Phys.org news
Phys.org / A new framework could transform national flood prediction
When severe weather strikes, the National Weather Service's (NWS) Office of Water Prediction (OWP) makes critical flood forecasts with the National Water Model. Despite improvements over time, the model's performance has ...
Phys.org / AI method accelerates liquid simulations by learning fundamental physical relationships
Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have developed a method using artificial intelligence that can significantly speed up the calculation of liquid properties. The AI approach predicts the chemical potential—an indispensable ...
Phys.org / Mars' 'young' volcanoes prove more complex than scientists once thought
What appears to be a single volcanic eruption is often the result of complex processes operating deep beneath the surface, where magma moves, evolves, and changes over long periods of time. To fully understand how volcanoes ...
Phys.org / Space mining without heavy machines? Microbes harvest metals from meteorites aboard space station
If humankind is to explore deep space, one small passenger should not be left behind: microbes. In fact, it would be impossible to leave them behind, since they live on and in our bodies, surfaces and food. Learning how they ...
Phys.org / Fire-footed rope squirrels identified as a natural reservoir for monkeypox virus
Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH), a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), together with an interdisciplinary team of partners, have identified the fire-footed rope squirrel ...
Phys.org / Warming may boost soil carbon storage in boreal Sphagnum peatlands, study finds
A new study reports that climate warming can increase soil carbon accumulation in boreal Sphagnum peatlands by boosting plant productivity, protecting iron, and inhibiting microbial decomposition. These responses contrast ...
Phys.org / Elevated lead levels could flow from some US drinking water kiosks
After high-profile water crises like the one in Flint, Michigan, some Americans distrust the safety of tap water, choosing to purchase drinking water from freestanding water vending machines or kiosks. Yet this more expensive ...
Phys.org / Southern right whales are facing climate-driven decline in Australia
The tide has turned on the conservation success story of the southern right whale. Once considered a global conservation success story, the species is now emerging as a warning signal of how climate change is impacting threatened ...
Phys.org / Stiff gels slow germs: Mapping the hydrogel properties that control bacterial growth
Hydrogels are soft, jelly-like materials that can absorb large amounts of water. They are widely used in medical technologies such as contact lenses and wound dressings, and are also a staple of laboratory research, where ...
Phys.org / Bird guano powered rise of Chincha Kingdom in Peruvian Andes, archaeologists find
New archaeological evidence reveals that seabird guano—nutrient-rich bird droppings—was not only essential to boosting corn yields and supercharging agriculture in ancient Peru, but it may have been a driving force behind ...
Phys.org / Strike against mask wearing in 1930s echoed COVID-19 protests, study finds
New research from The University of Manchester has shown that debates and resistance about wearing face masks go back a lot further than the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Meng Zhang, a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow at the University's ...
Phys.org / Rising CO₂ and warming jointly limit phosphorus availability in rice soils, decade-long study reveals
A decade-long study has revealed that rising atmospheric CO₂ and warming work together to reduce the availability of phosphorus in rice-upland crop rotation systems, potentially threatening future food security. The research, ...