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Phys.org / Polymers built inside the body through blood-catalyzed chemistry allow on-demand brain control
The 19th-century science fiction novel Frankenstein explores the idea of combining artificial materials with human body components, purely as a matter of imagination. Two centuries later, such concepts have become integral ...
Phys.org / Unlocking Earth's 4.5-billion-year secret: The case of the missing lead
Geoscientists have long relied on different forms of lead to understand Earth's geological history and how it was created over billions of years. However, there is a mystery that has been puzzling scientists for decades: ...
Tech Xplore / New AI video tool removes objects without breaking the laws of physics
When movie and TV directors want to tinker with their footage in post-production, they have an array of tools at their disposal to perfect a scene if it wasn't shot exactly how they liked. That includes removing objects like ...
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 ...
Phys.org / AI-designed proteins built from scratch can recognize specific compounds
Professor Gyu Rie Lee of the Department of Biological Sciences successfully designed artificial proteins that selectively recognize specific compounds using AI through joint research with Professor David Baker. The research, ...
Medical Xpress / The human body isn't a masterpiece of design. It's a patchwork of evolutionary compromise
The human body is often described as a marvel of "perfect design": elegant, efficient and finely tuned for its purpose. Yet, when we look closer, a rather different picture emerges.
Phys.org / Scientists discover f-block metals yield new oxygen-binding chemistry
Iron and oxygen bind together throughout the body. Most famously, iron binds dioxygen, or two oxygens paired with each other, in hemoglobin that transports oxygen through blood. But iron-oxo compounds, as they're called, ...
Phys.org / From Asgard to Earth: Tiny tubes may reveal the moment complex life began
Stromatolites—and their close relatives, microbial mats—could be mistaken for what seems like a bunch of old dark rocks. But instead, they are dense, layered communities of microbes. Long before complex life such as animals ...
Tech Xplore / 'Stop hiring humans'? Silicon Valley confronts AI job panic
AI industry insiders want workers to code smarter, think harder and lean into their humanity—but still dodge the question of how many jobs artificial intelligence will destroy.
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 / How bromoform wrecks ozone: Ultrafast 'roaming' step captured in 150 femtoseconds
The halomethane compound bromoform (CHBr3) has devastating effects on the ozone layer. In the upper layers of the atmosphere, bromoform reacts with UV radiation, releasing bromine molecules which destroy ozone molecules. ...
Phys.org / Inquiry-based biomimicry course inspires students to design solutions by learning from nature
Research and innovation in Texas A&M University's biomedical engineering department often centers around clinical impact on patients. Beyond the lab, however, some faculty are finding breakthroughs in the classroom.