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83 articles from PhysOrg

Innovation language benefits female entrepreneurs in reward-based crowdfunding

Gender bias against women in entrepreneurial finance is turned on its head in the context of reward-based crowdfunding, according to new research published in the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal. Specifically, female crowdfunding entrepreneurs can actually profit from using more innovation language when launching campaigns in male-typed categories, which implies that women may have more freedom...

From fish to ants: 139 new species named in Australia

In a win for biodiversity, CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, has revealed 139 new species were named and described by its researchers and partners in the past year. With only about 25 percent of Australia's species known to science, scientific names are vital for researchers, governments and the community to better understand the nation's vast ecosystems.

Layered limestone deposits give unique insight to Roman aqueducts

Mineral-rich waters originating from the Apennine Mountains of Italy flowed through ancient Rome's Anio Novus aqueduct and left behind a detailed rock record of past hydraulic conditions, researchers have said. Two studies characterizing layered limestone—called travertine—deposits within the Anio Novus are the first to document the occurrence of anti-gravity growth ripples and establish that...

Researchers show potential for improved water-use efficiency in field-grown plants

Water deficit is currently one of the most significant limiting factors for global agricultural productivity, a factor further exacerbated by global climate change, according to a 2019 water report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. As a result, researchers worldwide have been working to improve water-use efficiency in crops to better cope with water-scarce...

What part of a space rock survives all the way to the ground?

When a small asteroid enters Earth's atmosphere from space, its surface is brutally heated, causing melting and fragmenting. Therefore, why the rocks near the surface survive to the ground as meteorites has been somewhat of a mystery. That mystery is solved in a new study of the fiery entry of asteroid 2008 TC3, published online today in Meteoritics and Planetary Science.

Is brain fog limited to humans?

Is brain fog a condition limited to humans? "Infectious disease and cognition in wild populations," a recently published paper in Trends in Ecology & Evolution, answers that question. In a review of the studies, it explores whether learning, memory, and problem-solving are impaired by infection, not just in humans, but in species across the animal kingdom.

Ridge-to-reef ecosystem census reveals hidden reservoir for microbiomes

In a monumental field expedition, a team of researchers at the University of Hawai'i (UH) at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) collected more than 3,000 samples of microbes and microbiomes present in the entire watershed of Waimea Valley on O'ahu, Hawai'i. Their investigation revealed three key discoveries: microbes follow the food web, most of the microbial diversity...

Artificial intelligence tools predict DNA's regulatory role and 3D structure

Newly developed artificial intelligence (AI) programs have accurately predicted the role of DNA's regulatory elements and three-dimensional (3D) structure based solely on its raw sequence, according to two recent studies in Nature Genetics. These tools could eventually shed new light on how genetic mutations lead to disease and could lead to new understanding of how genetic sequence influences the...

The novel leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase MRK1 regulates resistance to multiple stresses in tomato

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an economically important vegetable crop worldwide, and its production is threatened by temperature fluctuations and pathogen attacks, causing severe crop losses. In recent work published in the journal Horticulture Research, Zhejiang University researchers characterized a positive regulator of resistance to multiple stresses in tomato.

Oil-based systems show promise for eradicating Salmonella on food production machinery

Recent outbreaks of food-borne Salmonella have been associated with chocolate and peanut butter. Although Salmonella cannot grow in either of these low-water foods, the cells survive, becoming more resistant to heat treatment, which has contributed to recent outbreaks. New research published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology suggests that oil formulations with food-grade organic acids can...

Building better gas-phase biosensors for fight against diseases

Scientists from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) introduce an easy method for manufacturing biosensors made from electrospun polymers. By embedding enzymes inside the polymer string, the enzymes were operational even in a dry state. These biosensors can be used to screen certain diseases, as well as to monitor environments for specific chemical compounds in the air.

Figuring out how wild wheat protects itself from insects

Wheat is a staple crop that provides 20% of the world population's caloric and human protein intake. Although wheat is essential for human and livestock diets, these plants are continuously preyed upon by insect herbivores which often cause severe damage and result in significant losses in yield. Furthermore, the gradual increase in global temperatures has promoted the expansion of pest...