Phys.org news
Phys.org / Forest soil on doormats rebalances urban homes' indoor microbiome, study suggests
Introducing forest soil on an entryway doormat shifted the indoor microbiome of Finnish homes closer to bacterial profiles found outdoors, with less contribution from human-associated bacteria, a new study shows. In the future, ...
Phys.org / Cow manure digesters really do cut methane—unless they leak
A new study shows that systems designed to capture methane from cow manure, called dairy digesters, are highly effective. But on the rare occasions they fail, the leaks are large enough to offset their climate benefits.
Phys.org / Legged robot could accelerate resource prospecting on the moon and the search for life on Mars
Planetary surface missions currently operate cautiously. On Mars, communication delays between Earth and rovers (typically between four and 22 minutes), as well as data transfer constraints due to uplink and downlink limitations, ...
Phys.org / Targeting the tiniest divide: Research reveals potential vulnerability in bacterial reproduction
A Université de Montréal study has found a previously unknown mechanism in bacterial reproduction that could be attacked by future antibiotics. Bacteria reproduce by dividing into two: they form a wall, or septum, between ...
Phys.org / Getting a glimpse of viral dances in the dark in the Sargasso Sea
In a new study of viral abundance over a short time frame in the Sargasso Sea, researchers found that almost all viruses with cyclical changes in abundance were most active at night—somewhat surprising when the team expected ...
Phys.org / What builds cohesion in diverse societies? Brain scans point to shared national identity cues
The brain? It has a flexible social perception. In interactions with people from different ethnic groups, it tends to respond more inclusively when a shared national identity is made salient. A study, by the University of ...
Phys.org / Income rank predicts well-being worldwide, but social capital can buffer its effects
An individual's position in the income hierarchy is a stronger predictor of well-being than either how much they earn or how large the income gap is between them and others, finds new research from the University of Leeds, ...
Phys.org / College students struggle to identify problematic gray zones in academic practice, study finds
Students across education levels have a blind spot for identifying situations that might bring their academic integrity into questionable territory, a study finds. When navigating questions on citation, collaboration, and ...
Phys.org / Say what? New study debunks belief that introverts are better listeners
New Minnesota Carlson research debunks the idea that introverts are better listeners than extroverts. In fact, extroverts may have a slight perceived advantage as listeners. The study authors suggest moving past personality-based ...
Phys.org / By 2100, climate change could make unhealthy air routine for 100 million Americans
New modeling shows almost one in three Americans will routinely breathe air considered unhealthy for sensitive people by the year 2100 due to climate change, a seven-fold increase compared to the turn of the century.
Phys.org / Phylogenetically diverse Central China proposed as newest global biodiversity hotspot
Taxonomic endemism and phylogenetic endemism are both important measures of biodiversity. The former describes the number of distinct species found nowhere else, whereas the latter shows the amount of evolutionary branch ...
Phys.org / Towards smarter agriculture: Durable nanofilm electrodes for monitoring leaf health
Nanofilm electrodes capable of detecting stress in plants through bioelectric potentials could pave the way for more resilient agriculture, report researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo. Thanks to the electrode's small ...
