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84 articles from PhysOrg

Researchers devise a simpler way to mimic aspects of human vision

Mimicking the performance of the human visual system is viewed as a difficult endeavor because of the extremely complex optical elements involved. In new work, researchers show that it's possible to create a lens system that reproduces certain characteristics of human eyesight using simple spherical optical components.

Are college students with religious tattoos more religious? Yes and no

For most of U.S. history, tattoos have been associated with sailors and bikers, but not church-going people. As tattoos have become more popular, with nearly one-third of U.S. adults sporting at least one tattoo, religious-themed tattoos have also increased. A recent study examined the behaviors of college students with tattoos, including religious tattoos.

NASA's Lunar Flashlight to fly by Earth

NASA's Lunar Flashlight mission to the moon has ended, but the briefcase-size spacecraft will soon fly past Earth before heading into deep space. On Tuesday, May 16, at 9:44 p.m. PDT (Wednesday, May 17, at 12:44 a.m. EDT), the CubeSat will pass about 40,000 miles (65,000 kilometers) from our planet's surface.

Dual-radical observation in a photoswitchable coordination polymer with synergy effect of semi-conductivity

In a study published in the journal National Science Review and led by Dr. Zhao-Yang Li (School of Material Science and Engineering, Nankai University) and Prof. Masahiro Yamashita (Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University), a photoisomerizable ligand was used to synthesize two VT coordination polymers, which display VT and photoconversion behavior.

Report: Butterflies across the EU are in decline

The diagnosis sounds worrying: More than 80% of habitats in the EU are currently considered vulnerable. This has negative consequences on their functional capability and thus the services they provide for humans. In order to counter this, the European Commission has proposed a new set of rules.

A predatory dinosaur from Brazil and its surprising anatomy

Irritator challengeri was a two-legged, meat-eating dinosaur, or more precisely—a spinosaurid. The knowledge of the species is based on the most complete fossil skull known from this group. With the aid of X-ray computed tomographs usually used in the context of medicine or material science, paleontologists from Greifswald, Munich (both Germany), Alkmaar (Netherlands) and Fribourg (Switzerland)...

Designing 3D-printed pills with desired drug release

Don't be surprised to see pills with unusual shapes in the future. At first sight they may look funny, but they can release pharmaceuticals inside the body in a controlled manner. Using a combination of advanced computational methods and 3D printing, objects can be produced that dissolve in liquids in a predetermined format.

Bronze Age long-distance connections: Baltic amber in Aššur

In 1914, two beads were found under the great ziggurat of Aššur in Iraq, in a foundation deposit dating from around 1800-1750 BC. Their material has now been identified as amber using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The beads represent some of the earliest amber specimens in southwest Asia and also some of the most distant discoveries from the find areas in the Baltic region.

Creating kitty litter from soy waste

Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are building a better mouse trap when it comes to cat litter. And in the process, they hope to kill two birds with one stone.

Timing is everything: New insights into floral development unveil nature's perfect clock

The intricate process of flower development has long fascinated scientists seeking to unravel the mysteries behind nature's precision timing. In a study published in the journal The Plant Cell, a research team led by Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), Japan has shed light on the inner workings of floral meristem termination and stamen development, uncovering a unique mechanism...

Apochromatic X-ray focusing

A team of scientists from the Paul Scherrer Institut, the University of Basel and DESY have demonstrated the first-ever realization of apochromatic X-ray focusing using a tailored combination of a refractive lens and a Fresnel zone plate. This innovative approach enables the correction of the chromatic aberration suffered by both refractive and diffractive lenses over a wide range of X-ray...

New strategy identified to curb a fungal infection affecting more than 150 crops

Tomatoes, bananas, cabbages, melons, pumpkins and cucumbers… are just some of the 150 crops of commercial interest that are victims of Fusarium oxysporum, one of the most important pathogens in the world due to the millions of dollars in losses it is responsible for and its ability to attack different types of plants. Although it can go unnoticed in the soil for more than 30 years, when it...

Plastic pollution could be cut by 80% by 2040, says UN report

Plastic pollution could reduce by 80% by 2040 if countries and companies make deep policy and market shifts using existing technologies, according to a new report by UN Environment Program (UNEP). The report is released ahead of a second round of negotiations in Paris on a global agreement to beat plastic pollution, and outlines the magnitude and nature of the changes required to end plastic...

More plants will go extinct if we do nothing, says researcher

A wide range of plant species is essential to our Earth because of the different materials and foods these plants provide. But plant diversity has decreased drastically in recent decades. Ph.D. candidate Kaixuan Pan explains what we can do to increase it once again.