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. Luggard, a lively three-year-old, limps behind the rest of his ragtag troupe of orphan elephants, halting to graze or rub against a tree. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-kenyan-orphanage-baby-elephants-life.html Ecology Wed, 20 Mar 2019 03:40:01 EDT news472269792 From bento boxes to individually wrapped bananas, plastic reigns supreme in Japan. But amid global concern about single-use waste, new legislation could help end the country's love affair with plastic. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-fantastic-japan-affair-plastic.html Environment Wed, 20 Mar 2019 03:30:01 EDT news472269772 A powerful tropical cyclone that lashed the northeast coast of Australia, closing ports and causing power outages, is expected to strengthen further Wednesday. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-cylcone-trevor-australia-power-outages.html Environment Wed, 20 Mar 2019 03:20:02 EDT news472269747 Facebook-owned Instagram on Tuesday made a move into potentially lucrative e-commerce by adding an option to buy products shown off in posts by selected brands. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-instagram-e-commerce-button.html Internet Wed, 20 Mar 2019 03:10:01 EDT news472269607 Salads were recently in the news—and off America's dinner tables—when romaine lettuce was recalled nationwide. Outbreaks of intestinal illness were traced to romaine lettuce contaminated with Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-safer.html Environment Wed, 20 Mar 2019 03:08:53 EDT news472270123 Increasing numbers of tourists are interested in observing wildlife such as African elephants, and income generated from tourism potentially aids in the protection of animals and their habitats. However, a new Journal of Zoology study reveals that wildlife tourism may be a stressor for free-ranging elephants. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-wildlife-tourism-negatively-affect-african.html Ecology Wed, 20 Mar 2019 03:08:01 EDT news472270073 The weedkiller Roundup was a "substantial factor" in the cancer of a US man who developed a lump in his throat after decades of spraying his garden—the second major legal defeat to agrochemical giant Monsanto in a year. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-monsanto-roundup-weedkiller-contributed-cancer.html Other Wed, 20 Mar 2019 03:02:16 EDT news472269727 Once the butt of jokes, Czech-made Skoda cars have won over Brits, but the UK's looming exit from the European Union could deal a heavy blow to the brand and the entire Czech economy. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-rags-to-riches-skoda-mulls-post-brexit-sales.html Automotive Wed, 20 Mar 2019 03:01:54 EDT news472269698 Google on Tuesday unveiled a series of tweaks to its European search engine results in an effort to avoid further fines from the EU's top anti-trust regulator. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-google-unveils-placate-eu.html Internet Wed, 20 Mar 2019 02:59:59 EDT news472269592 Seven states that rely on a major waterway in the U.S. West have finished a yearslong effort to create a plan to protect the Colorado River amid a prolonged drought, the federal government declared Tuesday. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-declares-drought-colorado-river.html Environment Wed, 20 Mar 2019 02:59:18 EDT news472269551 It's finally complete. Disney closed its $71 billion acquisition of Fox's entertainment assets on Wednesday, more than a year after the mega merger was proposed . Disney gets far ranging properties ranging from Fox's film studios, including "Avatar" and X-Men, to its TV productions such as "The Simpsons" and networks including National Geographic. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-disney-713b-fox-assets.html Business Wed, 20 Mar 2019 02:58:41 EDT news472269516 Disney has closed its $71 billion acquisition of Fox's entertainment business, putting "Cinderella," ''The Simpsons," ''Star Wars" and "Dr. Strange" under one corporate roof. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-disney-71b-fox-assets.html Business Wed, 20 Mar 2019 02:58:06 EDT news472269370 Coyotes eat deer, but not enough to limit the deer population at a large scale. A new study of deer numbers across the eastern United States has found that the arrival and establishment of coyote predators has not caused the number of deer harvested by hunters to decline. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-coyotes-north-america-doom-deer.html Ecology Wed, 20 Mar 2019 00:00:01 EDT news472225964 Researchers have discovered that a bacterium found in camel crickets is capable of breaking down lignin—the stuff that makes wood tough—opening new research pathways for the development of biofuels and chemical manufacturing. The study also highlights the potential inherent in using ecosystem analysis as a tool for targeting research into the identification of commercially valuable microorganisms with industrial applications. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-cricket-bacteria-lignin-highlighting-ecology.html Ecology Tue, 19 Mar 2019 20:20:02 EDT news472226032 Researchers have discovered what gives human sperm the strength to succeed in the race to fertilise the egg. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-mathematicians-reveal-secret-human-sperm.html Mathematics Tue, 19 Mar 2019 20:10:01 EDT news472226103 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 Chicago's vacant lot-repurposing program is enhancing not just the curb appeal of blighted properties across the city, but also the culture and safety of the surrounding communities, residents said in a new study. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-chicago-large-lot-inner-city.html Social Sciences Tue, 19 Mar 2019 17:37:03 EDT news472235816 A team of researchers including Northwestern Engineering faculty has expanded the understanding of how virus shells self-assemble, an important step toward developing techniques that use viruses as vehicles to deliver targeted drugs and therapeutics throughout the body. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-revealing-virus-scaffold.html Biochemistry Tue, 19 Mar 2019 17:35:38 EDT news472235723 Electric vehicles are powered by lithium-ion batteries (LIB), a rechargeable battery that's still not fully understood or perfected. And inasmuch as electric cars are expected to replace gas-powered cars, any research that improves the performance of a lithium-ion battery will be a boon for electric vehicles and the environment. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-data-driven-lithium-ion-battery-properties.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 19 Mar 2019 17:34:49 EDT news472235680 At precisely 11:48 am on December 18, 2018, a large space rock heading straight for Earth at a speed of 19 miles per second exploded into a vast ball of fire as it entered the atmosphere, 15.9 miles above the Bering Sea. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-powerful-meteor-satellites.html Space Exploration Tue, 19 Mar 2019 17:29:17 EDT news472235349 The Fox Studio backlot, first built in 1926 on a Culver City ranch in Los Angeles, was enormous. Before much of it was sold off in the 1960s, it was four times the size of its current, and still huge, 53 acres. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-20th-century-fox-era-dawns.html Business Tue, 19 Mar 2019 17:27:57 EDT news472235268 Seven states that rely on a major river in the U.S. West are pushing for federal legislation to implement a plan to protect the water amid a prolonged drought, signaling they see the finish line in what has been years of negotiation. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-states-colorado-river-drought.html Environment Tue, 19 Mar 2019 17:27:38 EDT news472235245 Norwegian aluminum producer Norsk Hydro says it has been a targeted by "an extensive cyberattack" through a ransomware virus impacting its key operations and disrupting its IT systems. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-norwegian-aluminum-cyberattack.html Security Tue, 19 Mar 2019 14:28:26 EDT news472224500 Facebook will overhaul its ad-targeting systems to prevent discrimination in housing , credit and employment ads as part of a legal settlement. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-facebook-ad-targeting-discrimination.html Internet Tue, 19 Mar 2019 14:28:06 EDT news472224478 Canada said Tuesday it will make its own assessment of Boeing's modifications to its 737 MAX airliners before allowing them to fly again in its airspace, after two crashes in less than five months. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-canada-boeing-max-airworthiness.html Business Tue, 19 Mar 2019 14:27:08 EDT news472224420 Google set out to disrupt the video game world on Tuesday with a Stadia platform that will let players stream blockbuster titles to any device they wish, as the online giant also unveiled a new controller and its very own studio. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-google-unveils-game-streaming-platform.html Internet Tue, 19 Mar 2019 14:26:40 EDT news472224394 Research led by the University of Colorado Boulder is revealing the Alice in Wonderland-like physics that govern gravity near the surface of the asteroid Bennu. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-osiris-rex-spies-weird-wild-gravity.html Astronomy Tue, 19 Mar 2019 14:14:17 EDT news472223649 What makes one person different from one another, and how did these differences evolve? https://phys.org/news/2019-03-hot-genetic-variation-evolved-human.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational Biology Tue, 19 Mar 2019 14:11:24 EDT news472223474 The study of evolution is revealing new complexities, showing how the traits most beneficial to the fitness of individual plants and animals are not always the ones we see in nature. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-nature-rewind-evolution.html Evolution Tue, 19 Mar 2019 14:10:43 EDT news472223429 Emerald Bay, California, a beautiful location on the southwestern shore of Lake Tahoe, is surrounded by rugged landscape, including rocky cliffs and remnants of mountain glaciers. Scenic as it may be, the area is also a complex structural puzzle. Understanding the history of fault movement in the Lake Tahoe basin is important to assessing earthquake hazards for regional policy planners. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-underwater-surveys-emerald-bay-reveal.html Earth Sciences Tue, 19 Mar 2019 14:10:00 EDT news472223386