source: Phys.org The use of antidepressant pills has become synonymous with improved mental health, quelling sometimes crippling anxiety, and altering energy levels and behavior. They are heavily relied upon when treating depression and general anxiety disorder. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org Hundreds of millions of light-years away in a distant galaxy, a star orbiting a supermassive black hole is being violently ripped apart under the black hole’s immense gravitational pull. As the star is shredded, its remnants are transformed into a stream of debris that rains back down onto the black hole to form a very hot, very bright disk of material swirling around the black hole, called an accretion disc.

Continue reading

source: Phys.org Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have successfully demonstrated that autonomous methods can discover new materials. The artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technique led to the discovery of three new nanostructures, including a first-of-its-kind nanoscale “ladder.” The research was published today in Science Advances.. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org Clusters of galaxies do not appear in an instant. Instead they gradually form through the accumulation of many galaxies. But when galaxies fall in they don’t just stop moving. Instead, they keep moving around. These are called backsplash galaxies, and astronomers are using them to help understand the formation history of their home clusters. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org Participation in environmental education programs can motivate children across diverse language groups to act responsibly toward the environment, a recent study from North Carolina State University researchers suggests. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org From vaccine uptake to violent extremism, conspiracy beliefs are linked to distrust in major institutions or powerful figures. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org Plants are an integral part of the water cycle. Certain plant traits, like rooting depth and water storage, can govern water availability across an entire ecosystem. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org In the academic year 2020–21, there were 1,198 instances of racially motivated bullying reported in Scottish schools—up from 409 in 2016–17. These are the highest recorded figures to date. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org In her ruling on the death of two-year old Awaab Ishak in Rochdale in 2020, senior coroner Joanne Kearsley concluded that the child had died as a result of “prolonged exposure to mold in his home environment.” Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org Throughout history and across the globe, individuals have been forced to flee conflicts, natural disasters and political oppression. An experience of trauma and new horizons that is at once both collective and individual. Researchers at Lund University have developed digital tools that facilitate deeper contact between local communities and forced migrants. The tools can be used by museums and cultural associations, and have already been tested in Greece, Spain, Poland and Italy.

Continue reading

source: Phys.org Every year, the world produces 380 million tons of plastic. A lot of it ends up in nature and stays there for a long time. It can take 450 years to break down a plastic bottle. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org Humans and chimpanzees differ in only one percent of their DNA. Human accelerated regions (HARs) are parts of the genome with an unexpected amount of these differences. HARs were stable in mammals for millennia but quickly changed in early humans. Scientists have long wondered why these bits of DNA changed so much, and how the variations set humans apart from other primates. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org In the aftermath of a shocking incident in which a first grader shot and seriously injured a teacher at a school in Newport News, Virginia, the city’s mayor asked the question: “How did this happen?” Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features the galaxy LEDA 48062 in the constellation Perseus. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org A Dartmouth professor’s images of the explosive aftermath from the collision of two dying stars could help scientists better understand this rare type of astronomical event—and may finally confirm the identity of a brilliant but short-lived star observed nearly 850 years ago. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org In northern communities, seasonal snow plays a central role in day-to-day activities. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org Seemingly spontaneously coordinated swarm behavior exhibited by large groups of animals is a fascinating and striking collective phenomenon. Experiments conducted by researchers at Leipzig University on laser-controlled synthetic microswimmers now show that supposed swarm intelligence can sometimes also be the result of simple and generic physical mechanisms. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org Maine lobster fishermen received a Christmas gift from Congress at the end of 2022: A six-year delay on new federal regulations designed to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org When genes are activated and expressed, they show patterns in cells that are similar in type and function across tissues and organs. Discovering these patterns improves our understanding of cells—which has implications for unveiling disease mechanisms. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org Madagascar is home to a unique biodiversity with a large number of endemic species, among those many lemur species, including the mouse lemurs. This diversity is also found in their retroviruses, a team led by scientists from the Leibniz Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) and the University of Stirling reports in the journal Virus Evolution. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org Ingenuity, the helicopter assisting NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover on its mission, has been a huge success. It gathered the achievement of the first controlled flight on another heavenly body, has performed spectacularly over its 28 flights and holds records for both speed and distance. But it might not for long, as a much bigger, more capable helicopter is currently under development. And when it eventually explores Titan in the next decade, it has an excellent chance to smash many of Ingenuity’s records.

Continue reading

source: Phys.org Chemists from the University of Groningen have found a simple way to produce previously inaccessible chiral Z-alkenes, molecules that offer a significant synthetic short-cut for the production of bioactive molecules. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org Employees who proactively help others at work can get a boost of motivation, but some individuals get discouraged from doing it again when their personal needs aren’t fulfilled, according to new University at Buffalo School of Management research. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org Harmful algal blooms create challenges around the globe for water quality and health risk management for humans, wildlife and pets. A team of researchers from the University of Oklahoma is leading an effort toward better management of Microcystis blooms and toxins through a new genome-based taxonomy. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading

source: Phys.org Since the introduction of the first ruby laser—a solid-state laser that uses the synthetic ruby crystal as its laser medium—in 1960, the use of lasers has expanded significantly in scientific, medical and industrial fields. Read Full Article Here

Continue reading