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. Artificial intelligence continues to squirm its way into many aspects of our lives. But what about biology, the study of life itself? AI can sift through hundreds of thousands of genome data points to identify potential new therapeutic targets. While these genomic insights may appear helpful, scientists aren't sure how today's AI models come to their conclusions in the first place. Now, a new system named SQUID arrives on the scene, armed to pry open AI's black box of murky internal logic. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-tool-ai-genomics.html Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 21 Jun 2024 05:00:01 EDT news638112738 In the pampas, Argentina's vast and fertile grasslands outside Buenos Aires, grain silos overflow with this year's harvest—but nobody is selling just yet. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-argentina-surplus-harvest-farmers-milei.html Agriculture Fri, 21 Jun 2024 03:54:26 EDT news638160859 Space exploration has always captivated our imagination, offering the promise of discovering new worlds and pushing the boundaries of human capability. As commercial space travel becomes more accessible, individuals with various underlying health conditions—including heart failure—may soon be among those venturing beyond Earth's atmosphere. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-scientists-heart-lung-potential-health.html Space Exploration Fri, 21 Jun 2024 00:00:01 EDT news638094713 Plastic water bottles are ubiquitous due to their convenience, yet they harbor potential risks. Sunlight exposure can lead these containers to degrade and emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are potentially detrimental to human health. The booming bottled water market underscores the urgency for safer alternatives. In response to these concerns, there is a pressing need for in-depth research into more secure materials and production methods for water containers. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-sunlight-plastic-risky-combination-bottled.html Environment Thu, 20 Jun 2024 16:44:03 EDT news638120641 Superbug infections are taking a disproportionate toll in sub-Saharan Africa where there is "extremely concerning" levels of multi-resistant bacterial strains among young children, two studies warned Thursday. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-antibiotic-resistance-saharan-africa-alarming.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 20 Jun 2024 16:30:01 EDT news638113284 Almost 14 billion years ago, the universe was born in a blur of mystery. The new Simons Observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert may soon answer the great scientific question of what happened in that tiny fraction of a second after the Big Bang. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-team-probe-big-inflation.html Astronomy Thu, 20 Jun 2024 16:25:41 EDT news638119511 Gala is a major apple cultivar grown worldwide that is mostly planted as red sports (genetic mutation), such as Royal, Brookfield, Fulford, and Galaxy. The red sports tend to have similar maturation profiles, but they allow earlier harvests and strip picking, which is not recommended for the original Gala or lower-colored sports. Although Gala fruit are harvested early relative to typical long-term storage cultivars such as Red Delicious, Granny Smith, and Fuji, they are often stored long-term under controlled atmosphere conditions. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-gala-apples-cold-ethylene-impacted.html Plants & Animals Agriculture Thu, 20 Jun 2024 16:20:06 EDT news638119202 When a cell spreads out or changes its shape to adapt to its environment, the transport rate of proteins between the nucleus and cytoplasm changes. Previously, scientists assumed this change was caused by a shift in the size of the nuclear envelope's pores; however, recent research findings have discovered an alternate explanation. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-insights-cell-protein.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 20 Jun 2024 16:02:03 EDT news638118121 In a study published in the journal MedComm, researchers have developed an efficient protein delivery carrier based on spider silk proteins (spidroins), derived from Araneus ventricosus minor ampullate silk protein (MiSp). The MiSp-based nanoparticles are able to serve as an effective delivery system with high loading efficiency and a sustained release profile at physiological pH. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-efficient-protein-delivery-spider-minor.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:58:03 EDT news638117881 New research focuses on the changes that employers can make help refugees and asylum seekers find work and be successful within the workplace. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-employers-refugees-workplace.html Economics & Business Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:46:53 EDT news638117206 A new study delving into the lives of one of the UK's rarest beetles shows them to be athletes and adventurers—sometimes traveling the scaled-up equivalent of several kilometers a night in search of food and mates. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-uk-rarest-rainforest-beetles-multi.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:45:49 EDT news638117143 Researchers at the University of Hannover have uncovered new insights into the mode of action of calcium in the reduction of macrocracking in sweet cherry fruit. The findings shed light on the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, offering significant implications for cherry growers and the fruit industry at large. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-calcium-macrocracking-sweet-cherries.html Plants & Animals Agriculture Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:45:31 EDT news638117127 Researchers at ETH Zurich have shown that quantum states of single electron spins can be controlled by currents of electrons whose spins are evenly aligned. In the future, this method could be used in electronic circuit elements. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-alternative-quantum-states.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:44:26 EDT news638117062 Atmospheric scientists get a little more excited with every rock core NASA's Perseverance Mars rover seals in its titanium sample tubes, which are being gathered for eventual delivery to Earth as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign. Twenty-four have been taken so far. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-scientists-intrigued-air-nasa-mars.html Planetary Sciences Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:44:20 EDT news638117054 It's well-known that servants with two masters are often conflicted. But they can also be uniquely knowledgeable, especially when one master wants to know what the other is up to, or the interests of the two coincide. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-loyalties.html Economics & Business Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:43:51 EDT news638117028 Scientists on the hunt for compact and robust sources of multicolored laser light have generated the first topological frequency comb. Their result, which relies on a small silicon nitride chip patterned with hundreds of microscopic rings, appears in the journal Science. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-photonic-chip-spawns-topological-frequency.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:42:04 EDT news638116921 University of Manchester scientists have linked one of the ways that cells respond to stressful conditions with restricted healthy hair growth. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-scientists-link-ancient-biology-restricted.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:18:03 EDT news638115481 The impacts of climate change are being felt all over the world, but how will it impact how your hometown feels? An interactive web application from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science allows users to search 40,581 places and 5,323 metro areas around the globe to match the expected future climate in each city with the current climate of another location, providing a relatable picture of what is likely in store. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-interactive-future-climate-city-based.html Environment Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:15:03 EDT news638115301 More than 4 million Ukrainians were forced to flee following the invasion of their homeland by Russian forces in February 2022, with the vast majority heading to neighboring countries and other European nations. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-ukrainians-displaced-war-home-safe.html Social Sciences Political science Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:58:02 EDT news638114281 Teams of NASA researchers put their next-generation technologies to the microgravity test in a series of parabolic flights that aim to advance innovations supporting the agency's space exploration goals. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-generation-nasa-technologies-flight.html Space Exploration Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:55:03 EDT news638114101 A more complete picture of how excited water molecules at an interface with air lose their energy has been uncovered by RIKEN scientists in a study published in the journal Nature Communications. This finding will be valuable for better understanding processes that occur at water surfaces. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-spectroscopic-technique-singles-molecules-surface.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:50:02 EDT news638113801 More than 1,000 people have died at this year's hajj pilgrimage in extreme heat in Saudi Arabia, an AFP tally showed on Thursday. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-saudi-hajj-pilgrims-deaths-highlight.html Environment Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:40:01 EDT news638113079 Researchers might have solved the riddle of how to save one of Scotland's most iconic protected species from eating another. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-scotland-capercaillie-population-extinction-lifeline.html Ecology Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:31:51 EDT news638112704 One of the cornerstones of liberal democracies is the political debate on how to shape society. However, discussions about politics often lead to frustration or result in a long-term strain on social relationships. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-people-enjoy-politics-social-political.html Social Sciences Political science Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:23:02 EDT news638112181 What effect do economic sanctions have on the countries affected, such as Russia or Iran? What impact do they have on the sanctioning states? And is there possibly an ideal coalition of sanction partners? Economists from Würzburg, Kiel, Berlin and Bielefeld have analyzed these questions. They have now published their findings in Economic Policy. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-economists-reveal-sanctions.html Economics & Business Political science Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:19:04 EDT news638111942 Sustainability is a hot topic in just about every field that engages with the environment, including agriculture. An interdisciplinary group of researchers in UConn's College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources has published a paper outlining the current state of sustainable food production research in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Research. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-greening-food-chain-sustainable-interdisciplinary.html Agriculture Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:17:02 EDT news638111821 Insecticide use is a major factor causing a decrease in the size and diversity of butterfly populations across the US Midwest, reports Braeden Van Deynze of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and colleagues in a study published June 20 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-insecticides-contribute-butterfly-species-midwest.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:00:02 EDT news638093342 Chimpanzees appear to consume plants with medicinal properties to treat their ailments, according to a study published on June 20 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Elodie Freymann from the University of Oxford, UK, and colleagues. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-wild-chimpanzees-medicinal-illness-injuries.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:00:02 EDT news638092921 The carbon stored globally by plants is shorter-lived and more vulnerable to climate change than previously thought, according to a new study. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-carbon-shorter-periods-thought.html Earth Sciences Environment Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:00:02 EDT news638092682 Researchers led by Sophie Bavard at the University of Hamburg, Germany, found that people can infer hidden social preferences by observing how fast others make social decisions. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-behavioral-social-inferred-decision.html Social Sciences Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:00:02 EDT news638094733