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Phys.org / Sound-sensing hair bundles in our ears act as tiny thermodynamic machines
The hair cells lining the inner ear are among the most sophisticated structures in the human body: capable of detecting sounds as faint as a whisper, while helping to maintain our sense of balance. Through new models detailed ...
Tech Xplore / Safer sodium battery eliminates thermal runaway with a heat-triggered polymer barrier
Some batteries have been known to catch fire or explode at high temperatures or when under stress. This safety concern has pushed researchers to experiment with different ways to design safer batteries that can ideally still ...
Phys.org / Heat from traffic is contributing to rises in city temperatures, study finds
Scientists at The University of Manchester have developed a new way to measure how traffic contributes to rising urban temperatures, revealing that everyday vehicle use can play a measurable role in making cities warmer. ...
Phys.org / Water conservation works, but climate change is outpacing it: Phoenix, Denver and Las Vegas show the future
When a drought turns into an urban water crisis, a city's first step is often to limit lawn watering and launch a campaign to encourage everyone to conserve. It might raise water-use rates or offer incentives for installing ...
Phys.org / Ecuador study finds tropical rainforest biodiversity rebounds over 90% in 30 years
Tropical rainforests are home to almost two-thirds of all vertebrate species and three-quarters of all tree species: they are the most species-rich terrestrial ecosystem on Earth. However, over half of these diverse rainforests ...
Phys.org / AMOC collapse could turn Southern Ocean into carbon source, adding 0.2°C to global warming
A shutdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could trigger a substantial release of stored ocean carbon into the atmosphere over hundreds of years, according to a new study that simulated such a collapse ...
Phys.org / DNA evidence reveals a Stone Age population collapse in France
By analyzing DNA of ancient skeletons at a Neolithic burial site near Paris, an international team of researchers has uncovered evidence of a dramatic population replacement 5,000 years ago. The findings indicate that the ...
Phys.org / The oldest breath: A 300-million-year-old mummy reveals the origins of how amniotes breathe
Every breath you take is an ancient inheritance. The rise and fall of your chest, the intercostal muscles pulling your ribs outward, the rush of air into your lungs—this mechanism is so familiar it barely registers as remarkable. ...
Phys.org / Astronomers discover Andromeda XXXVI, an ultra-faint dwarf satellite galaxy
By analyzing the data from the Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey (PandAS), European astronomers have discovered a new satellite of the Andromeda galaxy. The newfound object, which received the designation Andromeda XXXVI, ...
Phys.org / Summer is getting longer, and it's happening faster than we thought
Summer weather is arriving earlier, lasting longer and packing more heat than it used to—and it's happening faster than scientists had previously measured. A new study by UBC researchers has found that between 1990 and 2023, ...
Medical Xpress / Virus from seafood is linked to a persistent eye disease in humans
A virus that typically infects marine animals, such as shrimp and fish, has jumped to humans and is causing chronic eye disease in some people, according to a study published in the journal Nature Microbiology. In recent ...
Phys.org / Ancient Romans were obsessed with a plant said to be a contraception and an aphrodisiac. Then one day, it went extinct
Roman leader Julius Caesar is said to have kept a stock of it in the treasury. Ancient writer Pliny the Elder says Rome's Emperor Nero owned the last stalk of it. And some have suggested rampant extramarital sex in elite ...