# Twtxt is an open, distributed microblogging platform that # uses human-readable text files, common transport protocols, # and free software. # # Learn more about twtxt at https://github.com/buckket/twtxt # # This is an automated Yarn.social feed running feeds v0.1.0@72e53a9 # Learn more about Yarn.social at https://yarn.social # # nick = Phys_org # url = https://feeds.twtxt.net/Phys_org/twtxt.txt # type = rss # source = https://phys.org/rss-feed/ # avatar = # description = # updated_at = 2023-12-01T16:41:29Z # 2023-08-19T06:30:01Z **Saturday Citations: Ancient anarchists, filthy tycoons and a new state of matter**
This week on Phys.org, we published news about ancient anarchists, a hidden phase transition, dark matter developments, hot oceans and pollution taxes. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-saturday-citations-ancient-anarchists-filthy.html) 2023-08-19T11:00:01Z **Fresh look at DNA from Oetzi the Iceman traces his roots to present day Turkey**
Oetzi the Iceman has a new look. Decades after the famous glacier mummy was discovered in the Italian Alps, scientists have dug back into his DNA to paint a better picture of the ancient hunter. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-fresh-dna-oetzi-iceman-roots.html) 2023-08-20T01:40:01Z **Ultrasound can briefly induce a hibernation-like state in animals**
Science fiction has long described sophisticated technology that can temporarily put humans into a suspended state, permitting characters to awaken far into the future, often after extended journeys through space. In reality, the basis for suspended animation could potentially rely on a far simpler technology—one used routinely in clinics for decades. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-ultrasound-briefly-hibernation-like-state-animals.html) 2023-08-20T06:06:44Z **Russia's Luna-25 probe crashes on the Moon**
The Luna-25 probe, Russia's first Moon mission in almost 50 years, has crashed on the Moon after an incident during pre-landing maneuvers, Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Sunday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-russia-luna-probe-moon.html) 2023-08-20T11:30:01Z **A carbon tax on investment income could be more fair and make it less profitable to pollute, analysis finds**
About 10 years ago, a very thick book written by a French economist became a surprising bestseller. It was called "Capital in the 21st Century." In it, Thomas Piketty traces the history of income and wealth inequality over the past couple of hundred years. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-carbon-tax-investment-income-fair.html) 2023-08-21T02:11:03Z **Seine pollution forces cancelation of third Olympics test event**
The swimming stage of a triathlon in Paris's Seine River was canceled on Sunday due to pollution, organizers announced, raising further questions about holding competitions there during the 2024 Olympics. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-seine-pollution-cancelation-olympics-event.html) 2023-08-21T07:58:02Z **Victorian-era disease hits Scotland's poorest**
A disease linked to poverty and malnutrition that once crippled the crowded slums of 19th-century Britain is on the rise in Scotland, according to data published at the weekend. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-victorian-era-disease-scotland-poorest.html) 2023-08-21T11:59:52Z **Quokkas demonstrate adaptive behavior in response to prescribed burns**
Quokkas residing in the Northern Jarrah Forest, Western Australia have been found to be using fire exclusion zones to ensure their own safety and longevity. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-quokkas-behavior-response.html) 2023-08-21T11:59:40Z **Research team developing a nano-sized force sensor and improving high-precision microscopy technology**
In many cases, cells are very active in their movement and serve as power generators. The ability of cells to produce physical forces is one of the basic functions of the body. When running, for example, the forces generated in the cells cause the muscles to contract and the breath to work. It has been possible to measure even the forces experienced by individual proteins by force sen ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-team-nano-sized-sensor-high-precision-microscopy.html) 2023-08-21T16:04:04Z **Researchers find 20,000-year-old refugium for orcas in the northern Pacific**
The northern Pacific near Japan and Russia is home for several different groups of orcas. They have no contact with each other, do not seek the same food, do not speak the same dialect, and do not mate with each other. How can this be when they live so close to each other and belong to the same species? ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-year-old-refugium-orcas-northern-pacific.html) 2023-08-22T00:00:01Z **City living may make male song sparrows more doting 'super' fathers**
]New behavioral traits are often the first response of animals to changing environmental conditions. As cities increasingly become habitats of wildlife, researchers have studied behavioral changes in birds and examined how urbanization impacts parental care behavior of male song sparrows. The team found that in cities, where male song sparrows are known to be more aggressive than in rural surroundings, male birds visited nests more oft ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-city-male-song-sparrows-doting.html) 2023-08-22T00:00:01Z **Small urban greening projects can dramatically increase number of insect species in cities**
By increasing the diversity of indigenous plants in urban areas, researchers from the University of Melbourne have seen a seven-fold increase in the number of insect species in just three years, confirming the ecological benefits of urban greening projects. The findings are published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-small-urban-greening-insect-species.html) 2023-08-22T05:30:01Z **Hydrogel locomotion regulated by light and electric fields**
Materials scientists aim to develop autonomous materials that function beyond stimulus responsive actuation. In a new report in Science Advances, Yang Yang and a research team in the Center for Bioinspired Energy Science at the Northwestern University, U.S., developed photo- and electro-activated hydrogels to capture and deliver cargo and avoid obstacles on return. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-hydrogel-locomotion-electric-fields.html) 2023-08-22T09:46:54Z **Researchers extract ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick, revealing a time capsule of plant life**
For the first time, a group of researchers have successfully extracted ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick. Currently housed at the National Museum of Denmark, the clay brick originates from the palace of Neo-Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II, in the ancient city of Kalhu. Known today as the North-West palace in Nimrud (modern-day northern Iraq), its construction began around 879 BCE. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-ancient-dna-year-old-clay-brick.html) 2023-08-22T09:44:54Z **Pacific coral reef shows historic increase in climate resistance**
Coral reefs in one part of the Pacific Ocean have likely adjusted to higher ocean temperatures which could reduce future bleaching impacts of climate change, new research reveals. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-pacific-coral-reef-historic-climate.html) 2023-08-22T13:54:38Z **Research team enhances hydrogen evolution catalyst through stepwise deposition**
In order to enhance the accessibility of hydrogen-powered vehicles and establish hydrogen as a viable energy source, it's imperative to reduce the cost of hydrogen production, thereby achieving economic feasibility. To achieve this goal, maximizing the efficiency of electrolysis-hydrogen evolution, the process responsible for producing hydrogen from water, is crucial. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-team-hydrogen-evolution-catalyst-stepwise.html) 2023-08-22T13:54:35Z **Line-scan Raman micro-spectroscopy provides rapid method for micro and nanoplastics detection**
Microplastics—plastics particles smaller than 5 mm in size—have caused an environmental pollution issue that cannot be ignored by our society. Raman spectroscopy technology, with its non-contact, non-destructive and chemical-specific characteristics, has been widely applied in the field of microplastics detection. However, conventional point confocal Raman techniques are limited to single-poin ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-line-scan-raman-micro-spectroscopy-rapid-method.html) 2023-08-22T13:54:31Z **A giant black hole destroys a massive star**
Astronomers have made a thorough forensic study of a star that was torn apart when it ventured too close to a giant black hole and then had its insides tossed out into space. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-giant-black-hole-destroys-massive.html) 2023-08-22T13:54:10Z **Dog brains are tuned to dog-directed speech spoken by women**
Dogs show greater brain sensitivity to the speech directed at them than to adult-directed speech, especially if spoken by women, according to a new study in Communications Biology. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-dog-brains-tuned-dog-directed-speech.html) 2023-08-22T13:53:44Z **Delineating the pathways of warm water towards East Antarctica's Totten Glacier**
The Totten Glacier, located in the East Antarctica Ice Sheet, is also a major contributor to global sea-level rise. However, the details of how offshore ocean heat reaches the glacier's ice shelf cavity remain elusive. Now, researchers have used data from several sources to provide additional insights on the pathways of warm water that reach the ice shelf. Their findings shed light on the physical processes tha ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-delineating-pathways-east-antarctica-totten.html) 2023-08-22T13:53:07Z **How bacteria ship cellular cargo by 'surfing' along proteins**
Bacteria live in nearly every habitat on Earth including within soil, water, acidic hot springs and even within our own guts. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-bacteria-ship-cellular-cargo-surfing.html) 2023-08-22T13:52:50Z **Hundreds of Andean bird species at risk due to deforestation: New research shows how to protect them**
Birds native to the tropical Andes, many of which cannot be found anywhere else, are threatened by increasing agricultural development in the region. A new study details how the resulting habitat loss affects specific species and lays out possible ways to protect birds from human-driven disturbance. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-hundreds-andean-bird-species-due.html) 2023-08-22T13:50:03Z **As urban heat rises, bird diversity declines: 336-city study**
Humans aren't the only ones leaving town when city heat becomes unbearable. A study done on 336 cities in China concludes that heat-retaining buildings and paved surfaces are directly related to a loss in bird diversity. These findings from scientists at Zhejiang University and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-urban-bird-diversity-declines-city.html) 2023-08-22T13:50:01Z **Ants found to be able to predict queues and avoid them**
As humans, we are pretty good at working out how busy the cafeteria at work will be, and going elsewhere if we think it will be full. Now, researchers at the University of Regensburg have discovered that ants also understand that some feeding places can get full, and avoid them if they think a lot of ants are going there already. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-ants.html) 2023-08-22T19:00:01Z **Birds living on a university campus found to be less afraid of humans after the pandemic closure**
When UCLA shifted to remote instruction during the early days of COVID-19, the campus was much less populated—but it wasn't totally empty. Several species of animals continued to go about their daily lives, just with far fewer disturbances from humans. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-birds-university-campus-humans-pandemic.html) 2023-08-23T02:34:51Z **At least 1,100 missing after Hawaii fires**
At least 1,100 people are still missing two weeks after deadly wildfires ravaged the Hawaiian island of Maui, authorities said Tuesday, with the FBI seeking family members' help in identifying the remains of the dead. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-hawaii.html) 2023-08-23T07:02:11Z **French heat wave sets new late-summer record**
Temperatures in France hit an all-time high for late summer on Tuesday, the weather authority said, as the country continues to swelter under a punishing heat wave. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-french-late-summer.html) 2023-08-23T11:09:03Z **Gene sequences of 300 varieties could contribute to more nutritious, disease-free and weather-proof potatoes**
As climate change continues to pose severe challenges to ensuring sustainable food supplies around the world, scientists from McGill University are looking for ways to improve the resilience and nutritional quality of potatoes. Professor Martina Strömvik and her team have created a potato super pangenome to identify genetic traits that can help produce the next super spud. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-gene-sequences-varieties-contribute-nutritious.html) 2023-08-23T11:06:03Z **Unraveling complex systems: The backtracking dynamical cavity method**
In physics, a "disordered system" refers to a physical system whose components—e.g., its atoms—are not organized in any discernible way. Like a drawer full of random socks, a disordered system lacks a well-defined, ordered pattern due to various factors like impurities, defects, or interactions between components. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-unraveling-complex-backtracking-dynamical-cavity.html) 2023-08-23T15:21:46Z **US high tide flooding continues to break records**
Coastal communities in eight locations along the East and West coasts experienced record high tide flooding last year—a trend that is expected to continue in 2024. For many communities, the expected strengthening of El Niño will bring even more high tide flood days. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-high-tide.html) 2023-08-23T15:20:01Z **New research shows the way to cultivate meaningful social connections online**
At first glance, the term "digital hug" might seem paradoxical. After all, how does the physical act of embracing one another have anything to do with the digital world in which we are so often physically distant, even worlds apart? ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-cultivate-meaningful-social-online.html) 2023-08-24T03:30:24Z **Indian rover begins exploring Moon's south pole**
India began exploring the Moon's surface with a rover on Thursday, a day after it became the first nation to land a craft near the largely unexplored lunar south pole. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-indian-rover-exploring-moon-south.html) 2023-08-24T03:29:36Z **Cape Cod strands more dolphins than anywhere else. Now they're getting their own hospital**
When members of the marine mammal team from the International Fund for Animal Welfare rush to a Cape Cod beach to help a stranded dolphin or porpoise, they have no choice but to treat the endangered animal on site and then immediately release it. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-cape-cod-strands-dolphins-theyre.html) 2023-08-24T03:26:38Z **Deadly heat wave in the central US strains infrastructure, transportation**
Temperatures have soared in the central U.S., leading to deaths in some states as more dangerous heat is expected, a national weather service official said. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-deadly-central-strains-infrastructure.html) 2023-08-24T08:23:54Z **Researchers find Asian Americans to have significantly higher exposure to 'toxic forever' chemicals**
Asian Americans have significantly higher exposure than other ethnic or racial groups to PFAS, a family of thousands of synthetic chemicals also known as "toxic forever" chemicals, Mount Sinai-led researchers report. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-asian-americans-significantly-higher-exposure.html) 2023-08-24T12:54:36Z **Bonobos found to grow similarly to humans**
Until now, there has been a broad consensus that the human adolescent growth spurt in body length is evolutionarily unique and absent in other primates. However, such adolescent growth spurt occurs in many primate species in body weight, including humans. The study published in the journal eLife suspected and confirmed that the reason for this divergence could be methodological issues. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-bonobos-similarly-humans.html) 2023-08-24T19:00:01Z **Paper drinking straws may be harmful and may not be better for the environment than plastic versions, researchers warn**
"Eco-friendly" paper drinking straws contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals, a new study has concluded. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-paper-straws-environment-plastic-versions.html) 2023-08-25T00:00:01Z **Culled fruit trees sunk into the Wadden Sea boost local diversity and abundance of marine life**
Reefs, whether natural or man-made, are hotspots of marine biodiversity. But especially in soft-bottomed seas, reefs have become scarce because many hard substrates have been removed due to overfishing of shellfish, dredging, trawling, and deep-sea mining. How can we restore this lost biodiversity, as encouraged by the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) and the EU Biodiversity Strategy? ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-culled-fruit-trees-sunk-wadden.html) 2023-08-25T08:48:56Z **Anger found to be the primary driver of climate activism**
A trio of psychologists at the Norwegian Research Center and the University of Bergen's Norway Center for Climate and Energy Transformation has found via survey that the chief motivating factor that gets people to participate in climate activism is anger. In their study, reported in the journal Global Environmental Change, Thea Gregersen, Gisle Andersen and Endre Tvinnereim, surveyed more than 2,000 Norwegian adults about their feelings regarding c ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-anger-primary-driver-climate.html) 2023-08-25T13:03:05Z **Valuing the impact of prosocial CEOs**
The traditional role of a chief executive officer (CEO) has been to manage the executive team and pursue goals set by the board. But in recent times, CEOs have become more publicly visible as the face and driving force of an organization, with an emphasis on their leadership qualities. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-valuing-impact-prosocial-ceos.html) 2023-08-26T02:08:12Z **Canada backs US in GMO corn trade row with Mexico**
Canada will back the United States in a trade row with Mexico over genetically modified corn, its trade minister announced Friday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-canada-gmo-corn-row-mexico.html) 2023-08-26T02:07:21Z **Acai berry craze: boon or threat for the Amazon?**
Working in the sweltering heat of the Brazilian Amazon, Jose Diogo scales a tree and harvests a cluster of black berries: acai, the trendy "superfood" reshaping the world's biggest rainforest—for better and worse. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-acai-berry-craze-boon-threat.html) 2023-08-26T06:40:01Z **Crowd-sourced science sheds light on how new species form across space and time**
Imagine a jungle. It's probably a lush forest, filled with different bird songs and the hum of thousands of different kinds of insects. Now imagine a tundra: barren, windswept terrain with relatively few kinds of plants or animals. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-crowd-sourced-science-species-space.html) 2023-08-26T10:50:01Z **SARS-CoV-2: How the history of human populations influences their immune response**
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the clinical spectrum observed among people infected with SARS-CoV-2 ranged from asymptomatic carriage to death. Researchers at the Institut Pasteur, the CNRS and the Collège de France, in collaboration with researchers around the world, have investigated the extent and drivers of differences in immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 across populations from Central Africa, Western Europe a ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-sars-cov-history-human-populations-immune.html) 2023-08-27T02:02:42Z **Much of Florida under state of emergency as possible tropical storm forms in Gulf of Mexico**
Forecasters are warning of possible flash flooding and landslides across the eastern Yucatan peninsula and western Cuba, and Florida braced for a possible hurricane by midweek, as a weather system off the coast of Mexico was expected to become a tropical storm by Sunday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-florida-state-emergency-tropical-storm.html) 2023-08-27T02:02:23Z **New crew for the space station launches with 4 astronauts from 4 countries**
Four astronauts from four countries rocketed toward the International Space Station on Saturday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-crew-space-station-astronauts-countries.html) 2023-08-27T02:01:53Z **With drones and webcams, volunteer hunters join a new search for the mythical Loch Ness Monster**
Mystery hunters converged on a Scottish lake on Saturday to look for signs of the mythical Loch Ness Monster. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-drones-webcams-volunteer-hunters-mythical.html) 2023-08-27T07:40:01Z **Rat poison is killing our beloved native owls and tawny frogmouths. And that's the tip of the iceberg**
There's nothing quite like having a rodent problem in your home. Most people will do anything to get rid of them. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-rat-poison-beloved-native-owls.html) 2023-08-27T12:40:01Z **Low oceanic oxygen: 'It's hard to imagine, but a fish can drown'**
It's the perfect fuel for storms: warm ocean water, at least 80° Fahrenheit. Without it, powerful storms like Andrew, Katrina, and Ian would never have formed. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-oceanic-oxygen-hard-fish.html) 2023-08-27T19:00:01Z **No evidence grammar school systems are best for the brightest, study of 500,000 pupils reveals**
The UK's brightest pupils' chances of getting top GCSE grades are actually lower in grammar schools than in comprehensives, according to a major new piece of research. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-evidence-grammar-school-brightest-pupils.html) 2023-08-28T01:54:09Z **Ancient priest's remains are a first-of-a-kind find for Peru team**
A group of Japanese and Peruvian archaeologists have discovered the 3,000-year-old tomb of a priest alongside ceramic offerings in northern Peru. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-ancient-priest-first-of-a-kind-peru-team.html) 2023-08-28T01:53:44Z **Japan postpones 'Moon Sniper' liftoff for third time**
Japan's space agency on Monday postponed for the third time the launch of its "Moon Sniper" lunar mission due to poor weather. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-japan-postpones-moon-sniper-liftoff.html) 2023-08-28T07:52:01Z **Tropical Storm Idalia strengthens near Mexico, heads to Florida**
Tropical Storm Idalia was strengthening in the Caribbean on Monday, buffeting southeastern Mexico with wind and rain, with forecasters predicting it will become a major hurricane before reaching Florida later in the week. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-tropical-storm-idalia-mexico-florida.html) 2023-08-28T07:51:45Z **Japan wastewater release sparks wave of misinformation in China**
Japan's release of wastewater has sparked a wave of misinformation in China about nuclear contamination in the Pacific Ocean, with viral posts promoting wild theories that lack scientific backing. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-japan-wastewater-misinformation-china.html) 2023-08-28T12:06:04Z **Which radio waves disrupt the magnetic sense in migratory birds?**
Many songbirds use the Earth's magnetic field as a guide during their migrations, but radio waves interfere with this ability. A new study published has found an upper bound for the frequency that disrupts the magnetic compass. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-radio-disrupt-magnetic-migratory-birds.html) 2023-08-28T16:08:22Z **Visualizing the embedded twisted interfaces of two-dimensional materials**
Vertically stacking two-dimensional (2D) materials to form van der Waals homo- or hetero-structures has become an effective means for regulating their physical and mechanical properties. In particular, when a small twist angle is present at the stacked interface, the 2D structures often show many interesting and even magical physical phenomena owing to the unique interlayer coupling. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-visualizing-embedded-interfaces-two-dimensional-materials.html) 2023-08-29T01:55:00Z **Using DNA to move flavors between different varieties of tea**
In plants, 5mC DNA methylation is an important and conserved epistatic mark involving genomic stability, gene transcriptional regulation, developmental regulation, abiotic stress response, metabolite synthesis, etc. However, the roles of 5mC DNA methylation modification (5mC methylation) in tea plant growth and development (in pre-harvest) and flavor substance synthesis in pre- and post-harvest is unknown. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-dna-flavors-varieties-tea.html) 2023-08-29T07:18:26Z **Rare blue supermoon brightens the night sky this week in the closest full moon of the year**
Stargazers are in for a double treat this week: a rare blue supermoon with Saturn peeking from behind. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-rare-blue-supermoon-brightens-night.html) 2023-08-29T07:17:19Z **Tears as Malaysia-born panda cubs head to China**
Tearful Malaysians said goodbye to two panda cubs Tuesday as authorities prepared to send them to China after years of delays because of the Covid-19 pandemic. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-malaysia-born-panda-cubs-china.html) 2023-08-29T11:40:03Z **Mothers in prison embrace a parenting program to strengthen bonds with separated children**
The number of women imprisoned in Australia has jumped by 64% in the past decade, leaving thousands of children separated from their mothers and causing huge stress to both parties. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-mothers-prison-embrace-parenting-bonds.html) 2023-08-29T15:52:04Z **Research sheds light on how gender inequality in the media industry impacts job satisfaction**
Research led by experts at City, University of London has found lower perceptions of gender equality and the prevalence of workplace sexual harassment negatively impact on job satisfaction in newsrooms across global regions. While sexual harassment is widespread in numerous professions, newsrooms are no exception to this unfortunate reality. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-gender-inequality-media-industry-impacts.html) 2023-08-29T15:45:03Z **New and improved bioink to enhance 3D bioprinted skeletal muscle constructs**
An advancement in 3D bioprinting of native-like skeletal muscle tissues has been made by scientists at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI). The key to the TIBI scientists' approach lies in their specially formulated bioink, which contains microparticles engineered for sustained delivery of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-bioink-3d-bioprinted-skeletal-muscle.html) 2023-08-30T02:28:59Z **Logging is growing in a Nigerian forest home to endangered elephants. Rangers blame lax enforcement**
Roaring chainsaws sent trees crashing to the ground, and bare-chested men hacked away at the branches beside a muddy road. Others heaved logs onto a truck, where they were tied in place with wire. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-nigerian-forest-home-endangered-elephants.html) 2023-08-30T02:27:52Z **Typhoon Saola strengthens as it passes Taiwan on its way to China**
Typhoon Saola strengthened overnight as it continued its path across the Pacific early Wednesday and headed for China's southern coast. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-typhoon-saola-taiwan-china.html) 2023-08-30T07:30:01Z **A DNA assembly kit to unlock the CRISPR-Cas9 potential for metabolic engineering**
The clustered regularly interspaced short palindrome repeats (CRISPR) and Crispr-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) is now a well-known, revolutionary method to engineer microbial cells. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-dna-kit-crispr-cas9-potential-metabolic.html) 2023-08-30T11:35:04Z **How Norway is helping to restore humanity inside US prisons**
As part of an innovative prison reform program, the Oregon State Penitentiary created a healing garden on its grounds to provide some respite from the concrete and resemble the outside world. One incarcerated man who had spent most of the past two decades in solitary confinement described going to the garden as, "the first time I walked on grass in 20 years." ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-norway-humanity-prisons.html) 2023-08-30T11:33:04Z **Can this forest survive? Predicting forest death or recovery after drought**
Researchers from UC Davis can now predict which forests could survive despite future drought. Their new method links precipitation to tree growth, and it can help people decide where to put their resources as climate change affects patterns of snow and rainfall that impact the health of forests. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-forest-survive-death-recovery-drought.html) 2023-08-30T15:45:05Z **Idaho's Silver Valley is still at risk 50 years after mine fire caused largest lead-poisoning case in US history**
On Sept. 3, 1973, a fire swept through the baghouse of the Bunker Hill mine in Idaho's Silver Valley. The building was designed to filter pollutants produced by smelting, the melting of rocks that separates metal from its ore. The gases produced in this process carried poisons, including lead. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-idaho-silver-valley-years-largest.html) 2023-08-30T15:43:04Z **Q&A: Year-round school—difference-maker or waste of time?**
Contrary to how it sounds, "year-round" school usually doesn't mean students going to school throughout the year—or for more days than other students. Often it just means switching up the calendar so that there's not such a long summer break. Below, two education experts—Nicole Miller and Daniel H. Robinson—answer five questions about the modified school calendars known as year-round school. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-qa-year-round-schooldifference-maker.html) 2023-08-31T00:00:04Z **Scientists detect and validate the longest-period exoplanets found with TESS**
Scientists from The University of New Mexico (UNM), and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have detected and validated two of the longest-period exoplanets found by TESS to date. These long period large exoplanets orbit a K dwarf star and belong to a class of planets known as warm Jupiters, which have orbital periods of 10–200 days and are at least six times Earth's radius. This recent discovery of ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-scientists-validate-longest-period-exoplanets-tess.html) 2023-08-31T05:30:01Z **How ancient bee burrows led to a better understanding of Neanderthals**
The Shanidar cave sits in the Zagros mountains of the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq, in a border region between Iran and southeast Türkiye. Within the cave is one of the longest-debated collections of Neanderthal remains. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-ancient-bee-burrows-neanderthals.html) 2023-08-31T10:37:03Z **Researchers construct first global map of insect mitochondrial genetic diversity**
Understanding global patterns of species genetic diversity is an integral part of monitoring and preserving life on Earth. To date, however, scientists have mapped macrogenetic patterns in vertebrates exclusively. Macrogenetics uses publicly-available data to identify global drivers of genetic diversity. Only 5% of all known living animal species are vertebrates while 95% are invertebrates. More than half of ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-global-insect-mitochondrial-genetic-diversity.html) 2023-08-31T10:34:03Z **Study shows a decrease in Indian Ocean cyclones**
While the threat of tropical cyclones increases around the world, a new study published in Nature Communications shows one area experienced a significant decline in cyclone activity. But, with recent changes in climatic patterns in the Pacific, the number of cyclones is expected to increase in the coming decades. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-decrease-indian-ocean-cyclones.html) 2023-08-31T10:31:03Z **Three easily measurable parameters can provide valuable information about the structure of volcanoes**
What is the risk of a volcano erupting? To answer this question, scientists need information about its underlying internal structure. However, gathering this data can take several years of fieldwork, analyses and monitoring, which explains why only 30% of active volcanoes are currently well documented. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-easily-parameters-valuable-volcanoes.html) 2023-08-31T10:20:01Z **New evidence suggests McDermitt Caldera may be among the largest known lithium reserves in the world**
A trio of volcanologists and geologists from Lithium Americas Corporation, GNS Science, and Oregon State University reports evidence that the McDermitt Caldera, on the Nevada/Oregon, border, may host some of the largest known deposits of lithium on Earth. In their project, reported in the journal Science Advances, Thomas Benson, Matthew Coble and John Dilles studied parts of the caldera and ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-evidence-mcdermitt-caldera-largest-lithium.html) 2023-08-31T10:00:01Z **Unprecedented gamma-ray burst explained by long-lived jet**
Last year, Northwestern University researchers reported new observational evidence that long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) can result from the merger of a neutron star with another compact object (either another neutron star or black hole)—a finding that was previously believed to be impossible. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-unprecedented-gamma-ray-long-lived-jet.html) 2023-08-31T09:42:11Z **Discovering enhanced lattice dynamics in a single-layered hybrid perovskite**
Layered hybrid perovskites show diverse physical properties and exceptional functionality; however, from a materials science viewpoint, the co-existence of lattice order and structural disorder can hinder the understanding of such materials. Lattice dynamics can be affected by dimensional engineering of inorganic frameworks and interactions with molecular moieties in a process that remains unknown. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-lattice-dynamics-single-layered-hybrid-perovskite.html) 2023-08-31T09:41:51Z **Research sheds more light on the accretion history of EX Lupi**
An international team of astronomers has investigated EX Lupi—a young T-Tauri star in the constellation of Lupus and an archetype of EXor stars. The study, presented in a paper published August 23 on the pre-print server arXiv, provided important insights into the accretion history of this star. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-accretion-history-lupi.html) 2023-08-31T14:44:12Z **Researcher reveals the secret life of bumble bees**
Bees that build microbreweries, ride a miniature merry-go-round and possibly even wear diapers: In biologist Tobin Hammer's UCI lab, all sorts of unusual projects unfold. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-reveals-secret-life-bumble-bees.html) 2023-08-31T14:41:03Z **Cryogenic on-wafer prober determines quality of qubit devices for quantum computing and quantum sensing**
Germany's first cryogenic measuring setup for statistical quality measurement of qubit devices on whole 200- and 300-mm wafers has started operation at Fraunhofer IAF. The on-wafer prober can characterize devices based on semiconductor quantum dots and quantum wells as well as superconductors at measurement temperatures below 2 K. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-cryogenic-on-wafer-prober-quality-qubit.html) 2023-09-01T00:00:01Z **Deprived teens with poor learning skills at greatest risk from email scams, says expert**
Disadvantaged teenagers are at greater risk of email scams and need better protection, according to an international study published in the British Journal of Educational Studies. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-deprived-teens-poor-skills-greatest.html) 2023-09-01T04:54:40Z **Super Typhoon Saola sweeps towards southern China cities**
Tens of millions of people in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and other southern Chinese megacities sheltered indoors Friday as Super Typhoon Saola threatened to become the strongest storm to hit the region in decades. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-super-typhoon-saola-southern-china.html) 2023-09-01T09:18:11Z **Rare bamboo flowering event could be followed by years of ecological change**
Flowering for some plants is a yearly occurrence; for others, it is a once-in-a-lifetime event. A widespread species of bamboo in Japan, Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis, takes this one-time flowering event and pushes it to the extreme: they flower once every 120 years before dying to make way for the next generation. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-rare-bamboo-event-years-ecological.html) 2023-09-01T09:18:05Z **New fossil species suggests tropicbirds originated in Zealandia**
A team of paleontologists from the University of Canterbury has discovered a remarkably intact fossil of one of the earliest ancestors of a group of birds now restricted to the tropics. Tropicbirds, now represented by only three living species, have a long fossil record spanning at least 62.5 million years, with the oldest described species being Clymenoptilon novaezealandicum, or Zealandian Tropicbird. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-fossil-species-tropicbirds-zealandia.html) 2023-09-01T09:17:02Z **Researchers reveal statistical properties of dispersion measure, waiting time on repeating fast radio burst**
Repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) are mysterious radio transient sources in the universe that emit a repeating radio pulse lasting for a few milliseconds. Plasma lensing is the cold, non-magnetized, and inhomogeneous plasma cloud in cosmic space, which can refract the radio signal as images with frequency-dependent properties, such as the frequency-dependent dispersion measure (DM ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-reveal-statistical-properties-dispersion-fast.html) 2023-09-01T13:20:03Z **Hunting for supermassive black holes in the early universe**
Supermassive black holes (SMBHs)—black holes with masses exceeding a million times that of the sun—are known to prevail in the universe today. However, it is not clear yet when, where, and how they formed during the 13.8 billion years of cosmic history. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-supermassive-black-holes-early-universe.html) 2023-09-01T13:18:51Z **Seismologists use deep learning to forecast earthquakes**
For more than 30 years, the models that researchers and government agencies use to forecast earthquake aftershocks have remained largely unchanged. While these older models work well with limited data, they struggle with the huge seismology datasets that are now available. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-seismologists-deep-earthquakes.html) 2023-09-02T04:52:57Z **India launches spacecraft to study the sun after successful landing near the moon's south pole**
India launched its first space mission to study the sun on Saturday, less than two weeks after a successful uncrewed landing near the south polar region of the moon. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-india-spacecraft-sun-successful-moon.html) 2023-09-02T09:20:01Z **Saturday Citations: Ancient corvids, tetraquarks, and researchers who aren't bored hearing about your dreams**
This week, researchers reported on two-dimensional gold sheets, a tidy little meson made of four quarks (and its buddy!) and a big and almost unimaginably dense exoplanet with an exciting backstory. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-saturday-citations-ancient-corvids-tetraquarks.html) 2023-09-02T14:40:01Z **Are deep blue seas fading? Oceans turn to new hue across parts of Earth, study finds**
A large swath of Earth's oceans changed color over the past 20 years—and human activity is suspected to have caused it, a new study reports. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-deep-blue-seas-oceans-hue.html) 2023-09-03T05:07:31Z **Typhoon Haikui makes landfall in Taiwan**
Typhoon Haikui made landfall on eastern Taiwan Sunday, unleashing torrential downpours, whipping winds and plunging thousands of households into darkness as the first major storm to directly hit the island in four years. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-typhoon-haikui-landfall-taiwan.html) 2023-09-03T09:20:01Z **4.6-billion-year-old meteorite increases our understanding of the early solar system**
An analysis of the approximately 4.6-billion-year-old meteorite Erg Chech 002, discovered in 2020 in the Erg Chech region of the Sahara Desert in Algeria, is presented in Nature Communications. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-billion-year-old-meteorite-early-solar.html) 2023-09-03T13:40:02Z **After studying more than 1,500 coastal ecosystems, researchers say they will drown if we let the world warm above 2C**
Much of the world's natural coastline is protected by living habitats, most notably mangroves in warmer waters and tidal marshes closer to the poles. These ecosystems support fisheries and wildlife, absorb the impact of crashing waves and clean up pollutants. But these vital services are threatened by global warming and rising sea levels. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-08-coastal-ecosystems-world-2c.html) 2023-09-04T03:52:06Z **Cute but calamitous: Australia labors under rabbit numbers**
With their outsized ears and fluffy fur, rabbits are often seen as cute and harmless. Yet the creature is behind one of the globe's most harmful biological invasions, ravaging Australia, whose efforts to limit the problem have tended only to make things worse. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-cute-calamitous-australia-labors-rabbit.html) 2023-09-04T03:50:44Z **Four astronauts return to Earth in SpaceX capsule to wrap up six-month station mission**
Four astronauts returned to Earth early Monday after a six-month stay at the International Space Station. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-astronauts-earth-spacex-capsule-six-month.html) 2023-09-04T08:31:51Z **AI algorithm learns microscopic details of nematicity in moiré systems**
Identifying and understanding experimental signatures of phases of matter is usually a challenging task due to strong electron interactions in a material and can become even harder due to external influences in samples with the presence of impurities or other sources of deformations. Typically, these interactions between the electrons in a material give rise to fascinating phenomena such as magnetism, superconductivity and ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-ai-algorithm-microscopic-nematicity-moir.html) 2023-09-04T12:37:03Z **Assessing the massive costs of biological invasions to Australia and the world**
A global database set up by scientists to assemble data on the economic cost of biological invasions in support of effective government management strategies has grown to include all known invasive species. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-massive-biological-invasions-australia-world.html) 2023-09-04T18:30:01Z **Experts warn 'green growth' in high income countries is not happening, call for 'post-growth' climate policies**
The emission reductions in the 11 high-income countries that have "decoupled" CO2 emissions from Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fall far short of the reductions that are necessary to limit global warming to 1.5°C or even just to "well below 2°C" and comply with international fairness principles, as required by the Paris Agreement, according to a paper published in The Lancet Planetary Health j ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-experts-green-growth-high-income.html) 2023-09-05T04:00:02Z **Poor water quality found to disproportionately affect socially vulnerable communities**
A new study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters examines the links between drinking water quality violations and social vulnerability in the United States, revealing that these violations disproportionately affect the most vulnerable communities. Approximately 70% of the population affected ranked in the highest social vulnerability category, with many different social parameters, ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-poor-quality-disproportionately-affect-socially.html) 2023-09-05T08:58:25Z **Fossil of oldest-known koala relative unearthed in central Australia**
A small team of evolutionary biologists at Flinders University, in Australia, working with one colleague from the University of Salford in the U.K. and another from the University of California, Los Angeles, has found fossilized evidence of the oldest-known koala relative in a central part of Australia. In their paper, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the group describes the fossil, where it was found and how ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-fossil-oldest-known-koala-unearthed-central.html) 2023-09-05T13:03:09Z **A 'natural weapon': Study shows large herbivores keep invasive plants at bay**
Large herbivores can protect local nature by eating and trampling on biodiversity-threatening invasive plant species. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-natural-weapon-large-herbivores-invasive.html) 2023-09-05T13:03:02Z **Fermentation processes for the production of biohydrogen as an alternative energy carrier**
Hydrogen is considered a clean and efficient energy carrier that will have broad applications in the future—as a fuel for cars, buses, for houses heating, or as an energy storage. However, it is currently mainly produced from fossil fuels. In order for it to become a "green" energy carrier, techniques for extracting it from renewable sources such as solar energy, wind, water, or biomass mus ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-fermentation-production-biohydrogen-alternative-energy.html) 2023-09-05T17:04:03Z **Linguistics may help us to understand some 'strangeness' of the genetic code**
Linguists have developed the comparison of the genetic code with language where nucleotides act as letters, and introduced the concept of "a semiotic nucleotide"—the minimal element that makes it possible to distinguish between codons—coding units of DNA. According to this approach, the biochemical characteristics of DNA operate as informational ones. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-linguistics-strangeness-genetic-code.html) 2023-09-06T04:21:44Z **Deforestation in Brazil Amazon falls, more Indigenous reserves approved**
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by 66 percent in August versus the same month last year, the government said Tuesday, while also announcing the demarcation of two new Indigenous reserves. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-deforestation-brazil-amazon-falls-indigenous.html) 2023-09-06T04:20:57Z **'We're going to sink': hundreds abandon Caribbean island home**
On a tiny Caribbean island, hundreds of people are preparing to pack up and move to escape the rising waters threatening to engulf their already precarious homes. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-hundreds-abandon-caribbean-island-home.html) 2023-09-06T04:19:01Z **Indonesia halves output at coal power plant as pollution spikes**
Indonesia has nearly halved output at a major coal-fired power plant near the capital Jakarta after the city faced major pollution spikes in recent weeks, its operator told AFP Wednesday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-indonesia-halves-output-coal-power.html) 2023-09-06T08:25:35Z **Rains kill 11 in Mediterranean, east Europe**
Storms that unleashed torrential flooding in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria have killed at least 11 people, authorities said Wednesday, as extreme heat gave way to heavy rain. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-mediterranean-east-europe.html) 2023-09-06T12:30:03Z **Study explains role of certain types of oxide in the structure and development of specialty glass**
A study conducted at the Center for Research, Education and Innovation in Vitreous Materials (CeRTEV) in São Carlos, São Paulo state, Brazil, shows for the first time that including niobium oxide (Nb2O5) in silicate glass results in silica network polymerization, which increases bond density and connectivity, enhancing the mechanical and thermal stability of specialty glass. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-role-oxide-specialty-glass.html) 2023-09-06T12:30:01Z **Finding the balance between urbanization, climate change and wildlife conservation**
Research led by Arizona State University, Tempe, has looked into how urbanization, species traits and environmental factors interact to shape urban wildlife communities. This research is essential for effective conservation in the face of urban expansion and climate change. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-urbanization-climate-wildlife.html) 2023-09-06T16:40:48Z **Examining the effect of different geometric porosities on aerodynamic characteristics of supersonic parachutes**
The safe landing of the probe is one of the most difficult challenges in Mars exploration, and the Mars supersonic parachute is extremely important for this process. To date, all the successful Mars exploration missions have used disk-gap-band (DGB) parachutes. However, the DGB parachute with the highest diameter of 21.35 m cannot be further used for future Mars explor ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-effect-geometric-porosities-aerodynamic-characteristics.html) 2023-09-06T16:39:46Z **The Pyrenean glacier of Maladeta could disappear by the end of the next decade**
Adrián Martínez Fernández, the specialist technician in charge of the Digital Mapping and 3D Analysis Laboratory at the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), is the lead author of a paper published in the journal Land Degradation & Development on the evolution of the surface and possible disappearance of Maladeta, one of southern Europe's largest glaciers, and one of the three most extensive ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-pyrenean-glacier-maladeta-decade.html) 2023-09-06T16:39:05Z **International report confirms record-high greenhouse gases, global sea levels in 2022**
Greenhouse gas concentrations, global sea level and ocean heat content reached record highs in 2022, according to the 33rd annual State of the Climate report. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-international-record-high-greenhouse-gases-global.html) 2023-09-06T16:37:03Z **Half of Earth's glaciers could vanish with 1.5 degrees of warming, study warns**
In the Himalayas, not far from the base of Mount Everest, lies the Imja-Lhotse Shar Glacier, where David Rounce conducted his doctoral research. From 2013 to 2017, Rounce and his team visited Nepal to measure the glacier as it rapidly receded—and as the lake at its base grew. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-earth-glaciers-degrees.html) 2023-09-07T03:48:08Z **Capturing the chemistry of radium-223 for cancer treatment**
Scientists need a better understanding of the chemistry of radium to be able to target the isotope radium-223 (Ra-223) to cancer cells. Once delivered, Ra-223 can destroy those cells with alpha particles, a type of radiation. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-capturing-chemistry-radium-cancer-treatment.html) 2023-09-07T08:00:01Z **Stability inspection for West Antarctica shows marine ice sheet not destabilized yet, but may be on path to tipping**
Antarctica's vast ice masses seem far away, yet they store enough water to raise global sea levels by several meters. A team of experts from European research institutes has now provided the first systematic stability inspection of the ice sheet's current state. Their diagnosis: While they found no indication of irreversible, self-reinforcing retreat of the ice sheet in West Antarct ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-stability-west-antarctica-marine-ice.html) 2023-09-07T12:10:07Z **Air pollution linked to 3,200 Australian deaths a year: One of many reasons Australia demands urgent national action**
Australia is holding its collective breath ahead of a bushfire season that may bring a return of the smoke linked to 400 deaths and 4,500 hospitalizations and emergency department visits during the 2019–20 Black Summer fires. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-air-pollution-linked-australian-deaths.html) 2023-09-07T16:17:03Z **Researchers develop novel DNA biosensor for early diagnosis of cervical cancer**
Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has recently garnered attention among materials science researchers owing to its ability to form two-dimensional nanosheets like graphene. The nanosheets are created by the stacking of S–Mo–S layers interacting via Van der Waals interactions. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-dna-biosensor-early-diagnosis-cervical.html) 2023-09-08T00:00:02Z **The climate crisis could reshape Italian mountain forests forever**
As a result of the climate crisis, future forests may become unrecognizable. Trees that currently make up European woods may no longer be seen—or they may have moved several hundred meters uphill. Scientists writing in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change have mapped the forests of five vulnerable mountain areas in Italy and modeled the future of these fragile ecosystems. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-climate-crisis-reshape-italian-mountain.html) 2023-09-08T08:03:10Z **Residents and fishermen file a lawsuit demanding a halt to the release of Fukushima wastewater**
Fishermen and residents of Fukushima and five other prefectures along Japan's northeastern coast filed a lawsuit Friday demanding a halt to the ongoing release of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-residents-fishermen-lawsuit-demanding-halt.html) 2023-09-08T08:02:13Z **UK experiencing longest September heat wave**
Britain is experiencing a record-breaking period of hot September weather with Friday expected to be the fifth consecutive day of temperatures climbing above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-uk-experiencing-longest-september.html) 2023-09-08T12:19:03Z **Chimpanzees are not pets, no matter what social media tells you**
Trading wild chimpanzees, including their meat and body parts, is illegal. And yet, social media influencers and companies still reap profits from sharing "cute" images and videos of chimpanzees and other primates poached from the wild. All the while, sanctuaries worldwide continue to receive orphaned victims of this illicit trade. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-chimpanzees-pets-social-media.html) 2023-09-08T12:17:04Z **Death and mourning in Ghana: How gender shapes the rituals of the Akan people**
Gender has a significant impact on the socio-economic, political and religious experiences of Ghanaians. For Akans, the country's largest ethnic group, descent is traced through the maternal line. Property is transferred in this line too. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-death-ghana-gender-rituals-akan.html) 2023-09-08T16:31:54Z **Almost 50 people missing after deadly Brazil cyclone**
Brazilian rescue workers were on Friday searching for almost 50 people still missing after a devastating cyclone unleashed torrential rain and flooding in the south of the country. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-people-deadly-brazil-cyclone.html) 2023-09-08T16:30:02Z **These worms have rhythm: New imaging technique to observe active gene expression in real time**
There's a rhythm to developing life. Growing from a tiny cell cluster into an adult organism takes precise timing and control. The right genes must turn on at the right time, for the right duration, and in the correct order. Losing the rhythm can lead to diseases like cancer. So, what keeps every gene on beat? ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-worms-rhythm-imaging-technique-gene.html) 2023-09-09T02:36:16Z **Conspiracy theories falsely link wildfires to 'smart cities'**
Disinformation about deadly wildfires in the United States and Canada has run rampant across social media, with posts falsely blaming coordinated arson, lasers—and plans to develop "smart cities." ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-conspiracy-theories-falsely-link-wildfires.html) 2023-09-09T02:34:15Z **Hurricane Lee is charting a new course in weather and could signal more monster storms**
Hurricane Lee is rewriting old rules of meteorology, leaving experts astonished at how rapidly it grew into a goliath Category 5 hurricane. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-hurricane-lee-weather-monster-storms.html) 2023-09-09T02:29:33Z **Study reveals human destruction of global floodplains**
A University of Texas at Arlington hydrologist's study in the Nature journal Scientific Data provides the first-ever global estimate of human destruction of natural floodplains. The study can help guide future development in a way that can restore and conserve vital floodplain habitats that are critical to wildlife, water quality and reducing flood risk for people. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-reveals-human-destruction-global-floodplains.html) 2023-09-09T07:00:01Z **Australian 10-year feral cat plan: A step closer to protecting endangered wildlife**
Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has released a draft feral cat management plan. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-australian-year-feral-cat-closer.html) 2023-09-09T13:10:02Z **Mapped: Forest fire hot spots where treatment offers the biggest payoff for people and climate**
The U.S. government is investing over US$7 billion in the coming years to try to manage the nation's escalating wildfire crisis. That includes a commitment to treat at least 60 million acres in the next 10 years by expanding forest-thinning efforts and controlled burns. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-forest-hot-treatment-biggest-payoff.html) 2023-09-09T13:10:02Z **How did plants first evolve into all different shapes and sizes? We mapped a billion years of plant history to find out**
Plants range from simple seaweeds and single-celled pond scum, through to mosses, ferns and huge trees. Paleontologists like us have long debated exactly how this diverse range of shapes and sizes emerged, and whether plants emerged from algae into multicellular and three-dimensional forms in a gradual flowering or one big bang. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-evolve-sizes-billion-years-history.html) 2023-09-10T06:00:01Z **Novel membrane could reduce energy expenditure in separating molecules for desalination, drug development**
Separating molecules is critical to producing many essential products. For example, in petroleum refining, the hydrocarbons—chemical compounds composed of hydrogens and carbons—in crude oil are separated into gasoline, diesel and lubricants by sorting them based on their molecular size, shape and weight. In the pharmaceutical industry, the active ingredients in medications are p ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-membrane-energy-expenditure-molecules-desalination.html) 2023-09-10T06:00:01Z **South Africa's great white sharks are changing locations—they need to be monitored for beach safety and conservation**
South Africa is renowned for having one of the world's biggest populations of great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). Substantial declines have been observed, however, in places where the sharks normally gather on the coast of the Western Cape province. Sharks congregate at these locations to feed, interact socially, or rest. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-south-africa-great-white-sharks.html) 2023-09-10T10:20:01Z **XRISM satellite launches to study the universe in different colors of X-rays**
On Sept. 6, a new satellite left Earth; its mission is to tell us about the motions of hot plasma flows in the universe. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-xrism-satellite-universe-x-rays.html) 2023-09-10T16:00:01Z **Billion-light-year-wide 'bubble of galaxies' discovered**
Astronomers have discovered the first "bubble of galaxies," an almost unimaginably huge cosmic structure thought to be a fossilized remnant from just after the Big Bang sitting in our galactic backyard. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-billion-light-year-wide-galaxies.html) 2023-09-11T02:48:09Z **On Brazilian island, revered Asian buffalo claims its place**
An incongruous sight meets visitors to the northern Brazilian island of Marajo: thousands and thousands of water buffalo, animals endemic to India and Southeast Asia that have found a new home in South America. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-brazilian-island-revered-asian-buffalo.html) 2023-09-11T09:30:17Z **Mysterious ultra-high energy source investigated by astronomers**
Astronomers from the University of Maryland and the Michigan Technological University, have inspected a mysterious ultra-high energy gamma-ray source known as LHAASO J2108+5157. Results of the study, published August 31 on the pre-print server arXiv, could help us unveil the true nature of this source. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-mysterious-ultra-high-energy-source-astronomers.html) 2023-09-11T13:41:39Z **Physicists create powerful magnets to de-freeze quantum computing**
Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize the world, allowing massive health and science computation problems to be solved exponentially faster than by classic computing. But quantum computers have a big drawback—they can only operate in subzero temperatures. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-physicists-powerful-magnets-de-freeze-quantum.html) 2023-09-11T13:40:04Z **An outline for teaching responsible use of AI in high schools**
A Brock-led research team has mapped out a strategy to help high school teachers guide their students on the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-outline-responsible-ai-high-schools.html) 2023-09-11T13:39:56Z **Engineers have designed 'radio-quiet' electronics to power the world's largest radio telescope**
A team of researchers, engineers and technicians has developed a "SMART box" to power the world's largest radio telescope. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-radio-quiet-electronics-power-world-largest.html) 2023-09-11T13:39:07Z **The case for a small universe**
The universe is big, as Douglas Adams would say. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-case-small-universe.html) 2023-09-11T17:48:03Z **New water treatment approach helps to avoid harmful chemicals**
The water coming out of your faucet is safe to drink, but that doesn't mean it's completely clean. Chlorine has long been the standard for water treatment, but it often contains trace levels of disinfection byproducts and unknown contaminants. Georgia Institute of Technology researchers developed the minus approach to handle these harmful byproducts. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-treatment-approach-chemicals.html) 2023-09-12T04:14:54Z **The 'science of reading' swept reforms into classrooms nationwide. What about math?**
For much of her teaching career, Carrie Stark relied on math games to engage her students, assuming they would pick up concepts like multiplication by seeing them in action. The kids had fun, but the lessons never stuck. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-science-swept-reforms-classrooms-nationwide.html) 2023-09-12T04:14:08Z **American researcher has been rescued from deep Turkish cave more than a week after he fell ill**
Rescuers pulled an American researcher out of a Turkish cave early Tuesday, more than a week after he became seriously ill 1,000 meters (more than 3,000 feet) below its entrance, officials said. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-american-deep-turkish-cave-week.html) 2023-09-12T09:00:01Z **Fall snow levels can predict a season's total snowpack in some western states**
Spring break can be a good time for ski trips—the days are longer and a little warmer. But if people are booking their spring skiing trips the fall before, it's hard to know which areas will have the best snow coverage later in the season. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-fall-season-total-snowpack-western.html) 2023-09-12T13:06:04Z **Eating insects: The UK seems much more reluctant than the EU to let this industry flourish**
Like it or not, there are lots of good arguments for eating insects—both in animal feeds and on human plates. You can farm them with much less land, water and feed than the likes of cows and sheep. Their greenhouse gas emissions are significantly lower, while they are also high in protein and essential minerals. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-insects-uk-reluctant-eu-industry.html) 2023-09-12T19:00:01Z **Nature's great survivors: Flowering plants survived the mass extinction that killed the dinosaurs**
A new study published in Biology Letters by researchers from the University of Bath (UK) and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Mexico) shows that flowering plants escaped relatively unscathed from the mass extinction that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. While they suffered some species loss, the devastating event helped flowering plants become the dominant type of plant they are tod ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-nature-great-survivors-survived-mass.html) 2023-09-13T02:00:01Z **Motion of stars near Milky Way's central black hole is only predictable for a few hundred years**
The orbits of 27 stars orbiting closely around the black hole at the center of our Milky Way are so chaotic that researchers cannot predict with confidence where they will be in about 462 years. This finding emerges from simulations by three astronomers based in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The researchers have published their findings in two papers in the International Journal of Modern Physics ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-motion-stars-milky-central-black.html) 2023-09-13T07:00:01Z **Team develops new gold nanocluster-rich titanium dioxide photocatalyst for the oxidative coupling of methane**
The hydrocarbon methane is highly abundant on Earth, yet its release is now known to contribute to surges in temperature and climate change. In recent years, researchers have been trying to devise reliable methods to directly convert methane into other fuels and chemicals with valuable real-world applications. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-team-gold-nanocluster-rich-titanium-dioxide.html) 2023-09-13T11:10:07Z **Natural compound found in plants inhibits deadly fungi**
A new study finds that a natural compound found in many plants inhibits the growth of drug-resistant Candida fungi—including its most virulent species, Candida auris, an emerging global health threat. The journal ACS Infectious Diseases published the discovery led by scientists at Emory University. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-natural-compound-inhibits-deadly-fungi.html) 2023-09-13T15:29:03Z **Investors less likely to sell losing stocks when entire portfolio is at a loss, research finds**
Poor decisions aren't generally something people are proud of. For investors in the stock market, poor decisions can lead to something more significant than lost pride—lost money. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-investors-stocks-entire-portfolio-loss.html) 2023-09-13T15:26:03Z **Optimizing cacao pollination for higher yields**
A research team including Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter's Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology has investigated how the cultivation of cacao can be improved by using the right pollination technique. The success of cacao cultivation depends to a large extent on functioning pollination. If there is a lack of pollinators, for example, this leads to lower yields—and thus to financial problems for farmers. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-optimizing-cacao-pollination-higher-yields.html) 2023-09-14T00:00:01Z **Most Ohio students who earn manufacturing-related credentials work in other industries: Report**
Most students who complete manufacturing-related credentials in Ohio do not end up employed in manufacturing in the state, highlighting a challenge that faces policymakers as they push to create more U.S. manufacturing jobs, according to a new RAND Corporation report, titled "Strengthening the manufacturing workforce in Ohio." ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-ohio-students-manufacturing-related-credentials-industries.html) 2023-09-14T04:37:41Z **Heat, drought, fires threaten Lebanon's northern forests**
Heat waves, low rainfall and the threat of wildfires are compounding the woes of people in the forested north of Lebanon, a country where economic pain has long taken prominence over environmental concerns. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-drought-threaten-lebanon-northern-forests.html) 2023-09-14T09:00:01Z **Take the money now or later? Financial scarcity doesn't lead to poor decision making, says study**
When people feel that their resources are scarce—that they don't have enough money or time to meet their needs—they often make decisions that favor short-term gains over long-term benefits. Because of that, researchers have argued that scarcity pushes people to make myopic, impulsive decisions. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-money-financial-scarcity-doesnt-poor.html) 2023-09-14T13:10:11Z **Pollination by more than one bee species found to improve cherry harvest**
To obtain the biggest cherry harvest, trees should be pollinated by both honey bees and mason bees. A new study led by a researcher at the University of Gothenburg shows yet another benefit of biodiversity. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-pollination-bee-species-cherry-harvest.html) 2023-09-14T13:10:08Z **Could we find aliens terraforming other worlds?**
The first early humans to use fire had no inkling of what it would lead to. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-aliens-terraforming-worlds.html) 2023-09-14T13:09:25Z **AI models struggle to identify nonsense, says study**
The AI models that power chatbots and other applications still have difficulty distinguishing between nonsense and natural language, according to a study released on Thursday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-ai-struggle-nonsense.html) 2023-09-14T19:00:01Z **Are US teenagers more likely than others to exaggerate their math abilities? Study says yes**
A major new study has revealed that American teenagers are more likely than any other nationality to brag about their math ability. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-teenagers-exaggerate-math-abilities.html) 2023-09-14T19:00:01Z **Clever lapwings use cover to hide in plain sight**
Ground-nesting birds called lapwings use the shape of their nests and surroundings to hide from predators, new research shows. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-clever-lapwings-plain-sight.html) 2023-09-15T04:16:37Z **Repurposing dead spiders, counting cadaver nose hairs win Ig Nobels for comical scientific feats**
Counting nose hairs in cadavers, repurposing dead spiders and explaining why scientists lick rocks, are among the winning achievements in this year's Ig Nobels, the prize for humorous scientific feats, organizers announced Thursday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-repurposing-dead-spiders-cadaver-nose.html) 2023-09-15T09:15:02Z **Cars, chlamydia and canines are biggest koala killers**
A database tracking hospital admissions and deaths reveals the devastating impact cars, disease and dogs are having on the South East Queensland koala population. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-cars-chlamydia-canines-biggest-koala.html) 2023-09-15T13:21:04Z **Algorithm allows farmers to monitor crops in real time**
Farmers across the United States will be able to monitor their crops in real time, thanks to a novel algorithm from researchers in South Dakota State University's Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-algorithm-farmers-crops-real.html) 2023-09-16T03:31:39Z **Two Russians, American reach space station**
Two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut docked with the International Space Station on Friday after blasting off amid raging tensions between Moscow and Washington over Ukraine. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-russians-american-space-station.html) 2023-09-16T09:00:01Z **Researchers use the power of comparative mapping to reveal specific global and regional threats to reptiles**
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 21% of reptile species worldwide were threatened with extinction as of 2022. However, until recently there have been few details of the kinds of threats affecting distinct species in specific geographical areas, and as a result, important reptile conservation opportunities may have been missed. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-power-reveal-specific-global-regional.html) 2023-09-16T13:30:01Z **Signs of life? Why astronomers are excited about CO2 and methane in the atmosphere of an alien world**
Are we alone? This question is nearly as old as humanity itself. Today, this question in astronomy focuses on finding life beyond our planet. Are we, as a species, and as a planet, alone? Or is there life somewhere else? ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-life-astronomers-co2-methane-atmosphere.html) 2023-09-17T05:37:35Z **Huge groupers, the joy of Florida divers, are now 'vulnerable'**
The goliath grouper, a colossus of a fish that can weigh up to 360 kilograms (nearly 800 pounds), is the delight of divers in Florida, though scientists warn their numbers are down since the US state allowed fishing of the giants to resume. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-huge-groupers-joy-florida-divers.html) 2023-09-17T05:35:38Z **California sues oil giants, alleging climate-risks deception**
The US state of California sued five of the world's largest oil companies on Friday, alleging the firms caused billions of dollars in damages and misled the public by minimizing the risks from fossil fuels, according to a court filing. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-california-sues-oil-giants-alleging.html) 2023-09-17T09:40:02Z **NASA joins the still controversial search for UFOs**
NASA on Thursday officially joined the search for UFOs—but reflecting the stigma attached to the field, the US space agency kept secret for hours the identity of the person heading a new program tracking mystery flying objects. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-nasa-controversial-ufos.html) 2023-09-17T16:30:01Z **Humanity deep in the danger zone of planetary boundaries: Study**
Human activity and appetites have weakened Earth's resilience, pushing it far beyond the "safe operating space" that keeps the world livable for most species, including our own, a landmark study said Wednesday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-humanity-deep-danger-zone-planetary.html) 2023-09-18T03:48:59Z **Magnitude 4.8 earthquake rattles part of Italy northeast of Florence, but no damage reported so far**
A 4.8-magnitude earthquake rattled parts of Tuscany early Monday, geologists and firefighters said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-magnitude-earthquake-rattles-italy-northeast.html) 2023-09-18T09:38:03Z **Olefins from carbon dioxide and hydrogen: Green chemistry under fluctuating conditions**
Wouldn't it be an elegant solution to use the substance that is most damaging to the climate and threatens the future as a raw material for economic goods and everyday items? In fact, carbon dioxide (CO2), an unavoidable byproduct of civilization, is already being used in the laboratory to produce lower olefins, alcohols and fuels in combination with hydrogen and other chemical reactants, all of which can be o ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-olefins-carbon-dioxide-hydrogen-green.html) 2023-09-18T13:44:03Z **A new observatory could spot core-collapse supernovae before they explode**
The thing about a supernova is that you never know when it might occur. Supernovae are triggered either by a collision with another star or when the interior of a massive star becomes depleted of nuclear fuel and begins a rapid collapse. Neither of these show any major optical changes before the explosion, so we are left to scan the sky in the hopes of catching one in its early stages. But that could soon change. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-observatory-core-collapse-supernovae.html) 2023-09-18T13:43:03Z **The Milky Way's disk is warped. Is that because its dark matter halo is tilted?**
It's difficult to determine the shape of our galaxy. So difficult that only in the last century did we learn that the Milky Way is just one galaxy among billions. So it's not surprising that despite all our modern telescopes and spacecraft we are still mapping the shape of our galaxy. And one of the more interesting discoveries is that the Milky Way is warped. One explanation for this is that our galaxy has undergone collision ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-milky-disk-warped-dark-halo.html) 2023-09-19T04:10:24Z **Women from diverse backgrounds still face leadership barriers, says Australian study**
Australian leaders with diverse backgrounds have expressed a sense of resignation and despair about the lack of women from First Nations and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds in leadership roles. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-women-diverse-backgrounds-leadership-barriers.html) 2023-09-19T09:04:25Z **River-suspended particulate matter doesn't make it to the Great Barrier Reef, study shows**
A new Griffith-led study shows that, contrary to popular belief, organic suspended particulate matter on the Great Barrier Reef doesn't come from land derived river run-off. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-river-suspended-particulate-doesnt-great-barrier.html) 2023-09-19T13:49:04Z **Employee mental health suffers when company is going through a crisis, research finds**
The number of workers taking antidepressants rises significantly when a company is going through financial turmoil, Ph.D. research by Daniel Kárpáti shows. Job loss is an important reason for soaring prescription rates, but employees who don't lose their jobs are also more likely to suffer from depression. To curb the psychological and economic costs of recessions, Kárpáti argues for more proactive mental healt ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-employee-mental-health-company-crisis.html) 2023-09-19T13:47:04Z **Fifty-year study reveals climate change and avian flu impact on UK seabirds**
A scientist who has dedicated his life to studying seabirds has revealed how climate change has led to mass mortality events, altered breeding times and how the population is now being devastated by bird flu, in one of the world's longest running studies of its kind. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-fifty-year-reveals-climate-avian-flu.html) 2023-09-19T18:10:01Z **Grackle study finds behavior is the secret to success for a range expansion**
While many species are undergoing drastic declines in their numbers and geographic ranges, other species seem to be thriving. Researchers investigating the great-tailed grackle, a bird that has been establishing new populations across North America in the past few decades, reveal that behavior might play a key role in their success. They found that the population on the range's edge is more persistent and has more variab ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-grackle-behavior-secret-success-range.html) 2023-09-20T00:00:01Z **Shading the Great Barrier Reef from the sun might slow bleaching-induced coral decline**
Over the past two decades, coral reefs have declined at unprecedented rates. This is in part because of extreme weather events, which cause wide-spread coral bleaching, a process during which corals lose their color because of stressors, including changes in water temperature, light, or nutrient availability. One of the worst mass bleaching events occurred in 2016 and 2017 on the Great Barrier Reef, causing ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-great-barrier-reef-sun-bleaching-induced.html) 2023-09-20T00:00:01Z **How bats evolved to avoid cancer**
A new paper titled "Long-read sequencing reveals rapid evolution of immunity and cancer-related genes in bats" in Genome Biology and Evolution shows that rapid evolution in bats may account for the animals' extraordinary ability to both host and survive infections as well as avoid cancer. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-evolved-cancer.html) 2023-09-20T04:02:54Z **Avian flu hits bird paradise of Galapagos Islands**
The Galapagos National Park said Tuesday that it had detected its first cases of avian flu on the remote islands, home to unique bird species that helped inspire the theory of evolution. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-avian-flu-bird-paradise-galapagos.html) 2023-09-20T04:01:31Z **Courtrooms: a growing arena in the climate fight**
The battle against climate change is increasingly being fought in the courtroom, as national governments, specific laws and individual companies are targeted for their roles in the crisis. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-courtrooms-arena-climate.html) 2023-09-20T09:00:02Z **A newly identified virus emerges from the deep**
The Mariana Trench, the deepest place on Earth, plunges nearly 11,000 meters at its lowest point on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Life persists in the deep and cold darkness, and "wherever there's life, you can bet there are regulators at work," said marine virologist Min Wang, Ph.D, at the Ocean University of China, in Qingdao. "Viruses, in this case." ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-newly-virus-emerges-deep.html) 2023-09-20T09:00:01Z **Black holes eat faster than previously expected: New finding might explain why quasars flare and fade so quickly**
A new Northwestern University-led study is changing the way astrophysicists understand the eating habits of supermassive black holes. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-black-holes-faster-previously-quasars.html) 2023-09-20T13:07:03Z **NASA's moonbound Artemis astronauts take new ride to launch pad in practice run**
The four astronauts headed to the moon next year on the Artemis II mission suited up and took a practice run to the launch pad in the new crew transport vehicles at Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-nasa-moonbound-artemis-astronauts-pad.html) 2023-09-20T17:11:52Z **NASA team simulates a glimpse of our galaxy in gravitational waves**
Astronomers using simulated data have produced a glimpse of the sky as it would appear in gravitational waves, cosmic ripples in space-time generated by orbiting objects. The image shows how space-based gravitational wave observatories expected to launch in the next decade will enhance our understanding of our galactic home. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-nasa-team-simulates-glimpse-galaxy.html) 2023-09-21T03:00:01Z **New research finds that sewage release is worse for rivers than agriculture**
Ahead of World Rivers Day (24 September), new research by the University of Oxford reveals that sewage discharge into rivers has a greater impact on water quality, and the animals and plants that live in rivers, than surrounding land use. The findings have been published in the journals Global Change Biology and Ecological Solutions and Evidence. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-sewage-worse-rivers-agriculture.html) 2023-09-21T09:35:43Z **New Type I supernova discovered with JWST**
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an international team of astronomers has observed the galaxy cluster PLCK G165.7+67.0. The observational campaign resulted in the detection of a new Type I supernova. The finding is reported in a paper published September 13 on the pre-print server arXiv. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-supernova-jwst.html) 2023-09-21T13:45:03Z **Video: Firefoxes and whale spouts light up Earth's shield**
Did you know the Northern lights or Aurora Borealis are created when the mythical Finnish "firefox" runs so quickly across the snow that its tail causes sparks to fly into the night sky? ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-video-firefoxes-whale-spouts-earth.html) 2023-09-21T13:43:05Z **Chicago's West Side is an air pollution hotspot, new study finds**
The western edge of Chicago—including the North and South Lawndale, East Garfield Park, Archer Heights and Brighton Park neighborhoods—experiences up to 32% higher concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air pollution compared to the rest of the city, a new Northwestern University study has found. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-chicago-west-side-air-pollution.html) 2023-09-21T19:00:01Z **Colorful primates don't have better color vision, study finds**
Primate species with better color vision are not more likely to have red skin or fur coloration, as previously thought. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-primates-dont-vision.html) 2023-09-22T02:56:21Z **Brazil court rules for Indigenous land rights in key case**
A lopsided majority of Brazil's Supreme Court ruled Thursday against an effort to restrict native peoples' rights to protected reservations on their ancestral lands, in a win for Indigenous activists and climate campaigners. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-brazil-court-indigenous-rights-key.html) 2023-09-22T02:54:45Z **Arson turns Amazon reforestation project to ashes**
It was supposed to be a good-news story out of the damaged Amazon rainforest: a project that replanted hundreds of thousands of trees in an illegally deforested nature reserve in Brazil. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-arson-amazon-reforestation-ashes.html) 2023-09-22T02:53:35Z **Australia's firefighters face worst season in years**
Volunteer firefighters are scorching Australia's forest undergrowth, reducing fuel for what is expected to be the fiercest fire season since the monster "Black Summer" blazes. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-australia-firefighters-worst-season-years.html) 2023-09-22T08:28:03Z **Parker Probe's path through solar blast yields unparalleled space weather insights**
NASA's Parker Solar Probe has racked up an impressive list of superlatives in its first five years of operations: It's the closest spacecraft to the sun, the fastest human-made object and the first mission to ever "touch the sun." ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-parker-probe-path-solar-blast.html) 2023-09-22T12:34:02Z **We can't see the first stars yet, but we can see their direct descendants**
If you take a universe worth of hydrogen and helium, and let it stew for about 13 billion years, you get us. We are the descendants of the primeval elements. We are the cast-off dust of the first stars, and many generations of stars after that. So our search for the first stars of the cosmos is a search for our own history. While we haven't captured the light of those first stars, some of their direct children may be in our own galaxy. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-stars-descendants.html) 2023-09-22T12:30:02Z **Improving air quality forecasting with daily update of emission inventory**
In the realm of air quality forecasting, the precision of predictions largely hinges on the accuracy of emission inventory data. Traditional methods, which often update only once a year or less, face challenges in keeping pace with the dynamic nature of air pollutant emissions. This issue is particularly significant in China, where rapid changes in atmospheric pollutants demand a more agile approach. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-air-quality-daily-emission.html) 2023-09-23T02:50:01Z **Direct synthesis of fluorinated carbon materials via solid-state mechanochemical reaction between graphite and PTFE**
A research team, led by Professor Jong-Beom Baek and his team in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST have achieved a significant breakthrough in battery technology. They have developed an innovative method that enables the safe synthesis of fluorinated carbon materials (FCMs) using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and graphite. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-synthesis-fluorinated-carbon-materials-solid-state.html) 2023-09-23T07:00:01Z **Saturday Citations: Cutting the middleman out of spider silk synthesis; hungry black holes; Osiris-Rex is back!**
This week, we reported on spider silk synthesis without spiders, and how policymakers are pursuing a wish-based approach to a global economy under climate change—what the kids call "manifesting" a green-growth future. Plus, black holes could be hungrier than previously believed. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-saturday-citations-middleman-spider-silk.html) 2023-09-23T11:30:01Z **Scientists find 'missing ingredient' for pink diamonds**
Scientists said on Tuesday they have found the "missing ingredient" for pink diamonds, some of the world's most expensive stones due their rarity and beauty, and the discovery could help find more. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-ingredient-pink-diamonds.html) 2023-09-24T05:33:15Z **Birthplace of the atomic bomb braces for its biggest mission since the top-secret Manhattan Project**
Los Alamos was the perfect spot for the U.S. government's top-secret Manhattan Project. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-birthplace-atomic-braces-biggest-mission.html) 2023-09-24T05:28:22Z **Science paints a new picture of the ancient past, when we mixed and mated with other kinds of humans**
What does it mean to be human? ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-science-picture-ancient-kinds-humans.html) 2023-09-24T10:00:01Z **Most species of 'world's largest flower' risk extinction: study**
Most species of the famously large Rafflesia flower, which has long captured the imagination with its enormous speckled red petals, are now at risk of extinction, new research warned Wednesday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-species-world-largest-extinction.html) 2023-09-25T00:00:01Z **Holidays to the home country could help bilingual children hold on to family's original language**
It's hard to keep a language in the family. Many people who migrate to different countries find that their language of origin has become a heritage language, passed on to future generations with varying degrees of success. These languages come under pressure from the dominant language in a country as well as the lack of opportunities to practice and fluent speakers to practice with. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-holidays-home-country-bilingual-children.html) 2023-09-25T04:07:53Z **After summer's extreme weather, more Americans see climate change as a culprit, AP-NORC poll shows**
Kathleen Maxwell has lived in Phoenix for more than 20 years, but this summer was the first time she felt fear, as daily high temperatures soared to 110 degrees or hotter and kept it up for a record-shattering 31 consecutive days. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-summer-extreme-weather-americans-climate.html) 2023-09-25T08:46:21Z **Scientists observe Hubbard exciton in strongly correlated insulators**
A team of scientists, led by Dr. David Hsieh from the California Institute of Technology, have observed evidence of stable Hubbard excitons in a photo-doped antiferromagnetic Mott insulator. The findings of their study are published in Nature Physics. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-hubbard-exciton-strongly-insulators.html) 2023-09-25T13:03:03Z **Social media is a double-edged sword for the public image of Canadian labor unions**
Union membership in Canada has been declining over the past four decades. In 2022, the percentage of employees who are union members fell to 29 percent from 38 percent in 1981. This decline has been partly attributed to the stagnant or outdated image of unions, which makes it difficult for some workers to relate to these organizations. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-social-media-double-edged-sword-image.html) 2023-09-25T13:02:03Z **Study shows birds that have evolved greater complexity are less biodiverse**
A new study of the evolution of birds shows that as their skeletons become more complex, they also decrease in diversity, with fewer species as they become more specialized in their niches. The findings, published in Nature Communications, show a correlation between skeleton complexity and bird diversity for the first time, and help biologists better understand why biodiversity varies across the birds. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-birds-evolved-greater-complexity-biodiverse.html) 2023-09-25T17:12:03Z **Team reviews photocatalysis for methane conversion to high-value products**
A research team has published a review paper summarizing the recent progress in methane conversion using photocatalysis. Photocatalysis, the process of using light to accelerate a chemical reaction, offers a promising and green technology for methane conversion to high-value fuels and chemicals. In their paper, the team details the advances using photocatalysts for methane conversion and outlines the challenges ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-team-photocatalysis-methane-conversion-high-value.html) 2023-09-25T17:11:03Z **Iron-based molecular switch improves reaction yield by modulating zeolite catalyst acidity**
A molecular switch, or molecule that changes in response to varying environmental stimuli, has successfully modified the acidity of a zeolite catalyst to improve the yield of paraxylene from methanol in heterogeneous catalysis, or a reaction where the catalyst, or molecule that facilitates a chemical reaction, and the reactants are in different phases, such as liquid and solid. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-iron-based-molecular-reaction-yield-modulating.html) 2023-09-26T00:00:01Z **Humans could serve as sentinels for 'forever chemicals' harm to wildlife health**
A new paper published in Science of The Total Environment by Environmental Working Group scientists proposes an intriguing concept: Humans can serve as a valuable resource for understanding the impact on other animal species of the toxic "forever chemicals" known as PFAS. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-humans-sentinels-chemicals-wildlife-health.html) 2023-09-26T04:19:42Z **Antarctic sea ice hits lowest winter maximum on record: US data**
The sea ice around Antarctica likely had a record low surface area when it was at its maximum size this winter, a preliminary US analysis of satellite data showed Monday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-antarctic-sea-ice-lowest-winter.html) 2023-09-26T04:17:37Z **Rich nations, China must accelerate race to net zero: IEA**
Rich and developing nations alike must sharply improve their net-zero targets, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday, warning that a clean energy surge was the main reason the world's climate goals are still within reach. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-rich-nations-china-net-iea.html) 2023-09-26T08:30:02Z **As Antarctic sea ice continues its dramatic decline, we need more measurements and much better models**
After two seasons of record-breaking lows, Antarctica's sea ice remains in dramatic decline, tracking well below any winter maximum levels observed since satellite monitoring began during the late 1970s. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-antarctic-sea-ice-decline.html) 2023-09-26T12:58:54Z **Memory-induced Magnus effect: Looking at the unexpected curveball in miniature**
Whether you are familiar with the term "Magnus effect" or not, you have certainly seen it in action. It is when a spinning ball—for instance in football, cricket or baseball—bends away from its expected trajectory, often to the surprise of the opposing team. The principle also has engineering uses, for example to propel certain types of ships or aircraft using a "Flettner rotor." ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-memory-induced-magnus-effect-unexpected-curveball.html) 2023-09-26T12:58:48Z **Study sheds new light on strange lava worlds**
Lava worlds, massive exoplanets home to sparkling skies and roiling volcanic seas called magma oceans, are distinctly unlike the planets in our solar system. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-strange-lava-worlds.html) 2023-09-26T17:04:11Z **Thermal magIC: Digging into the details of an ambitious new 'thermometry camera'**
Thermometers can do a lot of things: Measure the temperature at the center of your perfectly braised chicken or tell you whether to keep your child home from school due to illness. But because of their size, traditional thermometers' uses are still limited. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-thermal-magic-ambitious-thermometry-camera.html) 2023-09-27T03:32:42Z **Can a $20 billion bet wean Indonesia off coal?**
Less than a year after it was announced, a $20 billion bet to wean Indonesia off coal is mired in controversies over financing and the construction of new plants to power industry. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-billion-wean-indonesia-coal.html) 2023-09-27T03:29:13Z **How did the Maui fire spread so quickly? Overgrown gully, stubborn embers may be key to probe**
Melted remains of an old car tire. Heavily burned trees. A charred stump of an abandoned utility pole. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-maui-quickly-overgrown-gully-stubborn.html) 2023-09-27T07:40:01Z **Fossil results indicate polar bears survived last global warming deglaciation in Siberian and Canadian refugia**
Polar bears are a familiar sight to many through the media as we see evocative images of singular bears floating on isolated ice rafts as they face the harsh realities of climate change shrinking sea ice in the Arctic. Their range is significantly impacted by the presence of perennial sea ice—that which survives at least one summer melt season. Simulations suggest polar ice cover is pred ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-fossil-results-polar-survived-global.html) 2023-09-27T11:47:34Z **Computer simulations show how intermediate-mass black holes could form inside stellar clusters**
An international consortium of astronomers, including staff from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, has successfully unraveled the intricate formation mechanisms of the elusive intermediate-mass black holes. They could represent the link between their smaller relatives, the stellar black holes, and the supermassive giants that populate the centers of galaxies. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-simulations-intermediate-mass-black-holes-stellar.html) 2023-09-27T11:46:51Z **Milestone for novel atomic clock: X-ray laser shows possible route to substantially increased precision time measurement**
An international research team has taken a decisive step toward a new generation of atomic clocks. At the European XFEL X-ray laser, the researchers have created a much more precise pulse generator based on the element scandium, which enables an accuracy of one second in 300 billion years—that is about a thousand times more precise than the current standard atomic clock based on ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-milestone-atomic-clock-x-ray-laser.html) 2023-09-27T11:45:03Z **Scientists develop an electrically driven organic semiconductor laser**
Scientists at St Andrews are leading a significant breakthrough in a decades-long challenge to develop compact laser technology. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-electrically-driven-semiconductor-laser.html) 2023-09-27T16:01:05Z **Testing particle scattering and reflection in graphene**
Humanity stands on the verge of two major revolutions: the boom in 2-dimensional supermaterials like graphene with incredible properties and the introduction of quantum computers with processing power that vastly outstrips that of standard computers. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-particle-graphene.html) 2023-09-28T03:57:19Z **Blue Origin to remain grounded for now following crash probe**
US aviation regulators said Wednesday that Blue Origin must complete "21 corrective actions" before it can resume launches, closing a probe into an uncrewed crash last year that set back Jeff Bezos's space company. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-blue-grounded-probe.html) 2023-09-28T03:56:29Z **As temperatures rise, Sicily turns to exotic fruits**
Avocados, mangos, bananas and passion fruit—a wealth of exotic produce is growing under the shadow of Sicily's Mount Etna, as the Italian island's farmers adapt to global warming. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-temperatures-sicily-exotic-fruits.html) 2023-09-28T03:50:45Z **As thaw accelerates, Swiss glaciers lost 10% of their volume in the last 2 years, experts say**
A Swiss Academy of Sciences panel is reporting a dramatic acceleration of glacier melt in the Alpine country, which has lost 10% of its ice volume in just two years after high summer heat and low snow volumes in winter. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-swiss-glaciers-lost-volume-years.html) 2023-09-28T03:48:58Z **At US Antarctic base hit by harassment claims, workers are banned from buying alcohol at bars**
From Sunday, workers at the main United States base in Antarctica will no longer be able to walk into a bar and order a beer, after the federal agency that oversees the research program decided to stop serving alcohol. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-antarctic-base-workers-buying-alcohol.html) 2023-09-28T09:45:47Z **Short term outlook for emperor penguins may not be as dire as predicted**
A team of environmental scientists from France, Tasmania, Canada, the U.S. and Australia has found evidence suggesting that emperor penguins may be more adaptable to a changing climate than previously thought. In their study, reported in the journal Science Advances, the group analyzed satellite imagery revealing that emperor penguins are capable of living in a variety of habitats. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-short-term-outlook-emperor-penguins.html) 2023-09-28T09:45:36Z **Pre-pilot survey explores dozens of candidate ultra-diffuse galaxies**
By analyzing the data from the WALLABY pre-pilot survey, astronomers from the University of Western Australia and elsewhere, have inspected 78 candidate ultra-diffuse galaxies in the Eridanus supergroup. The study was detailed in a paper published September 21 on the pre-print server arXiv. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-pre-pilot-survey-explores-dozens-candidate.html) 2023-09-28T13:55:50Z **Where have all the flowers gone? Miami as import hub for flowers in the US**
In the questioning words of the 1955 Pete Seeger song: "Where have all the flowers gone? Long time passing." Well, it seems Miami is where they've all gone and it's not taking them so long, after all. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-miami-import-hub.html) 2023-09-28T13:54:12Z **Alarming decline charted in seasonal workers' well-being**
Research into the experiences of seasonal workers has uncovered an alarming decline in the well-being of Timorese migrants when they return home after stints in the Australian Seasonal Workers Program. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-alarming-decline-seasonal-workers-well-being.html) 2023-09-28T13:49:13Z **Spotted lanternfly has spread to Illinois, threatening trees and crops**
Illinois is the latest state to find invasive spotted lanternflies, an winged insect that's spreading across the eastern U.S. and is subject to squish-on-sight requests in New York and elsewhere. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-lanternfly-illinois-threatening-trees-crops.html) 2023-09-29T00:20:01Z **Mouthwash for dogs: Water additive with pomegranate helps to keep canine teeth healthy**
Periodontal disease is one of the most common canine diseases, affecting at least 80% of dogs aged three and over. Periodontal disease begins as gingivitis, where gums become red and inflamed, and may bleed. Untreated, the disease can progress to periodontitis, where the alveolar bone is progressively damaged so that teeth may loosen or fall out. In turn, periodontitis is a risk factor for other diseases ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-mouthwash-dogs-additive-pomegranate-canine.html) 2023-09-29T05:54:50Z **Research finds diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives during certain presidencies can affect bottom line**
Corporate initiatives focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) for vulnerable social groups can change a company in many ways. According to researchers at the University of New Hampshire, how DEI affects a business' bottom line may depend on the presidential administration and the general public's perception at the time. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-diversity-equity-inclusion-affect-bottom.html) 2023-09-29T05:54:04Z **First of its kind dataset shows future flooding risk at neighborhood level**
If you've lived in the same geographic location for several years, you've probably noticed the seasons changing. And no, not from spring to summer and fall to winter. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-kind-dataset-future-neighborhood.html) 2023-09-29T05:49:27Z **Physicists coax superconductivity and more from quasicrystals**
In research that could jumpstart interest into an enigmatic class of materials known as quasicrystals, MIT scientists and colleagues have discovered a relatively simple, flexible way to create new atomically thin versions that can be tuned for important phenomena. In work reported in Nature they describe doing just that to make the materials exhibit superconductivity and more. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-physicists-coax-superconductivity-quasicrystals.html) 2023-09-29T05:48:01Z **Q&A: Searching for life where it shouldn't exist**
A team of Penn State scientists is working to solve one of the world's greatest unsolved mysteries: how life originated on Earth—and how it might have evolved on other planets. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-qa-life-shouldnt.html) 2023-09-29T05:47:18Z **Scientists zero in on the life-threatening fungus, Candida auris' ability to stick**
In 2009, a mysterious fungus emerged seemingly from out of thin air, targeting the most vulnerable among us. It sounds like Hollywood, but the fungus in question poses a very real threat. Scientists are scrambling to figure out what makes the life-threatening fungus Candida auris tick—and why even the best infection control protocols in hospitals and other care settings often fail to get rid of it. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-life-threatening-fungus-candida-auris.html) 2023-09-29T10:02:30Z **Concave, umbrella-like metal complexes provide space for giant molecular rotors to operate in solid state**
Solid materials are generally known to be rigid and unmoving, but scientists are turning this idea on its head by exploring ways to incorporate moving parts into solids. This can enable the development of exotic new materials such as amphidynamic crystals—crystals which contain both rigid and mobile components—whose properties can be altered by controlling molecular rotation within the ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-concave-umbrella-like-metal-complexes-space.html) 2023-09-29T10:00:03Z **Using a cutting enzyme and an RNA repair enzyme to modify RNA virus genomes**
A team of microbiologists at Montana State University has developed a way to use a cutting enzyme and an RNA repair enzyme to modify the genome of an RNA virus. They describe their technique in Science Advances. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-enzyme-rna-virus-genomes.html) 2023-09-29T09:59:52Z **Study shows bacteria in the soil can defy periods of drought**
While many bacteria become inactive during dry spells, specific groups persist and even thrive. A new study, published in Nature Communications and conducted by the Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CeMESS) at the University of Vienna, offers ground-breaking insights into bacterial activity during drought periods, with implications for agriculture and our understanding of climate change impacts. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-bacteria-soil-defy-periods-drought.html) 2023-09-29T09:59:18Z **Self-healing of synthetic diamonds observed at room temperature**
A team of chemists, materials scientists and aeronautical engineers at Beihang University, working with one colleague from Yanshan University and another from the University of Chicago, reports evidence of self-healing in a sample of synthetic diamond at room temperature. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-self-healing-synthetic-diamonds-room-temperature.html) 2023-09-29T09:57:04Z **How disordered proteins contribute to the properties of the rabies virus**
A large team of international researchers have used techniques at ANSTO's Australian Synchrotron to understand how key proteins contribute to the virulence of the rabies virus, sometimes called the "zombie virus." ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-disordered-proteins-contribute-properties-rabies.html) 2023-09-29T14:08:32Z **Shaping positive STEM identity for student success**
Data show that students who have a strong science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) identity are more likely to take STEM courses and persist to the academic finish line––graduation. Positive STEM identity is multifaceted, but at the core, it is the sense that one "belongs" in STEM and can succeed in STEM. A person with strong STEM identity tends to feel confident of the following: ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-positive-stem-identity-student-success.html) 2023-09-30T03:52:59Z **Timing plant evolution with a fast-ticking epigenetic clock**
Recent discoveries in the field of epigenetics, the study of inheritance of traits that occur without changing the DNA sequence, have shown that chronological age in mammals correlates with epigenetic changes that accumulate during the lifetime of an individual. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-evolution-fast-ticking-epigenetic-clock.html) 2023-09-30T09:30:01Z **Saturday Citations: Volcano vs. asteroid; NASA's supernova time lapse; immortal chemicals**
This week, we're highlighting a study involving toxic chemical contaminants, and just for fun, a second study involving other toxic chemical contaminants. But NASA made a cool time-lapse video using the good old Hubble space telescope, and a group of Italian demographers have a lot to say about the population-level consequences of lying. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-saturday-citations-volcano-asteroid-nasa.html) 2023-09-30T14:10:01Z **Mysterious antimatter observed falling down for first time**
For the first time, scientists have observed antimatter particles—the mysterious twins of the visible matter all around us—falling downwards due to the effect of gravity, Europe's physics lab CERN announced on Wednesday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-mysterious-antimatter-falling.html) 2023-10-01T06:10:27Z **Drought drains Brazilian Amazon residents reliant on waterways**
Not far from the emblematic site where the black waters of the Rio Negro join the brown currents of the Solimoes, two chief tributaries of the Amazon, what once was a lake has given way to a vast stretch of cracked mud. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-drought-brazilian-amazon-residents-reliant.html) 2023-10-01T13:10:01Z **Antimatter: We cracked how gravity affects it. What it means for our understanding of the universe**
A substance called antimatter is at the heart of one of the greatest mysteries of the universe. We know that every particle has an antimatter companion that is virtually identical to itself, but with the opposite charge. When a particle and its antiparticle meet, they annihilate each other—disappearing in a burst of light. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-antimatter-gravity-affects-universe.html) 2023-10-01T19:00:01Z **Faith primary schools admitting fewer children with special educational needs, study finds**
Faith primary schools are admitting fewer children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) than local authority community primaries, according to new research from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-09-faith-primary-schools-children-special.html) 2023-10-02T03:30:39Z **Canada left battered by 'never before seen' wildfire season**
When scientists started pouring over data to assess Canada's fire season this year, they struggled to find the right superlatives. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-canada-left-battered-wildfire-season.html) 2023-10-02T07:52:47Z **Researchers advance effort to turn diamonds into a quantum simulator**
Diamonds are often prized for their flawless shine, but Chong Zu, an assistant professor of physics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, sees a deeper value in these natural crystals. As reported in Physical Review Letters, Zu and his team have taken a major step forward in a quest to turn diamonds into a quantum simulator. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-advance-effort-diamonds-quantum-simulator.html) 2023-10-02T12:00:02Z **How often do you think about the Roman empire? TikTok trend exposes the way we gender history**
How often do you think about the Roman empire? This question, posed to men by their partners on social media app TikTok, has led to a storm of viral videos. Women are amused to discover the answer is often "every day," or at least "several times a week." ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-roman-empire-tiktok-trend-exposes.html) 2023-10-02T16:23:05Z **Scientists investigate Grand Canyon's ancient past to predict future climate impacts**
The Grand Canyon's valleys and millions of years of rock layers spanning Earth's history have earned it a designation as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. But, according to a new UNLV study, its marvels extend to vast cave systems that lie beneath the surface, which just might hold clues to better understand the future of climate change—by studying nature's past. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientists-grand-canyon-ancient-future.html) 2023-10-02T16:21:05Z **Desperate to rid California of invasive deer, officials propose bold helicopter hunt**
A plan to use helicopter-mounted sharpshooters to kill nearly 2,000 invasive mule deer roaming the mountains of Santa Catalina Island has ignited a storm of protest among residents of the popular resort destination and prompted calls for state wildlife officials to block the hunt. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-desperate-california-invasive-deer-bold.html) 2023-10-03T04:09:28Z **Japan sees hottest September since records began**
Japan has seen its hottest September since records began 125 years ago, the weather agency said, in a year expected to be the warmest in human history. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-japan-hottest-september-began.html) 2023-10-03T04:04:44Z **Nobels season resumes with Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarding the prize in physics**
Nobels season is resuming on Tuesday with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm awarding the prize in physics. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nobels-season-resumes-royal-swedish.html) 2023-10-03T04:03:58Z **How are ancient Roman and Mayan buildings still standing? Scientists are unlocking their secrets**
In the quest to build better for the future, some are looking for answers in the long-ago past. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-ancient-roman-mayan-scientists-secrets.html) 2023-10-03T08:45:46Z **Indonesian city closes schools over peatland fire haze**
An Indonesian city with a population of hundreds of thousands has shut schools for three days because of haze caused by large peatland fires, its mayor said Tuesday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-indonesian-city-schools-peatland-haze.html) 2023-10-03T12:49:25Z **Bird species changing faster than expected in protected areas**
A recent study by University of Helsinki researchers has found that bird communities inside and outside protected areas are beginning to resemble each other as a result of climate change. In both areas, southern species increased in abundance, while northern species decreased. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-bird-species-faster-areas.html) 2023-10-03T17:08:05Z **Identifying biosecurity to prevent chronic wasting disease transmission among deer populations**
As chronic wasting disease (CWD) ravaged deer populations across the country in recent years, studies have primarily focused on how CWD can jump from farmed herds to wild deer, with little attention given to how transmission may occur from wild deer to those living on farms. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-biosecurity-chronic-disease-transmission-deer.html) 2023-10-04T04:03:27Z **Swedish media report that the winners of the Nobel Prize in chemistry may have been announced early**
Swedish media say the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences may have announced the winners of this year's Nobel Prize in chemistry prematurely. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-swedish-media-winners-nobel-prize.html) 2023-10-04T09:30:03Z **Researchers find barriers to driver training and licensure, especially among low-income teens**
Researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Stuart Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania have found that teenagers living in lower-income areas of the Columbus, Ohio metro area are up to four times less likely to complete driver training and obtain their driver's license before age 18. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-barriers-driver-licensure-low-income-teens.html) 2023-10-04T13:37:02Z **SpaceX aims for its 50th Space Coast launch this year**
SpaceX is targeting its 50th Space Coast launch of the year with another Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-spacex-aims-50th-space-coast.html) 2023-10-05T00:10:01Z **New research into pangolin genomics may aid in conservation efforts**
A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution provides, for the first time, a comprehensive set of genomic resources for pangolins (sometimes known as scaly anteaters) that researchers believe will be integral for protecting these threatened mammals. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-pangolin-genomics-aid-efforts.html) 2023-10-05T05:00:26Z **At least 10 dead, 102 missing in India glacial lake burst**
Indian rescue teams searched on Thursday for 102 people missing after a devastating flash flood triggered by a high-altitude glacial lake burst killed at least 10, officials said. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-dead-india-glacial-lake.html) 2023-10-05T05:00:02Z **Bumble bees drop to shake off Asian hornets**
Bumble bees have a remarkably successful method for fighting off Asian hornets, new research shows. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-bumble-bees-asian-hornets.html) 2023-10-05T09:30:01Z **Researchers suggest paired black holes pulled by cosmic expansion could seem to be one entity**
A small team of astrophysicists and mathematicians from the University of Southampton, the University of Cambridge and Institut de Ci'encies del Cosmos Universitat de Barcelona has proposed that certain pairings of black holes held apart by cosmic expansion could be mistaken for a single equal-mass black hole. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-paired-black-holes-cosmic-expansion.html) 2023-10-05T09:23:01Z **Model shows how Amazonian forest degradation and monsoon circulation are interlinked**
A pair of concerned researchers, one a mathematician at the University of Norway, the other a climatologist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, has developed a computer model that shows linkages between forest degradation in the Amazon River basin and monsoon circulation. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-amazonian-forest-degradation-monsoon-circulation.html) 2023-10-05T09:22:54Z **Indian astronomers investigate star-forming complex S193**
Astronomers from the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, India and elsewhere, have inspected a star-forming complex known as S193, using multiwavelength observational data. Results of the study, published Sept. 21 on the pre-print server arXiv, shed more light on the properties of this complex. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-indian-astronomers-star-forming-complex-s193.html) 2023-10-05T13:42:04Z **How a disgruntled scientist looking to prove his food wasn't fresh discovered radioactive tracers and won a Nobel Prize**
Each October, the Nobel Prizes celebrate a handful of groundbreaking scientific achievements. And while many of the awarded discoveries revolutionize the field of science, some originate in unconventional places. For George de Hevesy, the 1943 Nobel Laureate in chemistry who discovered radioactive tracers, that place was a boarding house cafeteria in Manchester, U.K., in 1911. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-disgruntled-scientist-food-wasnt-fresh.html) 2023-10-06T01:50:50Z **US Customs officials seize giraffe feces from woman at Minnesota airport**
Federal customs agents pooh-poohed the plans of an Iowa woman who wanted to make jewelry from giraffe feces she picked up on a trip to Kenya and brought back to the U.S. in her luggage. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-customs-seize-giraffe-feces-woman.html) 2023-10-06T08:52:58Z **Study of mud cores from Lake Victoria suggests diversification of cichlid fish led to their success**
A team of biologists affiliated with multiple institutions in Switzerland and Tanzania has found that early cichlid diversification in Lake Victoria led to their success in deep parts of the lake. In their study, reported in the journal Nature, the group studied four sediment cores obtained from the lake. Martin Genner, with the University of Bristol, has published a News & Views piece in the sa ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-mud-cores-lake-victoria-diversification.html) 2023-10-06T13:00:04Z **Climate change is disrupting ocean currents. Researchers are using satellites and ships to understand how**
Earth's ocean is incredibly vast. Some parts of it are so remote that the nearest human habitation is the International Space Station. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-climate-disrupting-ocean-currents-satellites.html) 2023-10-06T12:59:03Z **New UN report reveals the extent of systemic racism faced by people of African descent in Australia**
A special UN working group this week tabled its first-ever report on the experiences of people of African descent in Australia to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-reveals-extent-racism-people-african.html) 2023-10-06T12:56:03Z **How Arctic landscapes and Canadian cityscapes share a similar pattern**
The year 2023 has been one of extremes, from heat waves that baked millions across the globe and made the summer the world's hottest on record to the fires that forced tens of thousands to evacuate across Western Canada. From the feel of surprising warmth in the mid-winter sun to the crinkle and cracking of leaves dried by drought, you can witness climate change with all of your senses. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-arctic-landscapes-canadian-cityscapes-similar.html) 2023-10-07T04:10:01Z **Climate change affecting ability to prevent US wildfires: study**
Shifting weather patterns caused by climate change are limiting when controlled burns can be carried out to prevent wildfires in the western United States, a new study warns. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-climate-affecting-ability-wildfires.html) 2023-10-07T09:20:02Z **Free-space nanoprinting beyond optical limits to create 4D functional structures**
Two-photon polymerization is a potential method for nanofabrication to integrate nanomaterials based on femtosecond laser-based methods. Challenges in the field of 3D nanoprinting include slow layer-by-layer printing and limited material options as a result of laser-matter interactions. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-free-space-nanoprinting-optical-limits-4d.html) 2023-10-08T04:43:59Z **Toxic storms blamed on climate change cloud Tajikistan**
The air was dry and warm and the skies over Dushanbe were gray without a hint of sun during another recent toxic sand storm that enveloped the capital of Tajikistan. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-toxic-storms-blamed-climate-cloud.html) 2023-10-08T09:00:02Z **It's time to start worrying about space junk around the moon, too**
It's getting crowded up there. An increase in military, commercial and scientific launches, coupled with a lower cost for rideshare cubesat launches, means lots more space junk to deal with in coming years. And we're not just talking about low Earth orbit; the moon and cis-lunar (near lunar space) is about to become busy as well. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-space-junk-moon.html) 2023-10-08T15:00:01Z **Discovery of invisible nutrient discharge on Great Barrier Reef raises concerns**
Scientists using natural tracers off Queensland's coast have discovered the source of previously unquantified nitrogen and phosphorous that are having a profound environmental impact on the Great Barrier Reef. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-discovery-invisible-nutrient-discharge-great.html) 2023-10-09T03:00:02Z **Researchers identify largest ever solar storm in ancient 14,300-year-old tree rings**
An international team of scientists have discovered a huge spike in radiocarbon levels 14,300 years ago by analyzing ancient tree-rings found in the French Alps. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-largest-solar-storm-ancient-year-old.html) 2023-10-09T07:44:03Z **Injured tortoises make slow recovery from Greece fires**
In an animal shelter near Athens, veterinarian Kleopatra Gkika gently smears soothing cream on the leg of a tortoise, one of hundreds singed in Greece's devastating summer wildfires. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-tortoises-recovery-greece.html) 2023-10-09T11:50:58Z **Vacuum cleaner-effect in fungi can hold nanoplastics at bay**
Using micro-engineered soil models, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have investigated the effect of tiny polystyrene particles on bacteria and fungi. While these nanoplastics reduced both bacterial and fungal growth, the fungus actually managed to "clean up" their surroundings, thereby easing the effect of the plastics. Their work has been published in Science of The Total Environment. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-vacuum-cleaner-effect-fungi-nanoplastics-bay.html) 2023-10-09T11:50:37Z **Bacteria opt for the best price-to-quality ratio to predict the future**
Predicting the future can be a matter of life or death. Just think, every time you cross the street, you predict whether this is possible without being run over. Experiments show that even single-celled organisms such as bacteria can predict the future. The better bacteria can predict changes in their environment, the greater their chances of survival. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-bacteria-opt-price-to-quality-ratio-future.html) 2023-10-09T11:50:01Z **Models suggest interlinking rivers in India to meet water demand may adversely impact monsoon rainfall amounts**
A team of civil engineers and meteorologists at the Indian Institute of Technology, working with colleagues from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and the University of Hyderabad, has found, via modeling, that a plan to interlink rivers in India to capture rain runoff could inadvertently have a negative impact on the amount and location of monsoon rainfall. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-interlinking-rivers-india-demand-adversely.html) 2023-10-09T11:49:36Z **Plate tectonic surprise: Geologist unexpectedly finds remnants of a lost mega-plate**
Utrecht University geologist Suzanna van de Lagemaat has reconstructed a massive and previously unknown tectonic plate that was once one-quarter the size of the Pacific Ocean. Her colleagues in Utrecht had predicted its existence over 10 years ago based on fragments of old tectonic plates found deep in the Earth's mantle. Van de Lagemaat reconstructed lost plates through field research and detailed inves ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-plate-tectonic-geologist-unexpectedly-remnants.html) 2023-10-09T11:46:52Z **DREAM tool for gene therapies uses 'locally sourced' components**
Sourcing some materials closer to home may be a good practice not only in the produce aisle but also the synthetic biology lab. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-tool-gene-therapies-locally-sourced.html) 2023-10-09T11:46:47Z **New analytical tool improves genetic analysis and research accuracy**
Rutgers researchers have developed an analytical tool for spotting and omitting stray DNA and RNA that contaminate genetic analyses of single-celled organisms. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-analytical-tool-genetic-analysis-accuracy.html) 2023-10-09T15:59:04Z **Researcher: Today's white working-class young men who turn to racist violence are part of a long, sad American history**
In recent years, the United States has seen a surge of white supremacist mass shootings against racial minorities. While not always the case, mass shooters tend to be young white men. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-today-white-working-class-young-men.html) 2023-10-09T15:57:08Z **Building environmental policy on America's support for a clean environment**
Listening to some politicos on the campaign trail, it's easy to assume that most Americans are against protecting the environment and that government should simply let the market regulate itself. For decades the Gallup poll has posed a question about the false trade-off between economic growth and environmental protection. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-environmental-policy-america-environment.html) 2023-10-10T00:00:01Z **Researchers find pre-Columbian agave plants persisting in Arizona landscapes**
A new paper in the Annals of Botany reveals that researchers have found unaltered agave plant species cultivated by several early cultures including the Hohokam people, a large Native American group in the Southwest that existed between 300 and 1500 CE. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-pre-columbian-agave-persisting-arizona-landscapes.html) 2023-10-10T08:55:18Z **Eclipsing X-ray binary 4U 1538-522 investigated with NuSTAR**
Using NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), Indian astronomers have observed an eclipsing X-ray binary system known as 4U 1538-522. Results of the observational campaign, published September 26 in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society journal, deliver important insights into the properties and behavior of this pulsar. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-eclipsing-x-ray-binary-4u-.html) 2023-10-10T13:09:03Z **Scientists study the effect of grape pomace on the digestive tract microbiota of herbivores**
During the grape juice extraction and winemaking process, a significant amount of residue, which accounts for 20%–25% of the fresh grape weight, is generated. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientists-effect-grape-pomace-digestive.html) 2023-10-10T17:14:04Z **Study shows little improvement in mandated disaster plans, despite required updates**
Hurricanes, floods, heat waves and other disasters are striking the United States with increased severity and frequency, and since 2000 the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act has required states and local jurisdictions to have plans in place to reduce damages from such events. A new study from the University of Kansas has found little improvement over time to these plans, in spite of regularly required updates. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-mandated-disaster-required.html) 2023-10-11T00:00:01Z **Peregrine falcons set off false alarms to make prey easier to catch, study finds**
Predators must eat to survive—and to survive, prey must avoid being eaten. One theory, the Wolf-Mangel model, suggests predators could use false attacks to tire prey out or force them to take bigger risks, but this has been hard to show in practice. Now, scientists observing peregrine falcons have found evidence that they deliberately exhaust their prey to improve later hunting success. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-peregrine-falcons-false-alarms-prey.html) 2023-10-11T04:25:13Z **65+ age group to outnumber under-15s in Europe by 2024**
People aged 65 and older will outnumber under-15s in Europe by 2024, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, warning of new social, economic and health challenges. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-age-group-outnumber-under-15s-europe.html) 2023-10-11T04:24:39Z **In Colombian jungle, digging up the Americas' colonial past**
With brushes and trowels, Indigenous Colombians are unearthing traces in the jungle of a tragic period in history, when their ancestors were violently supplanted by colonists from Spain. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-colombian-jungle-americas-colonial.html) 2023-10-11T04:23:11Z **Lidia leaves at least one dead in Mexico, weakens to storm**
Hurricane Lidia was downgraded to a tropical storm early Wednesday as it weakened after making landfall on Mexico's Pacific coast, where it left at least one dead and caused flooding and blocked roads, officials said. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-lidia-dead-mexico-weakens-storm.html) 2023-10-11T04:22:55Z **Swans in Florida that date to Queen Elizabeth II gift are rounded up for their annual physicals**
A flock of swans that grew from a gift nearly 70 years ago from Queen Elizabeth II has been rounded up in Florida to ensure they are all healthy. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-swans-florida-date-queen-elizabeth.html) 2023-10-11T09:21:03Z **Material cycle for amine chemistry: Important building blocks created from platform chemical in single step**
Fossil raw materials still dominate the chemical industry. But laboratories around the world are researching ways in which large-scale processes can avoid crude oil, natural gas and coal in the future. So-called platform chemicals are gaining in importance; they are produced entirely from renewable raw materials. But their use in industrial processes requires special catalysts. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-material-amine-chemistry-important-blocks.html) 2023-10-11T13:33:03Z **Majority of endangered greater glider habitat in Queensland unprotected, shows study**
Researchers at Griffith University have discovered that the majority of critical habitat and movement pathways for southern greater gliders in Queensland lie outside of protected areas. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-majority-endangered-greater-glider-habitat.html) 2023-10-11T13:31:03Z **Micro/nanoscale 4D printing revolution: Manufacturing high-resolution transformable 3D structures**
Have you ever imaged high-resolution 3D structures at the micro/nanoscale that react dynamically to their surroundings? The 4D printing technology is changing the game by using smart materials that exhibit remarkable shape deformation in response to external stimuli, showing the enormous potential for use in biomedicine, flexible electronics, soft robotics, and aerospace. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-micronanoscale-4d-revolution-high-resolution-3d.html) 2023-10-11T13:28:03Z **Researchers show consequences of inaction on devastating banana disease**
Lurking inside the crops of banana-producing-areas in east and central Africa is a disease called Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW)—and new modeling by researchers from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT has shown that if left uncontrolled, this bacterial disease could cause a 55% reduction in banana production in newly affected regions within 10 years. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-consequences-inaction-devastating-banana-disease.html) 2023-10-11T19:00:01Z **Experts call for just and fair transition away from industrial meat production and consumption**
A team of scientists has presented a five-step approach to through which governments can plan a transition away from high levels of industrial meat production and consumption that is fair and just for affected stakeholders. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-experts-fair-transition-industrial-meat.html) 2023-10-12T04:55:38Z **Fiji minister urges 'quicker' plastic pollution treaty**
The world must move faster on a plastic pollution treaty that is currently not expected to be finalized before the end of next year, Fiji's deputy prime minister told an international summit on Thursday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-fiji-minister-urges-quicker-plastic.html) 2023-10-12T09:27:03Z **Elevating neuromorphic computing using laser-controlled filaments in vanadium dioxide**
In a new Science Advances study, scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China have developed a dynamic network structure using laser-controlled conducting filaments for neuromorphic computing. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-elevating-neuromorphic-laser-controlled-filaments-vanadium.html) 2023-10-12T09:24:17Z **European astronomers explore galaxy cluster G113**
Using ESA's XMM-Newton satellite and the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR), a team of European astronomers has explored a galaxy cluster known as PSZ2G113.91-37.01 (or G113 for short). Results of the observational campaign, presented in a paper published October 5 on the pre-print server arXiv, shed more light on the properties and nature of this cluster. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-european-astronomers-explore-galaxy-cluster.html) 2023-10-12T09:24:08Z **Anthropogenic aerosols could delay enhanced monsoon precipitation by decades**
Earth's atmosphere contains fine particles suspended in the air, known as aerosols, occurring from natural sources, such as dust from deserts, volcanic ash, smoke from forest fires, sea salt from ocean spray and organic compounds from vegetation. While these occur at background levels, aerosol release is being exacerbated by anthropogenic activities. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-anthropogenic-aerosols-delay-monsoon-precipitation.html) 2023-10-12T13:34:03Z **A sneak peek at the next generation Very Large Array's new antennae**
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) recently disclosed a prototype radio telescope antennae for its next generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) to a group of press, scientists, engineers, and government and business leaders from the United States and Germany at the end of a workshop held at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences in Leipzig. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-peek-generation-large-array-antennae.html) 2023-10-12T18:00:02Z **Stress wrecks male big brown bat fertility during breeding season**
Even on a good day the environment can be wildly unpredictable, from unexpected gusts of wind to food scarcity, and as humans continue to edge out the natural world, the stress on wild populations is increasing. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-stress-male-big-brown-fertility.html) 2023-10-13T00:00:01Z **Special wildlife exits on busy roads help protect endangered ocelots**
The Texas ocelot (Leopardus pardalis albescens) is endangered due to historic hunting, habitat loss, inbreeding, and traffic collisions. Today, only between 50 and 80 ocelots remain in the U.S., exclusively in Willacy and Cameron counties in southern Texas. These two populations are isolated from the larger one in northwestern Mexico by highways and urban development. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-special-wildlife-exits-busy-roads.html) 2023-10-13T04:10:54Z **Climate 'countdown clock' report launched ahead of key UN talks**
Top scientists have launched a yearly report series to plug knowledge gaps ahead of crunch climate talks, with their global warming "countdown clock" vying for the attention of world leaders and ordinary citizens alike. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-climate-countdown-clock-key.html) 2023-10-13T04:09:33Z **A doctors group calls its 'excited delirium' paper outdated and withdraws its approval**
A leading doctors group on Thursday formally withdrew its approval of a 2009 paper on "excited delirium," a document that critics say has been used to justify excessive force by police. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-doctors-group-delirium-paper-outdated.html) 2023-10-13T08:37:56Z **EU fails to decide on glyphosate use extension**
The EU failed Friday to agree extending the use of glyphosate—a weedkiller the WHO fears could be carcinogenic—because of division among the bloc's 27 member countries, a European Commission spokesman said. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-eu-glyphosate-extension.html) 2023-10-13T12:40:55Z **First supernova detected, confirmed, classified and shared by AI**
A fully automated process, including a brand-new artificial intelligence (AI) tool, has successfully detected, identified and classified its first supernova. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-supernova-ai.html) 2023-10-14T05:06:58Z **Paving a way to green hydrogen production**
A sustainable route to green hydrogen production is becoming possible through the use of efficient electrocatalysts in research by Texas A&M University chemical engineering professor Dr. Abdoulaye Djire. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-paving-green-hydrogen-production.html) 2023-10-14T09:40:01Z **Saturday Citations: Gravitational waves, time travel and the simulated universe hypothesis**
This week, researchers proved empirically that life isn't fair. Also, you'll notice that, in a superhuman display of restraint, I managed to write a paragraph about the simulated universe hypothesis without once referencing "The Matrix." (Except for this reference.) ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-saturday-citations-gravitational-simulated-universe.html) 2023-10-14T09:40:01Z **NASA journeys to the metal-rich asteroid Psyche**
It's a world like no other: a metal-rich asteroid that could be the remnants of a small planet, or perhaps an entirely new type of celestial body unknown to science. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nasa-journeys-metal-rich-asteroid-psyche.html) 2023-10-14T09:35:27Z **The toll of heat deaths in the Phoenix area soars after the hottest summer on record**
The toll of heat-associated deaths in Arizona's most populous county—still being tallied after the area's hottest summer ever recorded—has soared over 360, alarming public health officials who say the final count will surely set a new record. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-toll-deaths-phoenix-area-soars.html) 2023-10-14T16:10:01Z **Hotter, drier summers will make European craft beers less 'hoppy'—new study**
September 2023 was the warmest ever recorded according to the EU Climate Service, with Earth's average surface air temperature peaking at 16.38°C. The average global temperature was also at least 1.5°C higher than pre-industrial levels on about a third of days in 2023, according to another recent report. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-hotter-drier-summers-european-craft.html) 2023-10-15T06:20:01Z **Warming and habitat loss shrink pollinator numbers. That may hit coffee, cocoa crops hard in future**
Changes in the climate and land use are combining to dramatically shrink the numbers of insects pollinating key tropical crops. As those problems interwine and intensify, it likely will hit coffee lovers right in the mug, according to a new study. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-habitat-loss-pollinator-coffee-cocoa.html) 2023-10-15T11:36:05Z **Grapes of wrath: Albania winemakers struggle with warmer world**
The famously talented winemakers of Mirdita, high in the mountains of northern Albania, have never been so worried. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-grapes-wrath-albania-winemakers-struggle.html) 2023-10-16T03:59:04Z **How Belize became a poster child for 'debt-for-nature' swaps**
When COVID hit Belize, its economy nosedived: closed borders meant fisheries and farmers had no export markets, and tourism centered on the tiny Central American nation's warm waters and wonders of biodiversity came to a halt. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-belize-poster-child-debt-for-nature-swaps.html) 2023-10-16T09:01:51Z **Two new pulsars detected in globular cluster NGC 6522**
Using the MeerKAT radio telescope, an international team of astronomers has observed a Galactic globular cluster known as NGC 6522. As a result, they have discovered two new isolated pulsars in this cluster. The finding is reported in a paper published October 5 on the pre-print server arXiv. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-pulsars-globular-cluster-ngc.html) 2023-10-16T13:12:04Z **New polymer membranes, AI predictions could dramatically reduce energy, water use in oil refining**
A new kind of polymer membrane created by researchers at Georgia Tech could reshape how refineries process crude oil, dramatically reducing the energy and water required while extracting even more useful materials. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-polymer-membranes-ai-energy-oil.html) 2023-10-16T13:09:05Z **Study reveals areas of Brazilian Amazon where no ecological research has been done**
Many parts of the Brazilian Amazon are neglected in ecological research, for several reasons, according to an article published in the journal Current Biology. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-reveals-areas-brazilian-amazon-ecological.html) 2023-10-16T17:17:03Z **Researchers develop organic nanozymes suitable for agricultural use**
Nanozymes are synthetic materials that mimic the properties of natural enzymes for applications in biomedicine and chemical engineering. Historically, they are generally considered too toxic and expensive for use in agriculture and food science. Now, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a nanozyme that is organic, non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and cost effective. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nanozymes-suitable-agricultural.html) 2023-10-17T00:00:02Z **Subalpine forests in the Northern Rockies are fire resilient—for now**
Research shows that over 4,800 years in the Northern Rockies during wet periods and dry periods, subalpine forests consistently recovered from wildfires, growing back vegetation and leaving evidence of their resilience in lake sediment cores. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-subalpine-forests-northern-rockies-resilientfor.html) 2023-10-17T04:01:19Z **EU to seek virtual elimination of fossil fuels at COP28**
The EU will seek a global phase-out of fossil fuels and for their use to reach a peak in this decade, according to the member states' common position adopted unanimously late Monday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-eu-virtual-fossil-fuels-cop28.html) 2023-10-17T08:40:01Z **Direct imaging of sequences and locations of glycans bound to biomolecules at a single-molecule level**
A team of organic chemists at the Max-Planck Institute for Solid-State Research, working with colleagues from the University of Tübingen and the University of Copenhagen, reports a way to take pictures of the sequences and locations of glycans (also known as polysaccharides) bound to several biomolecules at the single-molecule level. Their study is published in Science. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-imaging-sequences-glycans-bound-biomolecules.html) 2023-10-17T12:52:03Z **Tornadoes in the UK are surprisingly common and no one knows why**
A small tornado recently passed through the town of Littlehampton on England's south coast. Strong winds smashed windows, moved cars and left one person injured. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-tornadoes-uk-common.html) 2023-10-17T12:51:06Z **Researchers: Traditional farming knowledge should be stored for future use. The technology to do this is available**
Indigenous knowledge and traditional practices have played a critical role in development all over the world. For centuries, various disciplines ranging from medicine to biodiversity conservation have drawn on these resources. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-traditional-farming-knowledge-future-technology.html) 2023-10-17T12:51:03Z **Opinion: The World Bank and the IMF need to keep reforming to become fit for purpose**
The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are being challenged to make substantial reforms so that they become fit for purpose in the 21st century. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-opinion-world-bank-imf-reforming.html) 2023-10-17T19:00:01Z **Marine mammal longevity study reveals remarkable advances in animal welfare**
A new study provides compelling evidence that animal care and management practices at zoos and aquariums have significantly improved over time. The study, led by Species360 and University of Southern Denmark Research Scientist Dr. Morgane Tidière in collaboration with 41 co-authors from academic, governmental, and zoological institutions around the world, is the first to examine life expectancy and lifespan equality ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-marine-mammal-longevity-reveals-remarkable.html) 2023-10-18T03:00:01Z **Reef-devouring predator survives coral bleaching and feasts on the survivors**
Research conducted by marine biologists from the University of Sydney has found juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish can withstand tremendous heat waves well above levels that kill coral. These starfish then develop into carnivorous predators that devour reefs just as they begin to regrow. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-reef-devouring-predator-survives-coral-feasts.html) 2023-10-18T03:00:01Z **New method may accurately identify body fluids at crime scenes**
Identifying different types of body fluids can help forensic experts reconstruct a crime scene, but it's difficult to do so. In a study published in Electrophoresis, researchers developed a method using two different types of RNA—called microRNA (miRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA)—to determine five common body fluids. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-method-accurately-body-fluids-crime.html) 2023-10-18T03:00:01Z **Can planting multiple crops in the same plot improve agricultural production and sustainability?**
Agricultural management has typically focused on increasing yields, but there is an increasing need for sustainable food production that limits negative impacts on the environment. A new study published in Grassland Research provides insights into the potential benefits of diversifying agricultural practices, revealing how different mixtures of plant species can improve production, quality, and ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-multiple-crops-plot-agricultural-production.html) 2023-10-18T08:28:11Z **Hong Kong sticks a fork in disposable plastic products**
Need a plastic fork at a Hong Kong restaurant? Come April 22, Earth Day, customers will have to start reaching for more eco-friendly cutlery, according to a bill passed Wednesday by the city's legislature. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-hong-kong-fork-disposable-plastic.html) 2023-10-18T08:28:05Z **Founder personality could predict start-up success, study suggests**
The stats don't lie—the overwhelming majority of start-up companies fail. So, what makes the seemingly lucky few not only survive, but thrive? ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-founder-personality-start-up-success.html) 2023-10-18T12:30:01Z **How animal traits have shaped the journey of species across the globe**
The devastating tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011 set off a series of events which have long fascinated scientists like me. It was so powerful that it caused 5 million tons of debris to wash into the Pacific—1.5 million tons remained afloat and started drifting with the currents. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-animal-traits-journey-species-globe.html) 2023-10-18T12:29:28Z **Widely tunable and high resolution mid-infrared laser based on optical parametric oscillator**
A widely tunable and high resolution mid-infrared radiation source operating in the 3–5 µm region has been applied to numerous frontier applications, including remote sensing, molecular spectroscopy, and atmosphere environmental monitoring. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-widely-tunable-high-resolution-mid-infrared.html) 2023-10-18T16:38:03Z **Researchers: There is a need for more accurate accounting of nitrous oxide from agricultural crop residues**
There is a need for changing the way of accounting greenhouse gases from agriculture. The current inventory of nitrous oxide from plant residues relies solely on the amount of nitrogen in the residues, while crucial factors such as the degradability of plant residues are not included. According to the researchers, this leads to misleading inventories, which also misrepresents possi ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-accurate-accounting-nitrous-oxide-agricultural.html) 2023-10-19T00:00:01Z **Grouping English learners in classrooms yields no benefit in reading development, new study finds**
Grouping English learners together in classrooms, a longstanding practice in schools, has no impact—positive or negative—on reading development for elementary school students, shows a new study by a team of literacy education researchers. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-grouping-english-learners-classrooms-yields.html) 2023-10-19T04:22:50Z **Tech breathes new life into endangered Native American languages**
Linguistics experts are turning to cutting-edge technologies to revitalize threatened Native American languages—and rejuvenate generations of Indigenous tradition—through new approaches such as children's books and smartphone apps. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-tech-life-endangered-native-american.html) 2023-10-19T09:53:03Z **El Niño's changing patterns: Human influence on natural variability**
Two recent scientific studies led by Dr. Paul Wilcox from the Department of Geology at the University of Innsbruck provide new insights into Earth's climate dynamics, with a particular focus on the El Niño phenomenon. The results show how El Niño responds to natural factors over extended periods, while highlighting the increasing role of human activities in shaping this climatic phenomenon in the modern era. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-el-nio-patterns-human-natural.html) 2023-10-19T14:00:01Z **Astronomers detect most distant fast radio burst to date**
An international team has spotted a remote blast of cosmic radio waves lasting less than a millisecond. This 'fast radio burst' (FRB) is the most distant ever detected. Its source was pinned down by the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) in a galaxy so far away that its light took 8 billion years to reach us. The FRB is also one of the most energetic ever observed; in a tiny fraction of a second it released the ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-astronomers-distant-fast-radio-date.html) 2023-10-19T14:00:01Z **Unearthing the ecological impacts of cicada emergences on North American forests**
Every 13 or 17 years, billions of cicadas emerge from the ground to reproduce in eastern North American deciduous forests. One of the largest emergence events of these insects happened in 2021 when the Brood X cicadas emerged. Researchers who studied that once-in-a-generation event are now unveiling the impact this occurrence had on forest ecosystems, specifically on birds, caterpillars and trees. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-unearthing-ecological-impacts-cicada-emergences.html) 2023-10-19T14:00:01Z **Genome editing vs natural mutation for variations in tomato size**
For tens of thousands of years, evolution shaped tomatoes through natural mutations. Then, humans came along. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-genome-natural-mutation-variations-tomato.html) 2023-10-19T14:00:01Z **Heat waves harm bird reproduction on agricultural lands, research suggests**
Bird populations are in rapid decline across North America. While climate change is just one of the many factors influencing North American birds, its effects are significant and can interact with other stressors, such as habitat loss. A team of University of California, Davis, researchers found that the effects of extreme temperatures on avian reproduction can vary depending on the type of environment that birds call home. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-bird-reproduction-agricultural.html) 2023-10-19T14:00:01Z **Researchers urge alliances to ensure supply chain security**
Understanding supply networks could have a significant impact on improving supply security, promoting and objective monitoring of the green transition, strengthening human rights compliance, and reducing tax evasion. International alliances are needed for such an understanding, as emphasized by a research team led by the Complexity Science Hub in a recent commentary in Science. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-urge-alliances-chain.html) 2023-10-20T06:18:11Z **Thai government pledges action as Bangkok pollution spikes**
Thai officials on Friday promised action to address a spike in air pollution that came before the normal peak of seasonal haze, but environmental activists accused authorities of hot air. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-thai-pledges-action-bangkok-pollution.html) 2023-10-20T10:32:01Z **Researchers develop novel data representation for transcription factor-binding sequences**
The diverse characteristics of the human body's various cells are reflected in their gene expression patterns. The regulation of such gene expression is based on transcription factors that bind to specific sequences in the genome. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-representation-transcription-factor-binding-sequences.html) 2023-10-20T10:31:57Z **Dinuclear ruthenium complex as a photocatalyst for selective CO2 reduction to CO**
Similar to the process of photosynthesis in plants, the conversion and storage of solar energy into chemical energy hold significant promise for addressing critical energy and environmental challenges, including the depletion of fossil fuels and threat of global warming. One promising avenue in this pursuit involves harnessing light energy to convert CO2 into value-added chemicals. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-dinuclear-ruthenium-complex-photocatalyst-co2.html) 2023-10-21T02:23:31Z **India conducts space flight test ahead of planned mission to take astronauts into space in 2025**
India successfully carried out Saturday the first of a series of key test flights after overcoming a technical glitch ahead of its planned mission to take astronauts into space by 2025, the space agency said. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-india-space-flight-mission-astronauts.html) 2023-10-21T02:22:11Z **Hurricane Norma strengthens to Category 3 ahead of Mexico landfall**
Hurricane Norma on Friday once again strengthened to a Category 3 storm as it approaches a tourist hotspot on Mexico's Pacific coast. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-hurricane-norma-category-mexico-landfall.html) 2023-10-21T07:10:02Z **Saturday Citations: Hope for golden retrievers and humans. Plus: Cosmologists constrain the entire universe**
This week, we reported on the totality of the universe. We reported on some other subjects, as well, but since they're obviously encompassed by that first thing, enough said. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-saturday-citations-golden-humans-cosmologists.html) 2023-10-21T12:30:01Z **New 3D-printed tumor model enables faster, less expensive and less painful cancer treatment**
An international team of interdisciplinary researchers has successfully created a method for better 3D modeling of complex cancers. The University of Waterloo-based team combined cutting-edge bioprinting techniques with synthetic structures or microfluidic chips. The method will help lab researchers more accurately understand heterogeneous tumors: tumors with more than one kind of cancer cell, often d ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-3d-printed-tumor-enables-faster-expensive.html) 2023-10-22T03:26:18Z **Drought in Brazil's Amazon reveals ancient engravings**
An extreme drought in parts of the Amazon has led to a dramatic drop in river water levels, exposing dozens of usually submerged rock formations with carvings of human forms that may date back some 2,000 years. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-drought-brazil-amazon-reveals-ancient.html) 2023-10-22T03:25:31Z **Climate 'loss and damage' talks end in failure**
A crucial meeting on climate "loss and damages" ahead of COP28 ended in failure Saturday, with countries from the global north and south unable to reach an agreement, according to sources involved in the talks. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-climate-loss-failure.html) 2023-10-22T03:25:14Z **Storm Babet triggers flooding, power cuts in northern Europe**
Deadly Storm Babet unleashed extensive flooding and damaged towns in Denmark and Norway into Saturday, while continuing to sweep across the UK. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-storm-babet-triggers-power-northern.html) 2023-10-22T09:00:01Z **Researchers: The climate impact of plastic pollution is negligible—the production of new plastics is the real problem**
The dual pressures of climate change and plastic pollution are frequently conflated in the media, in peer-reviewed research and other environmental reporting. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-climate-impact-plastic-pollution-negligiblethe.html) 2023-10-22T13:10:01Z **Coin tosses are not 50/50: Researchers find a slight bias**
Want to get a slight edge during a coin toss? Check out which side is facing upwards before the coin is flipped –- then call that same side. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-coin-tosses-slight-bias.html) 2023-10-23T03:48:21Z **Keep or cull? Romania divided over its bear population**
It was a sight that stopped traffic. A brown bear seemingly asleep, its head on its paws, on a winding forest road in central Romania, some paper napkins by its side. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-cull-romania-population.html) 2023-10-23T03:47:41Z **University of Michigan slithers toward history with massive acquisition of jarred snake specimens**
Greg Schneider scans rows upon rows of liquid-filled glass jars containing coiled snake specimens, just a portion of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology's reptile and amphibian collection believed to be the largest held by any research institution in the U.S. thanks to a recent donation. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-university-michigan-slithers-history-massive.html) 2023-10-23T08:43:54Z **Decline of rare right whale appears to be slowing, but scientists say big threats remain**
The decline of one of the rarest whales in the world appears to be slowing, but scientists warn the giant mammals still face existential threats from warming oceans, ship collisions and entanglement in fishing gear. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-decline-rare-whale-scientists-big.html) 2023-10-23T12:55:31Z **A Russian satellite has shifted within 60 km of another spacecraft**
When it comes to saber-rattling, few countries employ it as much as Russia does. During their ongoing invasion and occupation of Ukraine, the country's leadership has repeatedly threatened to use atomic weapons. But the threats don't stop there. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-russian-satellite-shifted-km-spacecraft.html) 2023-10-23T12:54:06Z **Working towards programmable matter: Unexpected behavior discovered in active particles**
Investigating systems consisting of self-propelled particles—so-called active particles—is a rapidly growing area of research. In theoretical models for active particles, it is often assumed that the particles' swimming speed is always the same. This is not so, however, for particles produced in many experiments, for example for those propelled by ultrasound for medical applications. In these cases, the ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-programmable-unexpected-behavior-particles.html) 2023-10-23T17:01:03Z **UK screen industry failing to tackle sexual harassment, according to new report**
The UK film and screen industry is failing to tackle sexual harassment, with some victims punished or victimized if they do speak out, according to a new report looking at the experiences of staff in a range of roles across the television and film industry. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-uk-screen-industry-tackle-sexual.html) 2023-10-23T23:50:01Z **Itinerant magnetism and superconductivity in exotic 2D metals for next-generation quantum devices**
The Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA) pioneers studies to build and co-design the next generation of programmable quantum devices. An interdisciplinary team of scientists from QSA institutions, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), and the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory, conducted a series of experiment ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-itinerant-magnetism-superconductivity-exotic-2d.html) 2023-10-24T04:03:03Z **World 'failing' on pledge to stop deforestation by 2030**
The world is "failing" on a pledge to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030, with global losses increasing last year, a group of NGOs and researchers warned Tuesday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-world-pledge-deforestation.html) 2023-10-24T04:02:48Z **Drought-hit farmers in US heartland hope Mississippi 'comes back'**
Jonathan Driver, an Arkansas farmer with blackened hands and a thick southern drawl, doesn't have a minute to spare. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-drought-hit-farmers-heartland-mississippi.html) 2023-10-24T04:02:32Z **The mighty Mississippi, America's water highway, is dangerously low**
In the middle of the shrunken Mississippi, a barge drags a giant metal-edged suction head along the riverbed to remove sediment from shipping lanes. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-mighty-mississippi-america-highway-dangerously.html) 2023-10-24T03:59:12Z **New deadly bird flu cases reported in Iowa, joining 3 other states as disease resurfaces**
Two commercial turkey farms in Iowa have been hit by the reemerging highly pathogenic bird flu, causing about 100,000 birds to be killed to prevent the disease from spreading. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-deadly-bird-flu-cases-iowa.html) 2023-10-24T08:54:34Z **W1055+5443 is a Y-type brown dwarf, observations find**
Using the Keck II telescope, astronomers have performed near-infrared spectroscopic observations of a nearby brown dwarf known as CWISE J105512.11+544328.3, or W1055+5443 for short. Results of the observational campaign, presented October 14 on the pre-print server arXiv, reveal that this object belongs to the rare class of ultracool brown dwarfs, dubbed Y dwarfs. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-w10555443-y-type-brown-dwarf.html) 2023-10-24T13:00:03Z **Examining the synergistic roles of platinum nanoparticles and sodium ions within beta zeolites**
Organic N-alkyl amines are important chemical products and intermediate with wide applications in the fields of daily chemicals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, surfactants, and life sciences. The C–N bonds formed by alkylating reagents (halocarbons, metal halides, etc.) to produce amines usually suffer from low atomic efficiency, poor product selectivity, and chemical contaminants. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-synergistic-roles-platinum-nanoparticles-sodium.html) 2023-10-24T17:03:02Z **Novel nanostructured photoanode hydrothermally prepared at 160°C, followed by 500°C calcination**
A new study led by Prof. Tianyou Peng (College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University) and Associate Prof. Peng Zeng (School of Food and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Zhaoqing University) describes how a novel nanostructured WO3-based photoanode was hydrothermally prepared at 160°C followed by 500°C calcination. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nanostructured-photoanode-hydrothermally-160c-500c.html) 2023-10-25T04:09:07Z **'Potentially catastrophic' Hurricane Otis hits Mexico**
A major Category 5 hurricane made landfall near Mexico's Pacific beach resort of Acapulco early Wednesday, threatening to wreak "catastrophic" damage, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-potentially-catastrophic-hurricane-otis-mexico.html) 2023-10-25T04:06:27Z **Experts reconstruct the face of Peru's most famous mummy, a teenage Inca sacrificed in Andean snow**
The possible living face of Peru's most famous mummy, a teenage Inca girl sacrificed in a ritual more than 500 years ago atop the Andes, was unveiled Tuesday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-experts-reconstruct-peru-famous-mummy.html) 2023-10-25T04:05:53Z **New York can resume family DNA searches for crime suspects, court rules**
New York's highest court on Tuesday ruled police can resume a DNA searching method that can identify relatives of potential suspects, a technique that has helped solve crimes but caused privacy concerns. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-york-resume-family-dna-crime.html) 2023-10-25T08:10:49Z **Hurricane Otis weakens after making landfall in Mexico**
Hurricane Otis was downgraded to a Category 4 storm after making landfall near Mexico's Pacific beach resort of Acapulco on Wednesday, though it was still generating "damaging" winds and "life-threatening" storm surge, according to US forecasters. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-hurricane-otis-weakens-landfall-mexico.html) 2023-10-25T12:22:03Z **A protein that helps plant cells 'eat themselves'**
Scientists from the Department of Experimental Plant Biology at the Faculty of Science of Charles University have published research in Nature Plants that brings new insights into the function of the ARP2/3 protein complex in plant cells. It turns out that plant cells can use this component in a very different way than animal cells—it is important for cellular recycling of peroxisomes. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-protein-cells.html) 2023-10-25T16:40:07Z **Bird flu kills more than 500 marine mammals in Brazil**
At least 522 seals and sea lions have been found dead along the coast of southern Brazil, authorities said Wednesday, blaming the die-off on avian flu. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-bird-flu-marine-mammals-brazil.html) 2023-10-25T16:39:22Z **Research illuminates path to Guam kingfisher revival**
A recently published paper in Animal Conservation provides crucial insights into the health of sihek, also known as the Guam kingfisher, a species eradicated from its native habitat and that may now face threats in captivity. The latest data underscores a stark gender disparity, revealing that female sihek are at greater risk for death and disease than their male counterparts. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-illuminates-path-guam-kingfisher-revival.html) 2023-10-26T01:00:02Z **A research team's 'Robin Hood' approach for tracking biodiversity**
Elise Zipkin and her team at Michigan State University have developed a sort of "Robin Hood" approach to better understand and protect the world's biodiversity. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-team-robin-hood-approach-tracking.html) 2023-10-26T06:30:01Z **New study suggests cyclones in the Arctic are forming more often and getting stronger**
A team of Earth scientists from North Carolina State University, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, North Carolina A&T State University, and Sandia National Laboratories has found evidence that suggests cyclones have become more common over the past half-century and have also become stronger. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-cyclones-arctic-stronger.html) 2023-10-26T10:46:08Z **75% of exclusive hardwood may be illegally harvested**
The tropical wood type ipê is popular for building exclusive wooden decks, and in North America and Europe, the demand for the material has increased sharply. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-exclusive-hardwood-illegally-harvested.html) 2023-10-26T14:59:03Z **Low self-regulation in smartphone use is connected to online shopping addiction**
A recent article from a joint study by the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy at the University of Jyväskylä and the Department of Education at the University of Helsinki is among the first peer-reviewed scientific publications exploring the co-effects of problems with self-regulation and smartphone use on shopping addiction. The research is published in the International Journal of Consumer Studies. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-self-regulation-smartphone-online-addiction.html) 2023-10-26T14:56:03Z **Farmed wolffish could be on your plate in the future**
In the future, farmed wolffish could start appearing on fish counters. However, a new thesis from the University of Gothenburg shows that this fish, with its delicate, firm flesh, needs somewhat different farming conditions compared to salmon. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-farmed-wolffish-plate-future.html) 2023-10-26T14:52:03Z **Acquiring green firms can be healthy for a firm's bottom line, says new research**
There is some good news for companies looking to add to their green credentials. According to a new Concordia-led study, when firms acquire businesses specializing in green technologies or green brands, the buyer usually sees positive stock market reactions. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-green-firms-healthy-firm-bottom.html) 2023-10-27T04:18:10Z **Greenpeace urges Greece to scrap offshore gas drilling project because of impact on whales, dolphins**
Greenpeace on Thursday urged Greece to abandon a deep-sea gas exploration project in the Mediterranean, citing newly published research to argue that its impact on endangered whales and dolphins would be greater than previously believed. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-greenpeace-urges-greece-scrap-offshore.html) 2023-10-27T09:04:03Z **Okinawa's ants show reduced seasonal behavior in areas with more human development**
Insects have an important role in maintaining the health of ecosystems, but our understanding of how human activities affect their populations is limited. This gap in knowledge is worrying because of the decline of insect populations and the severe consequences on ecosystems and agriculture. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-okinawa-ants-seasonal-behavior-areas.html) 2023-10-27T13:07:42Z **NASA tech breathes life into potentially game-changing antenna design**
Some 30 years ago, a young engineer named Christopher Walker was home in the evening making chocolate pudding when he got what turned out to be a very serendipitous call from his mother. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nasa-tech-life-potentially-game-changing.html) 2023-10-28T05:56:08Z **Why did Hurricane Otis 'explosively' intensify off Mexico?**
Hurricane Otis caused at least 27 deaths and major damage as it battered Mexico's beachside city of Acapulco as a scale-topping category 5 storm, according to officials. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-hurricane-otis-explosively-mexico.html) 2023-10-28T11:00:01Z **1.6 million acres of Great Plains grasslands were destroyed in 2021 alone, World Wildlife Fund says**
Over the course of 12 months, an area of Great Plains grasslands bigger than the state of Delaware was erased from the map. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-million-acres-great-plains-grasslands.html) 2023-10-28T16:00:01Z **UN report warns of catastrophic climate tipping points: California is nearing several**
Humanity is on course to transgress multiple global "tipping points" that could lead to irreversible instability or the complete collapse of ecological and institutional systems, a United Nations report has warned. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-catastrophic-climate-california-nearing.html) 2023-10-29T06:33:35Z **What is a COP?**
The crunch climate talks being held in Dubai from November 30 to December 12 will be the 28th such gathering of world leaders under UN auspices known as COPs. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-cop.html) 2023-10-29T06:33:09Z **Vast destruction, 39 dead in Mexico after Acapulco hurricane**
Acapulco was struggling Saturday to recover from the extraordinarily powerful Hurricane Otis, which claimed 39 lives and provoked widespread power, water and telephone outages. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-vast-destruction-dead-mexico-acapulco.html) 2023-10-29T06:32:19Z **Can factory chicken really help save the climate?**
Stephane Dahirel doesn't exactly say eat chicken and save the planet, but that is what he's hinting at as he opens a shed door on his intensive farm in Brittany, western France. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-factory-chicken-climate.html) 2023-10-29T06:30:56Z **How climate conscious Americans reduce their carbon footprints**
Bala Sivaraman drives an electric car around the US capital Washington, buys used clothes and furniture and cooks his vegan meals on an induction stove he bought after parting ways with his gas oven. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-climate-conscious-americans-carbon-footprints.html) 2023-10-29T06:30:38Z **1.5C goal on the line as countries gear up for key climate talks**
Facing record-shattering temperatures and a geopolitical tinderbox, countries are scrambling to lay the groundwork for crucial UN climate talks next month tasked with salvaging global warming goals laid out in the landmark Paris deal. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-15c-goal-line-countries-gear.html) 2023-10-29T06:30:17Z **Mouse embryos grown in space for first time: Japan researchers**
Mouse embryos have been grown on the International Space Station and developed normally in the first study indicating it could be possible for humans to reproduce in space, a group of Japanese scientists said. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-mouse-embryos-grown-space-japan.html) 2023-10-29T16:40:01Z **Superdeep diamonds provide a window on supercontinent growth**
Diamonds contain evidence of the mantle rocks that helped buoy and grow the ancient supercontinent Gondwana from below, according to new research from a team of scientists led by Suzette Timmerman—formerly of the University of Alberta and now at the University of Bern—and including Carnegie's Steven Shirey, Michael Walter, and Andrew Steele. Their findings, published in Nature, demonstrate that superdeep diamonds can provide ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-superdeep-diamonds-window-supercontinent-growth.html) 2023-10-30T01:00:01Z **Study of 1,000 selfies helps explain how we use them to communicate**
People have used self-portraits to communicate information about themselves for centuries—and digital cameras make it easier to share a self-portrait than ever before. But even though selfies are now almost ubiquitous, we don't understand how people use them to communicate. So scientists from the University of Bamberg set out to investigate the semantics of selfies. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-selfies-communicate.html) 2023-10-30T06:24:49Z **UN chief urges world to 'stop the madness' of climate change**
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the world Monday to "stop the madness" of climate change as he visited Himalayan regions struggling from rapidly melting glaciers to witness the devastating impact of the phenomenon. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-chief-urges-world-madness-climate.html) 2023-10-30T11:06:03Z **New map of 20th-century land use in Britain helps researchers demystify biodiversity change**
A collaboration led by Northumbria University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences has for the first time mapped how land use changed across Britain throughout the last century. The new map reveals how and where some 50% of semi-natural grassland was lost, including 90% of the country's lowland meadows and pasture, as the country intensified its agriculture. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-20th-century-britain-demystify-biodiversity.html) 2023-10-30T15:11:03Z **High engagement, high return: The secret to student success**
High engagement, high return. That's the advice from education experts at the University of South Australia for teachers looking to improve student outcomes. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-high-engagement-secret-student-success.html) 2023-10-31T04:43:06Z **Brazil's booming ag sector draws cash and controversy**
With its massive output of soybeans, beef, cotton and now corn, Brazil has become one of the world's top agricultural powers. But its agribusiness industry also faces criticism, especially over destruction of the Amazon rainforest. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-brazil-booming-ag-sector-cash.html) 2023-10-31T04:42:29Z **Northern China chokes under severe pollution**
Tens of millions of people across northern China were under severe pollution warnings Tuesday, with authorities urging them to reduce outdoor activities as a grayish smog enveloped the region. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-northern-china-severe-pollution.html) 2023-10-31T04:42:09Z **Oman revives CO2-busting mangroves as climate threat lurks**
In a muddy wetland in Oman's capital, environmental scientist Zakiya al-Afifi measures the bark of a mangrove tree, estimating its capacity to absorb the carbon dioxide that is slowly heating the planet. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-oman-revives-co2-busting-mangroves-climate.html) 2023-10-31T09:10:01Z **Monarch butterflies appear to be everywhere these days. Is the crisis over?**
The anecdotes abound this year—friends reporting magical clusters of monarch butterflies on their walks, dozens of organizations offering free giveaways of native milkweed, and projects to restore habitat, even a lone monarch gracefully fluttering outside my window as i'm writing these words. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-monarch-butterflies-days-crisis.html) 2023-10-31T13:16:34Z **The unraveling of a protist genome could unlock the mystery of marine viruses**
Viruses are the most prevalent biological entities in the world's oceans and play essential roles in its ecological and biogeochemical balance. Yet, they are the least understood elements of marine life. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-unraveling-protist-genome-mystery-marine.html) 2023-10-31T20:00:01Z **New research finds that nature-based solutions are essential for Brazil to meet its 2050 net zero pledge**
Without the implementation of nature-based solutions, in particular ending deforestation and restoring native vegetation, Brazil would jeopardize its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) pledges including achieving net zero GHG emissions by mid-century, according to research published today from an international team led by the University of Oxford. The study also concluded that hal ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nature-based-solutions-essential-brazil-net.html) 2023-11-01T05:18:56Z **Europe's economic powerhouse tests a shorter working week**
Maximilian Hermann's weekend starts on Friday morning, when he puts his motorcycle helmet on and takes his bike out for a ride to the southern German Alps. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-europe-economic-powerhouse-shorter-week.html) 2023-11-01T05:18:20Z **In Brazil town turning to desert, farmers fight to hang on**
Standing amid a terrain of rugged red craters that looks like something from Mars, Brazilian farmer Ubiratan Lemos Abade extends his arms, pointing to two possible futures for this land fast turning to desert. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-brazil-town-farmers.html) 2023-11-01T05:16:53Z **North China smog to last until mid-November: state media**
Serious pollution is expected to remain over Beijing and surrounding areas until the middle of the month, Chinese state media said Wednesday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-north-china-smog-mid-november-state.html) 2023-11-01T09:26:04Z **Ocean warming is accelerating, and hotspots reveal which areas are absorbing the most heat**
Ocean warming has accelerated dramatically since the 1990s, nearly doubling during 2010–2020 relative to 1990–2000, according to new UNSW Sydney-led research. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-ocean-hotspots-reveal-areas-absorbing.html) 2023-11-01T14:00:01Z **'Peace speech' in the media characterizes a country's peaceful culture, suggests new study**
By analyzing the frequency of certain words within mainstream news media from any country, a machine learning algorithm can produce a quantitative "peace index" that captures the level of peace within that country, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Larry Liebovitch and Peter T. Coleman of Columbia University, US, and colleagues. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-peace-speech-media-characterizes-country.html) 2023-11-01T14:00:01Z **Giant dinosaur carcasses might have been important food sources for Jurassic predators**
Carnivorous dinosaurs might have evolved to take advantage of giant carcasses, according to a study published November 1, 2023 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Cameron Pahl and Luis Ruedas of Portland State University, Oregon and colleagues. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-giant-dinosaur-carcasses-important-food.html) 2023-11-01T14:00:01Z **Game performance of immigrant NBA players might suffer in context of far-right political support**
During the 2020–2021 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), which took place during Donald Trump's failed bid at re-election, immigrant players for teams in regions with stronger far-right political sentiments were more likely to make game errors—highlighting the possible detrimental effects of such views on immigrant workplace performance. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-game-immigrant-nba-players-context.html) 2023-11-01T20:30:01Z **Adult coral can handle more heat and keep growing thanks to heat-evolved symbionts**
Adult fragments of a coral species can better tolerate bleaching and recover faster when treated with tougher heat-evolved symbionts, new research from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the University of Melbourne indicates. The work is published in Global Change Biology. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-adult-coral-heat-evolved-symbionts.html) 2023-11-02T05:02:45Z **Earthquake slightly damages houses in southeastern Indonesia, but no casualties reported**
An earthquake slightly damaged houses and other buildings in southeastern Indonesia early Thursday, causing some panic but no apparent casualties. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-earthquake-slightly-houses-southeastern-indonesia.html) 2023-11-02T05:02:19Z **Ornithological society to rename dozens of birds—and stop naming them after people**
Birds in North America will no longer be named after people, the American Ornithological Society announced Wednesday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-ornithological-society-rename-dozens-birdsand.html) 2023-11-02T09:18:14Z **Turkish astronomers investigate open cluster Collinder 74**
Astronomers from Istanbul University in Turkey have conducted a comprehensive study of a Galactic open cluster known as Collinder 74. Results of the study, presented in a paper published October 20 on the pre-print server arXiv and accepted for publication in Physics and Astronomy Reports, shed more light on the properties and nature of this cluster. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-turkish-astronomers-cluster-collinder.html) 2023-11-02T09:16:04Z **In measuring how online news influence political views, do mouse clicks speak louder than words?**
In a polarized country, how much does the media influence people's political views? A new study co-authored by MIT scholars finds the answer depends on people's media preferences—and, crucially, how these preferences are measured. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-online-news-political-views-mouse.html) 2023-11-02T13:20:02Z **Why Hawaii became a hotbed of legal activism to protect the climate**
When it comes to mitigating climate change, "yesterday's good enough has become today's unacceptable." That was what judges on Hawaii's Supreme Court ruled earlier this year, in the first US decision to declare a stable climate as an affirmative right. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-hawaii-hotbed-legal-climate.html) 2023-11-03T01:00:01Z **Wearable devices may prevent astronauts getting 'lost' in space**
The sky is no longer the limit—but taking flight is dangerous. In leaving the Earth's surface, we lose many of the cues we need to orient ourselves, and that spatial disorientation can be deadly. Astronauts normally need intensive training to protect against it. But scientists have now found that wearable devices which vibrate to give orientation cues may boost the efficacy of this training significantly, making spaceflight slightl ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-wearable-devices-astronauts-lost-space.html) 2023-11-03T05:31:56Z **'Air-pocalypse': Indian capital launches 'Green War Room'**
The enemy is nearly invisible and there are no soldiers, but the Indian capital's new "Green War Room" is battling air pollution that is cutting lives of residents by over a decade. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-air-pocalypse-indian-capital-green-war.html) 2023-11-03T05:28:57Z **Earthquake rattles Greek island near Athens, but no injuries or serious damage reported**
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake rattled an island near Athens early Friday, but local officials had no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-earthquake-rattles-greek-island-athens.html) 2023-11-03T05:28:27Z **Investigators are being sent to US research base on Antarctica to look into sexual violence concerns**
The watchdog office overseeing the National Science Foundation is sending investigators to Antarctica's McMurdo Station after hearing concerns about the prevalence of sexual violence at the U.S. research base. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-base-antarctica-sexual-violence.html) 2023-11-03T05:28:05Z **Biologists are keeping a close eye on a rare Mexican wolf that is wandering out of bounds**
Northern New Mexico or bust—that seems to be the case for at least one Mexican gray wolf that is intent on wandering beyond the boundaries set for managing the rarest subspecies of gray wolf if North America. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-biologists-eye-rare-mexican-wolf.html) 2023-11-03T05:27:55Z **Pioneering scientist says global warming is accelerating. Some experts call his claims overheated**
One of modern climate science's pioneers is warning that the world isn't just steadily warming but is dangerously accelerating, according to a study that some other scientists call a bit overheated. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-scientist-global-experts-overheated.html) 2023-11-03T09:40:02Z **Link found between age of stars and frequency of hot Jupiters**
A team of astronomers and astrophysicists affiliated with several institutions in China, working with one colleague from Centro Ricerche Enrico Fermi, in Italy, and another from the University of Utah, in the U.S., has found a link between star age and the frequency of hot Jupiters. In their study, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group characterized the ages of a large number of star systems that have Jupiter-l ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-link-age-stars-frequency-hot.html) 2023-11-03T13:55:03Z **Chicken broth and lobster among 3,000 dishes served to King George III**
A list of 3,000 unique dishes served to King George III at Kew Palace and the Prince Regent, George IV at Carlton House between 1788-1813 has been compiled by a team involving a UCL researcher. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-chicken-broth-lobster-dishes-king.html) 2023-11-04T06:50:02Z **Huge spiders in Eastern US aren't going away, experts say**
Since their arrival in Georgia nearly 10 years ago, the yellow-banded Joro spiders and their huge webs have set up camp in the southeastern U.S., experts say. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-huge-spiders-eastern-experts.html) 2023-11-04T06:50:02Z **Researchers report mass bleaching of coral reefs in warming Florida oceans: 'Like a forest without trees'**
Peering over the edge of research vessel Coral Reef II as it sailed through the Florida Keys, Shedd Aquarium postdoctoral fellow Shayle Matsuda saw white. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-mass-coral-reefs-florida-oceans.html) 2023-11-04T12:10:02Z **2023 ozone hole ranks 16th largest, NASA and NOAA researchers find**
The 2023 Antarctic ozone hole reached its maximum size on Sept. 21, according to annual satellite and balloon-based measurements made by NASA and NOAA. At 10 million square miles, or 26 million square kilometers, the hole ranked as the 12th largest single-day ozone hole since 1979. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-ozone-hole-16th-largest-nasa.html) 2023-11-04T16:30:01Z **Mother Nature knows best when it comes to climate solutions, social media users say**
A survey of more than a million social media posts suggests that people feel more positive about nature's ability to solve climate change than human technology, according to new research published in the journal Global Environmental Change. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-mother-nature-climate-solutions-social.html) 2023-11-05T05:26:06Z **Smog-ridden New Delhi extends schools shutdown**
Authorities in India's smog-ridden capital New Delhi on Sunday extended an emergency schools closure by a week, with no signs of improvement in the megacity's choking levels of pollution. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-smog-ridden-delhi-schools-shutdown.html) 2023-11-05T12:10:01Z **Study shows how bird flu could be eradicated by editing the genes of chickens**
Recent advances in gene editing technology could potentially be used to create disease-resistant animals. This could curtail the spread of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-bird-flu-eradicated-genes-chickens.html) 2023-11-05T20:00:01Z **New research shows quasars can be buried in their host galaxies**
A new study reveals that supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies, known as quasars, can sometimes be obscured by dense clouds of gas and dust in their host galaxies. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-quasars-host-galaxies.html) 2023-11-06T07:27:37Z **Millions of sterile fruit flies are being dropped on LA to fight an infestation**
The citrus trees at C&S Nursery in Baldwin Hills would normally be full of passionfruit, kumquats and other fruits this time of year. But last month, employees stripped dozens of them and placed them at the rear of the lot, away from the public, as part of an all-out quarantine effort aimed at eradicating one of the most destructive pests in the world: the Mediterranean fruit fly. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-millions-sterile-fruit-flies-la.html) 2023-11-06T07:27:10Z **SpaceX launch makes it 60 for the Space Coast, this time with record booster flight**
Another Space Coast night launch Friday marked the 60th liftoff from the Space Coast for the year, this time with a booster flying for a record 18th time. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-spacex-space-coast-booster-flight.html) 2023-11-06T13:00:03Z **Model shows how fish synchronize tail fins to save energy**
Researchers from Tohoku University have developed a model that simulates the motion of fish tail fins. The model uncovers the underlying mechanisms behind a commonly observed phenomenon in fish: how they synchronize the movement of their tail fins, riding the resultant vortices created, thereby saving energy. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-fish-synchronize-tail-fins-energy.html) 2023-11-06T13:00:01Z **New Webb images show gas-rich baby galaxies setting the early universe alight**
New images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have helped Australian astronomers unlock secrets of how infant galaxies started an explosion of star formation in the very early universe. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-webb-images-gas-rich-baby-galaxies.html) 2023-11-06T12:57:04Z **No appetite for vegetarian diet to help the planet, finds study**
Social media users believe reducing and eliminating meat intake is ineffective in addressing climate change and reported low willingness to engage in either action, according to a new study from La Trobe University. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-appetite-vegetarian-diet-planet.html) 2023-11-06T12:55:03Z **Vampire viruses prey on other viruses to replicate themselves—and may hold the key to new antiviral therapies**
Have you ever wondered whether the virus that gave you a nasty cold can catch one itself? It may comfort you to know that, yes, viruses can actually get sick. Even better, as karmic justice would have it, the culprits turn out to be other viruses. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-vampire-viruses-prey-replicate-themselvesand.html) 2023-11-06T12:52:03Z **PFAS: How research is uncovering damaging effects of 'forever chemicals'**
Since their inception in the 1940s, the so-called forever chemicals have woven themselves into the fabric of our modern world. But recently, they've been appearing in alarming news headlines about their damaging effects on our health. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-pfas-uncovering-effects-chemicals.html) 2023-11-06T19:00:01Z **French love letters confiscated by Britain finally read after 265 years**
Over 100 letters sent to French sailors by their fiancées, wives, parents and siblings—but never delivered—have been opened and studied for the first time since they were written in 1757–8. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-french-letters-confiscated-britain-years.html) 2023-11-07T03:26:27Z **Corporations fall short on implementing green agendas: report**
Corporations are increasingly committed to green agendas, but a new report on Tuesday reveals that only one in 20 of over a thousand publicly listed companies have a detailed strategy for how they will reach their greenhouse gas targets. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-corporations-fall-short-green-agendas.html) 2023-11-07T08:59:10Z **Teaching AI systems to use intuition to find new medicines**
A combined team of biomedical researchers from Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research and Microsoft Research AI4Science has made inroads into teaching AI systems how to find new medicines. In their study, reported in the journal Nature Communications, the group used feedback from chemists in the field to provide intuition guidelines for an AI model. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-ai-intuition-medicines.html) 2023-11-07T08:58:44Z **Deforestation across the 'Maritime Continent' is making El Niño-Southern Oscillation more unpredictable, finds study**
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a climate phenomenon occurring every 2–7 years in the tropical Pacific Ocean, associated with changes in air pressure east to west. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-deforestation-maritime-continent-el-nio-southern.html) 2023-11-07T14:09:03Z **Governments should stop converting land use, says UN scientist**
Governments need to stop allowing land to be converted in the face of rising global consumption, a leading UN scientist has warned, as data shows the world is off track to meet land degradation targets. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-scientist.html) 2023-11-07T20:00:02Z **Experts predict 'catastrophic ecosystem collapse' of UK forests within the next 50 years if no action is taken**
A team of experts from across Europe has produced a list of 15 over-looked and emerging issues that are likely to have a significant impact on UK forests over the next 50 years. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-experts-catastrophic-ecosystem-collapse-uk.html) 2023-11-08T03:00:01Z **School-based law enforcement is likely ineffective for keeping schools safe, finds analysis**
A systematic review that analyzed the results of published studies concluded that school-based law enforcement (SBLE)—having sworn law enforcement officers stationed in schools on at least a part-time basis—is likely ineffective for keeping schools safe, and it may even have detrimental consequences. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-school-based-law-ineffective-schools-safe.html) 2023-11-08T03:00:01Z **Framework provides guidance for ethical wildlife management**
Wildlife management decisions and practices face increasing ethical scrutiny. In research published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, investigators have developed a framework for incorporating ethical considerations into decisions in a systematic way. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-framework-guidance-ethical-wildlife.html) 2023-11-08T09:17:06Z **Melting ice, falling snow: Sea ice declines enhance snowfall over West Antarctica**
As the world continues to warm, Antarctica is losing ice at an increasing pace, but the loss of sea ice may lead to more snowfall over the ice sheets, partially offsetting contributions to sea level rise, according to Penn State scientists. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-ice-falling-sea-declines-snowfall.html) 2023-11-08T14:30:08Z **Researchers produce Mo-99 by electron accelerator with optimized target system**
Chinese researchers have developed a process for producing the medical isotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) using the electron accelerator system. The study was published in Applied Radiation and Isotopes. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-mo-electron-optimized.html) 2023-11-09T00:00:01Z **Forests with multiple tree species are 70% more effective as carbon sinks than monoculture forests, study finds**
To slow the effects of climate change, conserve biodiversity, and meet the sustainable development goals, replanting trees is vital. Restored forests store carbon within the forest's soil, shrubs, and trees. Mixed forests are especially effective at carbon storage, as different species with complementary traits can increase overall carbon storage. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-forests-multiple-tree-species-effective.html) 2023-11-09T06:30:01Z **Global warming–induced sea level changes could increase earthquake risk**
Earthquakes often occur along plate boundaries, when sudden movements of the "stuck" plates release elastic strain energy, sending out seismic waves that result in the ground shaking familiar to many worldwide. More rarely, earthquakes occur within plates (intraplate) in zones of weakness, such as the reactivation of old faults or rifts. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-global-warminginduced-sea-earthquake.html) 2023-11-09T11:35:04Z **Poison dart frogs: Personality determines reproductive strategies, research suggests**
Unlike their relatives, individuals of the poison frog Allobates femoralis are not poisonous but are captivating due to their different behavioral profiles: They successfully reproduce with different strategies depending on whether they are bold, aggressive or explorative. In addition, certain character traits are already present in this species at the tadpole stage. This is shown in two recently published ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-poison-dart-frogs-personality-reproductive.html) 2023-11-09T16:40:43Z **After the US Supreme Court restricted abortion rights, public support for abortion increased: Study**
A new study examining the effects of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization on June 24, 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade's constitutional protection of abortion rights, finds that the American public's support for abortion increased after the decision. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-supreme-court-restricted-abortion-rights.html) 2023-11-09T16:40:01Z **Water on asteroid Ryugu's parent found to have shaped distribution of its elements**
A large international team of space scientists, geochemists, and engineers, has found that water that existed on the parent of Ryugu had an impact on the distribution of elements on the asteroid. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes how they compared two isotopes of both chromium and titanium and what the differences they found told them about Ryugu's history of exposure to water ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-asteroid-ryugu-parent-elements.html) 2023-11-09T16:36:31Z **New research exposes humans' early ecological versatility**
A recent study by University of Helsinki researchers sheds new light on the ecological adaptability of early humans at the time when they first expanded their range outside Africa, from 2 million to 1 million years ago. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-exposes-humans-early-ecological-versatility.html) 2023-11-10T00:00:01Z **Study: Bullying victims who feel targeted due to social characteristics may experience effects more intensely**
Students who feel they have been victimized because of social characteristics such as their ethnicity or their sexuality are at additional risk of trauma, a new national US study has revealed. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-bullying-victims-due-social-characteristics.html) 2023-11-10T08:35:39Z **Elusive Attenborough echidna rediscovered in Indonesia**
An elusive echidna feared extinct after disappearing for six decades has been rediscovered in a remote part of Indonesia, on an expedition that also found a new kind of tree-dwelling shrimp. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-elusive-attenborough-echidna-rediscovered-indonesia.html) 2023-11-10T14:00:01Z **Low-intensity fires reduce wildfire risk by 60%, according to study**
There is no longer any question of how to prevent high-intensity, often catastrophic, wildfires that have become increasingly frequent across the Western U.S., according to a new study by researchers at Stanford and Columbia universities. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-low-intensity-wildfire.html) 2023-11-10T14:00:01Z **Unlocking the secrets of spin with high-harmonic probes**
Deep within every piece of magnetic material, electrons dance to the invisible tune of quantum mechanics. Their spins, akin to tiny atomic tops, dictate the magnetic behavior of the material they inhabit. This microscopic ballet is the cornerstone of magnetic phenomena, and it's these spins that a team of JILA researchers—headed by JILA Fellows and University of Colorado Boulder professors Margaret Murnane and Henry Kapteyn—has learned to control wi ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-secrets-high-harmonic-probes.html) 2023-11-11T03:11:53Z **Want higher graduation rates? New study shows public spending on families is key**
A new study, conducted in collaboration between researchers at Michigan State University and Central Michigan University, found that public spending on social safety net programs and on education spending each independently impact high school graduation rates, which are a key predictor of health and well-being later in life. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-higher-families-key.html) 2023-11-11T09:10:01Z **Dynamics of skyrmion spin states confirmed in neutron-scattering experiments**
RIKEN researchers have brought low-energy devices based on spintronics one step closer, by measuring the dynamics of tiny magnetic vortices. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-dynamics-skyrmion-states-neutron-scattering.html) 2023-11-11T15:50:01Z **Oldest black hole discovered dating back to 470 million years after the Big Bang**
Scientists have discovered the oldest black hole yet, a cosmic beast formed a mere 470 million years after the Big Bang. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-oldest-black-hole-dating-million.html) 2023-11-12T04:24:36Z **SpaceX hopes for second Starship flight test next week**
SpaceX is hoping to re-launch Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, next week, the company said, after an attempt in April ended in a spectacular explosion. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-spacex-starship-flight-week.html) 2023-11-12T10:00:01Z **Exposing plants to an unusual chemical early on may bolster their growth and help feed the world**
Just like any other organism, plants can get stressed. Usually it's conditions like heat and drought that lead to this stress, and when they're stressed, plants might not grow as large or produce as much. This can be a problem for farmers, so many scientists have tried genetically modifying plants to be more resilient. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-exposing-unusual-chemical-early-bolster.html) 2023-11-13T03:40:31Z **Nations to negotiate terms of plastics treaty in Nairobi**
The latest negotiations towards a global treaty to combat plastic pollution open in Nairobi on Monday, with tensions expected as nations tussle over what should be included in the pact. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-nations-terms-plastics-treaty-nairobi.html) 2023-11-13T03:39:10Z **Endangered sea turtles get second life at Tunisian center**
A crowd has gathered to see off Rose, a loggerhead sea turtle, who labors across the Tunisian sand to rejoin the waters of the Mediterranean. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-endangered-sea-turtles-life-tunisian.html) 2023-11-13T03:38:36Z **South Asia worst in world for water scarcity: UN**
More children in South Asia are struggling due to severe water scarcity made worse by the impacts of climate change than anywhere else worldwide, the United Nations said Monday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-south-asia-worst-world-scarcity.html) 2023-11-13T09:30:01Z **Desperate for water, a desert city hopes to build a pipeline to the California Aqueduct**
After decades of unrestricted pumping in the rain-starved northwestern corner of the Mojave Desert, the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Basin Authority has the distinction of managing one of the most critically overdrawn aquifers in California. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-desperate-city-pipeline-california-aqueduct.html) 2023-11-13T09:29:52Z **Study investigates two young open clusters**
By analyzing the data from the TÜBİTAK National Observatory and ESA's Gaia satellite, astronomers have investigated King 6 and NGC 1605—two young Galactic open clusters. Results of the study, published October 31 on the pre-print server arXiv, deliver important insights into the properties and nature of these clusters. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-young-clusters.html) 2023-11-13T09:29:18Z **Plant health as a new effective monitoring system for volcanic activity**
Plants have a symbiotic relationship with their surrounding environment, being a vital indicator of the overall health of the landscape, as well as significant changes within it. One such driver of plant response is gas emissions, such as those from volcanic activity, which elevate carbon dioxide and water emissions in the immediate area, consequently impacting leaf area and photosynthesis (the biological process through which organisms ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-health-effective-volcanic.html) 2023-11-13T09:23:53Z **China's carbon emissions to drop next year on clean energy boom**
A surge in clean power generation will reduce carbon emissions in China next year and could put the world's biggest polluter on a path to sustained declines, according to a new report. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-china-carbon-emissions-year-energy.html) 2023-11-13T15:00:02Z **North Atlantic's marine productivity may not be declining, according to new study of older ice cores**
To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of declining phytoplankton in the North Atlantic may have been greatly exaggerated. A prominent 2019 study used ice cores in Antarctica to suggest that marine productivity in the North Atlantic had declined by 10% during the industrial era, with worrying implications that the trend might continue. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-north-atlantic-marine-productivity-declining.html) 2023-11-13T15:00:02Z **Evolution of taste: Study discovers bitter taste receptor in sharks**
A research team from the University of Cologne, in collaboration with colleagues from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology in Freising, has discovered a receptor for bitter taste in twelve different cartilaginous fish (sharks and rays). The receptor belongs to the so-called taste receptors type 2 (T2R), which also make humans perceive bitter and potentially toxic foods. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-evolution-bitter-receptor-sharks.html) 2023-11-13T22:20:01Z **Forests could absorb much more carbon, but does it matter?**
Protecting forests globally could vastly increase the amount of carbon they sequester, a new study finds, but given our current emissions track, does it really matter? ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-forests-absorb-carbon.html) 2023-11-14T03:56:25Z **Residents get brief return to volcano-risk Icelandic town**
From Christmas gifts to sheep, residents forced from an Icelandic town damaged by hundreds of earthquakes in recent days were able to briefly return on Monday to retrieve their belongings, authorities said. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-residents-volcano-risk-icelandic-town.html) 2023-11-14T03:55:44Z **Myanmar's famed Inle Lake chokes on floating farms**
From a gently rocking boat, Nyunt Win tends a floating tomato crop in the cool water of Myanmar's famed Inle Lake, nestled in the Shan Hills and once the country's most popular tourist spot. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-myanmar-famed-inle-lake-farms.html) 2023-11-14T09:05:03Z **Fungi's secrets for surviving a hypersaline environment**
Many organisms have evolved to survive in some of the Earth's harshest conditions, tolerating freezing temperatures, crushing pressures and other extremes. In studying these organisms, scientists deepen our understanding of how life has adapted on our planet—and of what it could look like on others. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-fungi-secrets-surviving-hypersaline-environment.html) 2023-11-14T09:03:03Z **Virus discovery is new ammunition for tackling 'germ warfare' in humans**
An international research team has identified potential new 'weapons' in the 'arms race' for new antibiotics and possible future therapies for a more balanced gut microbiome and human health. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-virus-discovery-ammunition-tackling-germ.html) 2023-11-14T14:34:04Z **Evidence-led GM crop regulation could help UK take lead in tackling global food security, climate change risks**
The U.K. needs an evidence-led and proportionate regulatory approach for genetically modified (GM) crops to realize the technology's benefits for human health, agriculture and the environment, according to a new Royal Society policy briefing. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-evidence-led-gm-crop-uk-tackling.html) 2023-11-14T14:30:04Z **The influence of social media on revenge tourism**
Research in the International Journal of Tourism Policy has shown how social media platforms can influence holidaymakers and travelers in seeking out destinations that have been the victims of adverse events, natural disasters or conflicts. The colloquial term "revenge tourism" was coined in 2021 for this kind of vacation where people sought out experiences to combat the negative impact of lockdowns and lost time caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, t ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-social-media-revenge-tourism.html) 2023-11-15T00:00:03Z **New deep learning AI tool helps ecologists monitor rare birds through their songs**
Researchers have developed a new deep learning AI tool that generates lifelike bird songs to train bird identification tools, helping ecologists to monitor rare species in the wild. The findings are presented in Methods in Ecology and Evolution. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-deep-ai-tool-ecologists-rare.html) 2023-11-15T07:00:01Z **New study reveals the crucial role of herbivorous fishes and sea urchins in restoring Caribbean coral reefs**
A new study by Dr. Lindsay Spiers (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) and Professor Thomas Frazer (College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida), published in PeerJ presents crucial findings on the feeding preferences of herbivorous fishes and the sea urchin Diadema antillarum in Little Cayman. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-reveals-crucial-role-herbivorous-fishes.html) 2023-11-15T12:27:05Z **Researchers: Effective climate action requires us to abandon viewing our efforts as a 'sacrifice'**
If you're like most people, you've been taught that climate action is a sacrifice. Cutting emissions from fossil fuels, you've probably been told, is the economy-squeezing price we must pay for a livable planet. But our research explains why we should look at this issue through a different frame. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-effective-climate-action-requires-abandon.html) 2023-11-15T12:26:04Z **NASA's first successful recovery of asteroid samples may reveal information about the origins of the universe**
The OSIRIS-REx mission is NASA's first mission to collect samples from an asteroid—in this case 101955 Bennu—and return to Earth. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-nasa-successful-recovery-asteroid-samples.html) 2023-11-15T12:21:04Z **How PFAS 'forever chemicals' are getting into Miami's Biscayne Bay, where dolphins, fish, manatees dine**
PFAS, the "forever chemicals" that have been raising health concerns across the country, are not just a problem in drinking water. As these chemicals leach out of failing septic systems and landfills and wash off airport runways and farm fields, they can end up in streams that ultimately discharge into ocean ecosystems where fish, dolphins, manatees, sharks and other marine species live. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-pfas-chemicals-miami-biscayne-bay.html) 2023-11-15T17:40:02Z **How social media is breathing new life into Bhutan's unwritten local languages**
Dechen, 40, grew up in Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan. Her native language was Mangdip, also known as Nyenkha, as her parents are originally from central Bhutan. She went to schools in the city, where the curriculum was predominantly taught in Dzongkha, the national language, and English. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-social-media-life-bhutan-unwritten.html) 2023-11-16T00:00:02Z **Inequality hotspot map shows where women in agriculture are hit the hardest by the climate crisis**
Threats posed by the climate crisis disproportionally affect certain communities and social groups that are more exposed. People living in low- and middle-income (LMIC) countries are at heightened risk. Within these countries, women typically face higher climate risk than men. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-inequality-hotspot-women-agriculture-hardest.html) 2023-11-16T06:25:40Z **Bear genes show circadian rhythms even during hibernation**
The internal clocks of grizzly bears appear to keep ticking through hibernation, according to a genetic study. This persistence highlights the strong role of circadian rhythms in the metabolism of many organisms including humans. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-genes-circadian-rhythms-hibernation.html) 2023-11-16T11:32:53Z **Study shows temperature variability reduces songbird nesting success**
Many songbirds are nesting earlier in spring because of warmer temperatures brought about by climate change. But the shift brings another danger that is especially deadly for nestlings: greater exposure to temperature variability in the form of cold snaps and heat waves. Such extremes result in more nest failures. These findings come from a Cornell Lab of Ornithology study just published in the journal Nature Communications. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-temperature-variability-songbird-success.html) 2023-11-16T11:31:05Z **Microplastics in soil: Tomography with neutrons and X-rays shows where particles are deposited**
It is a real problem: Microplastic particles are everywhere. Now a team from the University of Potsdam and HZB has developed a method that allows it for the first time to precisely localize microplastic particles in the soil. The 3D tomographies show where the particles are deposited and how structures in the soil are changed. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-microplastics-soil-tomography-neutrons-x-rays.html) 2023-11-16T11:30:01Z **How much damage could possible Iceland volcano eruption cause?**
A town has been evacuated in southwestern Iceland after hundreds of earthquakes caused by shifting underground magma sparked fears of a full-blown volcanic eruption. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-iceland-volcano-eruption.html) 2023-11-16T16:40:04Z **Forensic scientists help locate missing Second World War pilot after eight decades**
On a summer's day in July 1943, a U.S. B-25 Mitchell bomber left Tunisia in North Africa on a mission to attack the Sciacca Aerodrome in Sicily, Italy. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-forensic-scientists-world-war-decades.html) 2023-11-16T16:38:04Z **Chemists tackle formation of natural aerosols**
City dwellers have long had to contend with smog—that ugly haze that hangs over urban areas—as a result of emissions-producing human activities as diverse as manufacturing, mowing the lawn, driving cars, and even cooking. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-chemists-tackle-formation-natural-aerosols.html) 2023-11-17T00:00:01Z **'Fishing' chimpanzees found to enjoy termites as a seasonal treat**
The discovery that chimpanzees use tools to fish for termites revolutionized our understanding of their abilities—but we still don't have crucial context to help us understand termite fishing and chimpanzee minds. Are chimpanzees fishing for a seasonal treat or trying their luck? ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-fishing-chimpanzees-enjoy-termites-seasonal.html) 2023-11-17T05:03:42Z **SpaceX 'Starship' launch postponed until Saturday**
SpaceX has pushed back by one day the long awaited second launch of its next-generation Starship rocket because of technical issues, the company's CEO Elon Musk said Thursday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-spacex-starship-postponed-saturday.html) 2023-11-17T10:11:04Z **Novel approaches for correcting gene expression insufficiency**
A new molecular technology capable of binding to mRNA and regulating gene expression may offer a new avenue for treating diseases caused by haploinsufficiency, or the absence of one functional gene copy, according to a study published in Nature Communications. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-approaches-gene-insufficiency.html) 2023-11-18T05:10:29Z **Researchers boost vaccines and immunotherapies with machine learning to drive more effective treatments**
Small molecules called immunomodulators can help create more effective vaccines and stronger immunotherapies to treat cancer. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-boost-vaccines-immunotherapies-machine-effective.html) 2023-11-18T05:08:03Z **Cultural capital is key to a sense of belonging for college students of color**
College students' sense of belonging is believed to have important and far-reaching implications, contributing to academic achievement and persistence at college as well as offering protective effects against anxiety and depression. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-cultural-capital-key-college-students.html) 2023-11-18T11:10:01Z **Researcher: Big cats eat more monkeys in a damaged tropical forest, which threatens survival of primate populations**
Monkeys are not usually a popular menu item for big cats. Primates are, after all, hard to catch: living in the canopies of large trees and rarely coming down to the ground. Jaguar and puma have varied diets and will normally hunt the species that are most common where they live, such as deer, peccary (a type of wild pig) and armadillo. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-big-cats-monkeys-tropical-forest.html) 2023-11-19T06:27:23Z **Record for world's priciest bottle of whisky smashed at London auction**
A bottle of The Macallan 1926, described by Sotheby's auction house as the "most valuable whisky in the world", on Saturday went under the hammer for a record £2.1 million. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-world-priciest-bottle-whisky-london.html) 2023-11-19T06:25:50Z **Progress in Starship test launch, but ship and booster explode**
SpaceX on Saturday made progress in the second test launch of its mammoth Starship rocket, with the booster separating from the spaceship, but both then exploding shortly after over the ocean. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-starship-ship-booster.html) 2023-11-19T13:10:02Z **In five years, this Australian astrophysics lab reached 50% women. Here's how they did it**
Many organizations, from community sporting groups to the United Nations, have set themselves a target of gender parity: ensuring half of staff or members are women. Gender parity is desirable because training and retaining equal halves of a population's available talent influences an organization's growth, problem-solving capacity and future-readiness. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-years-australian-astrophysics-lab-women.html) 2023-11-20T04:10:54Z **At least 21 dead in torrential Dominican Republic rains**
At least 21 people, including three children, died after heavy rainfall inundated the Dominican Republic over the weekend, authorities said Sunday, warning the downpours were linked to worsening climate change. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-dead-torrential-dominican-republic.html) 2023-11-20T04:10:40Z **World's richest 1% emit as much carbon as bottom two-thirds: report**
The richest one percent of the global population are responsible for the same amount of carbon emissions as the world's poorest two-thirds, or five billion people, according to an analysis published Sunday by the nonprofit Oxfam International. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-world-richest-emit-carbon-bottom.html) 2023-11-20T04:10:09Z **Australians vote on name for home-made moon rover**
Australians began voting Monday on a name for the country's first home-made moon rover, with a shortlist including "Mateship", "Roo-ver" and "Kakirra"—an Indigenous word for the Earth's satellite. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-australians-vote-home-made-moon-rover.html) 2023-11-20T10:00:01Z **'Teenage galaxies' are unusually hot, glowing with unexpected elements**
Similar to human teenagers, teenage galaxies are awkward, experience growth spurts and enjoy heavy metal—nickel, that is. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-teenage-galaxies-unusually-hot-unexpected.html) 2023-11-20T10:00:01Z **Why purple-crowned fairy-wrens engage in cooperative breeding**
A team of biologists at Monash University, working with a colleague from Wageningen University, has found an explanation for why purple-crowned fairy wrens engage in cooperative breeding. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the group describes their study of the birds in the wild. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-purple-crowned-fairy-wrens-engage-cooperative.html) 2023-11-20T10:00:01Z **Reshaping protein design with function-first, AI-guided engineering**
A significant step forward in protein design from Generate Biomedicines, Massachusetts, has developed an AI that can generate feasible protein structures and predict the potential functionality of the proteins generated. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-reshaping-protein-function-first-ai-guided.html) 2023-11-20T15:15:03Z **Juice burns hard toward first-ever Earth–moon flyby**
On 17 November 2023, ESA's Juice spacecraft carried out one of the largest and most important maneuvers in its eight-year journey to Jupiter. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-juice-hard-first-ever-earthmoon-flyby.html) 2023-11-21T00:00:02Z **High temperatures may have caused over 70,000 excess deaths in Europe in 2022**
The burden of heat-related mortality during the summer of 2022 in Europe may have exceeded 70,000 deaths according to a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-high-temperatures-excess-deaths-europe.html) 2023-11-21T06:00:01Z **Microautophagy is essential for preventing aging, finds lysosomes study**
To age or not to age? How does aging affect organisms on a cellular level? What mechanisms help cells survive self-inflicted or external harm? It is known that lysosomes—critically important cellular structures—are crucial for digesting damaged cellular components and pathogens, and to maintain stability within cells and tissues. But can they also be repaired, and if so, how? ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-microautophagy-essential-aging-lysosomes.html) 2023-11-21T11:09:03Z **Caught in living cells: How bacteria regulate their genes to defend themselves**
For the first time, it was shown in living cells how the bacterium E. coli regulates genes that help it survive in a new environment. Biochemist Fatema Zahra Rashid managed to do this using a technique she fine-tuned. Her research into changes in 3-dimensional chromosome structure offers clues for ways to fight pathogens and appeared in Nature Communications on November 17. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-caught-cells-bacteria-genes-defend.html) 2023-11-21T11:07:04Z **Skull shape can predict how extinct vultures fed on carrion**
Variations in the skull shape of vultures have been found to coincide with the preferred method each species uses to feed on a carcass. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-skull-extinct-vultures-fed-carrion.html) 2023-11-21T16:14:03Z **Decoding anthocyanin impact: Genetic insights into plant defense and growth trade-offs**
Anthocyanins are key pigments in plants for plant resistance to abiotic stress. It can provide photoprotection by potentially absorbing visible light and scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) when biotic stress occurs. However, comparative studies of anthocyanin function are challenged due to the absence of isogenic plant models with variable anthocyanin levels. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-decoding-anthocyanin-impact-genetic-insights.html) 2023-11-21T16:12:03Z **Unlocking citrus tolerance secrets: The Valencia sweet orange genome and the fight against HLB disease**
Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L.), a hybrid fruit crop originating from mandarins (Citrus reticulata Blanco) and pummelos [Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.], exhibits complex genomic diversity due to ancient interspecific hybridization. At present, the best assembly of the sweet orange genome is the double haploid sweet orange (HSO). ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-citrus-tolerance-secrets-valencia-sweet.html) 2023-11-22T03:00:01Z **What are the effects of workforce automation across race and gender in the United States?**
Advances in areas such as robotics and artificial intelligence enable the automation of a range of occupational tasks, leading to fundamental changes in the nature of work. New research published in the American Journal of Economics and Sociology indicates that the effects of job automation vary across race and gender and, without targeted interventions, will likely result in increasing inequality. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-effects-workforce-automation-gender-states.html) 2023-11-22T03:00:01Z **Does spaceflight increase men's risk of erectile dysfunction?**
During missions into space, astronauts are exposed to high levels of galactic cosmic radiation and weightlessness. Simulation experiments in male rats indicated that these aspects of spaceflight can negatively affect vascular tissues relevant to erectile dysfunction, even after a period of long-term recovery. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-spaceflight-men-erectile-dysfunction.html) 2023-11-22T10:01:06Z **Colossal Biosciences finds a home for one extinct species**
After years of working on bringing back one of the most popular extinct animals—the dodo—Colossal Biosciences has found a home for its bird in Mauritius in a new partnership with the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-colossal-biosciences-home-extinct-species.html) 2023-11-22T09:56:26Z **Recently discovered nova investigated by astronomers**
Astronomers from the Liverpool John Moores University have performed photometric and spectroscopic observations of a recently discovered nova, known as AT 2023prq. Results of the observational campaign, published in the November issue of the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), shed more light on the nature of this nova. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-nova-astronomers.html) 2023-11-22T15:03:51Z **Understanding the link between biodiversity loss and technology life cycles**
The efforts to increase society's environmental sustainability focus on four major challenges that need to be addressed: climate change, natural resource dissipation, environmental pollution, and biodiversity loss. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-link-biodiversity-loss-technology-life.html) 2023-11-22T15:03:38Z **Unraveling paddy soil secrets: Surprising contribution of nonmicrobial mechanisms to CO₂ emissions**
A study published recently in the journal Eco-Environment & Health, has shown that natural processes, especially reactions involving certain reactive oxygen species, play a big role in how paddy soils release CO2. This adds to our understanding of the world's carbon balance. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-unraveling-paddy-soil-secrets-contribution.html) 2023-11-22T15:03:33Z **Researchers recover deep-sea diving probe that measures ocean carbon from Southern Ocean**
In a first for CSIRO's research vessel (RV) Investigator, a state-of-the-art robotic float has been recovered from the Southern Ocean after its three-year mission sampling deep waters about 500 kilometers south of Tasmania. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-recover-deep-sea-probe-ocean-carbon.html) 2023-11-22T15:03:29Z **New remote sensing dataset improves global land change tracking**
Tracking unprecedented changes in land use over the past century, global land cover maps provide key insights into the impact of human settlement on the environment. Researchers from Sun Yat-sen University created a large-scale remote sensing annotation dataset to support Earth observation research and provide new insight into the dynamic monitoring of global land cover. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-remote-dataset-global-tracking.html) 2023-11-23T05:00:12Z **Study reveals how shipwrecks are providing a refuge for marine life**
An estimated 50,000 shipwrecks can be found around the UK's coastline and have been acting as a hidden refuge for fish, corals and other marine species in areas still open to destructive bottom towed fishing, a new study has shown. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-reveals-shipwrecks-refuge-marine-life.html) 2023-11-23T05:00:01Z **Study shows tropical cyclones substantially raise the social cost of carbon**
Extreme events like tropical cyclones have immediate impacts, but also long-term implications for societies. A new study published in the journal Nature Communications shows that accounting for the long-term impacts of these storms raises the global social cost of carbon by more than 20%, compared to the estimates currently used for policy evaluations. This increase is mainly driven by the projected rise of tropi ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-tropical-cyclones-substantially-social-carbon.html) 2023-11-23T10:40:01Z **Sea level rise found to encourage mangrove expansion on Great Barrier Reef islands**
A team of environmental scientists at the University of Wollongong Faculty of Science Medicine and Health's School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, working with a colleague from the University of New South Wales, has found that sea level rise is encouraging mangrove expansion on some Great Barrier Reef islands. In their paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the group describes h ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-sea-mangrove-expansion-great-barrier.html) 2023-11-23T20:00:01Z **The flat Fens of eastern England once held vast woodlands, study finds**
The Fens of eastern England, a low-lying, extremely flat landscape dominated by agricultural fields, was once a vast woodland filled with huge yew trees, according to new research. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-flat-fens-eastern-england-held.html) 2023-11-24T02:39:08Z **Europe's Ariane 6 rocket successfully completes hot-fire test**
The European Space Agency's Ariane 6 rocket successfully completed a dress rehearsal on Thursday, test-firing its engine in preparation for a maiden voyage scheduled for 2024. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-europe-ariane-rocket-successfully-hot-fire.html) 2023-11-24T08:43:36Z **Unveiling the sacred Wiradjuri carved trees**
In a landmark collaboration between Wiradjuri people, NSW State government and archaeologists, new research has revealed the deep-time hidden story of Wiradjuri carved trees (marara) and burials (dhabuganha) in Southeast Australia. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-unveiling-sacred-wiradjuri-trees.html) 2023-11-24T08:43:00Z **Researchers untangle the relationships between bacterial languages**
A combination of machine learning and lab experiments has given researchers a peek into the different languages bacteria use to communicate. Understanding how bacteria communicate—and when they can't—has implications for treating drug-resistant bacteria and for developing biocomputing tools. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-untangle-relationships-bacterial-languages.html) 2023-11-24T13:59:04Z **Fallen autumn leaves are a valuable resource. Here's how to make the most of them**
Towards the end of autumn the days get colder and shorter. This triggers the reduction of the plant hormone auxin in most deciduous trees, which start to shed their leaves. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-fallen-autumn-valuable-resource.html) 2023-11-24T13:58:03Z **How COVID enabled new forms of economic abuse of women in India**
In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, the United Nations (UN) identified what it called a "shadow pandemic" of domestic violence against women. The UN includes in its definition of domestic violence what it refers to as "economic violence," which it explains as: "making or attempting to make a person financially dependent by maintaining total control over financial resources, withholding access to money, and/or forbidding attendance at s ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-covid-enabled-economic-abuse-women.html) 2023-11-24T13:56:05Z **Waking a sleeping language: A plan to revive the speaking of ta rē Moriori**
When is a language extinct and when is it merely dormant? There are certainly languages that have passed over that line, and many remain threatened today. But what of those in the twilight zone—can we revive them, and what would that look like? ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-language-revive-ta-moriori.html) 2023-11-24T13:56:03Z **How NASA keeps Ingenuity going after more than 50 flights**
More information is always better when it comes to publicly funded space exploration projects. So it's welcome when a NASA engineer takes time out of the assuredly busy work lives to provide an update on everyone's favorite helicopter on Mars. Ingenuity has been having a rough few months, and a new article entitled "The Long Wait," posted by Travis Brown, Chief Engineer on the Ingenuity project, on NASA's website, provides a good amount of detail as to ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-nasa-ingenuity-flights.html) 2023-11-24T13:55:04Z **Q&A: Study finds wide gap in SAT/ACT test scores between wealthy, lower-income kids**
A recent paper released by Opportunity Insights, a Harvard-based team of researchers and policy analysts, found that children of the wealthiest 1% of Americans were 13 times likelier than the children of low-income families to score 1300 or higher on SAT/ACT tests. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-qa-wide-gap-satact-scores.html) 2023-11-25T07:30:01Z **Saturday Citations: Lead, microplastics and coal on our filthy planet—plus, faster-charging lithium-ion batteries**
This week, we reported on new developments in lithium-ion batteries, and a real industrial pollution hat trick with stories on coal, lead and microplastics. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-saturday-citations-microplastics-coal-filthy.html) 2023-11-25T13:30:01Z **Antarctic ozone hole getting deeper in mid-spring, research suggests**
The hole in the Antarctic ozone layer has been getting deeper in mid-spring over the last two decades, despite a global ban on chemicals that deplete Earth's shield from deadly solar radiation, new research suggested Tuesday. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-antarctic-ozone-hole-deeper-mid-spring.html) 2023-11-26T05:20:01Z **Limits for quantum computers: Perfect clocks are impossible, research finds**
There are different ideas about how quantum computers could be built. But they all have one thing in common: you use a quantum physical system—for example, individual atoms—and change their state by exposing them to very specific forces for a specific time. However, this means that in order to be able to rely on the quantum computing operation delivering the correct result, you need a clock that is as precise as possible. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-limits-quantum-clocks-impossible.html) 2023-11-26T11:50:01Z **A fullerene-like molecule made entirely of metal atoms**
A small team of chemists from Nankai University, Nanjing Tech University and Shanxi University, all in China, working with a colleague from Universidad San Sebastián, in Chile, has, for the first time, created a fullerene-like molecule made entirely of metal atoms. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-fullerene-like-molecule-metal-atoms.html) 2023-11-27T02:55:30Z **Critically endangered Sumatran rhino born in Indonesia**
A Sumatran rhino has been born in western Indonesia, officials said Monday, a rare sanctuary birth for the critically endangered animal with only several dozen believed to be left in the world. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-critically-endangered-sumatran-rhino-born.html) 2023-11-27T02:53:21Z **Winter isn't coming: climate change hits Greek olive crop**
Greek organic farmer Zaharoula Vassilaki looks with admiration at a huge olive tree on her property believed to be over two centuries old, still yielding despite a direct lightning hit years ago. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-winter-isnt-climate-greek-olive.html) 2023-11-27T02:52:51Z **Experts trash Hong Kong's 'throwaway culture' ahead of plastic ban**
Unlike her fellow Hong Kong urbanites toting plastic or paper cups filled with coffee, pet groomer Lucine Mo takes her caffeine hit in a thermal mug with a QR code. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-experts-trash-hong-kong-throwaway.html) 2023-11-27T09:10:01Z **The formation of an excitonic Mott insulator state in a moiré superlattice**
When a negatively charged electron and a positively charged hole in a pair remain bound together following excitation by light, they produce states known as excitons. These states can influence the optical properties of materials, in turn enabling their use for developing various technologies. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-formation-excitonic-mott-insulator-state.html) 2023-11-27T14:20:01Z **Gender-based violence: Teaching about its root causes is necessary to address it**
In 2022, 184 women and girls were killed by violence in Canada. This number has steadily increased in each of the past three years; 148 women and girls were killed in 2019, 172 in 2020 and 177 in 2021. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-gender-based-violence-root.html) 2023-11-28T00:00:01Z **Female toxin-producing newts are surprisingly more poisonous than males**
Tetrodotoxin, the neurotoxin that makes a blue-ringed octopus deadly, also protects Taricha newts—but we don't understand how they produce it, or what purposes it serves for them. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-female-toxin-producing-newts-poisonous-males.html) 2023-11-28T07:33:32Z **A showdown over deep sea mining is taking place in the Pacific**
Activists from Greenpeace International have boarded a ship that is conducting deep sea mining research in the Pacific Ocean, vowing to occupy the vessel until it abandons the expedition. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-showdown-deep-sea-pacific.html) 2023-11-28T12:49:03Z **Researchers find no evidence of Arabian leopards despite extensive search in Saudi Arabia**
Researchers have concluded that Saudi Arabia is likely no longer home to sustainable populations of Arabian leopards, as detailed in the journal Oryx. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-evidence-arabian-leopards-extensive-saudi.html) 2023-11-28T12:47:02Z **LIBRA: An adaptative integrative tool for paired single-cell multi-omics data**
Single-cell multi-omics technologies allow a profound system-level biology understanding of cells and tissues. However, an integrative and possibly systems-based analysis capturing the different modalities is challenging. In response, bioinformatics and machine learning methodologies are being developed for multi-omics single-cell analysis. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-libra-tool-paired-single-cell-multi-omics.html) 2023-11-28T12:45:03Z **Study finds urban waterfowl are important seed dispersers for native and alien plants**
Our park ponds typically hold good numbers of mallards, and urban grassy areas often hold concentrations of geese. In the UK, Canada Geese are an abundant and widespread alien species, well known for fouling parks with their feces. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-urban-waterfowl-important-seed-dispersers.html) 2023-11-28T19:00:01Z **Solicitor in 19th-century Tasmania traded human Aboriginal remains for scientific accolades, study reveals**
A Hobart-based solicitor built his reputation as "the foremost scientist in the colony" in the mid-1800s, despite limited contributions to scientific knowledge. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-solicitor-19th-century-tasmania-human-aboriginal.html) 2023-11-29T03:24:58Z **Webb captures a prominent protostar in Perseus**
This new Picture of the Month from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope reveals intricate details of the Herbig Haro object 797 (HH 797). Herbig-Haro objects are luminous regions surrounding newborn stars (known as protostars), and are formed when stellar winds or jets of gas spewing from these newborn stars form shockwaves colliding with nearby gas and dust at high speeds. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-webb-captures-prominent-protostar-perseus.html) 2023-11-29T09:31:04Z **Translating global theories of change into tangible steps for conservation of ecosystems**
A new Griffith-led study has developed a framework to operationalize global "theories of change," coordinating local and global actions to secure a future where humans live in harmony with nature. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-global-theories-tangible-ecosystems.html) 2023-11-29T14:44:04Z **Researchers identify dynamic behavior of key SARS-CoV-2 accessory protein**
Researchers at Kanazawa University report in the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters high-speed atomic force microscopy studies that shed light on the possible role of the open reading frame 6 (ORF6) protein in COVID-19 symptoms. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-dynamic-behavior-key-sars-cov-accessory.html) 2023-11-30T03:01:54Z **Nations urged to phase out fossil fuels at UN climate talks**
The UN climate conference opens in Dubai on Thursday with nations urged to increase the pace of action on global warming and phase out fossil fuels, amid intense scrutiny of oil-rich hosts UAE. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-nations-urged-phase-fossil-fuels.html) 2023-11-30T08:09:45Z **Money to burn: Wealthy, white neighborhoods losing their heat shields**
White, wealthy neighborhoods in the LA area are about to start feeling the same heat that has plagued poorer, Hispanic neighborhoods for generations. A new study shows the protective effect of income has largely eroded over the past 40 years, as landscape plants can't keep up with the pace of climate warming. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-money-wealthy-white-neighborhoods-shields.html) 2023-11-30T13:18:51Z **Migratory songbird study finds link between white tail spots and longevity**
A new study of a migratory songbird shows that individuals with average-sized white tail spots—a trait that is critical to successful foraging—live longer than individuals with more extreme amounts of white in the tail. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-migratory-songbird-link-white-tail.html) 2023-11-30T13:18:23Z **NASA's 6-pack of mini-satellites ready for their moment in the sun**
Most NASA missions feature one spacecraft or, occasionally, a few. The agency's Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) uses half a dozen. This month, mission members completed the construction of the six identical cereal box-size satellites, which will now go into storage and await their final testing and ride to space. SunRISE will launch as a rideshare aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket, sponsored by th ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-nasa-pack-mini-satellites-ready-moment.html) 2023-11-30T13:16:58Z **Horn of Africa floods displace more than two million**
More than two million people across the Horn of Africa have been forced from their homes by torrential rains and floods, according to an AFP tally compiled Thursday from government and UN figures. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-horn-africa-displace-million.html) 2023-11-30T13:14:51Z **Venezuela zoo welcomes three white lion cubs**
A Venezuelan zoo this week welcomed the country's first three white lion cubs born in captivity, a boost for the genetically rare animal whose wild population numbers only about a dozen living in their native South Africa. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-venezuela-zoo-white-lion-cubs.html) 2023-11-30T19:00:04Z **One of the largest magnetic storms in history quantified: Aurorae from the tropics to the polar regions**
In early November of this year, aurora borealis were observed at surprisingly low latitudes, as far south as Italy and Texas. Such phenomena indicate the impacts of a solar coronal mass ejection on the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. Far more dramatic than this recent light show was, it was nothing compared to a huge solar storm in February 872. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-largest-magnetic-storms-history-quantified.html) 2023-11-30T19:00:01Z **'Bone biographies' reveal lives of medieval England's common people—and illuminate early benefits system**
A series of 'bone biographies' created by a major research project tell the stories of medieval Cambridge residents as recorded on their skeletons, illuminating everyday lives during the era of Black Death and its aftermath. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-11-bone-biographies-reveal-medieval-england.html) 2023-12-01T00:15:04Z **Scientists raise alarm as bacteria are linked to mass death of sea sponges weakened by warming Mediterranean**
Vibrio bacteria, named for their vibrating swimming motion, span approximately 150 known species. Most Vibrio live in brackish or salt water, either swimming free or living as pathogens or symbionts in fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and corals. Because Vibrio thrives at relatively high temperatures, outbreaks in marine animals are expected to become ever more frequent under global warming. ... ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-12-scientists-alarm-bacteria-linked-mass.html) 2023-12-01T06:38:26Z **Nature's palette reinvented: New fermentation breakthrough in sustainable food coloring**
Researchers from The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability (DTU Biosustain) have developed an innovative fermentation process that produces natural betalain-type food colors. This groundbreaking technology is set to revolutionize the food color industry by offering a more sustainable and efficient alternative to traditional extraction methods. ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-12-nature-palette-reinvented-fermentation-breakthrough.html) 2023-12-01T11:40:06Z **Health is finally a priority at COP28. Will it spur faster climate action?**
Arianne Teherani has a loud, clear message for the negotiators at COP28: "Climate change is undermining human health, fundamentally, all over the world, right now." ⌘ [Read more](https://phys.org/news/2023-12-health-priority-cop28-spur-faster.html)