Phys.org news
Phys.org / Indigenous peoples in the Amazon face massive cultural and ecological loss due to climate change
The Amazon region, Earth's most important ecosystem, is home to more than 400 Indigenous groups that use thousands of rainforest plant species. They pass on their knowledge of the flora primarily through oral tradition, usually ...
Phys.org / Decoding of one of nature's largest enzymes reveals electron flow behind biological methane production
A research team at Marburg University has investigated one of the largest enzyme complexes found in nature to date and deciphered its remarkable structure. Under the supervision of Dr. Jan Schuller, Ph.D. student Sophia Paul ...
Phys.org / Ancient atmospheric oxygen found in iron ore deposits
How do some of geology's most mysterious iron ore deposits form? This question has preoccupied the geosciences for more than a century. An international research team led by Dr. Stefan Peters from the Leibniz Institute for ...
Phys.org / Peru Amazon highway tied to 400% dengue surge within 5 kilometers of road
New roads bring changes to the regions they traverse. They can enable job opportunities, access to medicine and health care, and electricity. But they also disrupt local ecosystems and can have surprising consequences for ...
Phys.org / Satellites are transforming biodiversity monitoring for global nature targets, but major gaps remain
A new scientific review outlines how satellites and other remote sensing technologies are increasingly shaping how biodiversity and ecosystem health can be monitored at scale—offering new opportunities for countries reporting ...
Phys.org / Maize-fed animals may have helped Maya farmers solve corn's protein deficiency
Maize (corn) is a major dietary staple in Maya communities past and present because of its reliability, potential for surplus, and suitability as both food and fodder. It became so important to ancient Mesoamerican communities ...
Phys.org / California wolves feed heavily on cattle and their presence causes significant stress among livestock
Two new studies examining gray wolves in California paint a complex picture of life on the state's ranching landscapes: Wolves eat cattle more than anything else, and the presence of the predators causes significant stress ...
Phys.org / Beavers thrive in river estuaries along North America's northwest coast
Beavers are widespread in estuaries and tidal wetlands in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, demonstrating that they are not restricted to rivers and streams, Gregory Hood at the Skagit River System Cooperative, ...
Phys.org / Breathable hydrogel keeps ECG signals steady through workouts and 10 days of wear
Hydrogels are squishy, biofriendly materials made mostly of water and a bit of polymer. The Jell-O-like substance is available in the form of medical patches, sprays and glues, and can be stuck to the skin or implanted in ...
Phys.org / Nature's puncture tools reveal shape trade-offs between piercing power and strength
Nature has invented countless types of pointy appendages, and scientists have long sought to explain what makes these structures so effective at puncturing other things. A new study models the key physical characteristics ...
Phys.org / Ocean acidification may be shrinking the brains of the world's most intelligent invertebrates
An ongoing research project exploring the effects of rising levels of oceanic CO2 on squid neurology reveals that exposure to future levels of ocean acidification could shrink their brain volume by around 50%. This severe ...
Phys.org / Optimizing RNA design with AI and an Ising machine: Encoding matters
RNA has emerged as one of the most promising molecules in modern medicine, enabling advances from mRNA vaccines and gene therapies to genome editing and synthetic biology. However, designing RNA molecules that reliably fold ...
