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Views expressed in this science and technology update are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 15 April 2024, 0040 UTC.

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Russ Roberts (https://hawaiisciencejournal.blogspot.com).

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Aboriginal people made pottery, sailed to distant islands thousands of years before Europeans arrived

49Phys.org / 10h

Pottery was largely unknown in Australia before the recent past, despite well-known pottery traditions in nearby Papua New Guinea and the islands of the western Pacific. The absence of ancient Indigenous pottery in Australia has long puzzled researchers.

Scientists find vast numbers of illegal 'ghost roads' used to crack open pristine rainforest

Phys.org / 13h

One of Brazil's top scientists, Eneas Salati, once said, "The best thing you could do for the Amazon rainforest is to blow up all the roads." He wasn't joking. And he had a point.

Tandem heat waves, storm surges increasingly batter coasts: Study

Phys.org / 7h

Coastal communities need to prepare for simultaneous extreme weather events as heat waves increasingly overlap with surges in sea levels due to climate change, a study published on Thursday warned.

TODAY

Digging up new species of Australia and New Guinea's giant fossil kangaroos

Phys.org / 1h

Paleontologists from Flinders University have described three unusual new species of giant fossil kangaroo from Australia and New Guinea, finding them more diverse in shape, range and hopping method than previously thought.

Bad boys: Study finds aggressive bonobo males attract more mates

Phys.org / 13h

Humankind's two closest primate relatives are often said to embody contrasting sides of our nature: peace-loving bonobos versus violence-prone chimpanzees.

YESTERDAY

What did Roman wine taste like? Much better than previously thought, according to new research

27Phys.org / 1d

From a modern, scientific perspective, the wine Romans drank is often seen as an inconsistent, poorly made and thoroughly unpleasant beverage. It is alleged that Roman winemakers had to mask their products' flaws by adding spices, herbs and other ingredients to the freshly pressed grape juice, which is known as "must."

The experimental demonstration of a verifiable blind quantum computing protocol

Laser light induces room-temperature magnetism

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68Phys.org / 1d

Quantum computers, systems that process and store information leveraging quantum mechanical phenomena, could eventually outperform classical computers on numerous tasks. Among other things, these computers could allow researchers to tackle complex optimization problems, speed up drug discovery and better protect users against cyber-security threats.

A machine learning-based approach to discover nanocomposite films for biodegradable plastic alternatives

Phys.org / 1d

The accumulation of plastic waste in natural environments is of utmost concern, as it is contributing to the destruction of ecosystems and is causing harm to aquatic life. In recent years, material scientists have thus been trying to identify all-natural alternatives to plastic that could be used to package or manufacture products.

Saturday Citations: Listening to bird dreams, securing qubits, imagining impossible billiards

54Phys.org / 1d

It's Saturday, which means that in a universe where the arrow of time moves backward, people have to go to work tomorrow. In such a hypothetical universe, Garfield hates Fridays—tough to imagine. This week, we looked at several hundred breaking science developments, four of which I've highlighted here, including a new geoengineering study, a quantum infosec breakthrough, and listening in on the me

Biden rule hikes fees for oil projects on public lands

Phys.org / 1d

Oil companies drilling on public lands must post larger bonds and pay higher royalties under a rule finalized Friday by the Biden administration.

Sweet lessons: Taiwan urban beekeeping gets positive buzz

Phys.org / 1d

Under mulberry trees at a bee farm in Taipei's suburbs, students watched intently as instructor Tsai Ming-hsien wafted smoke over a hive box, explaining to aspiring apiarists how to keep the insects happy in an urban setting.

Physicists solve puzzle about ancient galaxy found by Webb telescope

400+Phys.org / 1d

Last September, the James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, discovered JWST-ER1g, a massive ancient galaxy that formed when the universe was just a quarter of its current age. Surprisingly, an Einstein ring is associated with this galaxy. That's because JWST-ER1g acts as a lens and bends light from a distant source, which then appears as a ring—a phenomenon called strong gravitational lensing, predic

Researchers study effects of solvation and ion valency on metallopolymers

100+Phys.org / 1d

In a new paper published in JACS Au, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign analyzed the effects of solvation and ion valency on metallopolymers, with implications for critical materials recovery and recycling, and environmental remediation.

Americans more willing to pay for climate action after extreme weather

58Phys.org / 1d

People who personally experience extreme climate events, especially wildfires and hurricanes, are willing to pay significantly more for climate action, even if they report skepticism about human-caused climate change, finds new research from the University of Vermont.

Chemists devise easier new method for making a common type of building block for drugs

23Phys.org / 1d

Ring-shaped chemical structures called saturated heterocycles are found in most FDA-approved drugs but are often difficult to create. Scripps Research chemists have just developed a surprisingly easy method for making many of these sought-after compounds from inexpensive starting chemicals.

Study lists world's 'forever chemical' hotspots

Phys.org / 1d

Dangerous concentrations of long-lingering "forever chemicals" have been found in surface and groundwater worldwide, according to a study released Tuesday that showed Australia, the United States and Europe as hotspots.