Phys.org news
Phys.org / Using less, living better: Demand-side climate action wins public support
Climate strategies are still judged largely across two dimensions: how much they cost and how many tons of CO2 they save. A new study published in Communications Sustainability argues that this narrow lens overlooks much ...
Phys.org / How cyanobacteria developed photosynthetic membranes over the course of evolution
A new study provides the first insights into how thylakoid membranes—the internal compartments where oxygen-producing photosynthesis takes place—emerged during evolution. By comparing the genomes of cyanobacteria with and ...
Phys.org / How solar wind forecasting will help define heliosphere's boundaries
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientists are using a solar wind forecasting method combined with analytic and numerical heliosphere models to find out where the first plasma boundary of the outer heliosphere lies as ...
Phys.org / Cats age like humans—could studying their brains reveal healthy aging secrets?
Domestic cats age in remarkably similar ways to humans and show comparable age-related patterns of brain deterioration, according to an international collaboration among the University of Bath in the U.K., Auburn University ...
Phys.org / Protein-tagging technology maps a hidden communication network between organs
The body's organs are in constant communication. Fat tissue tells the liver when to store or release energy, the immune system signals localized inflammation, and thousands of proteins carry these messages to organs throughout ...
Phys.org / Primordial halo simulations reveal how cosmic storms shaped the universe's first stars
Just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, the universe was a dark and simple place. There were no galaxies like the Milky Way, no planets, and no heavy elements such as carbon or oxygen. Instead, vast clouds of ...
Phys.org / A minimal model for how a cell takes shape from the inside
Researchers at the University of Twente and Utrecht University have packed rigid, rod-shaped particles into soft lipid containers the size of a living cell and watched the container and its contents reshape each other. The ...
Phys.org / The Caspian Sea has lost an area nearly the size of Sicily: Human activities are a major reason why
The Caspian Sea, the largest inland body of water on Earth, is shrinking. Not fluctuating, not entering another natural cycle, but shrinking.
Phys.org / Insects exhibit evidence of a daily body clock for humidity
In a novel experiment at the University of Cincinnati, researchers recently isolated kissing bugs, fruit flies, mosquitoes and spider beetles in a climate- and light-controlled environment and found that they responded predictably ...
Phys.org / Feeding data to AI to speed up drug discovery
Developing new medicines can require thousands of chemistry experiments to identify the right recipe for a safe, effective and ideally affordable drug.
Phys.org / Ordinary enzyme that evolves into 'control switch' reveals tuberculosis weak spot
Researchers at the University of Surrey have identified a protein that acts as a control switch, preventing Mycobacterium tuberculosis from accessing the energy sources it needs to survive. The discovery points to a specific ...
Phys.org / Chaotic polymer vibrations may unlock stronger, flexible thermal insulators
University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers have demonstrated a possible new avenue for developing flame-retardant and generally low-conductivity (low-heat-transfer) plastics that retain the benefits of being strong and ...