Phys.org news
Phys.org / Biologists reveal the genetic 'switch' behind parrot color diversity
From the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro to the shoulders of pirates: parrots are synonymous with color for people across the world. In a study published in the journal Science, scientists from The University of Hong Kong, together ...
Phys.org / Mini-transmitters show infections with parasites affect local flight behavior of swallows
Swallows infected with parasites move less and in smaller ranges than healthy ones—with detrimental effects on their foraging success and their survival. As a result, infected individuals foraged in less productive areas, ...
Phys.org / Women's education influences fertility rates in sub-Saharan Africa, forecasting model finds
New research reveals a strong link between higher female education and lower fertility rates in sub-Saharan Africa. Educated women are driving a shift toward smaller families and even influencing less educated peers. This ...
Phys.org / To a great degree, Ecuadorian oil profits end up in the Global North
Research by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) reveals an unbalanced distribution of the impacts generated by the exploitation of two blocks in the Amazon.
Phys.org / Study suggests Jesus's 'miraculous catch of fish' may have had a less-than-miraculous explanation
A multi-institutional team of environmental scientists and physical limnologists has found that there may be a scientific explanation for Jesus' "miraculous catch of fish"—one that does not involve miracles. In their paper ...
Phys.org / Black hole in early universe appears to be consuming matter at over 40 times its theoretical limit
Supermassive black holes exist at the center of most galaxies, and modern telescopes continue to observe them at surprisingly early times in the universe's evolution.
Phys.org / How many trees does it take to cool a city? Researchers develop tool to set urban tree canopy goals
Cities around the globe are increasingly experiencing dangerous heat as urban concrete and asphalt amplify rising temperatures. Tree-planting programs are a popular, nature-based way to cool cities, but these initiatives ...
Phys.org / Improving detector sensitivity to neutrinos and dark matter: Latest experimental setup yields 50% higher ionization
Fine tuning an experimental setup improved a detector's sensitivity to neutrinos and perhaps eventually dark matter—two difficult-to-measure forms of matter which hold great importance for understanding particle physics ...
Phys.org / Psychological inoculation: Combining two simple tools could combat election misinformation
A popular new strategy for combating misinformation doesn't by itself help people distinguish truth from falsehood but improves when paired with reminders to focus on accuracy, finds new Cornell University-led research supported ...
Phys.org / A physicist and his cat 'reveal' the equation of cat motion
In the social media age, there is little doubt about who is the star of the animal kingdom. Cats rule the screens just as their cousins, the lions, rule the savanna. Thanks to Erwin Schrödinger, this feline also has a place ...
Phys.org / Fingerprints on ancient terracotta figurines show men, women and children worked on figurines
A recent preliminary study by Ph.D. student Leonie Hoff of the University of Oxford, published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology, provides insight into how ancient fingerprints left on terracotta figurines reveal the age ...
Phys.org / Did the world's best-preserved dinosaurs really die in 'Pompeii-type' events?
Between about 120 million and 130 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs, temperate forests and lakes hosted a lively ecosystem in what is now northeast China. Diverse fossils from that time remained pretty much undisturbed ...