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88 articles from PhysOrg

Higher concentration of metal in Moon's craters provides new insights to its origin

Life on Earth would not be possible without the Moon; it keeps our planet's axis of rotation stable, which controls seasons and regulates our climate. However, there has been considerable debate over how the Moon was formed. The popular hypothesis contends that the Moon was formed by a Mars-sized body colliding with Earth's upper crust which is poor in metals. But new research suggests the Moon's...

Researchers investigate the influence of insect and microalgae feeds on meat quality

Worldwide there is a growing demand for animal products for human nutrition, despite vegan and vegetarian diets becoming more popular in Western countries. Changing diets necessitate a substantial amount of protein as an input for animal production. Future protein feedstuffs will need to become independent of arable land in order to avoid further land use changes, such as deforestation.

Consumption of products derived from vulnerable wildlife species pervasive in Laos

A new study of wildlife consumption in northern Laos by San Diego Zoo Global researchers found widespread use of products made from sun bears, Asiatic bears and serows—goat-like mammals found throughout Asia—among other vulnerable species. The findings indicate that efforts are needed to reduce the unsustainable harvest of bears and serows, in particular, "before this demand becomes a...

Energy-saving servers: Data storage 2.0

Whether it's sending the grandparents a few pictures of the kids, streaming a movie or music, or surfing the Internet for hours, the volume of data our society generates is increasing all the time. But this comes at a price, since storing data consumes huge amounts of energy. Assuming that data volumes continue to grow in future, the related energy consumption will also increase by several orders...

Crystal wars: Research may lead to more efficient crystal engineering methods

A team of researchers at the University of Tokyo and Fudan University has studied the process of crystallization when more than one structural arrangement is possible. By reducing the noise from random fluctuations, they found that transient precursors of the various crystalline orderings coexist and compete with each other. This work may help lead to more efficient crystal engineering methods.

Level of media coverage for scientific research linked to number of citations

An analysis of over 800 academic research papers on physical health and exercise suggests that the level of popular media coverage for a given paper is strongly linked to the attention it receives within the scientific community. P. Sage Anderson and colleagues at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, report these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on July 1, 2020.

CRISPR-assisted novel method detects RNA-binding proteins in living cells

While scientists still don't fully understand the diverse nature of RNA molecules, it is believed that the proteins binding to them, called RNA-binding proteins, are associated with many types of disease formation. Research led by biomedical scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has led to a novel detection method, called CARPID, to identify binding proteins of specific RNAs in...

Light pollution gives invasive cane toads a belly full of grub

Light pollution is increasingly being recognized as yet another of humanity's many impacts on the rest of the natural world. Artificial light at night, or 'ALAN' to use the researchers' name for the phenomenon, can alter foraging behavior, migration patterns, mortality rates and even the very physical structure of animals.

Forest harvesting in Europe threatens climate goals: study

Annual forest harvesting in 26 European countries increased nearly 50 percent during 2016-2018 compared to an average of the four previous years, a trend that could threaten the European Union's climate goals, according to a study by the European Commission.

Sustainable biomedical device for use in regenerative medicine

UPV/EHU researchers have developed a biomedical device consisting of byproducts from the food industry and which displays excellent properties for use in regenerative medicine. The novel device comprises soy protein and chitin, which form a matrix with a porous, interconnected microarchitecture similar to that of certain body tissues. The work has been published in the June issue of Green...

Alarming long-term effects of insecticides weaken ant colonies

This week, scientists of the Institute of Bee Health of the University of Bern have published an article in the peer-reviewed journal Communications Biology, which shows how even low doses of neonicotinoid insecticides, as they may realistically occur in contaminated soils, adversely affect the development of black garden ants (Lasius niger). This study highlights the need to overthink current...

Cost-effective ways to minimize risks in the supply chain

The coronavirus pandemic has hit the economy hard. What lessons can be learned from this experience? And what's the best way for companies to protect themselves against this kind of crisis in the future? The answer will certainly involve a combination of different approaches—but new mathematical methods developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM) look likely to be a...

Coronavirus: Why we should end the pandemic ban on reusable cups

Of the many ways the coronavirus pandemic has changed our lives, the banning of reusable cups by many cafes and other outlets serving hot drinks probably doesn't appear at the top of most people's lists. But the move is likely to add to the mountain of waste piling up as the pandemic has led to a reliance on large amounts of single-use plastic and brought recycling to a halt.

How to bring conservation messaging into wildlife-based tourism

The study states that failing to encourage tourists to do more on behalf of wildlife represents a missed opportunity for conservation. "We argue that the combination of emotional engagement and knowledge-driven action provided by wildlife-based tours will pave the way for a new area of conservation-oriented tourism" says Dr. Alvaro Fernández-Llamazares, the lead-author of the study from the...

High-end microscopy refined: ExM

The synaptonemal complex is a ladder-like cell structure that plays a major role in the development of egg and sperm cells in humans and other mammals. "The structure of this complex has hardly been changed in evolution, but its protein components vary greatly from organism to organism," says Professor Ricardo Benavente, cell and developmental biologist at the Biocenter of...

Tabletop quantum experiment could detect gravitational waves

Predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity, gravitational waves are ripples in space-time generated by certain movements of massive objects. They are important to study because they allow us to detect events in the universe that would otherwise leave little or no observable light, like black hole collisions.

Over 40 new species described in 2020 by a research group

It is estimated that 15 million different species live on our planet, but only 2 million of them are currently known to science. Discovering new species is important as it helps to protect them. Furthermore, new species can also produce compounds that could lead to the development of new medicine.

Materials scientists drill down to vulnerabilities involved in human tooth decay

Northwestern University researchers have cracked one of the secrets of tooth decay. In a new study of human enamel, the materials scientists are the first to identify a small number of impurity atoms that may contribute to the enamel's strength but also make the material more soluble. They also are the first to determine the spatial distribution of the impurities with atomic-scale resolution.

Quantum fluctuations can jiggle objects on the human scale

The universe, as seen through the lens of quantum mechanics, is a noisy, crackling space where particles blink constantly in and out of existence, creating a background of quantum noise whose effects are normally far too subtle to detect in everyday objects.

Researchers develop computational model to build better capacitors

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a computational model that helps users understand how changes in the nanostructure of materials affect their conductivity—with the goal of informing the development of new energy storage devices for a wide range of electronics.

Laser takes pictures of electrons in crystals

Microscopes of visible light allow scientists to see tiny objects such living cells. Yet, they cannot discern how electrons are distributed among atoms in solids. Now, researchers with Prof. Eleftherios Goulielmakis of the Extreme Photonics Labs at the University of Rostock and the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching, Germany, along with coworkers of the Institute of Physics of the...

To listen is to survive: Unravelling how plants process information

Researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum München and Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) have mapped the signaling network in plants and discovered novel insights about how plants process information about their environment. This gives new potential for strategies to protect crops and help them thrive in the time of increasing droughts.

Japan begins charging for plastic bags

Retailers in Japan began charging for plastic bags on Wednesday, a move aimed at curbing Japanese consumers' love for packaging and finally bringing the country in line with other major economies.

A binary star as a cosmic particle accelerator

With a specialized telescope in Namibia a DESY-led team of researchers has proven a certain type of binary star as a new kind of source for very high-energy cosmic gamma-radiation. Eta Carinae is located 7500 lightyears away in the constellation Carina (the ship's keel) in the Southern Sky and, based on the data collected, emits gamma rays with energies all the way up to 400 gigaelectronvolts...

Looping footstep pattern in modern guineafowl sheds light on dinosaur tracks

A trio of researchers, two with Brown University, the other with Liverpool John Moores University, has found that a looping pattern in modern guineafowl footsteps is similar to those of certain dinosaurs. In their paper published in The Royal Society Biology Letters, Morgan Turner, Peter Falkingham and Stephen M. Gatesy describe their study of tracks made by modern guineafowl and how they compared...

New chemistry for ultra-thin gas sensors

The application of zinc oxide layers in industry is manifold and ranges from the protection of degradable goods to the detection of toxic nitrogen oxide gas. Such layers can be deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) which employs typically chemical compounds, or simply precursors, which ignite immediately upon contact with air, i.e. are highly pyrophoric. An interdisciplinary research team at...

Study gains new insight into bacterial DNA packing

When bacteria are put in different environments, such as one that is more acidic or anaerobic, their genes start to adapt remarkably quickly. They're able to do so because the proteins making up their chromosome can pack and unpack rapidly. Now, a Berkeley Lab-led team of researchers has been able to capture this process at the molecular level using advanced imaging techniques, a discovery that...

Even groupers have parasites

"Parasite" is a term with a negative connotation, associated with laziness and predation, and the recent Oscar-winning movie "Parasite" will certainly not improve the public's general opinion on the matter.

Surprising mammal diversity discovered in Bidoup Nui Ba National Park

New surveys have revealed surprising mammal biodiversity in Bidoup Nui Ba National Park (Bidoup Nui Ba NP), a large protected area located in the southern part of the Annamites range. The presence of numerous rare and endangered mammals in Bidoup Nui Ba NP provides a ray of hope for the long-term conservation of Vietnam's unique biodiversity.