source: Phys.org Recent flooding and water flow management in previous years have led to vast numbers of waterbirds, including large nesting colonies of Straw-necked Ibis and Royal Spoonbill, breeding at wetlands throughout the Northern and Central Murray Darling Basin (MDB). Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org The most well-known forms of carbon include graphite and diamond, but there are other more exotic nanoscale allotropes of carbon as well. These include graphene and fullerenes, which are sp2 hybridized carbon with zero (flat-shaped) or positive (sphere-shaped) curvatures. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org The discovery of the faintest known galaxies beyond the neighborhood of the Milky Way could help scientists develop universal models for how the universe’s oldest galaxies formed, according to findings announced Jan. 11 at the 241st meeting of the American Astronomical Society. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org Lignin is the complex polymer that gives plants their structural integrity. It also makes them difficult to break down. This complexity creates opportunities for scientists to make a diverse array of biochemicals and bioproducts from components in lignin. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org After several years of operation, the STEREO collaboration published the final results of their antineutrino studies. With their data, the researchers excluded hints for the existence of sterile neutrinos, an additional neutrino state expected in many theories. The result, which appears in the January 11 issue of Nature, has important implications for many areas of fundamental physics. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org Russia is scrambling to bring home three astronauts—two Russians and one American—who are stuck aboard the International Space Station after a meteorite damaged the spacecraft that was due to return them to Earth. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org Corn, rice, wheat, sugar cane—the grass family contains a number of species that are important food sources for humans and have been bred and cultivated for millennia. Wild and farm animals, too, depend heavily on grasses for feed: cows, sheep, horses as well as bison, deer and zebras predominantly eat grass. Almost 70% of Switzerland’s agricultural area is grassland. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org A new study led by Southwest Research Institute Research Scientist Dr. Danna Qasim posits that interstellar cloud conditions may have played a significant role on the presence of key building blocks of life in the solar system. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org Researchers have confirmed the presence of an exoplanet, a planet that orbits another star, using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope for the first time. Formally classified as LHS 475 b, the planet is almost exactly the same size as our own, clocking in at 99% of Earth’s diameter. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org Every autumn, billions of birds migrate across the eastern U.S. en route to their wintering sites. As the birds undertake their journeys, however, they are faced with increasing threats, including habitat loss, storms, feral cats and other predators, pesticides, collisions with buildings, and climate change. Not only are individual species impacted by these threats, but so is the migratory phenomenon itself. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org As a river cuts through a landscape, it can operate like a conveyer belt, moving truckloads of sediment over time. Knowing how quickly or slowly this sediment flows can help engineers plan for the downstream impact of restoring a river or removing a dam. But the models currently used to estimate sediment flow can be off by a wide margin. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has imaged the inner workings of a dusty disk surrounding a nearby red dwarf star. These observations represent the first time the previously known disk has been imaged at these infrared wavelengths of light. They also provide clues to the composition of the disk. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org The HMS Challenger began a four-year voyage 150 years ago to explore the deep sea and the creatures that lived in it. The scientists aboard the ship discovered thousands of new species and recorded massive amounts of data about the oceans. The treasure trove of information they gathered is now available online in the first comprehensive database of the Challenger findings. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org Electric vehicles, powered by macroscopic electric motors, are increasingly prevalent on our streets and highways. These quiet and eco-friendly machines got their start nearly 200 years ago when physicists took the first tiny steps to bring electric motors into the world. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org Bringing a new drug to market costs billions of dollars and can take over a decade. These high monetary and time investments are both strong contributors to today’s skyrocketing health care costs and significant obstacles to delivering new therapies to patients. One big reason behind these barriers is the lab models researchers use to develop drugs in the first place. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org An orange-sized space rock which blazed across the skies January 9 probably didn’t make it to Earth. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org A new academic program developed at MIT aims to teach U.S. Air and Space Forces personnel to understand and utilize artificial intelligence technologies. In a recent study which the program researchers recently shared at the IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, the program researchers found that this approach was effective and well-received by employees with diverse backgrounds and professional roles. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org Researchers have developed a way to use laser light to pull a macroscopic object. Although microscopic optical tractor beams have been demonstrated before, this is one of the first times that laser pulling has been used on larger objects. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org Rydberg atoms and molecules are characterized by having one or more electrons in highly excited bound states. Such atoms and molecules are said to be in “Rydberg states” and are also called “hollow” atoms and molecules. Rydberg states are useful for studying various phenomena arising in intense light–matter interaction that involve electronic excitation with an intense laser pulse via optical processes like “multiphoton resonant excitation” and “frustrated tunneling ionization.

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source: Phys.org Researchers have uncovered how some bacteria use electrical spikes to overcome antibacterial drugs, potentially leading to ‘superbugs’ that are resistant to antibiotics. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org Dodging the kind of meteorite strike that forced Russia to plan a space station rescue mission is nearly impossible, yet the greater threat to spacecraft is actually the man-made debris in orbit, experts say. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org High-density crop planting is a proven approach for suppressing patches of weeds that escape other controls. Unfortunately, though, the cost of seed keeps many growers from considering this dense planting strategy. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org Polymer gels have become a staple technology in various fields, ranging from optics and drug delivery to carbon capture and batteries. However, there are still many open questions about gels and their network structure, and this has prevented scientists from linking their remarkable macroscopic properties to specific molecular mechanisms. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org Humanity’s fight against cancer is expected to continue for years to come. Scientists across the globe are constantly inventing novel synthetic methods for the rapid and efficient production of anticancer therapeutics. However, the chemical synthesis of one such powerful anticancer drug—vinblastine—poses major challenges, owing to its complex three-dimensional structure. Vinblastine is a heterodimer of the chemical compounds catharanthine and vindoline. Read Full Article Here

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source: Phys.org It’s “Treasure Island” author Robert Louis Stevenson who is credited with coining the phrase “You cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs.” For us humans, it’s now cliché. For pathogens, these are words to live by. Or, rather, spread by. Read Full Article Here

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