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66 articles from PhysOrg

From dry to deluge, how heavy snow, rain flooded Yellowstone

Just three months ago, the Yellowstone region like most of the West was dragging through an extended drought with little snow in the mountains and wildfire scars in Red Lodge from a year ago when the area was hit by 105-degree Fahrenheit (40.5 Celsius) heat and fire.

Electrons take the fast and slow lanes at the same time

Imagine a road with two lanes in each direction. One lane is for slow cars, and the other is for fast ones. For electrons moving along a quantum wire, researchers in Cambridge and Frankfurt have discovered that there are also two "lanes," but electrons can take both at the same time!

Scientists serendipitously discover rare cluster compound

Scientists at Kyoto University's Institute for Cell-Material Sciences have discovered a novel cluster compound that could prove useful as a catalyst. Compounds, called polyoxometalates, that contain a large metal-oxide cluster carry a negative charge. They are found everywhere, from anti-viral medicines to rechargeable batteries and flash memory devices.

Examining the impact of herbicide-resistant crops on weed management

Herbicide-resistant crops are now commonplace in the U.S. and Canada. With proper stewardship, these same crop-trait technologies can also play a key role in integrated weed management—reducing the intensity of herbicide use and the selection pressure on weed populations. But does this weed management potential match the reality in the field?

How keeping trees when clearing pastures could reduce climate consequences

Land use change, like cutting down a forest to make way for agriculture, can be a major contributor to climate change by releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Researchers at the University of New Hampshire studied a practice known as silvopasture which intentionally preserves trees in pastures where livestock graze. They found that compared to a completely cleared, tree-less, open...

How stock market inefficiencies can affect the real economy

Mutual fund investors are known to be vulnerable to fluctuating market conditions. What is less well understood is how corporate managers are affected by waves of investor optimism. A researcher has published a study in the journal Financial Innovation, where he argues that corporate managers and investors are jointly caught up in market euphoria. Using a long time series of aggregate flows in and...

How holographic interferometry could influence the future

Holographic interferometry is the technique of measuring stress, strain, and vibration with light. It is defined by the wavelength of light, finding flaws in structural bonds. It makes full use of a hologram's ability to reproduce the optical field reflected or transmitted by an object.

New, fully biodegradable cellulose membrane proves effective in oil-water separation

Oil spills and industrial pollution pose a huge threat to the ecological environment. Concerns over safety have seen an increased focus on improving the filtration of oily wastewater; for example, during the treatment of sewage. Membrane separation technology offers a promising and efficient option for treating that wastewater, particularly with its low energy consumption. However, it remains a...

Electrically conductive paints and other polymer alloys now produced easily

Medical devices, cars, and many advanced technologies contain innumerable delicate components that are held together by electrically conductive polymers, such as polyaniline. For several decades, synthesis of polyaniline for industrial electronics applications has faced a major limitation: what solvent best facilitates synthesis? This abstract question is important for minimizing the cost and...

Tackling air quality and COVID-19 in the classroom

As the days get colder, teachers not only face the usual seasonal battle of keeping classrooms at a comfortable temperature but also trying to reduce the COVID-19 virus count in the environment. How to reduce virus spread is important knowledge for teachers—just as it was a century ago when the 1918 flu pandemic hit.

US prison labor programs violate fundamental human rights, new report finds

Incarcerated workers generate billions of dollars worth of goods and services annually but are paid pennies per hour without proper training or opportunity to build skills for careers after release, according to a comprehensive nationwide report released by the University of Chicago Law School's Global Human Rights Clinic and the American Civil Liberties Union

Most major US cities are underprepared for rising temperatures

This month, Denver, Las Vegas and Phoenix all posted record high temperatures. And across the nation, Americans are ramping up for a scorching summer. Yet despite more frequent and intense heat waves on the horizon, cities are underprepared to deal with the challenge, according to a UCLA-led research team.

Potency of staph-fighting antibiotic blunted by blood serum

Staph infections pose lethal threats in hospitals, where the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium can be transferred from the skin or nasal passages into open wounds and, potentially, the bloodstream. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that staph infections killed nearly 20,000 Americans in 2017 alone. Antibiotic-resistant strains of S. aureus, including the notorious MRSA, present...