Phys.org news
Phys.org / Living near a gas station raises childhood cancer risk, study shows
Childhood cancers are devastating. Even when the disease is not fatal, its long-term effects can be severe. Not enough is known about the risk factors. "Research suggests that only 5% to 10% of childhood cancers are attributable ...
Phys.org / Azide-to-diazo reaction unlocks safer path to versatile nitrogen-rich compounds
In the world of organic chemistry, nitrogen-containing organic compounds are ubiquitous, forming the backbone of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, dyes, and functional materials. To build these important molecules, chemists ...
Phys.org / Long-term study of COVID lockdown and family life shows unexpected, lasting effects on fatherhood
In the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, much has been said about how the lockdowns created conditions for dual-parent families to spend more time at home with their children. In an ideal vision of family life, this ...
Phys.org / When the Schuylkill swallowed the city: Lessons from Hurricane Ida's historic flood
New Penn research shows that Hurricane Ida wasn't a once-in-a-century anomaly but a preview of how climate change, urbanization, and aging infrastructure are rewriting flood risk.
Phys.org / After flames strip hillsides bare, the next storm can unleash something far more destructive downstream
Wildfires can increase flooding risks in and downstream of burned areas by removing vegetation and disturbing hydrologic processes. As the climate changes, the severity of both wildfires and heavy rainfall events is increasing, ...
Phys.org / Frozen-in gravity: A new way to understand the evolution of spacetime dynamics
The concept of spacetime, first described in Einstein's theory of general relativity, has since been widely studied by many physicists worldwide. Spacetime is described mathematically as a four-dimensional (4D) continuum ...
Phys.org / A lost galaxy called 'Loki' may be hiding inside the Milky Way
The Milky Way galaxy grew into its current form with the help of smaller galaxies over time, which it has "consumed" or merged with. Astronomers are able to pick out which stars in the Milky Way came from other galaxies by ...
Phys.org / Evolution has reused the same genes for 120 million years, study shows
Scientists have shown that evolution has been using the same genetic "cheat sheet" for over 120 million years, suggesting that life on Earth may be more predictable than first imagined. The international team, led by scientists ...
Phys.org / A physics explanation shows why US elections keep ending 50:50—and why more spending won't change that
A physics-inspired model calibrated on 40 years of US congressional data pinpoints a spending threshold of roughly 1.8 million USD at which campaigns stop influencing who wins and start fueling polarization instead.
Phys.org / Sudden quantum jolts may not break adiabatic behavior after all
In thermodynamics, an "adiabatic process" is a system change that transfers no heat in or out of the system. Any and all energy change in that system are therefore accomplished by doing work on the system, work being action ...
Phys.org / How temperature swings impact the growth of young songbirds
Climate change threatens to cause increasingly extreme and variable temperature swings, affecting everything from urban infrastructure to global food supplies. In the animal kingdom, the hardest hit may be the youngest and ...
Phys.org / A silent robot shadows sperm whales by listening to their clicks
An autonomous underwater glider is giving us a new and effective way to track sperm whales by tuning into their clicks and silently following them. To study these large oceanic predators, researchers need to monitor their ...
