Can we resurrect the thylacine? Maybe, but it won't help the global extinction crisis

Last week, researchers at the University of Melbourne announced that thylacines or Tasmanian tigers, the Australian marsupial predators extinct since the 1930s, could one day be ushered back to life. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

A zigzag blueprint for topological electronics

A collaborative study led by the University of Wollongong confirms switching mechanism for a new, proposed generation of ultra-low energy topological electronics. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Study confirms SARS-CoV-2 related coronaviruses in trade-confiscated pangolins in Viet Nam

A new study in the journal Frontiers in Public Health led by scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) confirms that pangolins confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade in Viet Nam host SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses. Previously, only pangolins confiscated in Ch … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Team chosen to be first to make oxygen on the moon

Following a competition, ESA has selected the industrial team that will design and build the first experimental payload to extract oxygen from the surface of the moon. The winning consortium, led by Thales Alenia Space in the UK, has been tasked with producing a small piece of eq … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

How to talk to extraterrestrials

In Steven Spielberg's 1977 film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," extraterrestrials communicate with humans through a catchy five-note sequence. In Spielberg's 1982 blockbuster "E.T.," a diminutive alien learns basic English from a children's TV show. More recently, in 2016's … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Scientific measurement won't answer all questions in education. We need teacher and student voices, too

The recently released report of the review into initial teacher education recommends universities use randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to find evidence for effective methods of educating teachers. It says: "Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), the gold standard in empirical re … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

World leaders set to pen 'historic' plastics treaty

The world could have an international treaty within two years that will guide the production, redesign and recycling of plastic after representatives of 175 UN nations endorsed a resolution to end plastic pollution. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Processes that keep a plant's energy balance in check could lead to more efficient crops

Michigan State University's Thomas D. Sharkey has a gift for exploring the intricate biochemical mechanisms of photosynthesis, the life-sustaining reactions that plants use to grow literally from thin air. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Breakthrough in quantum sensing provides new material to make qubits

For decades now, the world has become increasingly reliant on computers and sensors to do just about everything, and the technologies themselves are getting smaller, faster, and more efficient. Take your smartphone as an example: a pocket-sized piece of mostly aluminum, iron, and … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Thinking of buying a dehumidifier? Advice from an expert on mold and damp

Google searches for "dehumidifier" have soared in the past month, especially in New South Wales, and there are a lot of options to choose from. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Finding moons' hidden oceans with induced magnetic fields

In the 21st century, planetary scientists have become increasingly aware that subsurface oceans consisting of liquid water exist within objects throughout the solar system. Because water is a universal requirement for life on Earth, these bodies—mostly moons—are enticing targets … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Lessons from the pandemic on fairer and more caring uni teaching and learning

The pandemic forced universities to rush out remote delivery of their courses online. Now we have had time to take stock of the impacts. Our newly published Australia-wide research investigated the challenges and opportunities of remote delivery for culturally and linguistically … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Gharial living in China during Bronze Age help clarify history of crocodilians

A team of researchers from China, Japan and the U.S. reports that study of a Bronze Age gharial that once lived in China is clarifying some of the crocodilian history. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the group describes their study of four gharial … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

The long road to gender equality is paved with data

We have come a long way to gaining gender parity at the doctoral and graduate level, but the gender gap persists in pretty much all the following stages of a researcher's career. Identifying the root causes and how to solve them, all boil down to one thing: getting the right data … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Research finds BAME and LGBTQI+ youths at most risk of harm online

Young people from minority groups—such as those from Black, Asian, minority ethnic backgrounds, and LGBTQI+ youth—are more likely to be exposed to and experience online harms than their white, heterosexual and cisgender counterparts, according to new research from the University … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Road salts linked to high sodium levels in tap water

When snowstorms hit, deicing agents such as road salts and brine help keep streets and walkways open. However, some deicers release sodium and chloride into the surrounding environment. Links between elevated sodium intake and human health risks, such as high blood pressure, are … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Scientists discover Antarctica's hidden geological past

East Antarctica is the least known region of Earth. Studying this remote part of the continent is extremely difficult, requiring researchers to look beneath kilometers of blanketing ice. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Two years on: COVID-19 threatens to derail the prospects for a generation in the global south

Two years into the pandemic, marginalized young people in developing countries are struggling to cope and going hungry—even more than ever—according to Oxford University-led research out today (9 March). | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Novel nanoparticles with potential for enhanced deep tumor therapy

Researchers Dr. Yansong Feng and Prof. Hong Zhang at the Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have designed and synthesized novel multi-layered, multi-functional nanoparticles that enable a combination of radiotherapy and photodynamic … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Historically 'redlined' urban areas have higher levels of air pollution

In the wake of the Great Depression, the federally sponsored Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) drew maps of neighborhoods in U.S. cities that characterized their desirability for mortgage lending. Many neighborhoods with Black and immigrant communities received the worst grade … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Paper discs that can pick up hydrogen peroxide

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a paper-based sensor for detecting even tiny volumes of hydrogen peroxide. This chemical is used widely in household and healthcare products like hand sanitizer as a disinfectant, in rocket fuel as a propellant, … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Airborne study reveals surprisingly large role of desert dust in forming cirrus clouds

Every year several billion metric tons of mineral dust are lofted into the atmosphere from the world's arid regions, making dust one of the most abundant types of aerosol particles in the atmosphere. Now, scientists are learning that tiny bits of dust from the hottest and driest … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Mathematical discovery could shed light on quantum gravity

How can Einstein's theory of gravity be unified with quantum mechanics? It is a challenge that could give us deep insights into phenomena such as black holes and the birth of the universe. Now, a new article in Nature Communications, written by researchers from Chalmers Universit … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Analysis of draughtsboard sharks' metabolic rates suggests they sleep

A team of researchers from La Trobe University, the University of Western Australia and the University of Auckland, has found evidence that at least one type of shark sleeps. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, the group describes measuring the metabolic rate … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Ants can 'sniff out' cancer

Cancer detection is a major public health challenge, and the methods currently available to achieve it, for example MRIs and mammograms, are often expensive and invasive. This limits their large-scale use. To bypass these constraints, alternative methods are being studied, like t … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

The floods have killed at least 21 Australians. Adapting to a harsher climate is now a life-or-death matter

The devastating floods in Queensland and New South Wales highlight, yet again, Australia's failure to plan for natural disasters. As we're seeing now in heartbreaking detail, everyday Australians bear the enormous cost of this inaction. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Meet the 10-armed, 325-million-year-old octopus fossil named after President Joe Biden

In an ancient shallow bay of what is now Montana, the body of an octopus-like creature the size of a fist was buried on the seafloor. Some 325–328 million years later, a new paper published in Nature Communications provides some interesting insights into this mysterious and ancie … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Simple chemistry overcomes long-standing barriers to recycling about a quarter of today's plastics

Despite research and policy efforts, recycling initiatives have skidded on more complex materials like tires and mattresses, filling dumps and natural land across the country. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Anticipation and accents: Talking like a southerner even if you're not

Have you ever found yourself unintentionally imitating how a friend, television character, or media personality talks after listening to them for a while? This is a well-established phenomenon that linguists call linguistic convergence, which refers to temporary (and often subtle … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Climate change threat to seabirds must be properly considered for their conservation to be effective

A new study shows how knowledge of climate change threats could be better connected with conservation efforts to help protect seabirds and other at-risk species. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

There's a big rock stuck inside one of Perseverance's wheels

It looks like the Perseverance rover has an unwanted passenger, a rock stuck inside one of its wheels. The image of the stone was selected by public input as the "Image of the Week" for Week 54 (Feb. 20–26, 2022) of the Perseverance mission. Perseverance captured this image on Fe … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

​​​​​​​Research sheds light on mysterious messenger RNA modifications

A team led by scientists at the University of Birmingham has come a step closer to uncovering the purpose of a distinctive set of modifications found at the beginning of messenger RNA which have long remained a fundamental mystery in molecular biology. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Shackleton's lost shipwreck discovered off Antarctica

One of the world's most storied shipwrecks, Ernest Shackleton's Endurance, has been discovered off the coast of Antarctica more than a century after its sinking, explorers announced Wednesday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Life in the freezer: Study provides first evidence of fundamental growth limitations in Antarctic fish

Antarctic fish have adapted over millennia to survive in the freezing temperatures of the Southern Ocean. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Are pesticides used in urban and suburban areas harming honey bees?

Although research has revealed potential impacts of pesticides from agricultural activities on the health of honey bees, few studies have looked into the effects of pesticides used on vegetable gardens and ornamental plants from public and private lands in urban and suburban area … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

What factors help students with disabilities transition to college?

Few aspiring students with disabilities attend college, and fewer complete a degree program. A qualitative study published in Psychology in the Schools examined the perspectives of five undergraduate students with disabilities who attended college in the United States to identify … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Strengthening women's empowerment in fragile and conflict-affected settings

A recent review published in Campbell Systematic Reviews found that certain interventions can successfully support women's empowerment and gender equality in fragile and conflict-affected settings. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Human actions accelerate climate-driven floods and droughts

A study of more than 2,000 streams around North America found that those altered by human activity are at greater risk of flooding. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Genetically modified proteins convert carbon nanotube to programmable optoelectronic device

Fluorescent proteins, especially green fluorescent protein (GFP), can act as the light-responsive element that transduces events through to electrically conductive transducers, such as single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and graphene. SWCNTs' conductance and optical propertie … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Study measures indoor air quality in two Salt Lake City high schools

A study of indoor air quality at two Salt Lake City high schools finds that although air filtration diminishes the amount of outdoor pollution, indoor air still reflects trends in outdoor air quality with a delay, depending on pollution type, of about an hour. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Shock-absorbing material could lead to stronger, lighter and safer helmets and vehicles

A team of Johns Hopkins University researchers created shock-absorbing material that protects like a metal, but is lighter, stronger, reusable. The new foam-like material could be a game-changer for helmets, body armor, and automobile and aerospace parts. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Veterinarians investigating unusual bacterial disease in central Iowa pigs

Iowa State University (ISU) veterinarians have taken on the role of gumshoe detectives as they investigate how an aggressive bacterial strain has spread among central Iowa pork production facilities. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

The 'equal-opportunity jerk' defense: Rudeness can obfuscate gender bias

If you're an "equal-opportunity jerk," does that mean you can't also be sexist? New research shows that many people think so—and consider men to be gender blind when they're rude, condescending, and berating to women and men equally.  | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Juvenile justice: 'We are coming up short,' says researcher

Does being sentenced to juvenile detention or community service truly serve as a means to rehabilitation? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Research demonstrates the value 'injurious weeds' can bring to both pollinators and biodiversity

A new study demonstrates that weeds are far more valuable in supporting biodiversity than we give them credit for. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Subsurface ocean mixing near the equator significantly affects climate understanding and predictability

Florida State University and Florida A&M University researchers are part of an international team that has identified a critical role the equatorial ocean plays in predicting the effects of climate change through a process known as ocean mixing. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Preparing for when lightning strikes the same place twice, then strikes again

Disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and droughts are not only increasing in intensity and frequency, they are also striking the same place multiple times. Yet to date, disaster research largely focuses on individual events, and fails to account for legacy … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Physicists steer chemical reactions by magnetic fields and quantum interference

Physicists in the MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms (CUA) have developed a new approach to control the outcome of chemical reactions. This is traditionally done using temperature and chemical catalysts, or more recently with external fields (electric or magnetic fields, or l … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago