Phys.org news
Phys.org / El Niño events projected to cut life expectancy gains and cost trillions by 2100
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the planet's greatest driver of year-to-year climate swings, shapes temperature, rainfall, and extreme weather around the world. Its impact ranges from heat waves and floods to air ...
Phys.org / Retail therapy fail? Online shopping may raise stress more than news, email or adult content
Planning to save time by doing your shopping online? If so, it's possible you're not doing your well-being any favors. A study from Aalto University in Finland has found that online shopping is more strongly linked to stress ...
Phys.org / Scientists observe infections by cancer-causing retroviruses in koalas as they occur
An international team of scientists has analyzed the ongoing colonization by two retroviruses of the germline of koalas and resulting deaths from cancer in multi-generational pedigrees of over 100 koalas in US and European ...
Phys.org / Queen conch's hopping behavior helps set new conservation guidance
A new study published in Conservation Biology examines the behavior and distribution of queen conch (Aliger gigas) to guide conservation management for the threatened sea snail.
Phys.org / Surprise discovery reveals silica's hidden potential in flat optics
An unexpected discovery in a Harvard lab has led to a breakthrough insight into choosing an unconventional material, silica, to make optical metasurfaces—ultra-thin, flat structures that control light at the nanoscale and ...
Phys.org / Silky shark tagging study reveals gaps in marine protected areas
The limited range of marine protected areas (MPAs) offers reduced protection to vulnerable species such as the highly mobile silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis). Because the survival of these sharks is threatened by commercial ...
Phys.org / Living sensor display turns engineered skin into a biological monitor
Wearable health devices, such as smartwatches, have become commonplace, enabling the continuous monitoring of physiological signals at the skin's surface. A research team in Japan has developed a biohybrid approach that works ...
Phys.org / Compressed data technique enables pangenomics at scale
Engineers at the University of California have developed a new data structure and compression technique that enables the field of pangenomics to handle unprecedented scales of genetic information. The team, led by UC San ...
Phys.org / High-speed AFM imaging reveals how brain enzyme forms a dodecameric ring structure
Scientists at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, have captured real-time images showing how a key brain enzyme organizes itself to help memory formation.
Phys.org / Global 60-year study sheds light on staple crops' nutrient use inefficiency
A 60-year study covering 205 countries and regions worldwide has systematically uncovered the evolutionary patterns of nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency (NUE and PUE) in the four major staple crops—rice, wheat, maize, ...
Phys.org / Major gaps in global satellite maps of forests raise policy concerns
For decades, global efforts to combat climate change and protect biodiversity have relied on a high-tech promise: that satellite-derived maps can tell us exactly where the world's forests are.
Phys.org / How marine viruses help fuel underwater oxygen-rich zones
Newly published interdisciplinary research led by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and University of Maryland shows that viral infection of blue-green algae in the ocean stimulates productivity in the ecosystem and ...