' ability to focus and learn are seriously affected when their milk allowance is suddenly reduced, and they may experience negative feelings of hunger. The study is published in Biology Letters. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

They're on the coat of arms but extinct in Tasmania: Rewilding with emus could be good for the island state's ecosystems

The emu is iconically Australian, appearing on cans, coins, cricket bats and our national coat of arms, as well as that of the Tasmanian capital, Hobart. However, most people don't realize emus once also roamed Tasmania but are now extinct there. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

How spatial thinking could help children learn math

Do you struggle to visualize how to rotate your shoes so that they nest together in a shoe box? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Viewpoint: The world's carbon price is a fraction of what we need, because only a fifth of global emissions are priced

At the end of last year, the world's average price to emit one ton of greenhouse gases was around US$5.29 (AU$7.77). For pricing to work as we want—to wean us off fossil fuels—it needs to be around $75 by the end of the decade, according to the International Monetary Fund. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Why the tween years are a 'golden opportunity' to set up the way you parent teenagers

The teenage years can be among the trickiest times for a parent. You have been used to being your child's voice of reason. Then, all of a sudden, your authority is challenged by their peers, social media and huge developmental changes. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

The food systems that will feed Mars could transform food on Earth

Could we feed a city on Mars? This question is central to the future of space exploration and has serious repercussions on Earth too. To date, a lot of thought has gone into how astronauts eat; however, we are only beginning to produce food in space. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Consensus decision-making is surprisingly effective in both communities and workplaces, says researcher

If you're in a leadership position—at work or in the community—you make decisions and oversee decision-making processes. Often it's best to consult the people you are leading to reach a group decision. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Africa has a major new carbon market initiative: What you need to know

Climate finance for the African continent got a boost at the 2022 United Nations Climate Conference (COP27), with the launch of the African Carbon Markets Initiative. This aims to make climate finance available for African countries, expand access to clean energy, and drive susta … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Worst impacts of sea level rise will hit earlier than expected, says modeling study

Current models of sea level rise suggest the most widespread impacts will occur after sea level has risen by several meters. But a new study finds the biggest increases in inundation will occur after the first 2 meters (6.6 feet) of sea level rise, covering more than twice as muc … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Organic chemists develop new catalyst to selectively activate carbon-hydrogen bonds

Substituted aromatics are among the most important building blocks for organic compounds such as drugs, crop-protecting agents, and many materials. The function of the molecules is determined by the spatial arrangement of the different building blocks, the substitution pattern. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Excavation of massive underground caverns for Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment halfway complete

Deep below the surface in South Dakota, construction crews have been working tirelessly to carve out a network of caverns and tunnels that one day will house a huge neutrino experiment. Their efforts are paying off: With almost 400,000 tons of rock extracted from the earth, the e … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Camera-trap study provides photographic evidence of pumas' ecological impact

A camera-trap study of two ecosystems—one with pumas and one without—adds to scientists' understanding of the many ways apex predators influence the abundance, diversity and habits of other animals, including smaller carnivores. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Children in the North of England most vulnerable to cost of living crisis: Report

A new report, co-authored by a University of York academic, has warned that children living in the North of England are among the most vulnerable to rising living costs. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Unearthing the archaeological passing of time at Lagash, a site in southern Iraq

When Holly Pittman and colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania and University of Pisa returned to Lagash in the fall of 2022 for a fourth season, they knew they'd find more than ceramic fragments and another kiln. With high-tech tools in hand, the team precisely located tr … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

The science behind ice-melt products

As picturesque as winter weather can be, snowy scenes often present a less desirable, slippery companion: ice. It coats our roadways, clings to windshields and serves as a general hurdle in daily life during the coldest months of the year. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Q&A: Meet the bug that tastes 'like quinine with habanero'

What is velvety, red, pea-sized and can be seen scurrying across the ground in the desert Southwest after a torrential rainstorm? If you have no clue, you're not alone. According to Justin Schmidt, an adjunct scientist with the University of Arizona Department of Entomology, gian … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

New Mars Sample Receiving Project office in Houston will curate first samples returned from Mars

NASA announced Thursday its new Mars Sample Receiving Project office, responsible for receiving and curating the first samples returned from the Red Planet, will be located at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The safe and rapid release of Mars samples after they retu … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Study links nano and macro aspects of everyday force

Without the force called friction, cars would skid off the roadway, humans couldn't stride down the sidewalk, and objects would tumble off your kitchen counter and onto the floor. Even so, how friction works at a molecular scale remains poorly understood. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Quantifying COVID-19 pandemic's impact on immigration

New research finds a high variation between how pandemic mitigation measures affected immigration to different destination countries, from a slight increase to huge reductions. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Men are leaving occupations increasingly taken up by women, finds study

Many women and men still work in sex-typed occupations. One important reason for this is that men are selectively leaving occupations that are increasingly taken up by women, a recent study from the University of Zurich has shown. This could explain swings in the sex compositions … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Report: Upholding the rights of Australians with disabilities

A report commissioned by the Disability Royal Commission, and authored by La Trobe University researchers, has recommended a policy overhaul to ensure that all people living with cognitive disability are empowered to make decisions about their lives. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago