Phys.org news
Phys.org / First DDT, now the flu: Peregrine falcons in San Francisco Bay Area hit hard by H5N1 variant
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) featured prominently in the news during 2020 as it took the lives of millions of birds across the globe. While the worst seems to be behind us, population-level effects are just now ...
Phys.org / Tiny crustacean helps scientists understand genes regulating circatidal rhythms
Scientists at UMass Chan Medical School and the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole have shown that the four core clock genes responsible for maintaining circadian rhythms in animals—Per, Cry2, Bmal1 and Clk—also regulate ...
Phys.org / Quantum control algorithm looks to explain how birds migrate
The hidden world of quantum mechanics exists at scales many orders of magnitude smaller than living organisms, yet scientists have long theorized that quantum effects play an important role in biology. Birds' ability to sense ...
Phys.org / When panic freezes people: Virtual quake tests capture real-time fear and injury risk
Growing up, many of us were taught to drop, cover and hold on during an earthquake. The guidance is straightforward, but how people actually respond when the ground starts shaking can be far more complicated. Now, UC Berkeley ...
Phys.org / Farewell black spruce? How climate change and pests are reshaping North America's forests
More than 80% of North American forests could face greater threats from pests and diseases by midcentury, a University of British Columbia-led study finds. If global emissions continue unchecked, rising temperatures and shifting ...
Phys.org / Electron spin unlocks magnetic control of hydrogen surface reactions
Chemical reactions at surfaces play a central role in many processes, including catalysis and materials synthesis. It is well known that the outcome of these reactions is influenced by the translational, vibrational and rotational ...
Phys.org / Heavy water's atmospheric fingerprints boost weather forecasts for up to five days
Weather forecasts rely on many different kinds of data, including temperature, humidity and wind. For the first time, researchers, including those at the University of Tokyo, have demonstrated that a long-theorized improvement ...
Phys.org / Underwater meadows sustain millions in extreme poverty
A study provides the first large-scale empirical evidence that seagrass meadows act as a critical safety net for millions of coastal people living in extreme poverty across the Indo-Pacific.
Phys.org / Biodegradable 'nanobone' could one day help regrow bone without painful grafts
For children born with cleft lip and palate, repairing gaps in the jawbone often means waiting until they are 10 to 12 years old before undergoing invasive bone graft surgery. University of Sydney researchers have developed ...
Phys.org / Scientists observe Einstein's gravity in the quantum world
An international team including Nobel Prize-winning physicist Professor Sir Roger Penrose has observed a long-predicted effect of gravity on a falling quantum object for the first time. The result shows that a fundamental ...
Phys.org / Physicists test the weak equivalence principle in an orbiting space station
The weak equivalence principle (WEP) is central to Einstein's general relativity. It posits that gravity must accelerate everything equally, regardless of what it is made from. For the first time, a team led by Ming-Sheng ...
Phys.org / Sorry, this neutrino laser won't work, physicists say
Neutrinos are pervasive yet intangible particles that permeate the universe, streaming through whole planets, stars and our bodies by the trillions each second. The elementary particles are often described as "ghostly" for ...
