Phys.org news
Phys.org / Creating cleaner chemical reactions that run on oxygen and produce only water as waste
Oxygen provides the driving force for many vital chemical reactions. Two well-known examples include respiration, the process that allows living things to break down food to release its energy, and combustion, reactions that ...
Phys.org / Different genes, same result: How flies evolved multiple ways to define heads and tails
One of the most important milestones in the early life of an organism is when the embryo breaks symmetry and arranges itself to form the head (anterior) at one end and tail (posterior) at the other end. Scientists have used ...
Phys.org / Uranus's unusual rotation makes its bow shock expand and contract each day
Within our solar system, Uranus is a geometric oddball. Its spin axis tilts more than 90° from its orbit, so it essentially rolls on its side through space. In contrast, Earth and other planets tilt only moderately or not ...
Phys.org / Newly identified C/EBPγ protein links cancer cell plasticity and DNA repair
A research team has identified the transcription factor C/EBPγ as a novel regulator that simultaneously promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and DNA double-strand break repair in lung adenocarcinoma cells. The ...
Phys.org / Hidden anatomy of clouds reveals how rain may begin without ice crystals
The initiation of rain in clouds without ice remains one of the largest unsolved mysteries in atmospheric science.
Phys.org / From mountain peaks to microclimates, new maps bring satellite big data down to Earth
Zooming from her office, Michigan State University researcher Kelly Kapsar showed satellite images from across the United States. In some, different colors revealed the precise heights of the forested ridges in the Sierra ...
Phys.org / Hydraulic traits reveal why some mountain trees move uphill while others shift downhill
As global temperatures rise, scientists have largely assumed that mountain tree species will move uphill in search of cooler conditions. A new study published in Nature Climate Change reveals a more complex reality: Some ...
Phys.org / Physicists trace solar outbursts that led to historic Mother's Day storms
On Mother's Day weekend in May 2024, Earth experienced its most powerful geomagnetic storm in two decades, spawning auroras—the ribbony bands of light in the nighttime skies in the Northern and Southern hemispheres—that may ...
Phys.org / One snail, five slimes: Collagen and calcium reshape mucus for different jobs
Snails are particularly active after a rain shower. Even on the Max Planck Campus in Potsdam-Golm, common brown-lipped snails (Cepaea nemoralis) leave behind shiny trails of mucus. Researchers from the "Biomaterials" department ...
Phys.org / Hidden hormone–habitat relationship revealed in reef fish
In the animal kingdom, only those that adapt to their environment survive. This adaptation takes a wide range of forms, from invisible internal shifts in gene expression to dramatic anatomical changes, such as tadpoles growing ...
Phys.org / Antenna-like cell appendage may help turtle embryos sense sex-deciding nest temperatures
When most baby turtles hatch, their sex depends on the temperature of the sand or soil where their mother laid her eggs. Warm incubation produces females, while cool nests produce males.
Phys.org / Mobile fungal 'Starship' carries protein that triggers crop leaf loss
An international research team led by plant scientist Professor Dr. Bart Thomma of the Institute of Plant Sciences at the University of Cologne, the MiBiNet Collaborative Research Center and the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence ...
