**Identifying biosecurity to prevent chronic wasting disease transmission among deer populations**

As chronic wasting disease (CWD) ravaged deer populations across the country in recent years, studies have primarily focused on how CWD can jump from farmed herds to wild deer, with little attention given to how transmission may occur from wild deer to those living on farms.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-biosecurity-chronic-disease-transmission-deer.html


**Q&A: New lymphedema-on-chip platform holds promise**

In a new PNAS study co-authored by Boston University biomedical engineer Dr. Chris Chen, researchers say they're getting closer to understanding the mysteries of lymphedema—a condition characterized by the buildup of fluid in the body due to a malfunctioning lymphatic system. Until now, the reasons behind this disorder have remained elusive.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-qa-lymphedema-on-chip-platform.html


**New pipeline makes valuable organic acid from plants—saving money and emissions**

In a breakthrough for environmentally friendly chemical production, researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) have developed an economical way to make succinic acid, an important industrial chemical, from sugarcane.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-pipeline-valuable-acid-plantssaving-money.html


**Lobbying or green innovation? Which protects firms from climate change risk?**

Innovation of green technology to meet climate challenges mitigates companies' environmental political risk in the long-term as compared with intensive government lobbying designed to dilute or stymie emission reduction policies, a QUT study has found.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-lobbying-green-firms-climate.html


**Moving toward fair and sustainable futures beyond mining**

Mining brings huge social and environmental change to communities: landscapes, livelihoods and social fabric evolve alongside the industry. But what happens when the mines close? What problems face communities that lose their main employer and the very core of their identity and social networks?

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-fair-sustainable-futures.html


**International study characterizes diversity of bees in apple orchards across the globe**

By carrying pollen from flower to flower, pollinator insects play an essential role in the reproductive cycle of flowering plants. Bees do more of it than any other, both here in Canada and around the world.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-international-characterizes-diversity-bees-apple.html


**SpaceX launches 69th orbital flight of the year with Canaveral liftoff**

A SpaceX Falcon 9 took off for the 39th time from Cape Canaveral this year, marking the 49th SpaceX flight from the Space Coast and 69th orbital mission among all of its launch sites.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-spacex-69th-orbital-flight-year.html


**DNA from discarded whale bones suggests loss of genetic diversity due to commercial whaling**

Commercial whaling in the 20th century decimated populations of large whales but also appears to have had a lasting impact on the genetic diversity of today's surviving whales, new research from Oregon State University shows.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-dna-discarded-whale-bones-loss.html


**Simulations reveal the atomic-scale story of qubits**

Researchers led by Giulia Galli at University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering report a computational study that predicts the conditions to create specific spin defects in silicon carbide. Their findings, published online in Nature Communications, represent an important step towards identifying fabrication parameters for spin defects useful for quantum technologies.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-simulations-reveal-atomic-scale-story-qubits.html


**Study sheds new light on how soil viruses behave and interact with bacteria**

Viruses in soil may not be as destructive to bacteria as once thought and could instead act like lawnmowers, culling older cells and giving space for new growth, according to research out of the University of California, Davis, published Sept. 28 in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-soil-viruses-interact-bacteria.html


**Organizing can give tenants power to effect change**

A renter doesn't generally hold much sway with a landlord or management company, but when tenants organize, their power can be formidable.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-tenants-power-effect.html


**Scientists investigate Grand Canyon's ancient past to predict future climate impacts**

The Grand Canyon's valleys and millions of years of rock layers spanning Earth's history have earned it a designation as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. But, according to a new UNLV study, its marvels extend to vast cave systems that lie beneath the surface, which just might hold clues to better understand the future of climate change—by studying nature's past.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientists-grand-canyon-ancient-future.html


**Desperate to rid California of invasive deer, officials propose bold helicopter hunt**

A plan to use helicopter-mounted sharpshooters to kill nearly 2,000 invasive mule deer roaming the mountains of Santa Catalina Island has ignited a storm of protest among residents of the popular resort destination and prompted calls for state wildlife officials to block the hunt.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-desperate-california-invasive-deer-bold.html


**Data-driven regional ocean models essential for planning, shows Red Sea study**

By incorporating fine-grained regional data with a high-resolution ocean model, KAUST researchers have developed the first precise historical reconstruction of the Red Sea circulation. The resulting reanalysis reveals new characteristics of current circulation, temperature, salinity and oceanic behavior that are not evident in the coarser standard global ocean analyses.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-data-driven-regional-ocean-essential-red.html


**Study on mysterious Amazon porcupine can help its protection**

Porcupines of the genus Coendou are arboreal, herbivorous, nocturnal rodents distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Most of what we currently know on them is restricted to species that occur near urban areas, and we still have a lot to learn about these fascinating animals.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-mysterious-amazon-porcupine.html


**Scientists use Webb, SOFIA telescopes to observe metallic asteroid**

Southwest Research Institute scientists are using telescopes to observe the asteroid Psyche in the infrared, providing context for NASA's upcoming Psyche mission. Dr. Stephanie Jarmak is using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to look for water signatures on the metallic surface of Psyche, while Dr. Anicia Arredondo is using some of the last data collected by the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, to study differences in Psyche's composition at different points on its surface.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientists-webb-sofia-telescopes-metallic.html


**Research: Electrons in a strange metal world**

Imagine a flock of birds as they wheel across the sky: surging into a mass, flowing into ribbons that twist and turn again into fantastic shapes. If you follow one bird within the flock, you can describe its actions, the way it flaps its wings or uses its tail to brake. Yet, even if you could minutely account for the behavior of each individual bird, the shapes and patterns of their collective flight would still evade understanding.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-electrons-strange-metal-world.html


**Researchers: Forensic science method for firearm identification is flawed**

Like fingerprints, a firearm's discarded shell casings have unique markings. This allows forensic experts to compare casings from a crime scene with those from a suspect's gun. Finding and reporting a mismatch can help free the innocent, just as a match can incriminate the guilty.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-forensic-science-method-firearm-identification.html


**Researchers discover promising treatment to combat hospital superbug**

Cal State Fullerton antibiotic-resistance researcher María Soledad Ramírez and her students have discovered a promising new therapeutic to treat Acinetobacter baumannii, a superbug commonly found in hospitals and resistant to many antibiotics.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-treatment-combat-hospital-superbug.html


**Study pinpoints cold adaptations in nervous system of Antarctic octopus**

Laden with dissolved salt, Antarctic waters can hover just above freezing and even dip below it. Temperatures this low would likely kill the animals that prosper in warmer waters further north. Yet, some creatures have found ways to live in this inhospitable cold.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-cold-nervous-antarctic-octopus.html


**Not the usual suspects: New interactive lineup boosts eyewitness accuracy**

Allowing eyewitnesses to dynamically explore digital faces using a new interactive procedure can significantly improve identification accuracy compared to the video lineup and photo array procedures used by police worldwide, a new study reveals.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-usual-interactive-lineup-boosts-eyewitness.html


**How new plant cell walls change their mechanical properties after cell division**

Scientists have revealed new plant cell walls can have significantly different mechanical properties compared to surrounding parental cell walls, enabling cells to change their local shape and influence the growth of plant organs.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-cell-walls-mechanical-properties-division.html


**Scientists identify evolutionary gateway helping pneumonia bacteria become resistant to antibiotics**

An evolutionary gateway which helps pneumonia cells become resistant to antibiotics has been discovered by scientists at the University of Sheffield.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientists-evolutionary-gateway-pneumonia-bacteria.html


**Study employs deep learning to explain extreme events**

Identifying the underlying cause of extreme events such as floods, heavy downpours or tornados is immensely difficult and can take a concerted effort by scientists over several decades to arrive at feasible physical explanations.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-employs-deep-extreme-events.html


**Pheromones found to influence death feigning behavior in beetles**

Predation is a driving force in the evolution of anti-predator strategies, and death feigning, characterized by immobility in response to threats, is a common defensive mechanism across various animal species. While this behavior can enhance an individual's survival prospects by reducing a predator's interest, it also carries costs, such as limited opportunities for feeding and reproduction.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-pheromones-death-feigning-behavior-beetles.html


**Does lightning strike on Venus? Maybe not, study suggests**

Venus may be a (slightly) gentler place than some scientists give it credit for.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-lightning-venus.html


**NASA's New Horizons to continue exploring outer solar system**

NASA has announced an updated plan to continue New Horizons' mission of exploration of the outer solar system.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nasa-horizons-exploring-outer-solar.html


**Q&A: New tool supports private industry in minimizing impacts to nature's services**

Companies and investors are increasingly considering, and measuring, the impacts of their business activities on nature, or "natural capital" (the world's stock of natural assets like air, water, soil, and biodiversity). This includes how impacts to ecosystem services, the benefits nature provides to people, create risks—and opportunities—for their businesses and clients.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-qa-tool-private-industry-minimizing.html


**Q&A: Teaching in the age of artificial intelligence and content-generation software**

In late August, KPMG published a survey of 5,141 Canadian adult students, just over half of whom (52%) admitted to using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in their work, even when taking tests.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-qa-age-artificial-intelligence-content-generation.html


**How to slow climate change: Three wide-scale efforts could make the difference**

With the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference just nine weeks away, countries will soon take stock of their progress in the worldwide effort to slow and adapt to global warming. Better known as COP28, the conference offers the chance for countries to meet and coordinate their climate-mitigating pledges, like achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 or peak emissions by 2030.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-climate-wide-scale-efforts-difference.html


**Research reveals how a single enzyme can boost soybean oil production**

As a potent source of protein and oil, soybeans are a vital global crop for food, animal feed, industrial applications, and biofuel production. Even minor improvements in soybean seed content can therefore have far-reaching implications for agricultural productivity and global economies.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-reveals-enzyme-boost-soybean-oil.html


**Dense measurement network reveals high level of PM2.5 in Punjab due to crop residue burning**

A group of international collaborators led by the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN) team performed the first quantitative study of air pollution in the north-western India region using 29 low-cost and reliable instruments, demonstrating the advantages of source region observations to link crop residue burning (CRB) and air pollution at local to regional scales. The group published their findings in Scientific Reports.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-dense-network-reveals-high-pm25.html


**Mismatch between expected and actual nutritional value is key driver behind negative reviews of online grocery sites**

Online grocery shopping has become more popular since the COVID-19 pandemic. Sales from online food retail in the United States are projected to grow from 9.5% of total food commerce in 2020 to 20.5% in 2026. Given this, consumer reviews of grocery products have also become more important in shaping buying behavior.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-mismatch-actual-nutritional-key-driver.html


**Antimatter: We cracked how gravity affects it. What it means for our understanding of the universe**

A substance called antimatter is at the heart of one of the greatest mysteries of the universe. We know that every particle has an antimatter companion that is virtually identical to itself, but with the opposite charge. When a particle and its antiparticle meet, they annihilate each other—disappearing in a burst of light.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-antimatter-gravity-affects-universe.html


**Indian spacecraft heads towards center of solar system**

India's sun-monitoring spacecraft has crossed a landmark point on its journey to escape "the sphere of Earth's influence", its space agency said, days after the disappointment of its moon rover failing to awaken.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-indian-spacecraft-center-solar.html


**India's private space sector skyrockets**

When Indian entrepreneur Awais Ahmed founded his satellite startup in Bangalore in 2019, his country was still a year away from opening the space industry to the private sector.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-india-private-space-sector-skyrockets.html


**Metaphors for human fertilization are evolving, study shows**

In a common metaphor used to describe human fertilization, sperm cells are competitors racing to penetrate a passive egg. But as critics have noted, the description is also a "fairy tale," rooted in cultural beliefs about masculinity and femininity.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-metaphors-human-fertilization-evolving.html


**Drought drains Brazilian Amazon residents reliant on waterways**

Not far from the emblematic site where the black waters of the Rio Negro join the brown currents of the Solimoes, two chief tributaries of the Amazon, what once was a lake has given way to a vast stretch of cracked mud.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-drought-brazilian-amazon-residents-reliant.html


**Crossing glaciers and fjords: Norwegian reindeer migrate for winter**

A herd of reindeer with white, brown or gray coats climb mountains and swim between glaciers on their great migration to their winter pasture in Norway's far north.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-glaciers-fjords-norwegian-reindeer-migrate.html


**Mysterious antimatter observed falling down for first time**

For the first time, scientists have observed antimatter particles—the mysterious twins of the visible matter all around us—falling downwards due to the effect of gravity, Europe's physics lab CERN announced on Wednesday.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-mysterious-antimatter-falling.html


**Separating molecules requires a lot of energy. This nanoporous, heat-resistant membrane could change that**

Industry has long relied upon energy-intensive processes, such as distillation and crystallization, to separate molecules that ultimately serve as ingredients in medicine, chemicals and other products.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-molecules-requires-lot-energy-nanoporous.html


**World's biggest bat colony gathers in Zambia every year. Researchers used artificial intelligence to count them**

Everybody who visits Kasanka National Park in Zambia during "bat season" agrees that the evening emergence of African straw-colored fruit bats from their roost site is one of the wildlife wonders of the world. The bats (Eidolon helvum) arrive at Kasanka every year around October. The numbers swell rapidly until they peak in November. By January they are gone again.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-world-biggest-colony-zambia-year.html


**Earthworms contribute to 6.5% of world grain production: study**

Most gardeners know that earthworms help keep soils healthy, now scientists have assessed just how important their underground activities are to global food production—and how to protect them.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-earthworms-contribute-world-grain-production.html


**Saturday Citations: Volcano vs. asteroid; NASA's supernova time lapse; immortal chemicals**

This week, we're highlighting a study involving toxic chemical contaminants, and just for fun, a second study involving other toxic chemical contaminants. But NASA made a cool time-lapse video using the good old Hubble space telescope, and a group of Italian demographers have a lot to say about the population-level consequences of lying.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-saturday-citations-volcano-asteroid-nasa.html


**Things to know about the Nobel Prizes**

Fall has arrived in Scandinavia, which means Nobel Prize season is here.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-nobel-prizes.html


**Video provides first clear views of WWII aircraft carriers lost in the pivotal Battle of Midway**

Footage from deep in the Pacific Ocean has given the first detailed look at three World War II aircraft carriers that sank in the pivotal Battle of Midway and could help solve mysteries about the days-long barrage that marked a shift in control of the Pacific theater from Japanese to U.S. forces.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-video-views-wwii-aircraft-carriers.html


**Japanese scientists find microplastics are present in clouds**

Researchers in Japan have confirmed microplastics are present in clouds, where they are likely affecting the climate in ways that aren't yet fully understood.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-japanese-scientists-microplastics-clouds.html


**Scientists discover a durable but sensitive material for high energy X-ray detection**

X-ray technology plays a vital role in medicine and scientific research, providing non-invasive medical imaging and insight into materials. Recent advancements in X-ray technology enable brighter, more intense beams and imaging of increasingly intricate systems in real-world conditions, like the insides of operating batteries.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-durable-sensitive-material-high.html


**Reducing fishing gear could save whales with low impacts to California's crab fishermen**

Sometimes simple solutions are better. It all depends on the nature of the problem. For humpback whales, the problem is the rope connecting a crab trap on the seafloor to the buoy on the surface. And for fishermen, it's fishery closures caused by whale entanglements.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-fishing-gear-whales-impacts-california.html


**Endangered red wolf can make it in the wild, but not without 'significant' help, study says**

The endangered red wolf can survive in the wild, but only with "significant additional management intervention," according to a long-awaited population viability analysis released Friday.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-endangered-red-wolf-wild-significant.html


**Q&A: Seeing coastal storm impacts in advance can help communities prepare**

Knowing the potential dangers posed by storm surge and high winds before a storm hits can help coastal communities and emergency responders prepare. Visualizations showing projected storm impacts can make the complex science behind the projections easy to understand and immediately available to individuals in the storm's path, according to Peter Stempel, associate professor of landscape architecture.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-qa-coastal-storm-impacts-advance.html


**Striking rare gold: Researchers unveil new material infused with gold in an exotic chemical state**

For the first time, Stanford researchers have found a way to create and stabilize an extremely rare form of gold that has lost two negatively charged electrons, denoted Au2+. The material stabilizing this elusive version of the valued element is a halide perovskite—a class of crystalline materials that holds great promise for various applications including more-efficient solar cells, light sources, and electronics components.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-rare-gold-unveil-material-infused.html


**Timing plant evolution with a fast-ticking epigenetic clock**

Recent discoveries in the field of epigenetics, the study of inheritance of traits that occur without changing the DNA sequence, have shown that chronological age in mammals correlates with epigenetic changes that accumulate during the lifetime of an individual.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-evolution-fast-ticking-epigenetic-clock.html


**European countries smash September temperature records**

Austria, France, Germany, Poland and Switzerland announced their hottest Septembers on record on Friday, in a year expected to be the warmest in human history as climate change accelerates.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-european-countries-september-temperature.html


**Do you criticize or celebrate your colleagues? It may depend on your social position**

Online technology is fundamentally reshaping employee evaluations. In the last decade or so, companies such as IBM, Amazon, and General Electric have adopted performance feedback apps that allow employees to "review" one another in real time. These apps take the 360-degree paradigm to its logical extreme by removing temporal, hierarchical, and geographical barriers to feedback.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-criticize-celebrate-colleagues-social-position.html


**Shaping positive STEM identity for student success**

Data show that students who have a strong science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) identity are more likely to take STEM courses and persist to the academic finish line––graduation. Positive STEM identity is multifaceted, but at the core, it is the sense that one "belongs" in STEM and can succeed in STEM. A person with strong STEM identity tends to feel confident of the following:

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-positive-stem-identity-student-success.html


**Ancient plant wax reveals how global warming affects methane in Arctic lakes**

By studying fossils from ancient aquatic plants, Northwestern University and University of Wyoming (UW) researchers are gaining a better understanding of how methane produced in Arctic lakes might affect—and be affected by—climate change.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-ancient-wax-reveals-global-affects.html


**Testing, testing, testing: How researchers make sure the LSST Camera is the best it can be**

Building the world's largest digital camera ever made for astronomy, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time Camera, is no simple task—that much is obvious.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-lsst-camera.html


**New UK report shows voters prioritize respect**

Authored by Professor Marc Stears (UCL Political Science) and Luke Tryl, Director of More in Common, The Respect Agenda finds that much of the public feel their concerns are overlooked. Many are frustrated by how those in power seem indifferent to workers' views—particularly those without degrees. It finds also that these issues have been building for some time and are a barrier to tackling the challenges facing the country.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-uk-voters-prioritize-respect.html


**Dangerous chemicals found in South Carolina's fish, crabs and oysters. Here's what we know**

Chemicals that can make people sick have recently been found in fish, crabs and oysters in South Carolina as concerns grow about the threat the toxins pose to food and water across the Palmetto State.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-dangerous-chemicals-south-carolina-fish.html


**In Shawnee National Forest, a debate swirls around how to best protect trees amid climate change and wildfires**

The Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois is a mosaic of towering trees, lush wetlands and commanding rock formations that are the native habitat for a wealth of plants and animals, including 19 species of oaks.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-shawnee-national-forest-debate-swirls.html


**Is California's wildfire season finally over? Don't bet on it, experts say**

California has entered fall amid notably moist conditions that have left some wondering whether this year's fire season has officially fizzled.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-california-wildfire-season-dont-experts.html


**Innovation increasingly led by collaborative teams, not individual pioneers: Study**

Is disruption decreasing, or is it accelerating? That depends. With the exponential growth in scientific publications, the chance that an individual scientist might be highly disruptive in their field is decreasing. Collectively, however, the overall level of disruption in science—the influence of new findings that tend to overtake previous understandings—is as strong or stronger than it was fifty years ago. In other words, the world of science is as disruptive as ever, even if each individual's place in that expanding world is shrinking.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-collaborative-teams-individual.html


**How do consumers make online shopping choices? The mouse may hold the answer**

Consumers are not always predictable when it comes to choosing products online—a concept that lies at the core of Cornell's latest research in consumer psychology.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-consumers-online-choices-mouse.html


**Hydroelectric power plants in Brazil threaten turtles that depend on rapids, study warns**

New research shows that the construction of new hydroelectric power plants in Brazil's South region could have an impact on more than 30% of the habitat of Phrynops williamsi, the Williams' side-necked turtle. The species occurs only in areas of Atlantic Rainforest and Pampa (the grassland biome adjacent to Brazil's border with Uruguay and Argentina), and is classed as "Vulnerable" (facing a high risk of extinction) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-hydroelectric-power-brazil-threaten-turtles.html


**New metamaterial-based strategy to combine and transmit multiple light modes**

The past few years have seen a massive surge in the amount of data transferred and processed per second. Rapidly emerging technologies, such as high-dimensional quantum communications, large-scale neural networks, and high-capacity networks, require large bandwidths and high data transfer speeds. One plausible way to achieve them is by replacing the conventional metallic wires between the components in an electronic system with optical interconnects, i.e., using light instead of electricity to establish channels for data transfer.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-metamaterial-based-strategy-combine-transmit-multiple.html


**New double z-scheme photocatalyst for selective removal of sulfamethoxazole in water**

In a new study published in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, researchers from Harbin Institute of Technology, have developed a novel double Z-scheme photocatalyst, called the molecularly imprinted TiO2@Fe2O3@g-C3N4 (MFTC) composite, that selectively removes SMX from water.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-z-scheme-photocatalyst-sulfamethoxazole.html


**Diesel exhaust gases found to harm insects: Animal ecologists study the effects on bumblebees for the first time**

The decline of insects threatens many ecosystems worldwide. While the effects of pesticides are well researched, there has been a lack of knowledge about the effects of other anthropogenic pollutants. Animal ecologists at the University of Bayreuth have now studied the effects of diesel exhaust particles on bumblebees for the first time.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-diesel-exhaust-gases-insects-animal.html


**Polar experiments reveal seasonal cycle in Antarctic sea ice algae**

In the frigid waters surrounding Antarctica, an unusual seasonal cycle occurs. During winter, from March to October, the sun barely rises. As seawater freezes it rejects salts, creating pockets of extra-salty brine where microbes live in winter. In summer, the sea ice melts under constant daylight, producing warmer, fresher water at the surface.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-polar-reveal-seasonal-antarctic-sea.html


**Clever lapwings use cover to hide in plain sight**

Ground-nesting birds called lapwings use the shape of their nests and surroundings to hide from predators, new research shows.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-clever-lapwings-plain-sight.html


**Are US teenagers more likely than others to exaggerate their math abilities? Study says yes**

A major new study has revealed that American teenagers are more likely than any other nationality to brag about their math ability.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-teenagers-exaggerate-math-abilities.html


**New study finds most communities will encounter heavy rainfall, excessive heat under climate change**

Earth's land masses have a higher chance of becoming wetter than drier as temperatures rise. In a new study, researchers found that co-occurring precipitation and heat extremes will become more frequent, severe and widespread under climate change, more so than dry and hot conditions.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-communities-encounter-heavy-rainfall-excessive.html


**NASA announces summer 2023 hottest on record**

Summer of 2023 was Earth's hottest since global records began in 1880, according to scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) in New York.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-nasa-summer-hottest.html


**Melting ice likely triggered climate change 8,000+ years ago**

Using geological samples from the Ythan Estuary in Scotland, scientists have identified a melting ice sheet as the probable trigger of a major climate-change event just over 8,000 years ago.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-ice-triggered-climate-years.html


**New analysis sheds light on mystery of turtle remains found in a Roman Iron Age grave in Poland**

The remains of a European pond turtle found in an ancient grave in northern Poland could shed new light on the Wielbark culture, a Roman Iron Age culture associated with Gothic and other Germanic peoples who lived in the Barbaricum (that is, outside the Roman Empire) between the 1st and 5th century AD.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-analysis-mystery-turtle-roman-iron.html


**Examining the intriguing details of collisions at extreme energies**

The initial phases of heavy-ion collisions occurring at the maximum energies available at the CERN Large Hadron Collider continue to remain an enigma of modern nuclear physics. New theoretical tools improved by physicists from the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow will help to unlock this mystery.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-intriguing-collisions-extreme-energies.html


**Researchers use carbon capture and utilization technology to recycle industrial carbon dioxide**

Climate change is a serious concern that needs to be prioritized globally. Nations across the globe are drafting policies to reduce the impact of global warming and climate change. For instance, the European Union has recommended a comprehensive set of guidelines to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Likewise, the European Green Deal puts heavy emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-carbon-capture-technology-recycle-industrial.html


**Stretching the truth: New research reveals negative effects of exaggerative political statements**

Justifying policies through unsubstantiated or slightly invalid arguments can have a significantly negative effect on the public opinion of politicians, according to new research from City, University of London.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-truth-reveals-negative-effects-exaggerative.html


**Q&A: New tool can reveal inequitable distribution of 'healing' green spaces**

Areas in Vancouver with the greatest need for restorative nature often have the least exposure to it, according to a new UBC study published recently in Ambio. These neighborhoods include Strathcona, downtown Vancouver, the West End, southern Sunset and Marpole.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-qa-tool-reveal-inequitable-green.html


**Scientists uncover mystery of important material for semiconductors at the surface**

A team of scientists with the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has investigated the behavior of hafnium oxide, or hafnia, because of its potential for use in novel semiconductor applications.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-uncover-mystery-important-material.html


**Webb snaps supersonic outflow of young star**

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured a high-resolution look at Herbig-Haro 211 (HH 211), a bipolar jet traveling through interstellar space at supersonic speeds. At roughly 1,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Perseus, the object is one of the youngest and nearest protostellar outflows, making it an ideal target for Webb.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-webb-snaps-supersonic-outflow-young.html


**New poll shows 77% of Massachusetts residents support $600 child and family tax credit**

New polling data released late last week shows 77% of surveyed Massachusetts residents support a $600 state Child and Family Tax Credit. This polling confirms the popularity of the more generous Child and Family Tax Credit included in the House tax package, which is under consideration alongside the Senate tax bill by a bicameral conference committee.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-poll-massachusetts-residents-child-family.html


**New teaching aid taking the awkwardness out of sex education**

A new, anatomically accurate, pull-apart model of the vulva is providing accessible education on a topic that's been taboo for too long.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-aid-awkwardness-sex.html


**Researchers nurture periwinkles in lab for first time, look toward new aquaculture business**

Researchers have succeeded in nurturing a small snail called periwinkles in the laboratory for the very first time and are hoping that this French delicacy might be the launch pad for a new, Norwegian aquaculture business.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-nurture-periwinkles-lab-aquaculture-business.html


**Genomic insights into the past and future of the black rhinoceros**

The iconic African black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) faces an uncertain future after intense poaching caused a 98% decline in wild populations from 1960 to 1995. While numbers are currently increasing, the animal remains critically endangered.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-genomic-insights-future-black-rhinoceros.html


**Scientists probe the source of key hydrocarbons on Earth—and in space**

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a type of organic molecule that carry fused rings made of the chemical benzene. Scientists believe that PAHs are responsible for chemical processes that eventually lead to soot and other carbonaceous nanoparticles on Earth and around and between the stars in deep space. On Earth, PAHs form in part because of the incomplete combustion of coal, oil, and other substances and are detrimental to human health.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-probe-source-key-hydrocarbons.html


**Vocal learning in starlings linked to problem solving skills and brain size**

The European starling boasts a remarkable repertoire. Versatile songbirds that learn warbles, whistles, calls, and songs throughout their lives, starlings rank among the most advanced avian vocal learners. Now a new study published in Science finds that starlings, along with other complex vocal learners, are also superior problem solvers.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-vocal-starlings-linked-problem-skills.html


**How hard will Hurricane Lee hit New England? The cold North Atlantic may decide that**

New England is known for its fickle weather, powerful nor'easters and blizzards. Destructive hurricanes, however, are relatively rare and typically don't pack the same punch as tropical cyclones that hit the Southeast.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-hard-hurricane-lee-england-cold.html


**Africa Climate Week advances tree restoration pledges but a big seed shortage remains**

If you are going to restore 24 million hectares of degraded land, a lot of things need to go right. Sub-Saharan countries Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana and Kenya plan to have that much land on track to being restored by 2030. While several components of the plan are in place, many others are not. Perhaps the most pressing is how to source and plant enough material from native tree species—seeds, seedlings and other material like cuttings.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-africa-climate-week-advances-tree.html


**Worse results and more drop-outs recorded when teaching is in English, Swedish study finds**

Using English as the language of instruction in higher education has a marked negative impact on learning outcomes when it is not the students' first language, according to a new study from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-worse-results-drop-outs-english-swedish.html


**How Europe's forests regenerate—without any human interference**

Yannek Käber, a doctoral student in the Professorship of Forest Ecology at ETH Zurich, and his colleagues from ETH and WSL together with the European Forest Research Initiative (EuFoRIa), have taken a look at regeneration in protected European forests for the first time.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-europe-forests-regeneratewithout-human.html


**How to say 'jumping ants' in Uchinaaguchi**

Recent publication of OIST research findings in the journal Integrative Organismal Biology likely marks the first use of Uchinaaguchi, the indigenous Okinawan language, in a scientific research publication. OIST researchers and staff translated an abstract of the paper entitled, "Parallel and Divergent Morphological Adaptations Underlying the Evolution of Jumping Ability in Ants" into this endangered language.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-ants-uchinaaguchi.html


**Scientists uncover surprising twist in the ways bacteria spread antibiotic-resistant genes**

Scientists have found a counterintuitive wrinkle in the way bacteria spread antibiotic-resistant genes through small circular pieces of DNA called plasmids.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-uncover-ways-bacteria-antibiotic-resistant.html


**Sentinel-1 reveals shifts from Morocco earthquake**

Following the devastating earthquake that struck Morocco on 8 September, satellite data have been made available through the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" to help emergency response teams on the ground.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-sentinel-reveals-shifts-morocco-earthquake.html


**Mini space thruster that runs on water**

This tiny fingernail-length space thruster chip runs on the greenest propellant of all: water.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-mini-space-thruster.html


**Long-lived lakes as a driving force behind the evolution of freshwater snails**

In long-lived lakes that existed for millions of years freshwater snails developed a particularly high diversity of species. A new study by SNSB paleobiologist Thomas A. Neubauer now shows the importance of these ecosystems for the evolution of freshwater snails on a global and deep-time scale.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-long-lived-lakes-evolution-freshwater-snails.html


**Customizing nanoelectronic sensors for the detection of viral antigens**

The outbreak of the COVID pandemic in 2020 has once again shown how important reliable and rapid detection methods are to initiate effective measures to combat a pandemic. Scientists from the Chair of Materials Science and Nanotechnology at TU Dresden (TUD) have made considerable progress in the development of highly innovative solutions for the detection of viral pathogens in two studies they presented recently.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-customizing-nanoelectronic-sensors-viral-antigens.html


**Climate change is undermining nearly all sustainable development goals, says report**

At the half-time point of the 2030 Agenda, the science is clear—the planet is far off track from meeting its climate goals. This undermines global efforts to tackle hunger, poverty and ill-health, improve access to clean water and energy and many other aspects of sustainable development, according to a new multi-agency report coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-climate-undermining-sustainable-goals.html


**Scientists explain a glitch in the (extracellular) matrix**

Through an electron microscope they may look like the giant sandworms from Dune, but C. elegans nematodes are only 1 millimeter long.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-glitch-extracellular-matrix.html


**Revealing the secrets of protein evolution using the AlphaFold database**

By developing an efficient way to compare all predicted protein structures in the AlphaFold database, researchers have revealed similarities between proteins across different species. This work aids our understanding of protein evolution and has uncovered new insights into the origin of human immunity proteins.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-revealing-secrets-protein-evolution-alphafold.html


**Majority rule in complex mixtures: Study identifies new mechanism for control of phase separation**

The very first life on Earth is thought to have developed from "protocells"—liquid mixtures of many different types of molecules. Researchers from the University of Göttingen have now shown that in such mixtures, small imbalances in the number of molecules of different types can have an unexpected effect.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-majority-complex-mixtures-mechanism-phase.html


**New research reveals why and when the Sahara Desert was green**

A pioneering study has shed new light on North African humid periods that have occurred over the past 800,000 years and explains why the Sahara Desert was periodically green.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-reveals-sahara-green.html


**Understanding how cells avoid obstacles while navigating complex environments**

Imagine a dark room packed full of furniture. Now imagine moving through it to get to the other side, using only your toe tips for guidance. While it may seem challenging (or unspeakably tedious) to us, this is a task that many cells in our body perform regularly while migrating through tissues. New research from the Diz-Muñoz group at EMBL Heidelberg has now identified a novel molecular pathway that helps cells achieve this feat.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-cells-obstacles-complex-environments.html


**A novel method to obtain acetone in slow-cost, simple manner**

Acetone is an essential chemical industry input and is used in the manufacturing of a wide array of products, such as adhesives, antibiotics, electronic components, solvents and removers, inks and vitamins, among others. Its production is complex and hazardous. To simplify the process and make it safer and cheaper, researchers in Brazil and Germany have developed an innovative method that uses only light and photoactive iron chloride (FeCl3), an inexpensive chemical compound.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-method-acetone-slow-cost-simple-manner.html


**Study finds more Texas owls are testing positive for rat poisons**

New research suggests that owls in Texas have high rates of anticoagulant rodenticides (AR)—blood thinning rat poisons—in their systems. Jennifer Smith, a professor of integrative biology in the UTSA College of Sciences, co-authored a research article published recently in PLOS ONE, the world's first multidisciplinary open access journal.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-texas-owls-positive-rat-poisons.html


**Green growth loses favor with climate policy scientists**

Despite strong promotion of the green growth perspective by a variety of policymakers and international institutions, a new article led by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) reveals widespread skepticism among climate policy researchers in high-income countries.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-green-growth-favor-climate-policy.html


**Titanic galaxy cluster collision in the early universe challenges standard cosmology**

A collision of two massive clusters of galaxies when the universe was half its current age should not have happened according to the standard theory of cosmology, says a new study by an international group of astronomers, including a physicist at the University of St Andrews.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-titanic-galaxy-cluster-collision-early.html


**Researchers unveil comprehensive database of published microbial signatures**

A new study published by researchers from the CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health (ISPH) at CUNY SPH and colleagues presents BugSigDB, a community-editable database of manually curated microbial signatures from published studies.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-unveil-comprehensive-database-published-microbial.html


**Six decades of plankton decline sparks call to protect the foundation of the marine food web**

The decline in plankton abundance in the North East Atlantic over the past six decades should serve as a red flag to policy makers about the need to protect some of the planet's most critical forms of life, a new study has warned.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-decades-plankton-decline-foundation-marine.html


**Palm cockatoos whittle twigs to make drumsticks for tapping on tree limbs**

A pair of biologists at Australian National University, working with one colleague from the University of Queensland and another from James Cook University, has found that male palm cockatoos tap out unique rhythms on tree branches using custom-made drumsticks. In their project, reported in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, R. Heinsohn, C. N. Zdenek, D. Appleby and J. A. Endler studied the wild birds living in Kutini-Payamu National Park, Queensland.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-palm-cockatoos-whittle-twigs-drumsticks.html


**A novel approach for removing microplastics from water**

A new study led by Texas A&M AgriLife Research has identified what may be a novel biological approach for removing extremely small and potentially dangerous plastic particles from water.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-approach-microplastics.html


**Natural compound found in plants inhibits deadly fungi**

A new study finds that a natural compound found in many plants inhibits the growth of drug-resistant Candida fungi—including its most virulent species, Candida auris, an emerging global health threat. The journal ACS Infectious Diseases published the discovery led by scientists at Emory University.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-natural-compound-inhibits-deadly-fungi.html


**Chemists use nature as inspiration for a sustainable, affordable adhesive system**

Glue holds the world together. Without adhesives, much of modern human civilization—including our cellphones, cars, furniture, walls and the packages arriving on our doorstep—would simply fall apart.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-chemists-nature-sustainable-adhesive.html


**Mysterious family of microbial proteins hijack crops' cellular plumbing**

Many of the bacteria that ravage crops and threaten our food supply use a common strategy to cause disease: they inject a cocktail of harmful proteins directly into the plant's cells.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-mysterious-family-microbial-proteins-hijack.html


**New set of equations predicts hydrodynamic behavior of magnons in a magnet**

The term "quantum transport" may conjure images of a fantastic futuristic commuting option. In condensed matter physics, however, this is a fundamental concept in the hydrodynamics of electrons in solid and fluid materials.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-equations-hydrodynamic-behavior-magnons-magnet.html


**Devastatingly low Antarctic sea ice may be the 'new abnormal,' study warns**

For most of us, Antarctic sea ice is an abstraction—something far away we may have seen on a documentary. But the radiant white sheets of ice floating on the seas around the snowy continent are a crucial component of Earth's climate processes.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-devastatingly-antarctic-sea-ice-abnormal.html


**Study suggests negative actions cascade to third parties**

When individuals suffer a loss of resources due to the actions of others, they often aim to recoup these resources directly from those responsible.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-negative-actions-cascade-parties.html


**Scientists create process to upcycle plastics into energy-storage liquids using light-emitting diodes**

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have created a process that can upcycle most plastics into chemical ingredients useful for energy storage, using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and a commercially available catalyst, all at room temperature.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-upcycle-plastics-energy-storage-liquids.html


**Protected nature reserves alone are insufficient for reversing biodiversity loss, researchers say**

Biodiversity is dwindling at a rapid pace across the globe. As one key remedy, we are protecting areas around the world, hoping that they will suffice to save what is left. While protected areas have undoubtedly contributed to slowing the overall biodiversity loss, it is unclear how well they work across multiple species concurrently. To explore this, researchers at the University of Helsinki examined changes in the occurrence of hundreds of species within and outside of protected areas.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-nature-reserves-insufficient-reversing-biodiversity.html


**New species of spiny mouse discovered in rainforest**

A new species of spiny mouse has been discovered in Ecuador, making it the 14th of its genus to be identified in the past five years. Neacomys marci, which was previously confused with another species, is around the length of a tennis ball, with a long tail, pale suede belly fur and a white throat.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-species-spiny-mouse-rainforest.html


**Converting plant wastes into antimicrobial agents that could prevent pathogenic infections**

Nebraska researchers are converting plant wastes into antimicrobial agents that could help prevent pathogenic infections and death while significantly lowering the cost of antimicrobial treatments and being a boon to the bioeconomy.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-antimicrobial-agents-pathogenic-infections.html


**Researchers reveal dominant source of atmospheric mercury in the Arctic**

A research team led by Prof. Xie Zhouqing and Prof. Le Fange from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) revealed that the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) is a dominant source of atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), and proposed a mechanism for the summertime peak of GEM in the Arctic. Their work was published in Nature Communications.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-reveal-dominant-source-atmospheric-mercury.html


**Scientists reveal twisting-untwisting-retwisting cycle of nanohelices**

Reversible nanohelix transformation is one of the most exquisite and important phenomena in nature. Nanomaterials rarely form helical crystals. Due to the irreversibility of the twisting forces studied so far, untwisting is more difficult than retwisting crystalline nanohelices. Therefore, many reversible twist transformations between two stable crystalline products are rare and require a sensitive energy balance. This reversible transformation of nanohelices has long been considered difficult to achieve.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-reveal-twisting-untwisting-retwisting-nanohelices.html


**Scientists find evolutionary clues while examining microbes in far-flung hot springs**

Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists studied hot springs on different continents and found similarities in how some microbes adapted despite their geographic diversity.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-evolutionary-clues-microbes-far-flung.html


**Scientists develop a mathematical model to optimize the design of thermal protection systems for spacecraft**

Mechanics from St Petersburg University have developed a mathematical model that takes into account non-equilibrium processes occurring at high velocities in the gas flow and on the surface. This model can be used for detailed modeling of the interaction of gas with the surface of a spacecraft, which is extremely important when designing its thermal protection. The paper is published in the journal Physics of Fluids.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-mathematical-optimize-thermal-spacecraft.html


**Some spiders can transfer mercury contamination to land animals, study shows**

Sitting calmly in their webs, many spiders wait for prey to come to them. Arachnids along lakes and rivers eat aquatic insects, such as dragonflies. But, when these insects live in mercury-contaminated waterways, they can pass the metal along to the spiders that feed on them.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-spiders-mercury-contamination-animals.html


**Using lasers to choose and export single-cell cultures: An efficient upgrade to static droplet array tool**

Static droplet array (SDA) is a necessary and integral tool when it comes to high-capacity screening tests, or assays, for identifying and targeting specific cells or analytes (substances whose chemical composition is the target of identification). However, extraction and collection of the target droplets that contain unique analytes or cells from the SDA remains one major technical bottleneck that limits its broader application.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-lasers-export-single-cell-cultures-efficient.html


**Australian 10-year feral cat plan: A step closer to protecting endangered wildlife**

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has released a draft feral cat management plan.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-australian-year-feral-cat-closer.html


**Saturday Citations: Quantum coherence; rising coal emissions; 'more uses of snail mucus are being discovered every day'**

This first week of September, researchers reported on burned-out sharks, a method for maintaining quantum coherence and some positive market news for old-timey coal barons. Plus: Snail slime is really impressive if you look at it from a molecular standpoint.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-saturday-citations-quantum-coherence-coal.html


**Many people hate wasps, but research shows they're smarter than you might think and ecologically important**

Everybody loves bees, but their cousins the wasps often provoke a far less friendly reaction. The much-maligned insects often inspire fear, disgust or even the "kill it with fire" response.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-people-wasps-theyre-smarter-ecologically.html


**Simple actions can prevent ships from hitting marine animals in their path**

Simple actions can be taken to prevent the deaths of whales, sharks and other ocean giants caused by collisions with ships, argue David Sims and colleagues in a Comment published in this week's Nature. "Humanity and some of the world's most charismatic wildlife are on a collision course in the oceans," they write.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-simple-actions-ships-marine-animals.html


**Scientist shocks peers by 'tailoring' climate study**

In a controversial bid to expose supposed bias in a top journal, a US climate expert shocked fellow scientists by revealing he tailored a wildfire study to emphasize global warming.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientist-peers-tailoring-climate.html


**Conspiracy theories falsely link wildfires to 'smart cities'**

Disinformation about deadly wildfires in the United States and Canada has run rampant across social media, with posts falsely blaming coordinated arson, lasers—and plans to develop "smart cities."

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-conspiracy-theories-falsely-link-wildfires.html


**Hurricane Lee is charting a new course in weather and could signal more monster storms**

Hurricane Lee is rewriting old rules of meteorology, leaving experts astonished at how rapidly it grew into a goliath Category 5 hurricane.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-hurricane-lee-weather-monster-storms.html


**Study reveals human destruction of global floodplains**

A University of Texas at Arlington hydrologist's study in the Nature journal Scientific Data provides the first-ever global estimate of human destruction of natural floodplains. The study can help guide future development in a way that can restore and conserve vital floodplain habitats that are critical to wildlife, water quality and reducing flood risk for people.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-reveals-human-destruction-global-floodplains.html


**Almost 50 people missing after deadly Brazil cyclone**

Brazilian rescue workers were on Friday searching for almost 50 people still missing after a devastating cyclone unleashed torrential rain and flooding in the south of the country.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-people-deadly-brazil-cyclone.html


**These worms have rhythm: New imaging technique to observe active gene expression in real time**

There's a rhythm to developing life. Growing from a tiny cell cluster into an adult organism takes precise timing and control. The right genes must turn on at the right time, for the right duration, and in the correct order. Losing the rhythm can lead to diseases like cancer. So, what keeps every gene on beat?

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-worms-rhythm-imaging-technique-gene.html


**Virgin Galactic notches fourth spaceflight in four months**

Virgin Galactic on Friday announced it had sent three paying customers on an hour-long journey to space and back, racking up its fourth successful flight in as many months.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-virgin-galactic-notches-fourth-spaceflight.html


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**Wildfire smoke from Canada continues to impact Kansas City's air quality. What do monitors show?**

Smoke from wildfires in western Canada has decreased over the Kansas City area, but air quality in the metro remained at unhealthy levels for some people by Friday morning, according to the website AirNow.gov.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-wildfire-canada-impact-kansas-city.html


**Refining biome labeling for microbial community samples**

In a study published in the journal Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology have introduced "Meta-Sorter," an AI-based method that leverages neural networks and transfer learning to significantly improve biome labeling for thousands of microbiome samples in the MGnify database, especially those with incomplete information.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-refining-biome-microbial-community-samples.html


**Scientists study distributed satellite cluster laser networking algorithm with double-layer Markov DRL architecture**

With the development of satellite networks, space-air-ground integrated networks, and the Internet of Things, the future giant constellations, high-resolution Earth observation, human-crewed spacecraft, space stations and other space-based information systems have put forward an increasingly urgent demand for large-capacity space networking and information transmission.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-satellite-cluster-laser-networking.html


**Why S-linked glycosylation cannot adequately mimic the role of natural O-glycosylation**

Protein glycosylation is one of the most important post-translational modifications that can be exploited to improve various aspects of therapeutic proteins and industrial enzymes. Different types of glycosylation have a variety of effects on protein properties and functions, and a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms can provide valuable guidance for rational glycoengineering of proteins.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-s-linked-glycosylation-adequately-mimic-role.html


**COVID mutates rapidly in white-tailed deer, but here's why we don't need to worry—for now**

At some point during the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, spread from humans to white-tailed deer in the US.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-covid-mutates-rapidly-white-tailed-deer.html


**World falling dangerously short of climate goals: UN**

A world facing catastrophic climate change is perilously off course in meeting goals for slashing carbon pollution and boosting finance for the developing world, according to the UN's first official progress report out Friday.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-world-falling-dangerously-short-climate.html


**Why managers' attempts to empower their employees often fail—and even lead to unethical behavior**

A majority of American workers right now are not feeling very motivated on the job, a new survey suggests.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-empower-employees-failand-unethical-behavior.html


**Delightfully strange: Mystery 'golden egg' found on ocean floor**

A golden egg, or an alien, on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean?

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-strange-mystery-golden-egg-ocean.html


**DART had a surprising impact on its target, according to recent observations**

After NASA's DART mission slammed into asteroid Dimorphous in September 2022, scientists determined the impact caused tons of rock to be ejected from the small asteroid's surface. But more importantly, DART's impact altered Dimorphos' orbital period, decreasing it by about 33 minutes.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-dart-impact.html


**Investigating why crowdfunding does not work well for social impact initiatives**

You've seen it online: crowdfunding for just about any purpose you can imagine. From artists trying to fund a project to individuals trying to pay a difficult health care bill, thousands have used sites like Go Fund Me to reach a financial goal. Globally, crowdfunding is $1.1 billion dollar market, with average campaigns reaching $8K USD. In the case of social entrepreneurs, however, crowdfunding projects that address a social issue take longer to reach their financial target.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-crowdfunding-social-impact.html


**Satellite texts help when farm advisors unavailable**

Digital tools such as satellite text alerts are helping Africa's smallholder farmers to increase productivity, even when there is a lack of on-the-ground farm advice, according to Daniel Elger, CEO of the Centre for Agricultural Biosciences International (CABI, the parent organization of SciDev.Net).

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-satellite-texts-farm-advisors-unavailable.html


**New behavioral system mapping shows key consumer behaviors needed to achieve a circular economy**

The Behavioural Roadmap to Circular Consumption, developed by Monash University's BehaviourWorks Australia, identifies where policy-makers and industry can intervene in the production–consumption cycle to create change, reduce Australia's material footprint, and encourage an efficient use of limited resources as the most effective way to confront the ongoing waste crisis.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-behavioral-key-consumer-behaviors-circular.html


**How to make color-changing 'Transformers' with polymers**

Shape and color changing are key survival traits for many animals. Chameleons can change their body to hide from predators, to reflect their moods, or even to defend their territory, while some soft-bodied animal-like octopuses, squids, and cuttlefish can change both their color and shape to signal or camouflage.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-color-changing-polymers.html


**Researchers reveal the hidden world of Toronto's urban predators, and their prey**

Raccoons may be Toronto's unofficial mascot, but the furry creatures that plunder our green bins are far from the only wild animals that live among us.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-reveal-hidden-world-toronto-urban.html


**The secret life of brain worms**

A neurosurgeon in Canberra removed a nematode that was living inside a person's brain in 2022.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-secret-life-brain-worms.html


**Wild boar in a Hungarian forest may be key to protecting Europe's pig herds**

As African swine fever stalks the EU's biggest livestock population, researchers aim to deploy a vaccine to halt the disease's spread and shield millions of animals.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-wild-boar-hungarian-forest-key.html


**Australia's labor laws need updating now that remote work is here to stay, says professor**

Australia's employment laws and regulations must be updated to reflect the changing nature of work, with many people continuing to work from home long after the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-australia-labor-laws-remote-stay.html


**New research debunks the gender pay gap myth that 'women don't ask'**

For nearly two decades, the negotiation skills of working women have frequently been blamed for the gender pay gap. New research by Vanderbilt Professor Jessica A. Kennedy finds the gender difference in tendency to negotiate has now reversed, and the widespread narrative that women don't ask is outdated. While other measures are necessary to completely close the gender pay gap, the study also discusses how people who believe and adhere to the notion that "women don't ask" hinder progress.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-debunks-gender-pay-gap-myth.html


**Aotearoa's kelp forests at risk, study shows**

New research from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington shows warming waters are putting kelp forests in danger.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-aotearoa-kelp-forests.html


**The first climate strikes had an influence on Swiss residents, study finds**

A study by EPFL researchers found that Greta Thunberg's Fridays for Future climate strikes have influenced the environmental behavior of Swiss residents.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-climate-swiss-residents.html


**Synthesis of nanoparticles by microorganisms: Exploring the green power of fungi**

They are used as medicines, drug carriers and to combat microbes in hospitals, destroy plant pathogens and reduce the amount of traditional fertilizers used in agriculture—nanoparticles are taking over medicine and the agri-food industry.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-synthesis-nanoparticles-microorganisms-exploring-green.html


**Chimpanzees are not pets, no matter what social media tells you**

Trading wild chimpanzees, including their meat and body parts, is illegal. And yet, social media influencers and companies still reap profits from sharing "cute" images and videos of chimpanzees and other primates poached from the wild. All the while, sanctuaries worldwide continue to receive orphaned victims of this illicit trade.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-chimpanzees-pets-social-media.html


**Researchers explain plant's medicinal power against COVID and glioblastoma**

Vibrant green leaves sprout from tall fragrant plants sitting neatly in two rows of terracotta pots in Valerie Sponsel's UTSA biology laboratory. One floor just above her is the chemistry lab of Francis Yoshimoto, who is extracting the plant's leaves for medicinal compounds. Soon, the researchers will meet with UTSA researcher Annie Lin, who will test the extracted compounds on cancer cells.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-medicinal-power-covid-glioblastoma.html


**Historically segregated parts of US cities found to have less bird data**

A trio of ecologists and environmental scientists from Yale University, the University of California, Berkeley and the USDA Forest Service, respectively, has found that parts of the United States that have been intentionally segregated over the past decades have less bird data available for study by ecologists.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-historically-segregated-cities-bird.html


**Inheritance of parental histones safeguards fate of mouse embryonic stem cells**

Researchers led by Prof. Gan Haiyun from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have documented the parental histones inheritance safeguard mechanism, in which parental histone allocation contributes to establishing chromatin states during cell differentiation through altering embryonic stem cell differentiation potential.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-inheritance-parental-histones-safeguards-fate.html


**Study hints at the existence of the closest black holes to Earth in the Hyades star cluster**

A paper published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society hints at the existence of several black holes in the Hyades cluster—the closest open cluster to our solar system—which would make them the closest black holes to Earth ever detected.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-hints-closest-black-holes-earth.html


**Researcher discusses marine plankton and ecosystems affected by climate change**

Marine plankton plays an important role in the food chain, which is said to be undergoing a transformation due to climate change.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-discusses-marine-plankton-ecosystems-affected.html


**Beaver activity in the Arctic linked to increased emission of methane greenhouse gas**

The climate-driven advance of beavers into the Arctic tundra is likely causing the release of more methane—a greenhouse gas—into the atmosphere.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-beaver-arctic-linked-emission-methane.html


**Where's the trust? US climate deniers have no faith in university researchers**

U.S. voters who don't trust universities are also more likely to believe that human activity doesn't cause climate change, a new collaborative study from researchers at the University of Cambridge and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) revealed in PLOS Climate.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-climate-deniers-faith-university.html


**Big fish are getting smaller, and little fish are replacing them, says new research**

Organisms are becoming smaller through a combination of species replacement, and changes within species, according to new research led by the University of St Andrews.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-big-fish-smaller.html


**Table salt offers a safe, inexpensive and reusable pathway to recovering useful products from plastic waste**

Muhammad Rabnawaz, an associate professor in Michigan State University's School of Packaging and recent inductee into the National Academy of Inventors, has always believed that the most brilliant solution is also the simplest.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-table-salt-safe-inexpensive-reusable.html


**Using lignin and a catalyst to create an alternative to bisphenol A (BPA)**

A team of microbiologists and chemists at the Center for Sustainable Catalysis and Engineering, working with colleagues from Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research and Rheology and Technology (SMaRT), KU Leuven, all in Belgium, has developed a replacement for bisphenol A, a compound used to make plastics.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-lignin-catalyst-alternative-bisphenol-bpa.html