Phys.org news
Phys.org / Chocolate's new climate threat: Too much rain
Cocoa farmers in West Africa cannot stop intense downpours from damaging their crops. But they may be able to anticipate the risk and prepare, protecting both their livelihoods and their plants, the source of one of the world's ...
Phys.org / How can countries prevent shocks and disasters from turning into food crises? Analysis points to resilience measures
Floods, wildfires, conflicts, earthquakes, economic shocks, hurricanes or epidemics: These unexpected and often dramatic events affect people's lives and jobs, destroy crops, wipe out livestock and stored food, contaminate ...
Phys.org / Mosquito 'toilet' detects West Nile and first Hedwig-like virus found in the Americas
When public health researchers want to know whether diseases such as COVID-19 or polio are circulating in a community, they can look for genetic evidence in wastewater.
Phys.org / Tiny 'whirlpools' discovered in atom-thin semiconductor
Monash University-led researchers have directly imaged tiny swirling structures inside an atomically thin semiconductor, opening new possibilities for future low-energy electronic technologies. Published in Science Advances, ...
Phys.org / No cities on the moon—there isn't enough water, scientists say
The discovery of water in dark craters at the moon's poles has sparked a "moon rush" to establish bases there, followed by villages, cities and heavy industry. How sustainable is this rush?
Phys.org / Salicornia genomes reveal genetic secrets to farming on salty land
A University of Newcastle-led global study has produced the most complete genetic picture yet of a salt-loving plant with the potential to help grow food in some of the world's harshest environments.
Phys.org / Why do spruce take decades to reproduce? A genetic study offers some clues
New techniques have enabled researchers in Sweden to begin decoding how one of Northern Europe's most important coniferous tree species switches from growing branches to producing cones—their seed-bearing reproductive organs.
Phys.org / Evolutionary home advantage: Field experiment reveals adaptation to be surprisingly local
A research team from the University of Bern has shown in a large-scale field experiment that populations of the same fish species can be much more fine-tuned to their local environments than previously thought. Habitats that ...
Phys.org / Pollinators keep a later calendar in human-modified landscapes, study finds
Human development may be changing more than where pollinators live—it may also be changing when they are active. University of Florida researchers at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have found that ...
Phys.org / RNA 'delivery tags' guide key messages to distant neuron branches
Much like a courier reading an address on a package, neurons must deliver RNA to the precise locations where it is needed. A KAIST research team has discovered how a small chemical modification on RNA acts as a "delivery ...
Phys.org / Improved climate forecasts alone won't protect Africa's poorest farmers
As Africa prepares for the arrival of a powerful El Niño weather event, an international team of researchers led by the University of Sydney and Imperial College London has found that access to improved forecasts alone will ...
Phys.org / Luminescence dating pushes age of South Dakota's Mammoth Site back by more than 100,000 years
Deep within an ancient sinkhole lie the remains of dozens of mammoths, prehistoric wanderers who waded into the warm springs to their deaths. These deaths had long been accepted as having occurred roughly 26,000 years ago, ...
