Phys.org news
Phys.org / Microplastics pass through earthworms without accumulating in body tissues, study shows
As much as 40 million metric tons of microplastics are released into the environment globally every year. These tiny pieces of plastic come from larger plastic items that break down or are shed by products such as clothing, ...
Phys.org / Watermelon super-pangenome paves the way for precision breeding
Watermelon is a quintessential summertime fruit, evoking images of warm, sunny afternoons and cookouts with friends and family. You can easily picture its striped, green rind and pink flesh, imagine the delicate crunch as ...
Phys.org / Greener process recovers over 96% of rare earths from permanent magnets
Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, have developed a solid-phase extraction process that enables the eco-friendly recovery of critical raw materials from NdFeB magnets. The developed method utilizes organic ...
Phys.org / Scientists map genetic switches on mosquito reproductive genes, advancing tools to fight disease
Scientists at Keele University have created the first detailed map of the genetic "switches" that control reproduction in disease-carrying insects such as Anopheles gambiae, the mosquito species most responsible for malaria ...
Phys.org / Super transformer aims to bring order to biology's data under one AI model
Modern biology is awash in data. Scientists can sequence DNA, track gene activity cell-by-cell, map proteins in space, and image tissues at microscopic resolution. However, it is a struggle to put all that information together ...
Phys.org / Decades of deep sea mining research show threat to seafloor creatures
There's increasing interest in deep-sea mining, but the impacts that this will have on the animals that live in the depths isn't fully understood. A new review led by our scientists is giving us our first insight into how ...
Phys.org / Elastic rules may explain why nematic crystals look ordered and disordered at once
Electronic nematicity is a phase of some crystalline solids in which electrons' collective properties, such as charge or spin densities, organize themselves into ordered patterns, lowering the crystal's rotational symmetry. ...
Phys.org / A chemical failsafe can save crops from disease without crushing growth
Salicylic acid, the active molecule in aspirin and some acne medications, is a hormone in plants that is essential for immunity, but it's a double-edged sword: Too much can cause autoimmunity and stunt growth. In a study ...
Phys.org / Relamination: A mechanism that has been shaping continents for billions of years
An international team led by researchers from the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC) has identified a key mechanism that has shaped Earth's continents over billions of years. This mechanism is the deep re-lamination ...
Phys.org / Packed together, they melt differently: What happens when one iceberg enters another's icy wake
Earth's ice is melting. As icebergs break away from glaciers and melt away, the fresh meltwater mixes into its saltwater surroundings. However, icebergs do not exist in isolation. In Greenland, for example, jammed collections ...
Phys.org / New 'ecclesiastical' moth named after Pope Leo XIV
Distinguished by its striking colors and a name that carries the weight of a high ecclesiastical office, a new species of moth has been discovered in the rugged terrain of Greece. When researchers from the Tyrolean State ...
Phys.org / Burned stone, child's bones, and lost jewelry hint at prehistoric mining camp high in the Pyrenees
In the past, scientists thought that prehistoric peoples only traveled briefly through high-altitude mountain areas, rather than staying to take advantage of their resources. But new evidence suggests that, starting about ...
