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Phys.org / Designing proteins by their motion, not just their shape
Proteins are far more than nutrients we track on a food label. Present in every cell of our bodies, they work like nature's molecular machines. They walk, stretch, bend, and flex to do their jobs, pumping blood, fighting ...
Phys.org / Revealing the origin of polarity inversion in polymer semiconductors
A research team led by Prof. Boseok Kang at Sungkyunkwan University has uncovered the origin of polarity inversion, a long-standing phenomenon in polymer semiconductors that occurs only in certain materials. The team, in ...
Phys.org / Land animals evolved from ocean ancestors—new study unravels the genetics behind the transition
The transition from water to land is a question that still intrigues scientists. Those ancient organisms would have needed to adapt to several new challenges to life out of water. So, how did they do it?
Phys.org / The raccoon raiding your garbage bin might just be solving a puzzle—for the fun of it
Ever woken up to find that a crafty raccoon has overturned your garbage bin and spread the discarded contents of your life across the street? Raccoons—sometimes referred to as "trash pandas"—are renowned as excellent innovators ...
Tech Xplore / Perovskite solar cells achieve over 25% efficiency and long lifespan simultaneously
A KAIST research team has solved the "solar cell dilemma," in which increasing efficiency shortens lifespan, while extending lifespan lowers efficiency. The team developed a technology to precisely control the internal structure ...
Phys.org / Giant craters may reveal if Psyche is a lost planetary core
When we think of asteroids, we almost immediately think of giant rocks bouncing around like the iconic chase scene in "The Empire Strikes Back," and we often hear how they are remnants from the birth of the solar system. ...
Phys.org / Experimental evidence shows how photons spread across multiple paths in an interferometer
The nature of quantum particles has long puzzled scientists. While single-particle interference suggests that a photon can behave like a spread-out wave, a whole photon is only ever detected in one specific place. Traditional ...
Phys.org / Why student samples can mislead: Higher education may shift values toward Western norms
A new study published in Nature Communications finds that worldwide, people with higher levels of education are more culturally similar to those in Canada, the U.S., U.K., and other Anglo, industrialized countries and countries ...
Phys.org / How soil microbes may control the future of our planet
The soil beneath our feet is a huge carbon bank storing up to approximately three times more carbon than the entire atmosphere. That makes it a significant player in the future of our climate. If even a small fraction of ...
Phys.org / Moby Dick 'ship sinking' sperm whales caught headbutting on camera
New research from the University of St Andrews reports sperm whales headbutting one another. The behavior was captured on film and described scientifically for the first time, confirming accounts by 19th century mariners ...
Phys.org / How Neanderthals used a lakeshore in Germany to hunt, butcher and survive
In 1948, a group of amateurs led by a local headmaster in Lehringen, Germany, uncovered the skeleton of a straight-tusked elephant—the largest land mammal known to have roamed Europe—in 125,000-year-old sediments from the ...
Phys.org / Discovery of genetic switch could help turn rice into a perennial crop
Rice is a vital crop that feeds more than half of the world's population. In the wild, many rice species are perennials that live for several years, but the varieties we eat today are typically annuals that must be replanted ...