Phys.org news
Phys.org / JWST 'weighs' dormant black hole 10 billion light-years away
The most distant, nearly invisible dormant black hole has been detected and "weighed" by an international team of astronomers that includes researchers from UCL. The study, published in Science, identified a dormant black ...
Phys.org / Wildfires reverse decade of ozone cleanup in the United States, study reveals
Ozone pollution has worsened in much of the continental United States over the past decade, fueled by wildfires and the long-distance transport of unhealthy air, according to a new study titled "Fires reverse progress toward ...
Phys.org / Most people cooperate—and underestimate others' willingness to cooperate, global study reveals
The study "Homo cooperans: Understanding the nature of human cooperation" arrives at a clear result: 69% of study participants chose to cooperate. At the same time, the study published in the journal Science shows that people ...
Phys.org / Billions are going into fish passage projects, but planning methods can undercut results
Fish that split their lives between fresh and salt water often face obstacles getting back and forth. Dams and roads fracture river networks and interfere with traditional migratory routes, sparking concerns about fish health ...
Phys.org / Ultrathin nanotubes reach 1 nanometer, opening path to smaller electronics
Researchers in Japan have created some of the world's smallest semiconducting nanotubes, structures 100,000 times thinner than a human hair. By growing molybdenum disulfide inside protective tubes of boron nitride, the researchers, ...
Phys.org / Bumble bees show spontaneous problem-solving, challenging big-brain assumptions
In a new study, bumble bees solve a completely novel object-manipulation task. What makes this behavior especially remarkable is that the bees had never been trained. The findings challenge the long-standing assumption that ...
Phys.org / On-demand Arctic observations with low-cost balloon systems could sharpen local storm forecasts
Arctic communities are increasingly exposed to dangerous weather events due to climate change and rely on accurate weather forecasts. However, conditions in the lower atmosphere remain poorly observed in the Arctic because ...
Phys.org / Global mangrove forests rebound, offering hopeful sign for climate and coastal resilience
Mangrove forests, once considered one of the world's most threatened coastal ecosystems, are showing signs of recovery worldwide, according to new research from Tulane University that finds decades of losses largely offset ...
Phys.org / Costa Rica paid landowners to restore forests and biodiversity—bioacoustics indicate that it worked
Forest restoration can help fight climate change and restore lost biodiversity, but the satellite-based techniques used to measure successful forest restoration have been less-than-helpful for measuring changes in biodiversity. ...
Phys.org / Buoys track ocean waves across 14,000 km, from storms in Antarctica to ripples in Alaska
For the first time, mighty ocean waves generated in the Southern Ocean have been accurately measured all the way to the tiny ripples they form on the shores of Alaska. Professor Ian Young, from the University of Melbourne's ...
Phys.org / Understanding Earth's hidden east-west symmetry could improve climate models
Earth is divided into two halves: the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Both reflect equal amounts of sunlight (albedo) even though they have different landmasses and weather patterns, especially cloud distribution. Why ...
Phys.org / DNA repair enzyme uses one-dimensional sliding to detect key sites, researchers reveal
DNA is the blueprint of the human body. However, tens of thousands of DNA lesions occur in our bodies every day. In particular, if "apurinic/apyrimidinic sites" (AP sites, damaged sites where one letter of DNA information ...