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. In an age where billionaires and conspicuous consumption are increasingly on display, new Otago-led research shows a simple life really is a happier life. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-materialism-simple-life-happier.html Social Sciences Tue, 12 Aug 2025 06:57:57 EDT news674200672 As urban populations boom, urban agriculture is increasingly looked to as a local food source and a way to help combat inequitable food access. But little is known about how productive urban agriculture is compared to conventional, rural farming. A new study digs in, finding urban gardeners and hydroponics can meet and sometimes exceed the yields of rural farms. https://phys.org/news/2022-08-urban-crops-higher-yields-conventional.html Agriculture Tue, 23 Aug 2022 12:23:03 EDT news580476181 Urban gardens can be hotspots for biodiversity in cities, but little is known about what drives the biodiversity of species existing at the smallest frequencies, or rare biodiversity. Rare plant species in urban gardens attract rare bee and bird species, according to a Dartmouth-led study examining urban garden sites in northern California. The results, published in Ecological Applications, show that women, older gardeners and those who live near the gardens tend to curate more rare plants. https://phys.org/news/2022-07-rare-bees-birds-urban-gardens.html Plants & Animals Tue, 26 Jul 2022 16:53:57 EDT news578073184 New technology could help cities around the world improve people's lives while saving billions of dollars. The free, open-source software developed by the Stanford Natural Capital Project creates maps to visualize the links between nature and human wellbeing. City planners and developers can use the software to visualize where investments in nature, such as parks and marshlands, can maximize benefits to people, like protection from flooding and improved health. https://phys.org/news/2021-06-software-sustainable-cities.html Environment Mon, 21 Jun 2021 05:00:01 EDT news543465395 Growing fruit and vegetables in just 10 per cent of a city's gardens and other urban green spaces could provide 15 per cent of the local population with their 'five a day', according to new research. https://phys.org/news/2020-03-urban-fruit-veg-cent-population.html Environment Tue, 17 Mar 2020 12:57:10 EDT news503668625 A new study on the long-term relationship between humans and clams in B.C."s Salish Sea is helping to inform modern marine resource management. https://phys.org/news/2019-10-human-clam-relationships-modern-marine-resource.html Plants & Animals Tue, 15 Oct 2019 10:01:57 EDT news490352510 A community garden occupies a diminutive dirt lot in Phoenix. Rows of raised garden beds offer up basil, watermelons and corn, making this patch of land an agricultural oasis in a desert city of 1.5 million people. In fact, this little garden is contributing in various ways to the city's environmental sustainability goals set by the city council in 2016. The goals consider matters such as transportation, water stewardship, air quality and food. https://phys.org/news/2019-09-urban-agriculture-sustainability-phoenix.html Environment Mon, 30 Sep 2019 07:00:01 EDT news489043020 While we are increasingly aware of the environmental costs and impacts of raising a handful of widely eaten, large-scale production foods such as cows and pigs, we have glaring blind spots when it comes to such effects of many other foods that are a major part of the global diet. A more complete understanding of the impacts of these "underassessed" foods would go a long way toward creating a clearer picture of what sustainable consumption looks like. And that, in turn, would help people, companies and politicians make smarter decisions about how to feed ourselves without overwhelming the planet. https://phys.org/news/2019-09-table-comprehensive-global-food.html Environment Thu, 12 Sep 2019 13:22:18 EDT news487513329 Most of the knowledge that indigenous communities in South America have about plants is not written down. Now, ecologists at the University of Zurich have analyzed comprehensive information about the services provided by palm trees from multiple regions and made it accessible via a network approach. What they also discovered in the process was that the simultaneous loss of biodiversity and knowledge represents a key threat to the survival of indigenous peoples. https://phys.org/news/2019-05-quiet-loss-knowledge-threatens-indigenous.html Plants & Animals Thu, 02 May 2019 09:23:49 EDT news476007824 Rabbits prefer to eat plants with plenty of DNA, according to a new study by Queen Mary University of London and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-rabbits-lots-dna.html Plants & Animals Tue, 19 Mar 2019 20:10:01 EDT news472226171 Given the pressures that pollinators face in agricultural land, cities could play an important role in conserving pollinators, according to a new study. The research, carried out by scientists at the Universities of Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds and Reading in collaboration with Cardiff University and the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), has revealed that gardens and allotments are good for pollinators, and lavender and borage are important garden plants that pollinators use as food sources. https://phys.org/news/2019-01-cities-key-role-pollinator.html Ecology Mon, 14 Jan 2019 11:00:25 EST news466663960