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1,463 articles from PhysOrg
Skiing in the Alps faces a bleak future thanks to climate change
Skiing was introduced into the Alps comparatively late in the 1880s, with the first ski-lift being developed in the Swiss resort of Davos in the winter of 1934. The industrial revolution was two centuries old by that point, but the world climate was still largely pre-industrial.
FRIDAY 30. DECEMBER 2022
Miracle or mirage? Atmospheric rivers end California drought year with heavy snow and rain
After the driest start to any year on record, California will end 2022 with snow-capped mountains, soaked roadways and—in some places—flood warnings.
Six climate breakthroughs that made 2022 a step toward net zero
The damage caused by climate change over this past year was at times so immense it was hard to comprehend. In Pakistan alone, extreme summer flooding killed thousands, displaced millions and caused over $40 billion in losses. Fall floods in Nigeria killed hundreds and displaced over 1 million people. Droughts in Europe, China and the U.S. dried out once-unstoppable rivers and slowed the flows of...
New rockets, more spacecraft to take flight in 2023 from Space Coast
It's slated to be a busy year of rocket launches from the Space Coast with a pace that could introduce some new names and set new records.
Despite 3M's phase-out, problem of cleaning up PFAS remains
3M announced in mid-December that it's phasing out a family of harmful chemicals, but they're not going away.
US ignored own scientists' warning in backing Atlantic wind farm
U.S. government scientists warned federal regulators the South Fork offshore wind farm near the Rhode Island coast threatened the Southern New England Cod, a species so venerated in the region a wooden carving of it hangs in the Massachusetts state house.
Museum scientists describe and name 351 new species in 2022
From research trips to remote locations, to combing through the 80 million objects held in the Museum collections, each year scientists are adding to this extensive library of life. While many of these species will already be known to those who live alongside them, by giving them scientific names we can hopefully better protect them.
Two CubeSats to shed light on space weather disturbances
Two CubeSats, or small satellites, are on a quest to provide insight on space weather disturbances and the subsequent impact on communication signals. The dynamic duo, the Plasma Enhancements in the Ionosphere-Thermosphere Satellite (petitSat) and Scintillation Prediction Observations Research Task (SPORT), arrived at the International Space Station on Nov. 27, 2022, as part of SpaceX's 26th...
Solar-powered cells: Light-activated proton pumps generate cellular energy, extend life
New research in the journal Nature Aging takes a page from the field of renewable energy and shows that genetically engineered mitochondria can convert light energy into chemical energy that cells can use, ultimately extending the life of the roundworm C. elegans. While the prospect of sunlight-charged cells in humans is more science fiction than science, the findings shed light on important...
NASA and HAARP conclude asteroid experiment
A powerful transmitter in remote Alaska sent long wavelength radio signals into space Tuesday with the purpose of bouncing them off an asteroid to learn about its interior.
Study explores topological beaming of light
Nanophotonic light emitters are compact and versatile devices with wide-ranging applications in applied physics. In a new report now published on Science Advances, Ki Young Lee and a research team in physics and engineering in China and the UK, proposed to develop a topological beam emitter structure of a submicron-footprint size and high efficiency, with adaptable beam shaping capacity.
Deep learning may help to prevent salmon escapes in rough seas
Artificial intelligence can be of great benefit underwater and SINTEF, in collaboration with the research center SFI Exposed, is developing systems that will help to boost fish farm safety and security under harsh sea conditions.
Five human technologies inspired by nature—from velcro to racing cars
Nature has, over millions of years, evolved solutions to adapt to an array of challenges. As the challenges facing humanity become more complex, we are seeing inspiration being increasingly drawn from nature.
A brief history of statistics in soccer: Why actual goals remain king in predicting who will win
In 2017, BBC's Match of the Day introduced a new statistic in their post-match summaries of Premier League matches. Expected goals, or xG, is designed to tell us how many goals a team should have scored based on the quality of the chances they created in a game. It is loved by amateur and professional statisticians alike who want to use data to analyze performance.
Nigeria has a coastal litter problem: It's time to clean up, says researcher
Bottles. Plastic bags. Surgical facemasks. These are just some of the 29,029 items we found along the 180km Araromi coastline Nigeria in nine months while studying marine litter. The litter weighed in at a hefty 465.54kg.
The sky isn't just blue—airglow makes it green, yellow and red too
Look up on a clear sunny day and you will see a blue sky. But is this the true color of the sky? Or is it the only color of the sky?
Digital nomad visas offer the best of two worlds: What you should know before you go
Imagine starting your work day with a fresh coconut juice perched by your laptop as you gaze over the ocean or a tropical rainforest.
Researchers discover that soap film on bubbles is cooler than the air around it
A team of researchers at Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, has discovered that the film that makes up ordinary soap bubbles is cooler than the surrounding air. In their paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters, the group describes experiments they conducted with soap bubbles.
Basmati rice: The new authenticity rules aiming to remove sub-standard varieties from the market
Basmati is the most popular specialty rice in the UK, adding extra flavor and subtlety to everything from curries to pilafs to kedgerees. Nearly three-quarters of the world's basmati is produced in India, and the UK buys 3% of it—plus substantial amounts from the second-largest producer, Pakistan.
How science fiction predicted recent high-tech developments in chemistry
Real-world technology is often foretold by science fiction. In 1927, characters in the film Metropolis made video calls to each other. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry hung flat-screen color monitors on the walls of the Enterprise decades before we did the same in our living rooms.
Quasicrystal formed during accidental electrical discharge
A team of researchers from Università di Firenze, the University of South Florida, California Institute of Technology and Princeton University has found an incidence of a quasicrystal formed during an accidental electrical discharge.
Chinese astronomers detect over 100 new open clusters
By analyzing the data from ESA's Gaia satellite, astronomers from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) in China have detected 101 new open clusters in the Milky Way galaxy. The discovery was presented in a paper published December 21 on the arXiv pre-print repository.
New measurements of galaxy rotation lean toward modified gravity as an explanation for dark matter
Although dark matter is a central part of the standard cosmological model, it's not without its issues. There continue to be nagging mysteries about the stuff, not the least of which is the fact that scientists have found no direct particle evidence of it.
Bile acid improves intrauterine growth retardation metabolism in piglets
Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), defined as the impaired growth and development of a mammalian embryo/fetus or fetal organs during pregnancy, is a major concern in pig farming. IUGR animals exhibit impaired growth and development, lower meat quality, and higher morbidity and mortality after birth. Therefore, IUGR is a major problem for the pig industry due to the lack of comprehensive...
Researchers uncover evidence of 'hidden state' involving common ion
While conducting an otherwise straightforward investigation into the assembly mechanism of calcium-phosphate clusters, researchers at UC Santa Barbara and New York University (NYU) made a surprising discovery: Phosphate ions in water have a curious habit of spontaneously alternating between their commonly encountered hydrated state and a mysterious, previously unreported 'dark' state.