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. The citrus industry in Florida, a historic hub for citrus (Citrus sp.) production, has been grappling with the devastating effects of Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease (Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus). In the face of this challenge, a recent study delves into the potential economic viability of incorporating cover crops in citrus groves to enhance soil health and overall tree well-being. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-analysis-crops-citrus-production.html Agriculture Thu, 01 Feb 2024 16:58:04 EST news626029082 A first-of-its-kind study of the 2019-2020 "Black Summer" bushfires in Australia has revealed that the tourism industry nationwide took an immediate hit of $2.8 billion in total output to its broader supply chains and almost 7,300 jobs disappearing nationwide. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-black-summer-bushfires-billion-tourism.html Economics & Business Tue, 30 Jan 2024 16:50:03 EST news625855801 Transforming food systems around the world would lead to socio-economic benefits summing up to US $5–10 trillion a year, shows a new global policy report produced by leading economists and scientists of the Food System Economics Commission (FSEC). https://phys.org/news/2024-01-food-trillions-dollars-economic-benefits.html Economics & Business Political science Mon, 29 Jan 2024 16:57:47 EST news625769864 During the past decade, there has been significant development of new sulfur containing compounds that are used in various industries, including pharmaceuticals and agricultural products. Sulfoximines, sulfonimidoyl fluorides and sulfonimidamides are types of sulfur-containing chemical compounds that have wide-ranging potential as therapeutic drugs. However, the synthesis process for these compounds is complex and has several limitations. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-reagent-sulfur-compounds-medicines.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Mon, 22 Jan 2024 16:20:05 EST news625162803 Many electric vehicles are powered by batteries that contain cobalt—a metal that carries high financial, environmental, and social costs. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-cobalt-free-batteries-power-cars.html Materials Science Sat, 20 Jan 2024 08:50:01 EST news624804525 Empowering the public to monitor pollution in their communities could lead to cleaner air, say researchers from the University of Surrey. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-people-air-quality-pollution-experts.html Environment Tue, 16 Jan 2024 16:20:03 EST news624644402 Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) have matured to commercial level. Yet, their widespread market adoption is hindered due to high costs and complicated device architecture. Researchers are actively exploring innovative device engineering strategies to circumvent these issues. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-exciplex-route-white-emitting-diodes.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 11 Jan 2024 10:31:02 EST news624191461 Most countries, including Switzerland, record their greenhouse gas emissions by source and sector. In absolute terms, Swiss greenhouse gases make up less than 1% of global emissions. With an average of 12 metric tons of CO2 equivalents per capita per year, however, the Swiss are polluting the climate about twice as much as the average person globally if we take into account the emissions of our imported goods. This average value is useful for international comparisons, but it ignores differences between individuals or groups of people within Switzerland. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-individual-carbon-footprints.html Environment Tue, 09 Jan 2024 15:08:03 EST news624035281 With plastic pollution posing a significant threat to ecosystems and human health, various strategies to lessen this type of pollution include reducing the production of plastic, decreasing the generation of plastic waste, and improving the material and product design of plastic items. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-accounting-plastic-persistence-minimize-environmental.html Earth Sciences Environment Mon, 08 Jan 2024 11:27:04 EST news623935621 Researchers from the John Innes Centre and the Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology are calling for biofortification to play an integrated role in national and international food strategies to relieve the global problem of hidden hunger. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-hidden-hunger-biofortification-nutrition-home.html Ecology Agriculture Thu, 04 Jan 2024 12:57:39 EST news623595455 In a landmark study published in the journal Nature Methods, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have unveiled mEnrich-seq—an innovative method designed to substantially enhance the specificity and efficiency of research into microbiomes, the complex communities of microorganisms that inhabit the human body. The paper is titled "mEnrich-seq: methylation-guided enrichment sequencing of bacterial taxa of interest from microbiome." https://phys.org/news/2024-01-genomic-tweezer-ushers-era-precision.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 04 Jan 2024 05:31:16 EST news623568667 As human densities increase around the world, wildlife species are becoming more nocturnal to compensate. These adaptations allow wildlife to live in human-altered habitats but may result in unseen costs. Researchers at the University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences conducted a case study on the conflict between humans and wildlife in East Africa better to understand the impact of human activities on wildlife. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-dusk-dawn-humans-wildlife-temporal.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 03 Jan 2024 13:02:04 EST news623509323 Over the past quarter-century, the idea has taken hold among politicians across the spectrum that one of the best ways to address inequality is to give local communities the resources to do the work themselves. Provide them with funding, and they can spend it on the projects that their communities really need. But our research has shown that while many of these projects can be very positive, they can also entrench existing inequalities. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-millions-residents-neighborhoods-entrenching-inequality.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Wed, 20 Dec 2023 13:30:01 EST news622300834 Canada's current agricultural production model is unsustainable and in desperate need of reform. A range of issues plague the current system, including corporate consolidation, farmland concentration in the hands of non-farmers and foreign buyers, pollution and animal welfare issues, as well as soil erosion and the poor treatment of migrant workers. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-canada-agricultural-policies-local-farmers.html Agriculture Tue, 19 Dec 2023 12:30:01 EST news622211339 In a first-of-its-kind study for North America, scientists accumulated a list of potential invasive species for Florida, and researchers deemed 40 pose the greatest threat. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-florida-potential-invasive-species-threats.html Ecology Sat, 16 Dec 2023 06:23:42 EST news621930210 Until now, reliably tracing logs to their origin has been difficult to achieve. Researchers at Fraunhofer IPM and their partners have now shown that logs and trunk sections can be identified based on the structure of the cut surfaces. The recent research project developed a marker-free and tamper-proof method. The optical method allows up to 100% recognition—even under the rough environment conditions of the timber industry. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-proof-marker-free.html Ecology Biotechnology Thu, 14 Dec 2023 16:02:03 EST news621792121 Dollar stores are rapidly expanding in the U.S., with more than 1,000 new stores opening every year. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-dollar-expansion-independent-grocery.html Economics & Business Thu, 14 Dec 2023 12:54:26 EST news621780861 Imagine being the most qualified person for a job and not getting a call-back or not being selected for an interview. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-employers-ai-discrimination.html Economics & Business Wed, 13 Dec 2023 12:16:32 EST news621692187 Researchers from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have proposed a new "nano-micro composite" delivery concept for vaccines. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-dry-powder-inhaled-vaccine-platform.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 13 Dec 2023 11:00:01 EST news621685480 The green transition towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly economy has become a necessity to combat climate change, the scarcity of resources, and pollution. Businesses have been forced to shift from traditional fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-green-transition-affects-competition-business.html Economics & Business Mon, 11 Dec 2023 17:04:03 EST news621536641 In the face of heavy opposition from environmental groups, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his administration are pushing forward with a controversial plan to build a 45-mile water tunnel beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta—a project the governor says is vital to modernizing the state's aging water system. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-newsom-administration-advances-delta-tunnel.html Environment Mon, 11 Dec 2023 11:25:05 EST news621516301 A new survey, analyzed by the University of Bristol and commissioned by abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, shows nearly two-thirds (65%) of households, amounting to 18.4 million, have consumer debt and more than 4 in 10 households (44% or 12.5 million) have taken out new borrowing in the past six months. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-reveals-high-consumer-debt-majority.html Economics & Business Fri, 01 Dec 2023 10:18:20 EST news620648297 Climate disasters are now costing the United States US$150 billion per year, and the economic harm is rising. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-fed-climate-150b-economic-toll.html Environment Thu, 30 Nov 2023 12:10:01 EST news620566655 Big businesses like to tell us that, as consumers, we all pay for food theft. We've been sold a narrative that as consumers who don't steal, we pay for the theft of food by others on our grocery receipts. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-policing-shoplifting-people.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Wed, 29 Nov 2023 12:28:50 EST news620483327 Alex Gutierrez worked for MUR Shipping and its predecessors for nearly 30 years. But in 2018 he was told, in line with company policy, it was time to set a retirement date. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-hard-workplace-discrimination-australian-bill.html Economics & Business Political science Wed, 29 Nov 2023 12:28:10 EST news620483288 The costs of environmental pollution caused by plastics in cigarette butts and packaging amount to an estimated US $26 billion every year or US $186 billion every 10 years—adjusted for inflation—in waste management and marine ecosystem damage worldwide, finds a data analysis published online in the journal Tobacco Control. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-plastic-pollution-cigarette-butts-billionyear.html Environment Wed, 29 Nov 2023 12:28:07 EST news620483284 Global healthcare has a significant impact on the environment but there are ways it could slash its greenhouse gas emissions without increasing production costs, the international health agency Unitaid said Tuesday. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-healthcare-slash-climate-impact-global.html Environment Tue, 28 Nov 2023 14:22:15 EST news620403732 If you feel that work is wearing you down, you are not alone. The economic value that modern organizations strive to create comes at a human cost to employees in terms of reduced physical fitness. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-curb-workplace-deviance.html Economics & Business Tue, 28 Nov 2023 04:28:23 EST news620368099 A large amount of the heavy automobile pollution from Copenhagen's Bispeengbuen thoroughfare goes straight into people's homes, according to a study by researchers at the University of Copenhagen. A sensor developed by one of the researchers can help fill in the blanks of our understanding about local air pollution. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-smog-major-copenhagen-street-straight.html Environment Mon, 27 Nov 2023 16:38:04 EST news620325481 The early years sector—nurseries and childminders who offer services to children under the age of five—waited expectantly for news of investment in the UK chancellor's recent autumn statement. But this was not delivered, even though Jeremy Hunt presented 110 economic measures designed to boost UK growth and productivity. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-minimum-wage-affect-early-years.html Economics & Business Education Mon, 27 Nov 2023 14:35:04 EST news620318102