Phys.org news
Phys.org / Tropical feedback loop: Butterfly mimicry patterns evolve faster near the equator
In the early 1990s, Keith Willmott and a friend, both undergraduate students from the United Kingdom, arrived in Ecuador with impressionable minds and big aspirations. Willmott initially imagined there might be 20 to 30 butterfly ...
Phys.org / Corals sleep like us, but their symbionts never rest
Sleep is essential for much of the animal kingdom. During the night, neuron and tissue repair mechanisms are activated to aid recovery from daily activity. This is risky: organisms that sleep are more vulnerable to predators. ...
Phys.org / Alfvén waves act as the power source behind Earth's auroral displays, research reveals
The dazzling lights of the aurora are created when high-energy particles from space collide with Earth's atmosphere. While scientists have long understood this process, one big mystery remained: What powers the electric fields ...
Phys.org / Framework sets new benchmarks for 3D atom maps in amorphous materials
Researchers at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA published a step-by-step framework for determining the three-dimensional positions and elemental identities of atoms in amorphous materials. These solids, such as ...
Phys.org / Cross-border pollution tracking reveals unequal distribution of risk and responsibility
Microscopic airborne particles known as PM2.5 contribute to 100,000 premature deaths in the United States each year. A new University of Notre Dame study finds that 40% of these deaths can be attributed to pollution that ...
Phys.org / Microplastics found in a third of surveyed fish off the coasts of remote Pacific Islands
A third of fish living in the remote coastal waters of the Pacific Island Countries and Territories are contaminated with microplastics, with especially high rates in Fiji, according to an analysis published in PLOS One by ...
Phys.org / Changing land use can increase threat of animal‑to‑human disease spread
Changes to land use can directly heighten the risk of diseases spreading from animals to humans, new University of Stirling–led research has shown. The study, led by Dr. Adam Fell of the University's Faculty of Natural ...
Phys.org / Cryoelectron tomography reveals paracrystalline architecture of proteasome storage granules
Cells organize their molecules into distinct functional areas. While textbooks usually refer to membrane-bound organelles such as mitochondria and cell nuclei, recent studies have also revealed organelles without membranes. ...
Phys.org / Plant mothers send molecular 'text messages' to pollen
Small RNAs are short RNA molecules that help determine which genes in a cell are switched on or off. Until now, it was assumed that the small RNAs necessary for pollen development originate in the pollen itself and in the ...
Phys.org / Residents from strongly blue or red counties favor like-minded destinations for everyday travel, analysis finds
A new analysis of 471 U.S. counties has found that, for everyday travel, people from counties with particularly strong political leanings—whether liberal or conservative—are more likely to visit like-minded destinations. ...
Phys.org / Capturing the moment of organelle handoff inside living cells
For the first time, researchers have directly visualized how newly formed cellular organelles leave the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and transition onto microtubule tracks inside living cells. This new finding reveals that ...
Phys.org / Ultrathin kagome metal hosts robust 3D flat electronic band state
A team of researchers at Monash University has uncovered a powerful new way to engineer exotic quantum states, revealing a robust and tunable three-dimensional flat electronic band in an ultrathin kagome metal, an achievement ...
