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279,032 articles from PhysOrg
NOAA study finds high levels of pollutants in Guanica Bay 'represent serious toxic threat' to corals, fish
The pollutants measured in the sediments of Guánica Bay, Puerto Rico, in a new NOAA study were among the highest concentrations of PCBs, chlordane, chromium and nickel ever measured in the history of NOAA's National Status & Trends, a nationwide contaminant monitoring program that began in 1986.
Pa. vendor confirms link to Target data probe
A Pittsburgh-area heating and refrigeration contractor says it was the victims of a "sophisticated cyber attack operation" that is being investigated by the Secret Service and possibly linked to the data breach that enabled hackers to access millions of credit card numbers belonging to Target store customers.
Penguins given 'happy pills' in soaking Britain
After weeks of rain and wind, miserable penguins at a marine centre in England are being fed anti-depressants to cheer them up.
Proteins snap those wrinkly fingers back into shape
You know how your fingers wrinkle up in the bath? The outer layer of your skin absorbs water and swells up, forming ridges – but quickly returns to its old state when dry. Two physicists, Professor Roland Roth of Tübingen University and Dr. Myfanwy Evans at Erlangen University have shown just why skin has this remarkable ability. Their conclusions were published recently in the journal Physical...
Twitter says government info requests on the rise
Government requests for Twitter user information is on the rise, the messaging service said as it released figures while pressing for more transparency.
A linguistic mystery yields clues in Russian
When it comes to numbers, Russian grammar has a bewildering thicket of rules. A singular noun such as "table" ("stol" in Russian), used as the subject of a sentence, takes a special "case form" called the nominative singular. When used with numbers five and above, table takes a different form called the genitive plural ("pjat' stolov"). And with numbers from two to four, it takes still a different...
Apple said to take $14B bite of stock via buyback
Apple has reportedly repurchased $14 billion of its stock in the two weeks after its first-quarter financial results and second-quarter revenue outlook disappointed investors.
Down in one: Simple maths shows neknomination can't last
The media are aflutter about a new drinking game. The aim of "neknomination" is to down a pint, then tell some of your friends to do the same. Or as students call it, Wednesday night.
Drought affects the carbon cycle in Georgia blackwater rivers
(Phys.org) —Droughts might be affecting how Georgia's blackwater rivers process carbon, according to a new study led by an ecologist while he was at the University of Georgia. The results, which were published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, report less carbon being transported downstream, higher concentrations of carbon in the water and increasing rates of carbon dioxide...
Excrement collected worldwide shows co-evolution of herbivores and their gut microbes
An extensive study by Radboud University Nijmegen on excrement and rumen fluids in plant-eating mammals from all over the whole world shows that the ciliates in their guts have evolved in parallel with them. This is the result of a five-year research project performed by evolution biologists, microbiologists and computer scientists at Radboud University Nijmegen and published this week in the...
Expert says peacocks' legs, lower feathers and dance attract most attention during courtship
(Phys.org) —Although peacocks are famous for tall tail feathers with colorful eyespots, an expert says peahens look lower when sizing up a male and that dance moves may give a suitor an edge.
Flying in comfort using virtual reality
Future technologies to help airline passengers experience increased comfort and space and an altered self-perception - Press release of Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and Fraunhofer IAO
Mein Kampf worries fuel debate
More needs to be done to understand Hitler's infamous autobiographical manifesto "Mein Kampf" to avoid a resurgence of anti-Semitism when its copyright expires in 2016, according to a holocaust historian.
NASA evolves student rocketry challenge, enhances ties to space launch system
Student teams from 26 colleges and universities in 16 states and Puerto Rico will design and launch innovative rockets and payloads as part of the 2013-2014 NASA Student Launch rocketry competition.
New mums shun Twitter and stick to baby-friendly Facebook
Although it might sometimes seem that your Facebook feed is overrun with chatter about babies, research from Microsoft has suggested that mums actually spend less time on the site after they have had children. And while the rest of the world tweets about their every waking move, mothers just aren't into using Twitter to share the latest milestone passed in the family home. When they post about...
North Yorkshire zoo offers blueprint for conserving native wildlife
Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo and the University of York have developed a blueprint to help zoos plan strategies for the conservation of native wildlife in and around their gardens.
Plants and the human brain: Why humans think like insects
Similarities between human and insect brains could be the reason why humans are attracted to plant-derived chemicals, such as tea, coffee, tobacco and drugs, according to a new book.
Production and reception of email, texts, forum posts context-dependent
Emoticons, punctuation and creative spelling have been debated, condemned, and regulated since the very beginning of online text-based communication.
Protein structure: Peering into the transit pore
The lipid-rich membranes of cells are largely impermeable to proteins, but evolution has provided a way through – in the form of transmembrane tunnels. A new study shows in unmatched detail what happens as proteins pass through such a pore.
Renault unveils Kwid concept car that comes with its own drone (w/ video)
(Phys.org) —French multinational vehicle maker Renault has unveiled a concept car called the Kwid, which among other things, boasts a camera equipped drone that lives in a hanger on the roof—when needed it could be launched to allow for viewing nearby terrain from an airborne position.
Research examines the implications of mourning on Facebook
With increasing regularity, relatives, friends and colleagues find out someone they know or love has died via social media.
Research team develops rapid smartphone-based mercury testing and mapping
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has developed a smartphone attachment and application to test water for the presence of mercury, a toxic heavy metal. The new platform could significantly reduce the time and cost of the testing, and it could be particularly useful in regions with limited technological resources.
Researchers solve nano mystery
A technique which may one day be used for tumor therapy and imaging could be greatly improved thanks to new insights obtained by scientists from the University of Twente, the Erasmus MC and the TU Delft.
Scientists find 800,000-year-old footprints in UK
British scientists have discovered human footprints in England that are at least 800,000 years old—the most ancient found outside Africa, and the earliest evidence of human life in northern Europe.
Sochi: Our tweeted emotions decrypted in real time
EPFL researchers will track emotions of the viewing public during the Olympic Games in Sochi. Via social media, they will show in real time what people are feeling during the competitions.