WWI soldiers expressed personality and emotions in bureaucratic battlefield diaries, analysis shows

Daily record keeping was introduced during World War One in the British Expeditionary Forces (BEF), designed to record the bare minimum of facts. However, soldiers were also able to express the trauma and chaos of war. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Lab details conditions to decontaminate disposable masks

Here's the recipe to decontaminate a disposable facemask: Heat it at 160 degrees Fahrenheit in an oven for five minutes. You can use your own oven. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Police enforcement of New York City COVID-19 mandates reveals racial inequities by zip code

New York City ZIP codes with a higher percentage of Black residents had significantly higher rates of COVID-19-specific criminal court summonses and public health and nuisance arrests in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study by Columbia University Ma … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Western boom cities see spike in harmful ozone

The reduction of harmful ground-level ozone across most of the U.S. over the past several decades has been an air pollution success story. But in some parts of the country, especially in the heavily populated mountain valleys of the West, the odorless, colorless gas has remained … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

As nations promise to restore ecosystems at COP26, can they guarantee success?

Grand global commitments to plant trees to fight climate change are welcome. Healthy landscapes that suck planet-heating carbon out of the atmosphere—locking it into forests and soils—are among the best technologies there are yet to bend the Keeling Curve in a new direction. Tree … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Building bacteria to keep ourselves well

That feeling in your gut? Well, it's in your head, but some of it does truly start in the gastrointestinal tract. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Phasing out gasoline cars and coal: What the UN climate talks have and haven't achieved

As the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, enters its final day Friday, global leaders can point to signs of real progress. But the Earth is still headed for a dangerous level of warming. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

An 'earthgrazer' flew 'a whopping 186 miles' over two states, then vanished, NASA says

A space object with an intimidating name—"earthgrazer"—zoomed over Georgia and Alabama this week, offering witnesses a glimpse of something rare, NASA says. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Flattening the curve: Nano-film enhanced supercontinuum edition

Providing light with tailored properties through ultrafast supercontinuum generation represents an active field of nonlinear science research. A German-Australian research collaboration has presented a new concept that includes a longitudinally varying thickness nano-films in mic … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Researchers harness higher order protein catenation for the development of artificial antibodies

Chemical topology is a unique dimension for protein engineering. Over the past few years, the discovery of topological non-trivial proteins in nature has already revealed their many potential functional benefits, such as enhanced thermal/mechanical/chemical stability. Engineering … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Simulations provide clue to missing planets mystery

Forming planets are one possible explanation for the rings and gaps observed in disks of gas and dust around young stars. But this theory has trouble explaining why it is rare to find planets associated with rings. New supercomputer simulations show that after creating a ring, a … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Psychologists suggest more humility is needed in the social, behavioral and life sciences

Rink Hoekstra and Simine Vazire, psychologists with the University of Groningen and the University of California, Davis, respectively, have published a Perspective piece in the journal Nature Human Behavior calling for more humility in the social, behavioral and life sciences. In … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

The cosmos beckons for Snoopy onscreen and in real life

A new rocket designed to launch humans to the moon, Mars and beyond will launch next year from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On board, will be a familiar fuzzy figure—Snoopy. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

New gene-edited barley that could improve beer

After a spell of unexpected rain, before the harvest season, a farmer may be faced with the unpredictable problem of untimely sprouting of barley. Sprouted barley fetches considerably lower market prices and poses an economic burden on farmers and corporations that are at the mer … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Researchers combine two semiconductor doping methods to achieve new efficiencies

A University of Wollongong-led team across three FLEET nodes has combined two traditional semiconductor doping methods to achieve new efficiencies in the topological insulator bismuth-selenide (Bi2Se3). | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Agriculture and conservation objectives do not have to be at odds

Crop and livestock production are among the main drivers of biodiversity loss globally. Due to the ever-increasing demand of land for food production, reverting global biodiversity decline and feeding the world is one of the greatest challenges of our time. A new study finds that … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Novel water level regulation approach effectively controls phytoplankton blooms in reservoirs

Global reservoir constructions are still in a period of rapid development. However, building reservoirs tends to cause eutrophication and phytoplankton blooms due to the changes in hydrological conditions, which can reduce the ecosystem service values. Water level regulation has … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

A new method to measure quantum entanglement in a nuclear spin ensemble

One of the primary objectives of quantum physics studies is to measure the quantum states of large systems composed of many interacting particles. This could be particularly useful for the development of quantum computers and other quantum information processing devices. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Why is the North American fall so red compared with Europe?

Each fall, the leaves of almost half of North America's species of trees and shrubs turn red. But why is bewitching autumn foliage—to borrow from Mark Twain—so common in New England, but not in Europe? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

RadCube extends its magnetometer boom

ESA's latest CubeSat—RadCube, for surveying space weather in low-Earth orbit—has completed its rigorous commissioning phase, culminating in the extension of a magnetometer boom longer than the miniature satellite itself. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Quantum confinement discovered in porous nano-photocatalyst

Green hydrogen production from solar water splitting has attracted a great deal of interest in recent years because hydrogen is a fuel of high energy density. A research team co-led by scholars from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and Germany discovered the quantum confineme … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

A new era of planetary exploration: What we discovered on the far side of the moon

Seven months after it was launched, the US robotic rover Perseverance successfully landed on Mars on February 18 2021. The landing was part of the mission Mars2020 and was viewed live by millions of people worldwide, reflecting the renewed global interest in space exploration. It … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Mapping our human footprint from space

The world's population is expected to reach 9.7 billion in 2050, according to the UN Department of Economics and Social Affairs. Urban areas are already home to 55% of the world's population and that figure is expected to grow to 68% by 2050. Rapid and unplanned urbanization, com … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Theorized mineral formed in earth's mantle found in diamond

A team of researchers affiliated with a host of institutions in the U.S. has found a sample of a mineral previously believed to be unable to exist in nature. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their study of a diamond found in Orapa, Botswana and … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Are supply chain disruptions here to stay?

It's common knowledge that holiday shopping is going to be challenging this year due to the broken supply chain. Many favorite items—like game consoles, toys, clothing and shoes—will be in short supply. And if you're lucky enough to find the hottest toy on your child's wish list, … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Nanomagnets offer clues to how avalanches work

The behavior of avalanches has generated interest among physicists for the insights that they can provide about many other systems, not least of which is how snow falls down a mountainside. To that end, a team of researchers studied microscopic arrays of nanomagnets that provide … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Strategy to optimize sub-nanosecond laser conditioning of DKDP crystal

Researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) innovatively proposed a scheme to optimize the laser conditioning effect based on temporal shapes of the pulse, and studied the laser conditioning processes by using sub- … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Human facial expressions communicate complex emotion information

There are more than 7 billion people on the planet, and each of them has their own unique face. The sum of a person's eyes, nose, cheeks and mouth all individual to them. And now, new research shows that the emotion information transmitted by facial expressions appears to be just … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Lead your buyers by using scent marketing for a more emotional purchase

Our sense of smell is an incredibly powerful target for marketing of everything from baked goods to new cars. Research published in the International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation has looked at how brand recognition is linked to human emotions and behavior … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Study shows 'dark side of ambition' in climate policy

With the eyes of the world on COP26, researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) say the broader environmental and social implications of extreme emission reduction schemes need to be taken into account. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Climate change will destroy familiar environments, create new ones and undermine efforts to protect sea life

Climate change is altering familiar conditions of the world's oceans and creating new environments that could undermine efforts to protect sea life in the world's largest marine protected areas, new research from Oregon State University shows. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Changing social inequality from first farmers to early states in Southeast Asia

What lies at the root of inequality in human communities? It is a question that has captivated human beings for millennia. Is there a scientific method to find out what makes all the difference? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

CO2 separation by special membranes

Worldwide, CO2-emissions must be reduced drastically and one way is separation of CO2 from industrial waste streams. These membranes do not function properly at high pressure conditions however. Chemical engineer Menno Houben found the cause and optimized special membranes that a … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Six areas where action must focus to rescue this planet

For some time, the Earth's natural resources have been depleted faster than they can be replaced. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has set a 2030 deadline to reduce heat-trapping emissions by half to avoid climate change that is both irreversible and destructive. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

A chunk of Chinese satellite almost hit the International Space Station: The space junk problem is getting worse

Earlier this week, the International Space Station (ISS) was forced to maneouvre out of the way of a potential collision with space junk. With a crew of astronauts and cosmonauts on board, this required an urgent change of orbit on November 11. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

The optical Stern-Gerlach Deflection and Young's experiment in the reciprocal space

Scientists have, for the first time, demonstrated Young's experiment for photons in the reciprocal space. Spin patterns corresponding to the persistent spin helix and the Stern-Gerlach experiment are realized in an optically anisotropic liquid crystal microcavity. By applying ele … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Cats found to track owner's movements even when they cannot see them

A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in Japan, has found that cats keep track of where people are in their homes even when they cannot see them. In their paper published in PLOS ONE, the group describes experiments they conducted with cats and recordings of … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

AI helps record data on species to monitor biodiversity over time

If a tree falls in the forest, and only artificial intelligence is listening, is a data point recorded? Such questions have become pertinent to a collaborative research project by scientists from the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Wiscons … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Electric ecology: Ingenious ways animals and plants use electricity

When you hear the word "electricity," thoughts of power lines or household appliances are probably conjured up in your mind. But electricity is not just a modern human phenomenon—it was around long before us and, in fact, long before planet Earth. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

The single population is growing, and it's time to grow with it

Recent Pew Research Center data shows that nearly half of U.S. adults are unmarried––and half of that population is not interested in dating. Yet, being in a relationship and, ultimately, a marriage continues to be a societal expectation. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

How corals react to climate change

Ph.D. student Fabian Gösser from the Department of Animal Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity has been studying how corals react to changing environmental conditions and how their stress response could contribute to the survival of the reefs. The RUB biologist's research focuses … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

How close are we to climate tipping points?

As world leaders gather at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, to take bolder action against climate change, human activity has already warmed the planet 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Dark molecular isomers lit up using optical cavities

In chemistry, molecules are manipulated by changing the constituent atoms, or their arrangements. Now a group of physicists and chemists from The City College of New York and Spain can demonstrate how the use of an optical cavity (where light is trapped) is also able to change th … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Tool helps find the best balance of good grades and well-being

For students, as for all of us, life is a matter of balance, trade-offs and compromise. Studying for hours on end is unlikely to lead to best academic results. And it could have negative impacts on young people's physical, mental and social well-being. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Here's how the government's modelers concluded net-zero would leave us better off

The government's decision to target net-zero emissions by 2050 will leave each Australian nearly A$2,000 better off by then compared to no Australian action. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Children facing increased difficulties returning to in-person school, according to child study expert

Although research data on the current school year is incomplete, a Virginia Tech child psychologist points to significant increases in anxiety, depression, irritability and aggression in children. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Enormous impact of Canada's carbon stores on global climate change

New data from McMaster researchers shows, for the first time, how much carbon is stored in Canada's landscapes, and reveals how these carbon-rich areas, if disturbed, could have enormous ramifications for global climate change. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago

Study: Conservative customers are more satisfied than liberal ones

Across industries, conservatives are more satisfied than liberals with the products and services they consume, according to a study of more than 326,000 U.S. consumers by an international research team from Rice University, the Catholic University of Portugal, Boston College, the … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 2 years ago