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Phys.org / Microplastics and nanoplastics in urban air originate mainly from tire abrasion, research reveals
Although plastic particles in the air are increasingly coming into focus, knowledge about their distribution and effects is still limited. Chemical analyses from Leipzig now provide details from Germany for the first time: ...
Phys.org / AI cracks Roman-era board game
A smooth, white stone dating from the Roman era and unearthed in the Netherlands has long baffled researchers.
Phys.org / Did the first human ancestor originate in the Balkans? New fossil shows evidence of bipedalism
Walking on two legs has long been considered a milestone in human evolution and one of our most defining characteristics. Until now, researchers assumed that the first humans originated in Africa and that bipedalism developed ...
Tech Xplore / How an overlooked electrostatic force could drive the motor of the future
When we hear about moving objects with electricity, most of us imagine a "pulling force." Positive and negative charges attract each other, drawing objects together. It is natural to think that this attractive force—known ...
Phys.org / A Plan B for space? On the risks of concentrating national space power in private hands
Private companies are no longer peripheral participants in U.S. space activities. They provide key services, including launching and deploying satellites, transporting cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station, ...
Phys.org / Most compact quadruple star system yet fits within an area the size of Jupiter's orbit
Astronomers have reported observations of a rare star system consisting of one star orbiting a system of three more tightly bound stars. This quadruple star system is described in a new study, published in Nature Communications, ...
Phys.org / 3D imagery helps bring world's ant diversity to life
For more than a decade, Evan Economo's lab has been using micro-CT machines to scan insect specimens. The resulting X-ray images help researchers study the form and structure of insects—a subfield of entomology known as ...
Phys.org / Left-handed people may have a psychological edge in competition
Left-handers are more competitive than right-handers, according to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports. The findings may help explain why left-handedness has persisted throughout evolution despite the ...
Phys.org / Cockroaches that eat each other's wings become exclusive partners
Scientists have discovered that, far from being solitary insects, some cockroaches appear to form an exclusive bond with a partner. And how do they get this relationship off the ground? By eating each other's wings.
Phys.org / ESA's Mars orbiters watch solar superstorm hit the red planet
What happens when a solar superstorm hits Mars? Thanks to the European Space Agency's Mars orbiters, we now know: glitching spacecraft and a supercharged upper atmosphere.
Phys.org / Research shows 41 US states are getting warmer, all in slightly different ways
Different regions of the United States are experiencing different patterns of warming climate, requiring region-specific adaptation, according to a study published in PLOS Climate by María Dolores Gadea Rivas of the University ...
Phys.org / Astronomers discover TOI-5734 b, a hot sub-Neptune twice Earth's size
Using the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher for the Northern Hemisphere (HARPS-N), an international team of astronomers has discovered a hot sub-Neptune exoplanet ...