Phys.org news
Phys.org / Why plastic lingers: Water chemistry slows nature's cleanup
Scientists have long known that sunlight helps break down plastic. So, why do plastic products linger for decades and even centuries in rivers, lakes, and oceans—even when bathed in direct sunlight? Northwestern University ...
Phys.org / P53's five-hour rhythm may let resonance target gene networks on command
Can networks of genes be stimulated using resonance? Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute are investigating whether the protein p53, which activates a range of different genes, can be induced to communicate with the body's ...
Phys.org / Stretchy, soft, and sticky: Advancing the next generation of wearable and implantable sensors
Wearable and implantable biosensors have the potential to revolutionize health care by diagnosing, monitoring, and even treating a wide range of health conditions. Recent innovations in the lab of Wei Gao, professor of medical ...
Phys.org / Retreating glaciers increase iceberg sightings and reshape deep-sea habitats
The number of icebergs in the Arctic has increased sharply since the 2000s. This is due to the destabilization of large glaciers in northeast Greenland and parts of the Russian Arctic, as well as the increasing mobility of ...
Phys.org / One storm pushed world's rarest great ape closer to extinction in Sumatra
Climate change-fueled landslides wiped out nearly one in 10 remaining members of the world's rarest great ape species on Indonesia's Sumatra island, scientists said Wednesday.
Phys.org / Borneo's ferret badger is found nowhere else on Earth
A collaborative study has provided the most comprehensive assessment to date of the endangered Bornean ferret badger (Melogale everetti). Weighing only around one kilogram (2.2 pounds), the Bornean ferret badger is a small, ...
Phys.org / Giant kelp's microscopic light antenna could inspire innovative climate solutions
New research reveals the microscopic machinery that helps giant kelp turn sunlight into energy, providing inspiration for innovative climate solutions. The study, published in Nature Communications, mapped one of the tiny ...
Phys.org / X-rays reveal how platinum oxidizes in real time inside hydrogen devices
Electrolysers produce hydrogen. Fuel cells, in turn, generate electricity from hydrogen. Both technologies are considered key building blocks of the energy transition, offering well-established solutions for storing, transporting ...
Phys.org / How ice-age sea-level falls may have turned seafloor volcanoes into ocean fertilizer
Ice-age sea-level declines may have turned seafloor volcanoes into natural iron fertilizer for plankton, potentially enhancing ocean carbon storage, Boston College researchers report in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Phys.org / Acidic nanoparticles target Parkinson's at cellular source
Inside every human cell, a tiny structure called a lysosome acts like a recycling center, breaking down toxic waste, clearing damaged proteins and helping keep the cell functioning properly. When that recycling center stops ...
Phys.org / How bacteria organize themselves to 'hitchhike' across large distances
While scientists have studied how bacteria move toward food using a chemical radar known as chemotaxis, they have only watched single species swim in isolated environments over distances of only a few centimeters.
Phys.org / What happens when cartoon villains have an accent? Research reveals impact on kids
When kids watch cartoons, they're absorbing much more than a plot. Thanks to the use of foreign accents in shows, they're also learning a shorthand for moral character, new research from the University of Toronto Mississauga ...