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. At first glance, the spotted lanternfly looks like an elegant butterfly, speckled with black spots on white wings with a splash of bright red. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-invasive-lanternflies-devastating-crops.html Ecology Sat, 21 Oct 2023 02:30:02 EDT news617073775 India successfully carried out Saturday the first of a series of key test flights after overcoming a technical glitch ahead of its planned mission to take astronauts into space by 2025, the space agency said. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-india-space-flight-mission-astronauts.html Space Exploration Sat, 21 Oct 2023 02:23:31 EDT news617073801 Hurricane Norma on Friday once again strengthened to a Category 3 storm as it approaches a tourist hotspot on Mexico's Pacific coast. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-hurricane-norma-category-mexico-landfall.html Environment Sat, 21 Oct 2023 02:22:11 EDT news617073728 Hurricane Norma weakened Friday to a Category 2 storm ahead of landfall near a tourist hotspot on Mexico's Pacific coast. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-hurricane-norma-downgraded-category-mexico.html Environment Fri, 20 Oct 2023 14:18:41 EDT news617030318 An international team, with participation by the Geochronology and Geology Program of the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), has published a paper in the journal iScience on the first Miocene mammal fossils found in East Africa, specifically, in the Gorongosa National Park (Mozambique), a coastal woodland setting fundamental to comprehending the evolution of the African ecosystems and how these may have had an impact in the evolution and adaptation of the hominin lineage. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-miocene-fossils-coastal-woodlands-southern.html Paleontology & Fossils Fri, 20 Oct 2023 14:17:31 EDT news617030250 Since 2011, California has significantly reformed its criminal justice system, reducing the size of its prison population, with no effect on violent crime and only marginal impacts on property crime statewide. The COVID-19 pandemic furthered decarceration as the state reduced state prison and jail populations to slow the spread of the virus. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-covid-related-decarceration-affect-crime-california.html Political science Fri, 20 Oct 2023 14:16:38 EDT news617030195 A team of researchers led by the University of California San Diego has developed soft yet durable materials that glow in response to mechanical stress, such as compression, stretching or twisting. The materials derive their luminescence from single-celled algae known as dinoflagellates. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-soft-materials-algae-stress.html Biochemistry Materials Science Fri, 20 Oct 2023 14:16:34 EDT news617030189 It's said that a dog is a man's best friend, but the wild dingo is much maligned in Australia. This may not always have been the case though, with new research led by experts at The Australian National University and The University of Western Australia suggesting that dingoes were buried—and even domesticated—by First Nations people prior to European colonization. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-dingoes-almost-human-status-pre-colonial-australia.html Archaeology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 14:14:03 EDT news617030041 It's a familiar story to many of us: In prehistoric times, men were hunters and women were gatherers. Women were not physically capable of hunting because their anatomy was different from men. And because men were hunters, they drove human evolution. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-prehistoric-gender-roles-women-hunters.html Archaeology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 14:07:04 EDT news617029621 Urbanization and human activities have transformed a significant proportion of the land on Earth, resulting in the formation of urban environments. These urban environments are man-made habitats that often impose several selective pressures on their inhabitants. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-urbanization-trigger-evolution.html Plants & Animals Evolution Fri, 20 Oct 2023 14:00:01 EDT news617009730 Women faculty are more likely to leave academia than men faculty throughout all career stages in U.S. universities, University of Colorado Boulder researchers revealed in the most comprehensive analysis of retention in academia to date. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-analysis-reveals-harsh-workplace-climate.html Economics & Business Education Fri, 20 Oct 2023 14:00:01 EDT news617010001 Buy your ticket on a Tuesday. Search in your browser's incognito mode. Use a VPN to pretend you live in Suriname. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-peer-black-airline-pricing.html Economics & Business Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:55:22 EDT news617028906 Scientists from the U.N. nuclear agency watched Friday as Japanese lab workers prepared samples of fish collected at a seafood market near the Fukushima nuclear plant to test the safety of treated radioactive wastewater released from the damaged plant into the sea. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nuclear-agency-team-japanese-lab.html Environment Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:47:07 EDT news617028418 You may not realize it, but the Doppler effect is everywhere in our lives, from tracking the speed of cars with radar to locating satellites in the sky. It's all about how waves change their frequency when a source (like a radar signal) and a detector are in motion relative to each other. However, traditional radar systems hit a roadblock when trying to detect objects moving at right angles to their radar signals. This limitation has driven researchers to explore an entirely new approach. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-revolutionizing-radar-thz-emitter-precise.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:44:03 EDT news617028241 Often introduced unintentionally by human activities, invasive alien species can outcompete and overwhelm native flora and fauna, driving species to the brink of extinction and disrupting the balance of ecosystems. Understanding why exactly they establish in new locations and how they got there in the first place is crucial if we are to mitigate their destructive effects. Unfortunately, there isn't enough research on this, and the answers might not always be straightforward. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-soil-sea-freight-dangerous-pests.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:32:03 EDT news617027521 Plastics monopolize our household accessories due to their low cost and versatility. Unfortunately, the lack of proper disposal measures has led to widespread proliferation of these non-biodegradables into the natural environment. Although plastics do not generally break down via biological processes, they age and disintegrate via chemical reactions. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-potential-problems-persistent-plastic-particulates.html Polymers Analytical Chemistry Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:23:04 EDT news617026981 The use of web tracking panel data provides new insights into Germans' online pornography use. According to new research published in Archives of Sexual Behavior, German Catholics, Protestants, and the religiously unaffiliated are as likely to use online pornography as each other. By comparison, members of minority religions in Germany, such as Muslims or Orthodox Christians, are less likely to use online pornography. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-mainstream-christians-non-religious-equally-online.html Social Sciences Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:21:02 EDT news617026861 This year is the tenth annual Aussie Backyard Bird Count, which Professor Simon Griffith says highlights the important role citizen science projects play in our understanding of changes taking place in our world. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-chickens-kookaburras-lorikeets-backyard-birds.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:19:03 EDT news617026741 A technology that combines satellite data and numerical model data for forest fire detection has been developed, offering a more comprehensive and adaptable approach to monitor and respond to wildfires. This innovative solution, developed by Professor Jungho Im and his team in the Department of Civil, Urban, Earth, and Environmental Engineering at UNIST, has the potential to significantly minimize the damage caused by medium and large forest fires. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-unveils-breakthrough-forest-environmental.html Earth Sciences Environment Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:18:02 EDT news617026681 Engineers for NASA's Voyager mission are taking steps to help make sure both spacecraft, launched in 1977, continue to explore interstellar space for years to come. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nasa-voyager-team-focuses-software.html Astronomy Space Exploration Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:12:03 EDT news617026321 Jupiter's ocean moons capture most of our attention because of their potential habitability. But Io, Jupiter's bad-boy volcanic moon, is in a class of its own. There's nothing else like it in the solar system, and NASA's Juno spacecraft captured new images of the volcanic satellite during its closest approach yet. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-juno-closest-flyby-io.html Planetary Sciences Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:10:07 EDT news617026201 Everyone likes a cool infographic, right? Does that statement hold even if the infographic points out a gap in our knowledge that could kill millions of people? Because that's what a cool-looking infographic NASA released on October 16th does. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-potentially-hazardous-city-killing-asteroids-left.html Planetary Sciences Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:08:03 EDT news617026081 The ability of bisphenols and hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls to activate estrogen receptor α and β subtypes (bsERα and bsERβ) in Baikal seals (Pusa sibirica) was evaluated by both in vitro and computer-based (in silico) experiments. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientists-endocrine-disruption-environmental-contaminants.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:04:02 EDT news617025841 NASA recently built and tested an additively-manufactured—or 3D printed—rocket engine nozzle made of aluminum, making it lighter than conventional nozzles and setting the course for deep space flights that can carry more payloads. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nasa-rocket-nozzle-paves-deep.html Space Exploration Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:03:19 EDT news617025797 A pioneering cost-benefit study could transform the way local authorities handle non-household plastic waste, such as polyethene terephthalate (PET) trays and low-density polyethene (LDPE) wrapping film. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-larger-scale-recycling-neglected-plastic-economic.html Environment Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:03:16 EDT news617025795 New research suggests the fast-growing UK employee ownership sector is markedly outperforming the UK's national productivity trend while simultaneously contributing to employee well-being, fair pay, community resilience and commitment to net zero. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-employee-businesses-productivity-boost.html Economics & Business Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:56:04 EDT news617025362 Cats are hunters by nature, which is why it's not uncommon for an outdoor cat to bring home a "gift," left on their owner's doorstep. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-free-roaming-cats-impact-wildlife-disease.html Ecology Veterinary medicine Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:55:04 EDT news617025301 Recent collaboration between Bangor University and the UK Center for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) has shown that most people want more nature like trees and wildflowers in their towns and cities. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-people-trees-wildflower-meadows-townscapes.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:54:03 EDT news617025241 If you're older than your boss, you're not alone. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-qa-younger-experienced-bosses-workplace.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:53:04 EDT news617025182 In an article published in the journal Flora, researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil examine some of the strategies developed over eons of evolution by plants in the Cerrado, Brazil's savanna-like biome, to protect themselves and resprout quickly after fire. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-cerrado-combine-strategies-survive.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:49:04 EDT news617024941