Geologists solve puzzle that could predict valuable rare earth element deposits

Pioneering new research has helped geologists solve a long-standing puzzle that could help pinpoint new, untapped concentrations of some the most valuable rare earth deposits.

Scientists find upper limit for the speed of sound

A research collaboration between Queen Mary University of London, the University of Cambridge and the Institute for High Pressure Physics in Troitsk has discovered the fastest possible speed of sound.

'Universal law of touch' will enable new advances in virtual reality

Seismic waves, commonly associated with earthquakes, have been used by scientists to develop a universal scaling law for the sense of touch. A team, led by researchers at the University of Birmingham, used Rayleigh waves to create the first scaling law for touch sensitivity. The results are published in Science Advances.

Study shows how climate impacts food webs, poses socioeconomic threat in Eastern Africa

A new study is sounding the alarm on the impact climate change could have on one of the world's most vulnerable regions.

Four in ten extra deaths in Lombardy not linked to COVID-19

The study, published in PLOS ONE, looked at the number of deaths in each of the 7,251 local authority areas of Italy during the first four months of the year and compared these figures with predictions based on data from 2016-2019.

Italy 'second wave' fears grow as virus cases top 5,000

Italy was grappling Friday with fears of a second coronavirus wave similar to the ones seen in Britain, France and Spain, as it registered over 5,000 new infections in 24 hours.

Stay-at-home orders cut noise exposure nearly in half

People's exposure to environmental noise dropped nearly in half during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, according to University of Michigan researchers who analyzed data from the Apple Hearing Study.

A new look at sunspots

NASA's extensive fleet of spacecraft allows scientists to study the Sun extremely close-up—one of the agency's spacecraft is even on its way to fly through the Sun's outer atmosphere. But sometimes taking a step back can provide new insight.

School absences correlate to impaired air quality

In Salt Lake City schools, absences rise when the air quality worsens, and it's not just in times of high pollution or 'red' air quality days—even days following lower levels of pollutions saw increased absences.

Nerve cell activity shows how confident we are

Should I or shouldn't I? The activity of individual nerve cells in the brain tells us how confident we are in our decisions. This is shown by a recent study by researchers at the University of Bonn. The result is unexpected—the researchers were actually on the trail of a completely different evaluation mechanism. The results are published in the journal Current Biology.

2 remote Japan towns seek to host nuclear waste storage site

Two remote towns in northern Japan struggling with rapidly graying and shrinking populations signed up Friday to possibly host a high-level radioactive waste storage site as a means of economic survival.

New coronavirus can infect your eyes as well as your lungs

COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory infection, but experts have suspected the virus can also infiltrate the eyes. Now, scientists have more direct evidence of it.

Post-traumatic stress experienced by partners following miscarriage

One in 12 partners experience post-traumatic stress after miscarriage, suggests a new study.

Climate change is threatening unique permafrost landforms

As the permafrost thaws, the topography of the Arctic will alter dramatically, according to an international study headed by Finnish geographers. The study, which covered the entire area of permafrost in the Arctic, found that many of the permafrost landforms now occurring in that region were in danger of disappearing some time this century, and the change has already begun.

Research has helped underpin the formation of a nature reserve in Vietnam

Research by the University of Leeds and Utrecht University has helped secure the highest government protection for internationally-important Vietnamese forests. Over the past five years, conservation organization Viet Nature, and its partners World Land Trust, IUCN National Committee of the Netherlands (IUCN NL), Birdlife International and researchers from the University of Leeds and Utrecht University have been working to protect the Khe Nuoc Trong forests—the last substantial area of lowland forest in Vietnam.

NASA finds hurricane Delta packing heavy rainfall

NASA's satellite rainfall product that incorporates data from satellites and observations found that Hurricane Delta was bringing along heavy rainfall as it headed to the U.S. Gulf Coast on Oct. 9.

Eye drop containing natural antimicrobial agent for antibiotic resistant gonococcal blindness

A natural treatment for an antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection that causes blindness in infants can be effectively administered through a simple eye drop without causing irritation, Kingston University London researchers have found.

Locals flee as strengthening hurricane barrels toward southern US

The US national guard was mobilized and people on the Louisiana coast evacuated from their homes Friday as a strengthening hurricane bore down that officials say threatens a deadly storm surge and flash flooding.