Phys.org news
Phys.org / Most mammal species discovered in the Global South since 1990 end up in Northern collections
According to a study by Brazilian scientists published in the journal npj Biodiversity, most new mammal species described over the past 35 years are housed in institutions in countries of the so-called Global North, even ...
Phys.org / Climate doom may discourage climate action, but there's a way to counter it
Every summer is getting hotter. Wildfires are blazing, and the worst is yet to come. There's nothing to be done—we're doomed! Sound familiar?
Phys.org / How to better forecast once-in-a-millennium weather events
For all that day-to-day weather forecasts have improved, it remains a challenge to forecast events that might happen once in 1,000 years—like the deadliest heat waves.
Phys.org / Fifteen years of data link plastic pollution to seabird population losses
Every year, about 50 million metric tons of plastic is dumped into the environment. This waste entangles, chokes and poisons wildlife worldwide, including sable shearwaters living on the remote Australian island of Lord Howe. ...
Phys.org / How only a few tree species drive Amazon forest recovery
When a destroyed section of the Amazon rainforest begins to recover, nature deploys only a few tree species that can withstand poor soil conditions and blazing sun and grow rapidly, a Brazilian study has shown.
Phys.org / Curved surfaces reshape active materials, localizing vibrations near defects
Many materials, both living and engineered, are powered from within. Scientists have thoroughly investigated how such 'active' materials operate, but so far, mostly in circumstances where the curvature of the environment ...
Phys.org / Fiber-optic cable reveals hidden crevasses that could destabilize glaciers
In recent years, the Alps have experienced devastating glacier collapses: In September 2023, a section of the Marmolada glacier in the Dolomites collapsed, resulting in the deaths of seven mountaineers. Just over a year and ...
Phys.org / Drier soils may turn late summer into prolonged extreme heat
The summers of recent years have been hot, but not unusual from a meteorological perspective. According to researchers at Leipzig University, though, the next extreme summer would far exceed anything we have experienced so ...
Phys.org / 'Switchable' smart gel may pave way for next-gen drug delivery and sensing tech
University of Birmingham scientists have developed a new material that changes from a gel to a liquid-like state under ultraviolet light and can be rebuilt using heat or dismantled by acid.
Phys.org / Yellowstone's past droughts may signal less geyser activity and more wildfires
A study led by a Montana State University research professor reveals how climate and hydrothermal activity have shaped the vegetation, wildfire and aquatic ecosystem histories of the Yellowstone Plateau over the past 15,000 ...
Phys.org / AI and 8 million digitized plant specimens reveal how the climate is changing nature in large parts of the world
AI optimists will be encouraged by a recent report on the state of the world's plants and fungi by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Phys.org / Building real-time control for engineered biological systems
Scientists can engineer living cells to perform useful tasks, from producing medicines and sustainable chemicals to detecting disease. Unlike traditional engineered systems, living cells are constantly changing as they grow, ...
