Phys.org news

Phys.org / Did the world's best-preserved dinosaurs really die in 'Pompeii-type' events?

Between about 120 million and 130 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs, temperate forests and lakes hosted a lively ecosystem in what is now northeast China. Diverse fossils from that time remained pretty much undisturbed ...

Nov 4, 2024 in Biology
Phys.org / Sequencing one of the world's oldest trees to learn how mutations occur in clonally reproducing organisms

A team of biologists, environmental scientists and geneticists affiliated with multiple institutions across the U.S. has learned more about how mutations occur in clonally reproducing organisms by sequencing one of the oldest ...

Nov 4, 2024 in Biology
Phys.org / Validation testing of next-gen genome analysis platform reveals potentially disruptive tech

A collaborative study by researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and Illumina has showcased the exceptional capabilities of the DRAGEN (Dynamic Read Analysis for GENomics) platform in comprehensive genome analysis.

Nov 4, 2024 in Biology
Phys.org / Observations detect hundreds of possible supergiant stars in two nearby galaxies

Using the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST), Chinese astronomers have identified nearly 300 candidate supergiant stars in the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies. The finding was reported in ...

Nov 4, 2024 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Mangrove degradation threatens carbon storage in China's Pearl Bay

Carbon sinks are important in the fight against climate change as they draw down atmospheric carbon dioxide levels by storing organic carbon in the oceans and soil, for example. Within tropical and subtropical intertidal ...

Nov 4, 2024 in Earth
Phys.org / Portal to the past: Geologist identifies metamorphic rock as a crucial feature of the ancient Earth's carbon cycle

If Earth's history were a calendar year, humans would not appear until the last few minutes before midnight on Dec. 31. During the Proterozoic Eon—2.5 billion years to 543 million years ago—the sun was still a young star, ...

Nov 4, 2024 in Earth
Phys.org / Rainwater samples reveals it's literally raining 'forever chemicals' in Miami

PFAS are in Miami's rainwater. And it is the latest evidence the synthetic "forever chemicals"—that have raised health concerns for people and wildlife—hitch a ride on the water cycle, using the complex system to circulate ...

Nov 4, 2024 in Earth
Phys.org / The secrets of baseball's magic mud: Study quantifies its properties to show it's not simply a superstition

The unique properties of baseball's famed "magic" mud have never been scientifically quantified—until now. In a paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School ...

Nov 4, 2024 in Physics
Phys.org / New research estimates carbon emissions from 22 million stream reaches across the US

Using a sophisticated new modeling approach, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have estimated carbon dioxide emissions from inland waters to 22 million U.S. lakes, rivers and reservoirs. It marks the ...

Nov 4, 2024 in Earth
Phys.org / Scientists decipher two-photon vision

Two-photon vision is a novel method with great potential for the future of ophthalmic diagnostics. Although it has many advantages, it requires improvement in key areas. International Centre for Eye Research (ICTER) scientists ...

Nov 4, 2024 in Physics
Phys.org / Unlocking next-gen chip efficiency: Researchers confirm thermal insights for tiny circuits

In a leap toward more powerful and efficient computer chips, researchers at the University of Virginia have confirmed a key principle governing heat flow in thin metal films—a critical component in the race to design faster, ...

Nov 4, 2024 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / New trigger proposed for record-smashing 2022 Tonga eruption—unstudied data from seismic wave points to early signals

Fifteen minutes before the massive January 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano, a seismic wave was recorded by two distant seismic stations. Now, researchers argue that similar early signals could be used ...

Nov 4, 2024 in Earth