Phys.org news

Phys.org / Global observations reveal rapid reorganization of ocean nutrients

From coral reefs and kelp forests to the open ocean and deep-sea zones, nutrients that support phytoplankton growth and marine productivity form the foundation of oceanic ecosystems. When levels of key nutrients—such as ...

1 hour ago
Phys.org / Galactic islands of tranquility: 'Little red dots' may have brewed life's building blocks

Astronomers have found that both the core of our Milky Way and the earliest proto-galaxies in the universe share a surprising trait: They are unusually calm and quiet in terms of harsh radiation. This tranquility is not just ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / Seeing global trade through the lens of physics

New research from the Complexity Science Hub (CSH) shows why widely used algorithms for measuring economic complexity produce trustworthy results and how these tools may benefit diverse areas such as ecology, social science, ...

1 hour ago
Phys.org / Cell death's 'beautiful' rings have implications for biological resilience and immunity

Researchers at the University of Michigan have revealed that cells use a previously unknown feat of molecular craftsmanship to help protect their larger host organisms. The building blocks required for this work are found ...

1 hour ago
Phys.org / Climate change is slowing Earth's spin at unprecedented rate compared to past 3.6 million years

Climate change is lengthening our days because rising sea levels slow Earth's rotation. Researchers from the University of Vienna and ETH Zurich now show that the current increase in day length—1.33 milliseconds per century—is ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Palm-sized superconducting magnet achieves 42 tesla, rivaling the world's biggest

When we think of powerful magnets used in particle accelerators or for NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), we often envision bulky machines, sometimes the size of buildings. But in an extraordinary breakthrough for physics, ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Shell game: How oysters enlist help from microbes

For an oyster, creating an internal environment for calcification that forms its distinctive hard shell is essential. But new Harvard research has found that these bivalves may outsource the work, coordinating with microbes ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / New study of global reef growth over past 12,000 years offers insights into impact of rising ocean temperatures

Coral reefs over the past 12,000 years grew best when the ocean temperature was 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius), according to new research from Florida Tech. Recent ocean warming and regional and local disturbances ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / How much do nontargeted analyses really see? A model maps chemical blind spots

In a study published in Analytical Chemistry, researchers from the University of Amsterdam's Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) reveal a sobering reality regarding nontargeted chemical analysis. Although ...

2 hours ago
Phys.org / AI accelerates elucidation of nuclear forces with explosive neutron star data

A research team is using astrophysical explosions to understand the mysterious forces at work in some of the smallest building blocks in nature: atomic nuclei. In new research published in Nature Communications, the team ...

3 hours ago
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 ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / Turning penicillin into a lethal force against bacteria again

When many disease-causing bacteria encounter penicillin, they are not always destroyed right away, shifting into a temporary survival state called antibiotic tolerance. This state allows them to withstand drug levels that ...

4 hours ago