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Phys.org / Two Arctic charr populations evolved in less than a century, study finds

Evolution, the process through which animals and other living organisms change their inherited traits over time, typically unfolds slowly over thousands or even millions of years. Some species, however, can adapt at a faster ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Before North and South America were connected, their mammals found a way to intermingle

Until the Panamanian isthmus formed about 2.8 million years ago, North and South America were isolated continents with unique groups of animals. A riot of marsupials—mammals with brood pouches—and sloths in the south contrasted ...

6 hours ago
Medical Xpress / Mice value advance knowledge, even when it reduces water rewards

We all hunger for information. Sometimes this drive leads us to a tangible reward, such as looking up reviews to find the perfect restaurant. But often we seek knowledge as an end unto itself, as when Galileo pointed his ...

3 hours ago
Phys.org / Scientists solve mystery of how muscle cells grow and stay healthy

In a study published in Nature Communications biophysicists unravel the mystery of how muscles form at the molecular level and maintain their function. The findings may help design treatments for muscle diseases such as dilated ...

3 hours ago
Phys.org / Tiny fossils crack a Cretaceous cold case: Ocean acidification triggered one of the ocean's most severe extinctions

A 113-million-year-old marine murder mystery may finally be solved. Using chemical clues locked inside microscopic fossils, Northwestern University scientists found evidence that ocean acidification drove one of the largest ...

6 hours ago
Phys.org / Volcanic eruptions in Pacific Ring of Fire may have cooled Earth for centuries

For around 12,000 years, the Earth has been in the Holocene epoch, a warmer period following a glacial period. During this epoch, however, there have been around 22 abrupt cold phases, each lasting up to several centuries ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Tiny sugar chains act as brakes to control calcium and sodium flow in lysosomes

Lysosomes are small compartments inside cells that break down and recycle biological materials. Once regarded mainly as cellular waste-disposal centers, lysosomes are now understood to be important signaling hubs for calcium ...

6 hours ago
Medical Xpress / Sleep replay of learned skills can occur independently of the hippocampus, mouse study finds

Sleep is a crucial physiological process that supports recovery, clears metabolic waste products from the brain, regulates metabolism and supports the functioning of the immune system. Sleep is also known to play a key role ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Quantum spin effects may enhance one-way electrical transport in chiral magnets

Quantum fluctuations influence direction-dependent electrical transport in chiral magnets, researchers from Science Tokyo report. In chiral magnetic systems, electric current flows differently depending on its direction, ...

3 hours ago
Medical Xpress / Brain training app makes adults with ADHD feel sharper but tests show no real change

Once believed to be a condition that children outgrow, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is now recognized as a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that often persists into adulthood. For many adults, it can ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Light's hidden properties save quantum information from the chaos of bad weather

For years, researchers have tried to harness the "twist" of light to transmit data. This property describes how light spirals as it travels forward, and because it can be molded into a virtually infinite number of different ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Flash droughts can pull 'alarming' amounts of moisture from the landscape and intensify wildfires

When catastrophic wildfires capture global headlines, such as the unprecedented blazes sweeping through southern Europe this summer or the devastating 2019–20 "Black Summer" in Australia, they are almost always preceded by ...

3 hours ago