Phys.org news
Phys.org / Black locust deploys peptides to steer root bacteria into nitrogen fixation
Plants need nitrogen to grow. Many legumes meet this need through a symbiotic relationship: They harbor bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen and make it available to the plant. Until now, it was largely unclear how a perennial ...
Phys.org / Mice actively seek better views to make visual decisions, virtual reality experiments show
Animals don't experience the world passively. A hawk tilts its head to track prey. A person leans forward to read a sign. Scientists call this "active sensing": moving the body to gather better information. A specific version ...
Phys.org / Jellyfish reveal rapid repair system behind scar-free healing
A decade ago this summer, at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Jocelyn Malamy watched jellyfish cells "walk" toward each other to close a wound for the first time. An associate professor of molecular genetics and cell biology ...
Phys.org / Rice grown on the moon? Air-to-fertilizer technology helps rice grow in lunar soil simulant
Securing sustainable food supplies is a key challenge for long-term human exploration and potential habitation of the moon. The moon's soil contains no organic material, and essential plant nitrogen sources like ammonia and ...
Phys.org / Industrial-era pollution and warming reshape Tibetan lake after 1,000 years of climate swings
The Tibetan Plateau, together with the Hindu Kush–Karakorum–Himalaya region, has more snow and ice than any other region on Earth apart from the polar regions. As a result, this high-altitude region is particularly sensitive ...
Phys.org / The little red galaxies that may be sending us neutrinos
Peering far into the distant, high-redshift universe, the James Webb telescope has discovered an abundance of small red galaxies known as the Little Red Dots. From their observations, astronomers believe that at least some ...
Phys.org / 'Atomic zoom' brings gum disease bacteria into sharp focus
The technology at the center of the growing "resolution revolution" has again shown its value to scientists at Yale by revealing the secrets of gum disease.
Phys.org / New research reveals the motivations and tactics used by call center fraudsters
A new study led by the University of Portsmouth lifts the lid on the tactics used by call center fraudsters in India, while revealing the shocking scale of the industry within the country. Published in the Journal of White ...
Phys.org / A severe El Niño could threaten something essential to half of humanity—rice
Forecasters expect the El Niño now underway in the tropical Pacific to strengthen into a strong or very strong climate driver later this year.
Phys.org / Why some wolves react more strongly to trespassers: Breeders may hold key to scent-based barriers
Wolves use their urine to communicate with each other. A recent study looked at the reactions of a pack to the marking of an intruder. This is a first step toward understanding what attracts or repels canids.
Phys.org / Human activity has not always harmed biodiversity—quite the opposite
For millennia, farming in Switzerland did not reduce plant diversity but helped increase it, University of Basel researchers have shown in a detailed reconstruction covering the past 7,000 years. Only recent decades paint ...
Phys.org / World Cup research reveals strategy to give teams a penalty-shootout edge
One of football's most iconic moments—the penalty shootout—may be far more strategic than previously thought, with new research challenging the notion that the team kicking first holds a major advantage.