Phys.org news
Phys.org / Most mammal species discovered in the Global South since 1990 end up in Northern collections
According to a study by Brazilian scientists published in the journal npj Biodiversity, most new mammal species described over the past 35 years are housed in institutions in countries of the so-called Global North, even ...
Phys.org / Double spiral inside narwhal tusks may explain their resistance to bending
The narwhal's impressive tusk has long been the subject of myths. In the Middle Ages, they were sold as unicorn horns believed to possess magical powers. Now, an international team of researchers led by Aarhus University ...
Phys.org / 'Switchable' smart gel may pave way for next-gen drug delivery and sensing tech
University of Birmingham scientists have developed a new material that changes from a gel to a liquid-like state under ultraviolet light and can be rebuilt using heat or dismantled by acid.
Phys.org / Plants could transform how scientists measure the climate benefits of tidal marshes
Growing up in New Jersey, Emily Wilson regularly passed tidal marshes without giving them much thought. They were part of the coastal landscape—stretches of green and blue she saw from the road.
Phys.org / Fifteen years of data link plastic pollution to seabird population losses
Every year, about 50 million metric tons of plastic is dumped into the environment. This waste entangles, chokes and poisons wildlife worldwide, including sable shearwaters living on the remote Australian island of Lord Howe. ...
Phys.org / Existing drug could treat invasive canine oral tumors
A benign but invasive canine oral cancer is often mistaken for a similar malignant one, leading to misdiagnoses in close to a third of cases. But a new diagnostic tool can now distinguish between the two, according to a new ...
Phys.org / How only a few tree species drive Amazon forest recovery
When a destroyed section of the Amazon rainforest begins to recover, nature deploys only a few tree species that can withstand poor soil conditions and blazing sun and grow rapidly, a Brazilian study has shown.
Phys.org / Building real-time control for engineered biological systems
Scientists can engineer living cells to perform useful tasks, from producing medicines and sustainable chemicals to detecting disease. Unlike traditional engineered systems, living cells are constantly changing as they grow, ...
Phys.org / Structural snapshots reveal key steps in switching on DNA replication
Every time a cell divides, it must accurately copy its entire genetic instruction manual. Before this process can begin, cells load their DNA-copying motor—a complex of six subunits known as the MCM2-7 helicase—onto DNA. ...
Phys.org / AI and 8 million digitized plant specimens reveal how the climate is changing nature in large parts of the world
AI optimists will be encouraged by a recent report on the state of the world's plants and fungi by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Phys.org / Fiber-optic cable reveals hidden crevasses that could destabilize glaciers
In recent years, the Alps have experienced devastating glacier collapses: In September 2023, a section of the Marmolada glacier in the Dolomites collapsed, resulting in the deaths of seven mountaineers. Just over a year and ...
Phys.org / Yellowstone's past droughts may signal less geyser activity and more wildfires
A study led by a Montana State University research professor reveals how climate and hydrothermal activity have shaped the vegetation, wildfire and aquatic ecosystem histories of the Yellowstone Plateau over the past 15,000 ...
