https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Harmful chemicals in sewage sludge spread on pasture as fertilizer pose a risk to people who regularly consume milk, beef and other products from those farms, in some cases raising cancer risk "several orders of magnitude" above what the Environmental Protection Agency considers acceptable, federal officials announced Tuesday. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-chemicals-sewage-sludge-fertilizer-pose.html Environment Tue, 14 Jan 2025 14:30:01 EST news656086929 A new study by researchers Valentina A. Assenova and Raphael Amit from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, reveals how cultural tightness and looseness significantly influence entrepreneurial activity worldwide. Published in the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, the research investigates why some nations and regions produce more startups than others, offering a fresh perspective on the intersection of culture and entrepreneurship. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-exploring-cultural-tightness-looseness-global.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Tue, 14 Jan 2025 14:25:16 EST news656087113 A Swedish artist is about to have the dream of a lifetime fulfilled: A little red model house he created will be launched into space this week and, if all goes according to plan, put on the surface of the moon. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-swedish-artist-house-permanent-home.html Space Exploration Tue, 14 Jan 2025 14:21:12 EST news656086868 The world's largest exporters are the hidden culprits behind significant fluctuations in international trade, according to research from the University of Surrey, in collaboration with the Bank of France. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-big-firms-impact-major-exporters.html Economics & Business Tue, 14 Jan 2025 14:19:05 EST news656086734 The vaquita, which means "little cow" in Spanish, is the world's smallest porpoise and most endangered marine mammal. They also have the smallest range of any marine mammal; about 1,500 square miles within the northern Gulf of California. Since 1997, vaquitas have experienced a dramatic population loss from about 600 individuals to an estimate of less than 10 animals to date. At this current rate, vaquitas are expected to become extinct imminently. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-digitizing-collaboration-species-brink-extinction.html Ecology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 14:18:48 EST news656086721 Crunching numbers at crunch time equals high stress for public accountants, but a new study led by a Virginia Commonwealth University professor suggests two steps toward relief during the busy season—whether in accounting, medicine, law or other demanding professions. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-simple-worker-fatigue-busy-seasons.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Tue, 14 Jan 2025 14:18:03 EST news656086676 An online parenting skills program developed at the University of Oregon can help parents in rural areas who struggle with substance use or mental health and may have limited access to community resources. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-smartphone-effective-parenting-rural-families.html Social Sciences Tue, 14 Jan 2025 14:17:13 EST news656086628 The safety of dyes obtained from the bloodred webcap fungus can vary, according to a new doctoral dissertation exploring their toxicity. Completed at the University of Eastern Finland, the study found that red dermorubin seemed safe in cellular studies, whereas yellow emodin caused mutations in a commonly used bacterial mutation test and oxidative stress in human cells. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-yellow-dye-bloodred-webcap-fungus.html Biochemistry Tue, 14 Jan 2025 14:15:13 EST news656086510 Four lynx were recently and illegally released into the Scottish highlands in two separate incidents. The news prompted searchers to comb the Cairngorms region, the UK's biggest national park. People were warned not to approach the animals if they encountered them. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-lynx-wolf-reintroductions-britain-preconceptions.html Ecology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 13:10:01 EST news656080882 Seabirds are the most threatened group of birds in the world. A new study led by researchers at Bangor University reveals the sophisticated decision-making seabirds known as Manx shearwaters must make to find fish at sea. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-seabirds-clever-foraging-hundreds-kilometers.html Plants & Animals Ecology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 13:05:03 EST news656082301 Researchers have long known that islands are hotspots for species diversity. But, until recently, there weren't precise figures to quantify the diversity of plant life on islands. A study involving an international team of scientists has filled this gap. The researchers developed a database of vegetation information from more than 3,400 geographical regions worldwide, including about 2,000 islands. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-madagascar-unique-life-island-world.html Ecology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 13:00:01 EST news656080733 As Donald Trump prepares to take office for a second term as President, research led by the University of California, Santa Cruz is demonstrating the important role nonprofits played during Trump's first term as a counterforce that channeled public resistance to anti-immigrant policies. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-rage-boosted-immigrant-nonprofits-trump.html Political science Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:56:04 EST news656081762 News stories about the likely existence of extraterrestrial life, and our chances of detecting it, tend to be positive. We are often told that we might discover it any time now. Finding life beyond Earth is "only a matter of time", we were told in September 2023. "We are close" was a headline from September 2024. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-aliens-scientists.html Astrobiology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:50:05 EST news656080788 When most people think about vaccines, they typically think about humans: Experts warn that when large numbers of people are unvaccinated, it can lead to severe consequences, including disease outbreaks and higher rates of illness and death, particularly among the most vulnerable. The economic costs to society can also be substantial. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-vaccine-hesitancy-pet-owners-health.html Veterinary medicine Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:50:03 EST news656080723 A study in the journal Transportation Science reveals the severe and far-reaching consequences of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on global food security. The research highlights an urgent need to address disruptions in the transportation of Ukrainian grains, which have caused dramatic price spikes and worsened food insecurity worldwide, particularly in vulnerable regions such as the Middle East and North Africa. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-ukraine-war-impacts-global-food.html Economics & Business Political science Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:49:56 EST news656081393 Mental health and emotional well-being hit an all-time low during the COVID-19 pandemic, but psychological problems continue to afflict many people in the U.S. Work stress may be a primary contributor—it being strongly associated with poorer emotional and physical well-being, as well as high absenteeism and low presenteeism. Around 8% of U.S. health care costs are attributable to work-related stressors, particularly among medical providers, with 45% reporting high levels of job burnout. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-digital-mindfulness-employee-happiness-engagement.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:46:03 EST news656081161 In the remote Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, a rare fungus grows inside dead caterpillars. In traditional Chinese medicine, this parasitic fungus is prized for its purported medicinal effects. Known as Ophiocordyceps sinensis—colloquially, caterpillar fungus or "Himalayan gold"—it can fetch astronomical prices on the herbal medicine market: up to US$63,000 per pound. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-lightning-parasitic-fungus-prized-traditional.html Environment Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:40:01 EST news656080706 The UK education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, is planning to cut some of the freedoms academy schools currently enjoy in England to refocus on improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Critics say academies are hugely successful but my research has shown there are better ways to make education fairer. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-academies-havent-privileges-schools.html Education Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:37:02 EST news656080619 A new study highlighting the importance of a large protein complex called the exocyst in cell growth, division and communication reveals new functions and mechanisms that are essential to how molecules move across a membrane through vesicles in a cell. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-exocyst-reveals-roles-protein-complex.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:35:58 EST news656080549 A research team led by Professor Jiang Changlong from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed an innovative real-time multi-scenario fluorescence detection technology for monitoring methylglyoxal. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-real-fluorescent-sensor-precise-wine.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:35:55 EST news656080543 Travelers have always faced health hazards when far from home. Medieval people were no exception. Pilgrims, crusaders and others were warned by preachers such as 13th century Jacques de Vitry of "dangers on land, dangers at sea, the dangers of thieves, the dangers of predators, the dangers of battles." https://phys.org/news/2025-01-fruit-veg-frequent-bloodletting-staying.html Archaeology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:35:36 EST news656080533 Using the MIRI instrument onboard the James Webb Space Telescope, an international team of scientists made the first-ever detection of a mid-IR flare from Sagittarius A*, the supermassive massive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way. In simultaneous radio observations, the team found a radio counterpart of the flare lagging behind in time. The paper is published on the arXiv preprint server. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-mid-infrared-flare-sagittarius-milky.html Astronomy Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:35:31 EST news656080522 In 1961, less than 1% of Canadians identified as having no religion. In 2021, 43% of those between 15 and 35 considered themselves religiously unaffiliated. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-religion-brand-unpopular-canada.html Social Sciences Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:32:05 EST news656080321 In December 2022, less than six months after commencing science operations, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope revealed something never seen before: numerous red objects that appear small in the sky, which scientists soon called "little red dots" (LRDs). Though these dots are quite abundant, researchers are perplexed by their nature, the reason for their unique colors, and what they convey about the early universe. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-newfound-galaxy-class-early-black.html Astronomy Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:27:04 EST news656080021 A large proportion of the vegetables consumed in Québec are grown in the Montérégie region in what are known as organic soils. Highly fertile and rich in organic matter, these soils are particularly well suited to vegetable production. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-fertile-vegetables-scientific-discovery-tide.html Biotechnology Agriculture Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:20:04 EST news656079601 Investigators are trying to determine what caused several wind-driven wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes across the Los Angeles area in January 2025. Given the fires' locations, and lack of lightning at the time, it's likely that utility infrastructure, other equipment or human activities were involved. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-la-fast-wildfires-human-destructive.html Environment Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:19:03 EST news656079542 Longer, more diverse rotations of crops fertilized with livestock manure have many environmental benefits, but carbon sequestration isn't one of them, according to a new study led by Iowa State University researchers. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-diversified-cropping-boost-nitrogen-soil.html Ecology Agriculture Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:08:04 EST news656078882 RNA molecules are an integral part of the human body: In cells, they ensure the transfer of genetic information and regulate the activity of genes. Some even act as catalysts, allowing chemical reactions to take place that would otherwise take place very slowly or not at all. Enzymes made of RNA are called "ribozymes." https://phys.org/news/2025-01-samuri-intricate-3d-insights-rna.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:01:03 EST news656078461 With antibiotic resistance a growing problem, University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have developed cutting-edge computer models that could give the disease-fighting drugs a laser-like precision to target only specific bacteria in specific parts of the body. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-sophisticated-door-antibiotics.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 11:58:04 EST news656078281 Society is often vulnerable to disasters, but how humans manage during and after can turn devastation into opportunities for improved resilience. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-hiroshima-case-usage.html Environment Tue, 14 Jan 2025 11:45:02 EST news656077501