All News
Phys.org / Nature's original bioplastic may have fed animals for hundreds of millions of years
Long before humans discovered biodegradable plastics, microorganisms had already invented their own. Many bacteria and archaea produce natural bioplastics called polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), storing them inside their cells ...
Phys.org / 'Real mummy's curse' behind sale and trade of mummified remains exposed
A new study, led by researchers at the University of Staffordshire, has found evidence of potentially hazardous microbial growth on mummified human and animal remains advertised for sale online—posing risks to both sellers ...
Phys.org / Thinking fast and slow: Wild fish reveal how cognition evolved in two closely related species
Why do two individuals faced with the same information sometimes make completely different decisions? It is a question made famous by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, whose book "Thinking, Fast and Slow" explored the contrast ...
Phys.org / River shipping emits nearly one-quarter of global shipping CO₂, analysis finds
River and canal ships generate roughly a quarter of the world's shipping carbon dioxide emissions, according to new research published in Nature Climate Change. And that's despite the fact that these bodies of water make ...
Medical Xpress / Always finish your antibiotics? Longer is better? Outdated ideas about antibiotics are common, study says
"Always finish your antibiotics" is no longer considered medical best practice for all conditions. Surprised? You're not alone.
Phys.org / While Great Lakes ice cover is slipping, a 'temporary respite' may be on the way
There's good news and bad news for folks who love a good coat of ice on the Great Lakes for the activities and businesses it supports. The good news is that, after decades of declining annual average ice cover, there's reason ...
Phys.org / Mutation hotspots help 'friendly' viruses outmaneuver the bacteria in your gut
Every 15 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies from a drug-resistant superbug. A few decades from now, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections threaten to become the leading cause of death worldwide, outpacing cancer.
Tech Xplore / Ribbon-like fiber unlocks pressure sensitivity up to 1,000 times higher than standard designs
Optical fiber has already transformed the modern world. New research now suggests it could do even more. A new flat-fiber fabrication technique produces a high-fidelity sensor for a wide range of applications, from batteries ...
Phys.org / Climate change decided who ruled as top predator 35 million years ago
An international team of researchers from Belgium, France, Switzerland, Spain and the U.S. has reconstructed the evolution of body mass in carnivorous mammals during the Paleogene—a crucial window in the diversification of ...
Medical Xpress / More than half of hippocampal synapses vanish, yet mouse memories remain intact
How do we remember the distant past? For decades, scientists have believed synaptic potentiation—the adaptive strengthening of our brain's cellular connections—to be the key to memory retention. Researchers from the Okinawa ...
Phys.org / Mathematical model shows how birds create a synchronized dawn chorus
Every morning, groups of birds start singing and chirping around the same time, typically when the sun starts rising. While zoologists have been studying this collective bird behavior, called the dawn chorus, for decades, ...
Phys.org / Crocodiles can't fly. Birds can. Scientists have finally figured out why
The closest living relatives of crocodiles and alligators are, perhaps surprisingly, birds. Both are archosauriforms, a group of species that originated about 250 million years ago near the beginning of the Triassic period.
