Phys.org news
Phys.org / Satellite launch pollution is rapidly accumulating in the upper atmosphere
The potent pollution from so-called megaconstellation satellite systems launched en masse into space since 2019 will account for nearly half (42%) of the total climate impact of space sector pollution by the end of the decade, ...
Phys.org / Buried in dark waters, viruses reshape one of Earth's largest carbon systems
Viruses play a far more active role in Earth's carbon cycle than previously understood, according to new research that reveals how they infect and control microbes responsible for carbon production in some of the planet's ...
Phys.org / What gives stevia its sweetness? Scientists uncover the genetic secret
Stevia is a widely used sweetener, but why do some stevia varieties taste cleaner and more sugar-like than others? Recent research conducted at the University of Toyama shows that stevia's sweetness is genetically linked ...
Phys.org / Meltwater flushed methane from Greenland seabed during ice-sheet retreat, researchers reveal
An international team of scientists has discovered that methane hydrates beneath the northwest Greenland continental shelf became rapidly destabilized by meltwater, releasing large stores of methane during ice-sheet retreat ...
Phys.org / Tiny ocean life helps scientists estimate whale prevalence off the California coast
A new approach to better assessing whale population data has emerged, led by a research team of marine biologists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and statisticians from Cal Poly. Scientists typically ...
Phys.org / A new model for predicting plant resistance can help prepare for climate change
A recent Minnesota Pollution Control Agency report found that climate change could cost Minnesotans more than $20 billion a year by 2040. This is just the local cost of a global problem. Ecosystem stability is essential to ...
Phys.org / New study provides rule of thumb to estimate land sustainability in river deltas
As densely populated coastal communities struggle to keep up with rising sea levels, new research reveals a way to predict how river deltas build land and protect coastal regions from encroaching oceans. This insight will ...
Phys.org / Biodegradable sensors attached to plants detect pesticides in 3 minutes
Researchers at the São Carlos Institute of Physics at the University of São Paulo (IFSC-USP) in Brazil, led by Paulo Augusto Raymundo-Pereira, have created biodegradable, "wearable" sensors for plants to monitor their health, ...
Phys.org / Machine-learning method maps the uncertainty of biodiversity scenarios: The Bigfoot connection
To effectively protect biodiversity in an era of climate change, ecologists first have to know where animal and plant species are located and then be able to predict what habitats will be available to them in the future. ...
Phys.org / We keep thanking machines and forests for one strange reason, and it is reshaping human bonds
Whether it's artificial intelligence programs or the Amazon rainforest, people often experience gratitude or protectiveness toward non-human entities because they perceive these entities as having good intentions, according ...
Phys.org / Large-scale eDNA survey reveals hidden factors that affect regional fish communities
As climate change and human activities continually ramp up, fish are forced to find ways to adapt. As fish move around to find more suitable habitats as ocean conditions shift, regional fish distributions change—which can ...
Phys.org / Sex-related differences in hoverfly eyes give insight into their aerodynamic powers
Many male hoverflies have bigger eyes than females, giving them the advantage of better optics and faster photoreceptors in high-speed pursuits to find a preferred partner to breed.