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Phys.org / The bizarre sex life of mayflies: Micro-CT scans reveal ins and outs of swarm Kamasutra

A new study on mayflies of the genus Ecdyonurus illustrates just how multifaceted and surprising reproductive behavior in nature can be. Entomologists at the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart (SMNS), using state-of-the-art ...

15 hours ago
Phys.org / Satellite data suggest Sundarbans mangroves are losing resilience

Mangrove forests protect tropical coasts from storms, store large amounts of carbon and provide vital habitats for plants and animals, serving, for example, as nurseries for fish and crabs. They also supply local communities ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / Wolves kill—and ravens remember where

When a wolf pack runs down its prey, the first on the scene is often the raven. Even before the predators have had time to dig in, the ravens are already in line, waiting to take advantage of the odd scrap of meat that becomes ...

17 hours ago
Tech Xplore / AI search robot uses 3D maps and internet knowledge to find lost items

A robot that can locate lost items on command, the latest development at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), combines knowledge from the internet with a spatial map of its surroundings to efficiently find the objects ...

15 hours ago
Phys.org / Allowing atoms to come and go can open the door to better materials modeling

Most materials, especially metals and ceramics, are crystals. Their atoms are arranged in three-dimensional lattices that repeat the same exact pattern, over and over again. But there's a well-known saying in materials science: ...

15 hours ago
Tech Xplore / Shortest paths research narrows a 25-year gap in graph algorithms

Most of you have used a navigation app like Google Maps for your travels at some point. These apps rely on algorithms that compute shortest paths through vast networks. Now imagine scaling that task to calculate distances ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / Musicologists map medieval chant tropes to 9th-century political borders

The spread of a particular genre of music reflects the borders between medieval empires in Europe. This is shown by a study conducted by a musicologist at the University of Würzburg, appearing in Transactions of the International ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Selfish sperm hijack Overdrive gene to kill healthy rivals

A new University of Utah-led study has discovered the mechanism behind a decades-old evolutionary mystery—how "selfish chromosomes" cheat the rules of genetic inheritance. The researchers found that rogue chromosomes hijack ...

22 hours ago
Medical Xpress / Constant technology changes throw seniors a curve, and add to caregivers' load

This past Christmas, I helped my parents choose a water filter. The latest "smart" models all came with a smartphone app that promised to monitor filter life, track water quality, and automatically request service. Yet my ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Capsule technology opens new window into individual cells

Researchers have developed a capsule-based method that makes it possible to analyze the same cell through multiple experimental steps. The technology overcomes a long-standing limitation in cell research and could open new ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / A common hydrogel may be built differently than assumed, with big implications for mechanics

A study led by Northwestern University researchers has reported a way to observe hydrogel nano and microstructure while the hydrogel remains fully solvated. The approach reveals that methylcellulose, one of the most widely ...

16 hours ago
Tech Xplore / Microscopic metal 'thorns' shed light on how lithium-ion batteries short-circuit

For the first time, scientists have observed how tiny metal "thorns" called dendrites sprout inside lithium-ion batteries, which can cause the batteries to short-circuit. Their findings, published in the journal Science, ...

16 hours ago