Phys.org news
Phys.org / Plasma and electricity convert CO₂ into methanol, butane and other useful chemicals
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) can be harmful to the environment in large amounts but can be used in the production of fuels and other useful chemicals. Doing so isn't easy, though. Now, Yale researchers have developed a new way to ...
Phys.org / Examining Americans' complicated relationship with science
A new study finds that while most Americans are interested in science and believe it benefits society, the public's relationship with science is more complicated than those positive views suggest.
Phys.org / Fertilizer study reveals where the world can boost food production and cut pollution
Global consumption of fertilizer has doubled since 1980, but some regions that have historically overused fertilizer, including China and parts of Europe, have taken steps to reduce use. Those are some of the findings of ...
Phys.org / Weather forecasts are significantly less accurate in poorer countries, analysis finds
Weather forecasts inform countless everyday decisions—from farmers deciding when to sow crops and energy companies anticipating demand to public authorities preparing for heat waves. But how useful those forecasts are depends ...
Phys.org / Laser altimeter BELA ready to explore Mercury's surface
Launched on Oct. 20, 2018, the joint ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission has traveled for almost eight years, using a carefully planned but eventful sequence of planetary flybys and solar-electric propulsion to gradually approach ...
Phys.org / Bubbles the food-stealing dolphin finds shortcut to easy meal
A dolphin that harasses fish until they regurgitate their food—then swoops in to steal it—has astonished University of the Sunshine Coast researchers who have documented this novel feeding strategy.
Phys.org / Marine bacteria team up to break down one of the ocean's toughest carbon-storing molecules
Deep in the ocean, brown algae and diatoms produce a complex carbohydrate molecule called fucoidan, which helps form their protective outer layers. The fucoidan molecule is very difficult for microbes to break down because ...
Phys.org / A 5,000-year-old royal mystery: Digital clues point to Meretneith as Egypt's female king
More than 5,000 years ago, a royal woman named Meretneith (also written as Merneith) lived in ancient Egypt. She was possibly the daughter of Djer, the third king of the First Dynasty, a period when the first kings ruled ...
Phys.org / History is being rewritten at an archaeological site in Morocco. What the discovery of an ancient wall tells us
In the hills of northwestern Morocco, overlooking the river that gives the site its name, research at Oued Beht is bringing to light a previously unknown chapter of the region's past. The discovery of a substantial built ...
Phys.org / Robots and AI uncover unexpected pathway in classic 135-year-old chemical reaction
Chemical reactions are often written as simple equations: Starting materials go in, and a product comes out. In reality, the same substrates can follow many different pathways depending on their concentrations, temperature, ...
Phys.org / Plans to artificially dim the sun have divided scientists—here's what they're actually arguing about
No, President Joe Biden did not engineer Hurricane Milton. No, the ice crystal contrails left behind by high-altitude aircraft are not "chemtrails" sprayed by governments to control the weather or manipulate populations. ...
Phys.org / Webb reveals dynamic panorama of star formation, including smallest known brown dwarfs
This starry view of the nearby star-forming region IC 348 is one of the largest images released to date from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. Using Webb, astronomers searched IC 348 for brown dwarfs, which are less massive ...