Phys.org news

Phys.org / Yeast experiments reveal an evolutionarily conserved backup route for making a molecule that's essential to life

Hiroshima University researchers say a newly proposed three-step "detour" pathway for making dolichol, a molecule cells need to properly process proteins, may be more universal than scientists realized. Experiments in yeast ...

47 minutes ago
Phys.org / Lighter X-ray aprons could spare health care workers from chronic pain

A light, flexible polymer material developed at the University of Waterloo could replace the lead in heavy X-ray aprons, providing the same protection from harmful radiation while reducing their weight by almost 90%.

22 minutes ago
Dialog / A 170 km journey by a freshwater stingray challenges long-held conservation assumptions

Most sharks and rays inhabit the oceans, but a small proportion thrive in freshwater. Approximately 4% to 5% of all shark and ray species live in tropical and subtropical rivers around the world. Two main ecological strategies ...

1 hour ago
Phys.org / Researchers craft a new, simple recipe for highly entangled quantum states

Building useful quantum technologies—from sensors to computers—requires generating highly complex entangled states, in which the properties of particles are deeply intertwined. Producing such states has traditionally required ...

2 minutes ago
Phys.org / X-ray scans uncover Nazi symbols hidden beneath postwar painting

Erich Mercker (1891–1973), a painter from Munich, was quite successful in his day. Between 1933 and 1945, he painted works containing Nazi symbolism, including "Die Stätte des 9. November," which depicts the Feldherrnhalle ...

42 minutes ago
Phys.org / Black hole feeding bursts may explain JWST's Little Red Dots in early universe

A new theoretical study may have cracked one of the most puzzling discoveries of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): Little Red Dots, spotted across the early universe. The paper, posted to the arXiv preprint server on ...

1 hour ago
Phys.org / Gleam-glum effect reveals emotional word cues in children as young as five

The words "tick-tock," "hiss" and "screech" are examples of onomatopoeia because they imitate the sounds they represent: the rhythmic ticking of a clock; an angry cat, or a slowly deflating bike tire; a high-pitched scream. ...

1 hour ago
Phys.org / Critically endangered Chinese pangolin found in Nepal's sacred forest

The rare Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) has been spotted for the first time in Sunsari District in eastern Nepal. This brings the total number of districts in the country where the critically endangered species has ...

2 hours ago
Phys.org / Astronomers discover the earliest known flickering quasar

A supermassive black hole lies at the heart of every galaxy, including the Milky Way. When a black hole is active, it pulls material in as a whirlpool of high-temperature gas and dust. As this cosmic material piles up and ...

1 hour ago
Phys.org / Nickelate superconductors share a common electronic fingerprint

Superconductors, materials that conduct electricity with zero electrical resistance at specific temperature ranges, have proved very promising for the development of quantum computers and other cutting-edge technologies. ...

6 hours ago
Phys.org / How Artemis II livestreamed hi-def videos and images from the moon to Earth

This April, humanity had front-row seats to space as the Artemis II Orion spacecraft transmitted crystal-clear footage of its historic journey around the moon from more than 250,000 miles (about 402,000 kilometers) back to ...

2 hours ago
Phys.org / Alien signal claims face stricter verification under updated disclosure rules

The IAA SETI Committee has updated rules for evaluating and revealing the detection of extraterrestrial intelligence.

2 hours ago