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Phys.org / An unprecedented Antarctic heat wave hit in the dead of winter—what it signals for the decades ahead
In the middle of the Antarctic winter, during months of darkness when temperatures often dip below −30°C, the continent warmed dramatically. In July and August 2024, temperatures in parts of East Antarctica rose by up to ...
Phys.org / Carbon credits have enabled vital protection of tropical forests—despite being oversold 10-fold
A major analysis led by the University of Cambridge has found that many REDD+ projects achieved meaningful reductions in forest loss—offering real environmental benefits. This is despite the study confirming that almost 11 ...
Phys.org / Chemists unlock two-step alkene alkylation using stable acids and polar coupling
Chemists at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung have developed a practical two-step method for alkylating alkenes via thianthrenation, addressing a long-standing synthetic challenge. This breakthrough simplifies complex ...
Phys.org / Sewers have been hiding a climate problem in plain sight, and this new tool finally exposes its true scale
Methane is the second-largest greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. According to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, anthropogenic methane emissions account for nearly 45% of current net warming, making it an important factor ...
Phys.org / Captured mid-reaction, RNA polymerase reveals universal blueprint for gene transcription
The enzyme RNA polymerase (RNAP) carries out transcription, copying DNA into RNA. It's the first step in gene expression, and a process fundamental to all life. But the inner workings of this essential enzyme have long baffled ...
Phys.org / Tiny flexible lasers enable force sensing inside living cells
Researchers have developed tiny flexible lasers that can be used to measure forces inside living cells. The new lasers could help illuminate various biological processes, including those involved in early development and ...
Phys.org / Western US is fending off more fires before they start—and still getting hit by its biggest blazes yet
The number of wildfires burning in the Western United States each year dropped roughly 28% over the past three decades, even as annual burned area and damage from wildfires have soared. A decline in fires accidentally sparked ...
Medical Xpress / Host genetics and sex can steer flu toward greater virulence, mouse experiments reveal
During the early stages of a pandemic, viruses tend to evolve in ways that enhance their ability to reproduce and spread, rather than to evade the host's immune system. The genetics and sex of the host influence how a novel ...
Phys.org / Data from Earth's most remote atoll show soil fungi are key to island regeneration
Palmyra Atoll, a remote, uninhabited speck of land, coral and sea halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa, is one of the healthiest, intact atolls on the planet—so ecologically sensitive that visiting researchers freeze ...
Phys.org / How rocks trap CO₂ faster: Water-driven pathway could speed long-term carbon storage
Rocks can bind carbon dioxide—and much faster than previously thought. For a long time, it was assumed that the transformation of CO2 into carbonate rock depends on very slow, time-consuming processes. According to that view, ...
Phys.org / Hidden 3D atomic structure of relaxor ferroelectrics revealed for first time
Materials called relaxor ferroelectrics have been used for decades in technologies like ultrasounds, microphones, and sonar systems. Their unique properties come from their atomic structure, but that structure has stubbornly ...
Medical Xpress / Glucose levels appear to guide when brain cells divide or form myelin
Researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have uncovered a surprising link between low brain sugar levels and the development of myelin—the protective coating that allows ...
