Phys.org news
Phys.org / Bezos's Blue Origin poised for first orbital launch next week
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's company Blue Origin is poised to launch its first orbital rocket next week, marking a pivotal moment in the commercial space race currently dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Phys.org / New research reveals RNA on leaves may impact microbial communities
Biologists at Indiana University Bloomington have shown that the surfaces of plant leaves are coated with a diverse array of RNA molecules. The finding suggests that the RNA present on the leaf surface may play a role in ...
Phys.org / Spinning a tune: Chinese scientist names new spider species after pop songs
A Chinese scientist has named 16 new spider species after songs by popular "Mandopop" musician Jay Chou.
Phys.org / Fuel aridity emerges as dominant driver of severity in recent Canadian wildfires
A team of forest management specialists affiliated with various institutions across Canada has found that fuel aridity has been the most influential driver of burn severity in wildfires in Canada over the past several decades.
Phys.org / Scientists detect mysterious suppression in cosmic structure growth
A new study in published in Physical Review Letters analyzes the most complete set of galaxy clustering data to test the ΛCDM model, revealing discrepancies in the formation of cosmic structures in the universe, hinting ...
Phys.org / First medieval female burial with weapons discovered in Hungary
A recent study led by Dr. Balázs Tihanyi and his colleagues, published in PLOS ONE, has led to the positive identification of the first-known female burial with weapons in the 10th-century Carpathian Basin, Hungary.
Phys.org / Chimpanzees' stone tool choices may mirror ancient human ancestors' techniques
An international team of paleobiologists, anthropologists and behavioral scientists has found that the process used by modern chimps to select tools for cracking nuts may be similar to how ancient human ancestors chose their ...
Phys.org / Lake bacteria evolve like clockwork with the seasons, study reveals
Like Bill Murray in the movie "Groundhog Day," bacteria species in a Wisconsin lake are in a kind of endless loop that they can't seem to shake. Except in this case, it's more like Groundhog Year.
Phys.org / Fossil study reveals oldest-known evolutionary 'arms race'
A study led by researchers at the American Museum of Natural History presents the oldest known example in the fossil record of an evolutionary arms race. These 517-million-year-old predator-prey interactions occurred in the ...
Phys.org / Carbon in our bodies likely left galaxy and came back on cosmic 'conveyer belt'
Life on Earth could not exist without carbon. But carbon itself could not exist without stars. Nearly all elements except hydrogen and helium—including carbon, oxygen and iron—only exist because they were forged in stellar ...
Phys.org / Co-management of protected areas by NGOs and African countries significantly reduces deforestation
In order to better protect ecosystems and biodiversity, several African countries have set up innovative management models in which protected areas are co-managed by government bodies and international or national NGOs through ...
Phys.org / Scientists reveal overlooked ocean processes crucial for carbon storage
A new study has unveiled the key mechanisms that preserve organic carbon in the ocean—a poorly understood but vital process that influences the Earth's climate, carbon cycles, and formation of fossil fuels.