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Phys.org / AI can dramatically speed up digitizing natural history collections

A new study from UNC-Chapel Hill researchers shows that advanced artificial intelligence tools, specifically large language models (LLMs), can accurately determine the locations where plant specimens were originally collected, ...

Dec 5, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / The hexatic phase: Ultra-thin 2D materials in a state between solid and liquid observed for the first time

When ice melts into water, it happens quickly, with the transition from solid to liquid being immediate. However, very thin materials do not adhere to these rules. Instead, an unusual state between solid and liquid arises: ...

Dec 5, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Extreme engineering: Unlocking design secrets of deep-sea microbes

The microbe Pyrodictium abyssi is an archaeon—a member of what's known as the third domain of life—and an extremophile. It lives in deep-sea thermal vents, at temperatures above the boiling point of water, without light ...

Dec 5, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Ancient stalagmite provides insights into how climate affected early communities in cradle of civilization

The Fertile Crescent, a boomerang-shaped region spanning modern-day Middle Eastern countries, is considered the cradle of civilization and where farming first emerged. But little is known about how climate change influenced ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Free radicals caught in the act with slow spectroscopy

Why does plastic turn brittle and paint fade when exposed to the sun for long periods? Scientists have long known that such organic photodegradation occurs due to the sun's energy generating free radicals: molecules that ...

Dec 5, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Chameleon-like nanomaterial can adapt its color to mechanical strain

Inspired by the Japanese art of kirigami, a team of scientists from the University of Amsterdam have developed a material that can reflect different colors of light, depending on how it is stretched. The results were recently ...

Dec 5, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Copper-64 isotope made easier: Recoil chemistry could lower medical imaging costs

The copper isotope Cu-64 plays an important role in medicine: It is used in imaging processes and also shows potential for cancer therapy. However, it does not occur naturally and must be produced artificially—a complex ...

Dec 5, 2025 in Chemistry
Medical Xpress / Structure of protein reveals how breast cancer cells survive in hostile conditions

UCLA scientists have characterized the structure and function of a key survival protein in breast cancer cells that helps explain how these tumors resist environmental stress and thrive in acidic, low-oxygen environments ...

Dec 5, 2025 in Oncology & Cancer
Phys.org / Microplastics in oceans may distort carbon cycle understanding

The carbon cycle in our oceans is critical to the balance of life in ocean waters and for reducing carbon in the atmosphere, a significant process to curbing climate change or global warming.

Dec 5, 2025 in Earth
Medical Xpress / Early childhood patterns of picky eating can ripple through development for some

At the University of Oslo, psychologists and collaborators following Norwegian families identified a sizable group of children whose eating patterns centered on avoidant and restrictive intake and whose difficulties stretched ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Psychology & Psychiatry
Phys.org / Chesapeake Bay's storm surge tides can be 47% higher than the open ocean

When hurricanes or strong storms sweep up the United States' East Coast and meet the shores of the country's largest estuary, Chesapeake Bay, the familiar pattern of storm activity gets a little more complicated. A new study, ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Earth
Tech Xplore / New haptic display technology creates 3D graphics you can see and feel

Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have invented a display technology for on-screen graphics that are both visible and haptic, meaning that they can be felt via touch.

Dec 5, 2025 in Engineering