Phys.org news
Phys.org / Lake Chad supports 2.48 million waterbirds, emerging as one of Africa's top wetland refuges
A study titled "Monitoring major biodiversity stronghold in war zones: model predicts Lake Chad remains Africa's most important wetland for waterbirds" estimates that Lake Chad supports nearly 2.5 million waterbirds, making ...
Phys.org / Tree size, not age, may speed habitat recovery for endangered Indiana bats
Bugs run rampant in the summer, and if you have ever suffered a mosquito bite and regretted not putting on bug spray, you should know about nature's insect repellent: the Indiana bat. Federally endangered since 1967, the ...
Phys.org / Walkable, greener neighborhoods linked to better physical and mental health across the U.S.
A new big-data analysis of the U.S. pinpoints how urban design aids the health of city residents—especially when cities provide walking opportunities, greenery and mixed-use streets with a blend of commercial and residential ...
Phys.org / Mismatched work–life boundaries while working from home can push couples toward breaking up
The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the way people work, making remote and work-from-home (WFH) jobs far more common than ever before. Even after social distancing ended, many companies and employees chose to stick with this ...
Phys.org / Superworms could be the future of skeleton cleaning
Superworms, a mealworm-like form of beetle larva commonly used as pet food, are efficient cleaners of skeletons, according to a study published in PLOS One by Fatemeh Rastekar of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, and ...
Phys.org / Acceptor molecule upconverts low-energy green light to high-energy purple with high efficiency
Solar cells and photocatalysts can be surprisingly inefficient. Despite light consisting of many wavelengths, the range that even highly efficient devices use is limited. Other wavelengths, especially long wavelengths, simply ...
Phys.org / Urokodia! 518-million-year-old fossil shows beginning of spider's bite
The earliest evidence of spiders' fangs has been identified in a 518-million-year-old fossil by scientists at the University of Leicester and Yunnan University.
Phys.org / Ancient gum disease may have helped reshape jaws before human brains expanded
Human evolution is generally explained through changes in brain size, locomotion or tool use, but new research from Wits University suggests that gum disease and changes in facial structure may have been important factors ...
Phys.org / Baker's yeast shows potential in treatment of persistent fungal infection
Millions of women worldwide suffer from vaginal yeast infections. These infections are most commonly caused by the fungus Candida albicans and can lead to symptoms ranging from itching and burning to recurrent inflammation. ...
Phys.org / Scrolling for science: How a Twitter post discovered a new wasp in Fukuoka, Japan
The next time you post a nature photo online, you might be contributing to a major scientific breakthrough—just as several citizen scientists did when they helped discover the wasp Eupelmus curvator in Japan.
Phys.org / Single-atom catalyst turns lignin into valuable chemicals with near-complete conversion
Researchers at The University of Manchester and Hebei University of Technology have identified how a new class of catalyst can break down lignin into useful chemical building blocks, offering a more sustainable route to replace ...
Phys.org / World's first synthetic cell with a complete life cycle could revolutionize biological engineering
While many of life's mysteries remain unsolved, every biologist can describe the basic processes performed by a living organism, including energy use, reproduction, growth and development. While these characteristics can ...
