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. People have always yearned to see into the future, to peek around the corner and make sense of what's going on, according to author and mathematician David Orrell. But predicting the future is difficult. And what's more, the search for the "perfect model" of prediction often reveals as much about people's sense of aesthetics as it does about the future, Orrell said last Thursday during "Perfect Model: The Past, Present, and Future of Prediction," a talk sponsored by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. http://phys.org/news286179686.html Other Sciences Fri, 26 Apr 2013 07:21:33 EST news286179686 Invasive animals are often most abundant in habitats impacted by humans, especially man-made habitats, such as roadsides, suburban and urban developments, and areas of intensive agricultural activity. Understanding why this is true may reveal important insights about the ecological mechanisms that help determine the success and impact of many invasive species. The invasive fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is a notoriously pesky species that benefits when humans disturb natural areas. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Joshua King at the University of Central Florida and Walter Tschinkel at Florida State University have been exploring the underlying causes and consequences of the association of fire ants with human-altered ecosystems. http://phys.org/news281690315.html Biology Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:00:06 EST news281690315 The massive Tohoku, Japan, earthquake in 2011 and Sumatra-Andaman superquake in 2004 stunned scientists because neither region was thought to be capable of producing a megathrust earthquake with a magnitude exceeding 8.4. http://phys.org/news278171861.html Space & Earth Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:57:50 EST news278171861 Whether it's the economics of clean energy, the politics of Washington or claims over the severity of the problem itself, the debate over climate change is loud and crowded. One aspect that often goes overlooked is the Southern Ocean ringing Antarctica at the bottom of the globe. But that, says Jorge Sarmiento, is about to change. http://phys.org/news276849996.html Space & Earth Tue, 08 Jan 2013 06:46:49 EST news276849996 Along with pollutants from Asia, transpacific dust plumes deliver vast quantities of microbes to North America, according to a manuscript published online ahead of print in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. http://phys.org/news274984186.html Biology Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:29:53 EST news274984186 (Phys.org)—Using an enhanced form of "chemical microscopy" developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), researchers there have shown that they can peer into the structure of blended polymers, resolving details of the molecular arrangement at sub-micrometer levels. The capability has important implications for the design of industrially important polymers like the polyethylene blends used to repair aging waterlines. http://phys.org/news273318309.html Chemistry Wed, 28 Nov 2012 09:45:35 EST news273318309 (Phys.org)—The explosive PETN has been around for a century and is used by everyone from miners to the military, but it took new research by Sandia National Laboratories to begin to discover key mechanisms behind what causes it to fail at small scales. http://phys.org/news267382543.html Chemistry Thu, 20 Sep 2012 17:56:09 EST news267382543 A prestigious group of scientists from around the world is warning that population growth, widespread destruction of natural ecosystems, and climate change may be driving Earth toward an irreversible change in the biosphere, a planet-wide tipping point that would have destructive consequences absent adequate preparation and mitigation. http://phys.org/news258206302.html Space & Earth Wed, 06 Jun 2012 12:58:44 EST news258206302 As the state geologist for Arizona, Lee Allison knows granite from sandstone, a syncline from an anticline. But he has lacked the ability to look through rocks to visualize the inner workings of the Earth. http://phys.org/news248690940.html Space & Earth Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:20:04 EST news248690940 A new, open-access article in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management describes the origin, function, successes, limitations, and future of the Soybean Rust Pest Information Platform for Extension and Education (PIPE). http://phys.org/news234698922.html Biology Thu, 08 Sep 2011 11:08:58 EST news234698922 (PhysOrg.com) -- Much like a meteor impacting a planet, highly charged ions hit really hard and can do a lot of damage, albeit on a much smaller scale. And much like geologists determine the size and speed of the meteor by looking at the hole it left, physicists can learn a lot about a highly charged ion's energy by looking at the divots it makes in thin films. http://phys.org/news234000793.html Physics Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:13:27 EST news234000793 No matter how good a search engine is, it is sometimes necessary to change the search terms to get the information you need. But what if you did not have to change the search terms yourself? What if the search engine could do that for you? http://phys.org/news163430239.html Technology Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:17:59 EST news163430239