https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. An international team of wildlife researchers has found that the giant tortoises living on the Galápagos islands may be in danger of losing a major food resource due to the encroachment of invasive Cedrela odorata trees. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-galpagos-giant-tortoises-danger-due.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 06 Mar 2024 11:20:01 EST news628946004 Using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), astronomers have investigated the stellar population of the globular cluster NGC 1835. They detected a remarkably extended horizontal branch in this system. The discovery, reported February 28 on the preprint server arXiv, marks the first time when such a feature is found in a globular cluster beyond our Milky Way galaxy. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-horizontal-globular-cluster-ngc.html Astronomy Wed, 06 Mar 2024 10:02:17 EST news628941734 A multi-institutional team of geneticists in China has discovered the gene mutation responsible for a brown coat in giant pandas. In their study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group sequenced the genes of a captive giant panda with a brown coat and compared the results with the genes of hundreds of black and white pandas. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-gene-mutation-responsible-brown-giant.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 06 Mar 2024 10:02:11 EST news628941720 A pair of researchers, one a paleoecologist with Utrecht University, the other an independent ancient crab enthusiast, have identified the largest known crab fossil claw ever discovered. In their paper published in the journal New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, Barry W. M. van Bakel and Àlex Ossó describe the features of the claw and where the crab that once owned it fits in its family tree. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-fossil-unearthed-zealand-largest-crab.html Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 05 Mar 2024 10:20:02 EST news628854614 A pair of chemists at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, has observed communication between rotors in a molecular motor. In their study, reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Carlijn van Beek and Ben Feringa conducted experiments with alkene-based molecular motors. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-communication-rotors-molecular-motor.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Tue, 05 Mar 2024 10:00:01 EST news628854604 An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a new exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star. The newfound alien world, designated TOI-1135 b is young, hot and comparable in size to Saturn. The discovery was detailed in a paper published February 27 on the pre-print server arXiv. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-astronomers-saturn-sized-exoplanet.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 05 Mar 2024 08:59:10 EST news628851548 High-energy neutrinos are extremely rare particles that have so far proved very difficult to detect. Fluxes of these rare particles were first detected by the IceCube Collaboration back in 2013. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-atlas-detector-flux-high-energy.html General Physics Tue, 05 Mar 2024 07:30:01 EST news628766453 Until recently, technology limitations have made it challenging to effectively study the aggregation behavior of beluga whales. As climate change continues and sea surface temperatures rise quickly, the ability to do so becomes a priority, requiring methods that can capture data completely and accurately. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-seas-negatively-affecting-beluga-whales.html Plants & Animals Ecology Tue, 05 Mar 2024 06:50:01 EST news628766268 A team of researchers from Alaska Pacific University, the University of Alaska Anchorage and, Northern Arizona University has found evidence that reductions in sea ice in the Arctic are helping white spruce trees move north and up mountainsides. In their study, published in the journal Science, the group compared tree-line spread in areas with reductions in sea ice and areas where little sea ice reduction has occurred. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-evidence-reductions-sea-ice-tree.html Environment Mon, 04 Mar 2024 12:10:01 EST news628775398 A team of biochemists at the University of Minnesota has discovered which two bacterial genes are responsible for producing proteins capable of breaking down metformin in sewer water. In their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group isolated genes likely to be involved in creating the target proteins. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-bacterial-genes-responsible-metformin-sewer.html Biochemistry Mon, 04 Mar 2024 11:49:48 EST news628775381 Continental drift is a concept familiar to many, referencing the movement of Earth's continents due to shifting tectonic plates over millions of years, splitting one globe-spanning supercontinent into the configuration we see today. Alongside this there have been smaller land mass movements that have opened seaways, affecting ocean circulation patterns and climate. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-mantle-convection-linked-seaway-closure.html Earth Sciences Environment Mon, 04 Mar 2024 09:30:01 EST news628766254 Astronomers have performed multi-wavelength photometric observations of a nearby planetary-mass object known as SIMP J013656.5+093347. Results of the observational campaign, presented February 22 on the pre-print server arXiv, suggest that the object hosts patchy cloud layers in its atmosphere. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-evidence-patchy-cloud-layers-atmosphere.html Astronomy Planetary Sciences Mon, 04 Mar 2024 09:00:01 EST news628764905 It's been a long, eight-day leap week, and this weekend, I'm spending my free time working on the manuscript for my style guide for science writers, "How to Effectively Split an Infinitive." https://phys.org/news/2024-03-saturday-citations-wont-black-hole.html Other Sat, 02 Mar 2024 09:10:04 EST news628517216 Until recently, chalcopyrite-based solar cells have achieved a maximum energy conversion efficiency of 23.35%, as reported in 2019 by Solar Frontier, a former Solar Energy company based in Japan. Further boosting this efficiency, however, has so far proved challenging. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-strategy-boost-efficiency-copper-indium.html Materials Science Sat, 02 Mar 2024 08:30:01 EST news628503723 Three physicists have taken a new look at the circumstances surrounding the mysterious Chinguetti meteorite and developed a means for confirming whether it exists or not. In their paper posted to the arXiv preprint server, Robert Warren, Stephen Warren and Ekaterini Protopapa suggest that there are only a few possible places the meteorite could be and thus a magnetometer-based survey over the region could solve the mystery. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-physicists-deny-chinguetti-meteorite.html Planetary Sciences Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:30:01 EST news628512729 The thermal hall effect (THE) is a physical phenomenon characterized by tiny transverse temperature differences occurring in a material when a thermal current passes through it and a perpendicular magnetic field is applied to it. This effect has been observed in a growing number of insulators, yet its underlying physics remains poorly understood. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-evidence-phonon-chirality-impurity-antiferromagnetic.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Fri, 01 Mar 2024 07:20:01 EST news628499249 Gravitationally speaking, the universe is a noisy place. A hodgepodge of gravitational waves from unknown sources streams unpredictably around space, including possibly from the early universe. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-strong-gravitational-background.html Astronomy Thu, 29 Feb 2024 10:00:02 EST news628421431 A team of Chinese veterinary researchers has found high levels of antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli in dogs with diarrhea. In their study, published in the open access journal PLOS ONE, the group tested fecal samples from 185 dogs with diarrhea. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-antimicrobial-resistant-coli-dogs-diarrhea.html Cell & Microbiology Veterinary medicine Thu, 29 Feb 2024 09:40:01 EST news628421385 Using NASA's Chandra X-ray spacecraft, astronomers have inspected a potential super-star cluster, designated HSO BMHERICC J72.971176-69.391112, or H72.97−69.39 for short. The new observations resulted in the detection of a diffuse hot gas around this cluster. The finding was reported in a paper published February 21 on the pre-print server arXiv. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-diffuse-hot-gas-potential-super.html Astronomy Thu, 29 Feb 2024 09:30:15 EST news628421411 A small combined team of material scientists from Sun Yat-sen University and Dalian University of Technology, both in China, has found that it is possible to make a single drop of water hop in desired ways by putting a magnetic particle inside of it and turning an electromagnet on and off. The research published in the journal ACS Nano. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-magnetizing.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 29 Feb 2024 09:29:39 EST news628421373 The synthesis of carbon-based chemicals via the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) has become the key objective of numerous recent energy research efforts. While these studies have yielded promising results, enabling the production of various widely used chemicals, most proposed approaches exhibit poor energy efficiencies and selectivity. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-energy-efficient-synthesis-ethylene-carbon.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Thu, 29 Feb 2024 07:10:02 EST news628344244 A team of veterinary students and scientists at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, in Brazil, working with the Cannabis Development and Innovation Center, also in Brazil, has found that oral administration of cannabis oil to dogs can reduce symptoms of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), a canine autoimmune-based skin disorder. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-cannabis-oil-effective-treatment-canine.html Veterinary medicine Wed, 28 Feb 2024 10:50:01 EST news628337832 A team of oceanologists affiliated from the U.S. and Scotland has found reductions in body size of female North Atlantic right whales is resulting in fewer births, endangering the species. In their study, published in Royal Society Open Science, the group analyzed historical data that included whale length information going back to the 1970s. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-female-north-atlantic-whales-smaller.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 28 Feb 2024 10:16:45 EST news628337785 An international team of astronomers has used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to conduct mid-infrared observations of a nearby supernova known as SN 1987A. Results of the observational campaign, published February 21 on the pre-print server arXiv, shed more light on the nature of this supernova. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-supernova-sn-1987a-james-webb.html Astronomy Wed, 28 Feb 2024 07:10:01 EST news628326195 Three years ago, the stock price of the company GameStop soared over 1,625% in just a week. While it's been speculated the primary cause was unprecedented, organized action among Reddit users using a trading strategy known as a "short squeeze," researchers have now definitively shown a causal relationship between activity on Reddit and the wild market phenomenon. They have published their findings on the pre-print server arXiv. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-reddit-users-famous-gamestop-short.html Economics & Business Tue, 27 Feb 2024 10:00:01 EST news628247506 A team of environmentalists, geographers and ecologists affiliated with several institutions in Europe has found that microplastics have migrated into multiple sediment layers in three lakes in Latvia. In their study, published in the journal Science Advances, the group drilled core samples from three lakes in Latvia and analyzed their contents for microplastics. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-lake-bottom-plastics-migrating-sediment.html Earth Sciences Environment Tue, 27 Feb 2024 09:50:01 EST news628249458 A trio of paleontologists in Germany has found a fossilized vampire squid that they dated to 183 million years ago. In their paper published in the Swiss Journal of Palaeontology, Robert Weis, Ben Thuy and Dirk Fuchs describe where the fossil was found, its condition, and how it compares to modern vampire squids. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-species-ancient-vampire-squid-unearthed.html Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 27 Feb 2024 09:30:01 EST news628247485 An international team of astronomers has performed spectroscopic observations of a variable star known as V708 Car. Results of the observational campaign, reported in a paper published February 20 on the pre-print server arXiv, indicate that this star has an unusual chemical composition. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-variable-star-v708-car-unusual.html Astronomy Tue, 27 Feb 2024 09:11:13 EST news628247453 Topological wave structures are wave patterns that exhibit specific topological properties, or in other words, properties that remain unvaried under smooth deformations of a physical system. These structures, such as vortices and skyrmions, have attracted significant attention within the physics research community. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-theoretical-description-topological.html Soft Matter Quantum Physics Tue, 27 Feb 2024 06:30:01 EST news628164006 An international team of astronomers and astrophysicists has found evidence that the bright gamma-ray burst GRB 230307A observed last year was caused by two neutron stars merging, not from a collapsing massive star. In their study, published in the journal Nature, the group analyzed data from both the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-bright-gamma-ray-grb-230307a.html Astronomy Mon, 26 Feb 2024 10:20:01 EST news628162930