Phys.org news
Phys.org / Turning plastic waste into valuable chemicals with single-atom catalysts
The rapid accumulation of plastic waste is currently posing significant risks for both human health and the environment on Earth. A possible solution to this problem would be to recycle plastic waste, breaking it into smaller ...
Phys.org / Saturday Citations: Self-repairing quantum computer; AI carbon footprint; active listening forges bonds
In the best possible news for people who like pizza, researchers report that high-fat cheese may protect brain health and reduce dementia risk. Ancient hunter-gatherer DNA could explain why some people live 100 years or more. ...
Phys.org / First beta-delayed neutron emission observed in rare fluorine-25 isotope
A research team at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) is the first ever to observe a beta-delayed neutron emission from fluorine-25, a rare, unstable nuclide. Using the FRIB Decay Station Initiator (FDSi), the team ...
Phys.org / New 'cloaking device' concept shields electronics from disruptive magnetic fields
University of Leicester engineers have unveiled a concept for a device designed to magnetically "cloak" sensitive components, making them invisible to detection.
Phys.org / A molecular gatekeeper that controls protein synthesis
Researchers at ETH Zurich recently explained the role of a molecular complex that orchestrates the production of proteins in our cells. They now show that this complex also controls the processing of proteins that compact ...
Phys.org / Ant societies rose by trading individual protection for collective power—the evolution of 'squishability'
Would you rather fight a horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses? The famous question, though implausible, reflects a ubiquitous tradeoff between quantity and quality. Now, a study shows that this dilemma operates in biology ...
Phys.org / Eifel volcanoes mapped in detail: Surprising new insights from Germany's largest seismological experiment
Several hundred volcanoes lie dormant beneath the Eifel in western Germany. They are typical examples of what is known as distributed volcanic fields. To better understand their formation and activity, researchers from the ...
Phys.org / How ancient viral DNA shapes early embryonic development
A new study from the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) in London, UK reveals how ancient viral DNA once written off as "junk" plays a crucial role in the earliest moments of life. The research, published in Science ...
Phys.org / Pressing pause: A small genetic stop may have helped complex life evolve
Humans have it. So does Drosophila. But not yeast. That "it" is a small pause at the start of gene activity—a brief molecular halt that may have helped life evolve from simple cells to complex animals.
Phys.org / Wildfires reshape forest soils for decades, with recovery varying by climate
Wildfires may disappear from the landscape within weeks, but their hidden effects on the soil can persist for decades. An international research team led by the University of Göttingen, together with partners in Tübingen, ...
Phys.org / How mountain building and climate change have shaped alpine biodiversity over 30 million years
In a study published in Science Advances on December 19, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with collaborators from international institutions, explored ...
Phys.org / Targeting bacterial 'decision-making' could help outsmart antibiotic resistance
Antibiotic resistance is a growing global health crisis that makes common infections harder to treat and puts many medical procedures at risk. Now, Carnegie Mellon University researchers have uncovered a vulnerability in ...
