Phys.org news
Phys.org / Musicologists map medieval chant tropes to 9th-century political borders
The spread of a particular genre of music reflects the borders between medieval empires in Europe. This is shown by a study conducted by a musicologist at the University of Würzburg, appearing in Transactions of the International ...
Phys.org / Astronomers discuss fortifying our planetary defenses
When people think of asteroids, they tend to picture rare, civilization-ending impacts like those depicted in movies such as "Armageddon." In reality, the asteroids most likely to affect modern society are much smaller. While ...
Phys.org / Shell game: How oysters enlist help from microbes
For an oyster, creating an internal environment for calcification that forms its distinctive hard shell is essential. But new Harvard research has found that these bivalves may outsource the work, coordinating with microbes ...
Phys.org / The 'croak' conundrum: Parasites complicate love signals in frogs
Across the animal kingdom, sound is more than communication—it's a signal of survival and success. From birds and primates to insects, fish, and amphibians, animals broadcast acoustic "advertisements" to defend territory, ...
Phys.org / Local droplet etching yields more symmetric quantum dots for integrated photonics
Light-based quantum technologies, such as quantum communication and photonic quantum computing, require reliable sources of individual photons and, ideally, pairs of entangled photons. Semiconductor quantum dots are promising ...
Phys.org / Bioinspired event camera tracks full vibration trajectory using geometry
Researchers at University of Tsukuba have developed a noncontact vibration measurement method using an event camera, a sensing technology inspired by biological vision. By applying geometric analysis to event-stream data, ...
Phys.org / A familiar voice shapes how zebra finches hear and respond
Conversations with friends have an ease that is hard to replicate with someone you have just met—often replies come more naturally and timing just seems to click. A strikingly similar pattern plays out in zebra finches, ...
Phys.org / How much do nontargeted analyses really see? A model maps chemical blind spots
In a study published in Analytical Chemistry, researchers from the University of Amsterdam's Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) reveal a sobering reality regarding nontargeted chemical analysis. Although ...
Phys.org / Ancient DNA sequences that control gene function across plant evolution uncovered
A study has traced thousands of conserved regulatory elements back 300 million years, revealing deep principles of plant genome evolution—a discovery that could pave the way for more precise engineering of crop traits.
Phys.org / Caught but not eaten: Smaller insects more likely to escape catfish mouths
A Kobe University study shows that small aquatic beetles survive catfish attacks by resisting ingestion inside the catfish's mouth and being spat out alive. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of size-dependent ...
Phys.org / Capsule technology opens new window into individual cells
Researchers have developed a capsule-based method that makes it possible to analyze the same cell through multiple experimental steps. The technology overcomes a long-standing limitation in cell research and could open new ...
Phys.org / What keeps centrioles together: NuSAP's newly mapped role in centrosome integrity
Biologists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have uncovered how the protein NuSAP safeguards tiny structures inside cells called centrioles, revealing a mechanism linked to developmental disorders such as microcephaly ...
