Phys.org news

Phys.org / Cleaner recycling method unlocks reusable plastics from mixed packaging

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a new method to recycle mixed plastic packaging without using harmful chemical solvents—an approach that could make one of the world's ...

14 hours ago
Phys.org / HETDEX opens massive Cosmic Noon dataset to scientists, novices and AI

The Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX)—which recently completed the largest survey ever taken of the early universe—has released all of its immense, information-rich database to the public. Built from ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Traditional, patriarchal Japanese terms for husband and wife may now be perceived as neutral

A new study suggests that, for modern Japanese speakers, two traditional, patriarchal words for "husband" ("shujin," literally meaning "master") and "wife" ("kanai," "inside-the-house") may be losing their original meanings, ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / Abortion restrictions associated with lower female medical school applicant numbers

States with restrictive abortion policies saw slower growth in the proportion of female medical school applicants following the 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade, according to a new study published in the open-access journal PLOS ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / Spider webs capture hidden fungal diversity in Thai rice fields

A new study published in the open-access Biodiversity Data Journal suggests that spider webs—particularly those incorporating environmental debris—can serve as natural, non-destructive collectors of fungal material in agricultural ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Rising seas could eventually 'drown' mangroves and release carbon

Mangroves could store less carbon—and even begin releasing it—as sea levels rise, suggests new research in Earth's Future. Mangroves are made up of salt-tolerant plants that grow in coastal areas. They cover less than 1% ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / Ancient cave lion genomes reveal a distinct lineage

A new study on multiple genomes from the extinct cave lion has discovered that it represented a highly distinct evolutionary lineage, which separated from modern lions more than a million years ago. The results also show ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Ancient DNA offers hope for California's critically endangered black abalone

Black abalone once carpeted the rocky shores of California by the millions. The large, long-lived sea snails sustained Indigenous peoples along the coast for thousands of years, anchored a thriving 20th-century commercial ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Taimering mammoth was likely butchered by hunters and gatherers

The wooly mammoth from Taimering (Bavaria, Germany), discovered in 2020, was buried in a former Ice Age pond after its death. Pollen findings and radiocarbon dating confirm that the mammoth lived and died during the harsh ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / Hail conditions on the move as winter crops face rising risk

A hailstorm can undo a season's work in minutes. It can strike quickly and unevenly, shredding wheat, bruising fruit, flattening crops—while also leaving neighboring paddocks untouched. In a new Nature Climate Change study, ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Climate change may shift hailstorms toward Earth's poles—new study

Everyone has a storm story—whether it's that time you just escaped a downpour, or the hailstorm that wrote off your car. Even though hailstorms are relatively rare, they cause significant damage. Two new studies shed light ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Common plastics soak up ballistic impacts thanks to a cross-linking molecule

With help from a novel cross-linking molecule, MIT chemists have shown they can substantially improve the ballistic impact resistance of common polymers, including polystyrene and a type of rubber used to make shoe soles.

19 hours ago