http://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. Brazilian geologists announced the discovery, 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) from Rio, of what could be part of the continent that was submerged when the Atlantic Ocean was formed as Africa and South America drifted apart 100 million years ago. http://phys.org/news287119098.html Space & Earth Tue, 07 May 2013 04:18:28 EST news287119098 Using a new laboratory technique to analyze fossil snail shells, scientists have gained insights into an abrupt climate shift that transformed the planet nearly 34 million years ago. http://phys.org/news285854305.html Space & Earth Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:00:10 EST news285854305 The circum-Antarctic Southern Ocean is an important region for global marine food webs and carbon cycling because of sea-ice formation and its unique plankton ecosystem. The origin of its ecosystems can be traced back to the emergence of the Antarctic ice sheets approximately 33.6 million years ago. This discovery was made by an international team including scientists from the Goethe University and the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre in Frankfurt, Germany. Their study, published today in Science, shows that the development of the sea-ice ecosystem possibly triggered further adaptation and evolution of larger organisms such as baleen whales and penguins. http://phys.org/news285512296.html Space & Earth Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:00:11 EST news285512296 (Phys.org) —Australia's summer heatwaves are lasting longer and have been increasing in number over the past 60 years, a UNSW study shows. http://phys.org/news284103821.html Space & Earth Tue, 02 Apr 2013 06:44:43 EST news284103821 (Phys.org) —A team of researchers from the Netherlands, led by Richard Bintanja, has published a paper in the journal Nature Geoscience, contending that the reason the amount of annual Antarctic sea ice is increasing is because of increased ice sheet melting during the summer months. They suggest that the increased melt creates a cold layer of fresh water on the ocean surface that is easily frozen when the next winter arrives. http://phys.org/news284020724.html Space & Earth Mon, 01 Apr 2013 07:38:57 EST news284020724 Chameleons took to the waves to migrate from Africa to Madagascar about 65 million years ago, said a study published on Wednesday that seeks to resolve a roiling biological debate. http://phys.org/news283549273.html Biology Tue, 26 Mar 2013 20:41:24 EST news283549273 African elephants face the worst crisis since global trade in ivory was banned almost a quarter-century ago, with the risk of extinction rising in worst-hit nations, conservationists said Wednesday. http://phys.org/news281785757.html Biology Wed, 06 Mar 2013 09:49:23 EST news281785757 A transparent film that costs just one euro to make could bring an end to the anguish of mobile phone users facing the dreaded dead-battery message. http://phys.org/news281075223.html Technology Tue, 26 Feb 2013 04:27:40 EST news281075223 Elephants are rare in African countries where poor schooling, a failing economy and widespread corruption are rife. Countries where these factors are well-organised have larger populations of elephants. It would appear that elephants enjoy better protection in African countries boasting a good education system and solid social-economic development than in countries where the wildlife parks have been expanded to accommodate them. http://phys.org/news279879979.html Biology Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:40:02 EST news279879979 On their mission to the moon in 1969 the Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin created arguably the most famous footprints ever. Since the time the astronauts of the Apollo 11 Mission stepped onto the surface of our satellite their footprints remain almost unchanged. And as no breath of wind will ever be able to blow them away they will be visible forever. http://phys.org/news279458140.html Space & Earth Thu, 07 Feb 2013 11:15:51 EST news279458140 (Phys.org)—A young woman in Tokyo pays 243,000 Yen for a Louis Vuitton suitcase emblazoned with the company's iconic monogram. A continent away, another woman purchases the same suitcase at the company's store on New York's 5th Avenue for the equivalent price in dollars, $3000. Why? What motivates their purchases? And, do those motivations hinge on their location? http://phys.org/news279384417.html Other Sciences Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:47:16 EST news279384417 Modern humans left Africa twice as early as previously thought, spreading in a number of climate-driven waves, new research suggests. http://phys.org/news278749975.html Other Sciences Wed, 30 Jan 2013 07:00:03 EST news278749975 The Africa Soil Information Service (AfSIS) Online Map Tool is an interactive mapping application that can display more than 30 maps of soil and related environmental characteristics for the continent of Africa. The tool creates a clickable map that lets users zoom in and examine soil characteristics from existing, legacy soil maps and data as well as a new collection of soil samples gathered by AfSIS over the past four years. http://phys.org/news274607195.html Space & Earth Thu, 13 Dec 2012 07:46:42 EST news274607195 About 75 percent of Africa's savannahs and more than two-thirds of the lion population once estimated to live there have disappeared in the last 50 years, according to a study published this week in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation. http://phys.org/news273823326.html Biology Tue, 04 Dec 2012 06:02:12 EST news273823326 Botswana on Monday became the second African country to be featured on Google Maps' Street View, allowing users to explore landmarks such as the Okavango Delta. http://phys.org/news273757584.html Technology Mon, 03 Dec 2012 11:46:32 EST news273757584 (AP)—In a film recently made in Nigeria, a man stops a beautiful woman, suavely trying to get her to talk to him. Instead she pouts her lips and looks down at her hands, barely able to hold all of the BlackBerry phones she owns. http://phys.org/news267794042.html Technology Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:14:08 EST news267794042 More than 16,000 dried seahorses destined for illegal export to Asia, where the animal is sought for its supposed healing properties, were seized Thursday in Peru's capital Lima, authorities said. http://phys.org/news264987670.html Biology Fri, 24 Aug 2012 01:20:02 EST news264987670 The science world has added an unusual tribute to the long list of accolades bestowed on Nelson Mandela, naming a prehistoric woodpecker after South Africa's first black president, who turns 94 Wednesday. http://phys.org/news261749624.html Other Sciences Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:14:11 EST news261749624 Increased snowfall in Antarctica could offset the future impact of global warming on the continent, according to research carried out by a French team comprising researchers from the Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l'Environnement and the Takuvik International Joint Unit. The research reveals the existence of a hitherto underestimated negative feedback mechanism acting on temperatures. Using satellite images and numerical modeling, the researchers showed that rising temperatures in Antarctica will lead to increased precipitation and, therefore, to a 'whiter' snow that will reduce the impact of climate change at the heart of the continent. The study, published in the 1 July 2012 issue of the journal Nature Climate Change, should help to take better account of snow in models used to predict global climate change. http://phys.org/news261126432.html Space & Earth Tue, 10 Jul 2012 08:07:26 EST news261126432 (Phys.org) -- Researchers studying moss in an elevated site in East Antarctica recently began wondering how it is that the fuzzy green plants are able to not just survive in the barren landscape, but to thrive. In that part of the continent, there isn’t much soil, just sand and rock; yet the moss, like virtually all other plants needs nutrients to survive, specifically nitrogen. To find out, they took a closer look at the material in which the moss grew and to their surprise found plenty of nutrients in it, including nitrogen. http://phys.org/news260775983.html Biology Fri, 06 Jul 2012 06:46:32 EST news260775983 In face of what has become a precipitous slide toward extinction across the Asian continent, the vultures of Cambodia have persisted, giving conservationists hope that these important scavengers can come back from the brink, according to authors from the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Royal Government of Cambodia, and other groups in a new study. http://phys.org/news259856255.html Biology Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:30:01 EST news259856255 The first unequivocal evidence that humans in prehistoric Saharan Africa used cattle for their milk nearly 7,000 years ago is described in research by an international team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol, UK, published today in Nature. http://phys.org/news259415212.html Other Sciences Wed, 20 Jun 2012 13:00:09 EST news259415212 (Phys.org) -- This winter marks the 100th anniversary of the race to the South Pole. After crossing Antarctica-the coldest, windiest, driest continent on Earth-the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his team arrived at the geographic South Pole on Dec. 14, 1911, the first people in history to reach the bottom of the Earth. http://phys.org/news257759762.html Space & Earth Fri, 01 Jun 2012 08:56:15 EST news257759762 Internet penetration in South Africa, the continent's economic powerhouse, is low compared to other leading economies in Africa due to high broadband cost and a lack of infrastructure, a study said Tuesday. http://phys.org/news257522086.html Technology Tue, 29 May 2012 15:10:01 EST news257522086 Northwestern Europe harbors one of the best known biotas, thanks to the long faunistic and floristic traditions practiced there. However, some animal groups are far better known than others. The diversity of true flies there is fascinating, and undescribed species of flies, midges and gnats are not uncommon. Because Northwestern Europe was almost totally glaciated as recently as 10 000 years ago, endemic animal species of that region are generally lacking, or are exceptions. Hence, most NW European insects and other species have colonized the area following the withdrawal of ice. http://phys.org/news256555126.html Biology Fri, 18 May 2012 10:18:57 EST news256555126 In the driest inhabited continent on earth, underground water accounts for a large portion of Australia’s most precious resource – freshwater. http://phys.org/news252230699.html Space & Earth Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:05:07 EST news252230699 Coming from the Asian continent, Drosophila suzukii has only been in Spain for a short time. Far away from slipping through into the Iberian Peninsula, it accelerated towards the north of Europe where it has already crossed the Alps. Amongst its preferred target are cherries and red fruits but any type of fruit is suitable for it to lay its eggs. This insect is posing a threat to the fruit of more and more European countries. http://phys.org/news251110500.html Biology Fri, 16 Mar 2012 09:55:57 EST news251110500 A new assessment of available water resources, published today by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), reveals that large areas in Spain and Eastern Europe have on average less than 200 mm freshwater available every year while the demand for water is three to ten times higher. The report 'Current Water Resources in Europe and Africa' shows variations in yearly freshwater generation from 10 mm to over 500 mm for Europe and from less than 0.1 mm to over 500 mm for Africa. The report outlines existing uncertainties and points to further research efforts needed for improved water management. Its publication coincides with the 6th World Water Forum taking place in Marseille, France, from 12 to 17 March 2012. http://phys.org/news250945047.html Space & Earth Wed, 14 Mar 2012 11:57:33 EST news250945047 As they drove through the Okavengo Delta in Botswana, a team of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) scientists and three Northeastern physics students encountered a wild elephant attempting to protect his home from the unlikely intruders. http://phys.org/news250236717.html Space & Earth Tue, 06 Mar 2012 06:30:01 EST news250236717 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers from The Australian National University have used the latest earthquake-measuring technology to image the tectonic plate beneath southeast Australia and reveal for the first time the continent’s geological building blocks. http://phys.org/news245399744.html Space & Earth Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:35:55 EST news245399744