Phys.org news
Phys.org / Animals were sharpening their senses long before the Cambrian explosion, ancient tracks reveal
Tracks left by some of the earliest complex animals are giving new insights into how they experienced the world. New research reveals how these creatures started to understand their surroundings, paving the way for animal ...
Phys.org / Canadian forest fires are losing their climate cooling power, says study
Diminishing periods of snow cover in northern forests, shortened by climate change, are poised to disrupt a delicate balance in some of the planet's most climate-sensitive regions—according to new research from McMaster University, ...
Phys.org / First human SMUG1 atomic snapshots reveal how cells repair DNA
Researchers have captured the first atomic structures of human SMUG1, an enzyme that helps cells repair damaged DNA. The findings provide new insight into how cells recognize and remove harmful DNA bases, and may support ...
Phys.org / Leafy camouflage reshapes katydid love songs, making males more attractive to females
New research from the University of St Andrews has discovered that insects who conceal themselves as leaves also use their leafy camouflage to amplify mating calls, making themselves more attractive to the opposite sex. The ...
Phys.org / Faster lower-cost PFAS testing could reshape how US drinking water is monitored
A new investigation from the University of Kansas improves detection of PFAS, a family of so-called "forever chemicals" in drinking water supplies. The method, which can measure trace pollution levels of PFAS in water more ...
Phys.org / Climate-based tool predicts coral bleaching months in advance, offering critical lead time for reef protection
Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have developed a new method to predict coral bleaching five to six months before it occurs, giving reef managers valuable time to protect vulnerable ecosystems. ...
Phys.org / UN warns world to prepare for El Nino extreme weather
There is an 80% chance of the warming El Niño phenomenon developing between June and August, increasing the risk of extreme weather events, the World Meteorological Organization said Tuesday.
Phys.org / Environmental engineers reshape understanding of airborne pollution particles
From sizzling bacon in the kitchen to wildfire smoke in the sky, cooking and pollution release microscopic particles that affect humans' health, the air they breathe, and even weather and climate. New research from Virginia ...
Phys.org / Why the Arctic's rivers are rusting now and where toxic orange water could spread next
Scientists have identified the two biggest reasons that once-pristine rivers across the Arctic are growing cloudy with toxic orange iron particles that smother insects and suffocate fish.
Phys.org / Ancient altercations between musk turtles and alligator gar recorded in Florida's fossil record
Sometime between 5.5 and 5.6 million years ago, two shell crushers squared off in the languid currents of an ancient Florida river. The fossils they left behind, discovered by paleontologists at the Florida Museum of Natural ...
Phys.org / Nine decades of changing insect diversity in Switzerland expose a striking divide
Thanks to a historical data archive, Swiss researchers are able to draw conclusions about the changes in the diversity of two insect groups over the past 90 years. The study, led by Agroscope, identified a significant decline ...
Phys.org / Antarctic 'sky rivers' deliver up to 90% of snowfall, 3D algorithm suggests
Atmospheric rivers act like "rivers in the sky," shuttling intense bands of warm, heavy moisture from lower to higher latitudes. When an atmospheric river encounters cold air or mountainous terrain, the moisture it carries ...
