Nuclear war would 'end civilization' with famine, study says
A nuclear war between India and Pakistan would set off a global famine that could kill two billion people and effectively end human civilization, a study said Tuesday.
View Article3D virtual birth simulator may help avoid complicated births
(Phys.org) —University of East Anglia last month announced that UEA researchers have pioneered a patient-specific 3D virtual birth simulator. The research' aim is a virtual birthing simulator that can...
View ArticleResearch team uses melanin to make biodegradable battery anode
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Oregon has used melanin as an ingredient in a cocktail that led to the creation of a biodegradable battery anode....
View ArticleUtah supervolcanoes discovered
(Phys.org) —Brigham Young University geologists found evidence of some of the largest volcanic eruptions in earth's history right in their own backyard.
View ArticleDrawing the line between stars and brown dwarfs
(Phys.org) —Stars come in a tremendous size range, from many tens of times bigger than the Sun to a tiny fraction of its size. But the answer to just how small an astronomical body can be, and still be...
View ArticleTurbulent nature of menopause triggered by gene battles
The hormonal mayhem, reduced fertility and hot flushes experienced by a woman in the run up to menopause may owe to warfare between her own genes, according to a team of scientists working in the...
View ArticleUS solar power sector small but growing
Solar power, only a minuscule part of the energy mix in the United States, is getting a boost from cheap panels, growing acceptance by large companies and chances for homeowners to rent solar systems.
View ArticleHow tree sparrows recognize foreign eggs in their nests
Many birds have reason to worry that the eggs in their nest might not be their own: birds often deposit eggs into other nests and it is not easy for parents to tell their eggs from others. Researchers...
View ArticleExpanding universe can emerge in remarkably simple way, scientists say
When soup is heated, it starts to boil. When time and space are heated, an expanding universe can emerge, without requiring anything like a "Big Bang". This phase transition between a boring empty...
View ArticleCapturing wasted electricity with triboelectric generators
(Phys.org) —With one stomp of his foot, Zhong Lin Wang illuminates a thousand LED bulbs – with no batteries or power cord. The current comes from essentially the same source as that tiny spark that...
View ArticleMoons of Jupiter and Saturn could have been seeded with life
Life on Earth or Mars could have been brought to the moons of Jupiter or Saturn on rocks blasted off those planets, researchers say.
View ArticleLight variation drives community structure of a hypersaline microbial mat
When scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory took samples of a microbial mat community from a hypersaline lake to study community responses to environmental changes, they expected to find...
View ArticleAn isotopic analysis of two mass extinction events
An international research team has analysed two of the earth's mass extinction events, finding markedly similar conditions between the two.
View ArticleResearch sheds light onto the debut of insect life on Earth
(Phys.org) —"Insects dominate our world," according to University of Kansas researcher Michael Engel. Thus, anything scientists can learn about the evolution of insects leads to a better grasp of how...
View ArticleLCLS powers chain reaction of light: A new tool for X-ray studies
(Phys.org) —Researchers have found a new way to probe molecules and atoms with an X-ray laser, setting off cascading bursts of light that reveal precise details of what is going on inside. The...
View ArticleGraphene-based nano-antennas may enable networks of tiny machines
(Phys.org) —Networks of nanometer-scale machines offer exciting potential applications in medicine, industry, environmental protection and defense, but until now there's been one very small problem:...
View ArticleMathematics expert devises festive formula to find the perfect Christmas tree
Take one perplexed shopper, add a veritable forest of festive foliage, multiply by some mathematical ingenuity and what have you got? The perfect family Christmas tree.
View ArticleStealth maneuver allows nectar bats to target insect prey
A nectar-feeding bat that was thought to eat insects in passing has been discovered to target its moving prey with stealth precision, according to new research by scientists at Queen Mary University of...
View ArticleA new species of horse, 4.4 million years old
Two teams of researchers, including a scientist from Case Western Reserve University, have announced the discovery of a new species of fossil horse from 4.4 million-year-old fossil-rich deposits in...
View ArticleCollapse of the universe is closer than ever before
Maybe it happens tomorrow. Maybe in a billion years. Physicists have long predicted that the universe may one day collapse, and that everything in it will be compressed to a small hard ball. New...
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