Phys.org news
Phys.org / No smartphone, no problem: Plants have their own built-in 'Season-Meter'
You may check your phone before deciding what to wear tomorrow. Plants do something similar: they carry an internal gadget called a "Season-Meter" that tracks temperatures over the preceding weeks or months to help determine ...
Phys.org / Why atmospheric nanoparticles grow at similar rates everywhere
Aerosols have a profound influence on air quality, human health, clouds and climate, but new particle formation in the atmosphere has remained a scientific conundrum. Large fractions of airborne fine particulate matter consist ...
Phys.org / Smoky off-flavors in cocoa aren't caused solely by smoke
Fermented cocoa occasionally exhibits off-flavors that can compromise the quality of chocolate and other cocoa products. But what causes these undesirable flavors? Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology ...
Phys.org / Rocky Mountain find reveals new funnel-web spider far from its Northwest relatives
Researchers at the University of Idaho have identified a new species of spider in the mountains of northern Idaho and given it a name that pays tribute to the university itself: Hexura vandal. The spider belongs to a small ...
Phys.org / Low-power lasers create durable nano-patterns into sulfur-derived polymers
A new way to imprint complex surfaces on low-cost, sustainable polymers could be used in a wide range of industries, including water-repellent coatings, optical devices and data storage disks. The complex nano- and microscale ...
Phys.org / Human-driven fires have shaped the Amazonian forest for over 10,000 years
New research is dismantling the longstanding myth of the "pristine" Amazon. A reconstruction of 10,000 years of Amazonian pyrogeography, based on 1,361 radiocarbon (¹⁴C) dates across 303 sites—including soil charcoal and ...
Phys.org / Flexible nanopores shed new light on Parkinson's and ALS
In a promising milestone for nanotechnology, Constructor University has contributed to a study demonstrating self-assembling nanopores capable of detecting disease proteins associated with illnesses like Parkinson's and ALS.
Phys.org / Earlier volcano warnings could mean more false alarms—but they could also save lives
Whakaari/White Island's sudden eruption in December 2019, which killed 22 people and severely injured 25 others, was New Zealand's deadliest volcanic disaster in recent history.
Phys.org / Plant hormones may offer a way to balance crop yield and disease resistance
Growth or immune response? Higher organisms must constantly balance these two priorities. As in humans, hormones regulate this balance in plants. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have discovered a mechanism ...
Phys.org / AI streamlines search for new ceramics that generate electricity
A tedious process of trial and error is normally required to discover ceramic materials that generate electricity under mechanical stress. Known as piezoelectric ceramics, these valuable next-generation materials can replace ...
Phys.org / Aboriginal artists painted giant ancestral beings as colonization arrived, study finds
Slithering across the ceiling of an Australian rock shelter is a giant snake with a crocodile-like head, razor-sharp teeth and a long tongue. It's more than 6 meters (20 feet) long, making it one of the largest Rainbow Serpent ...
Phys.org / Infection kills gut cells, while diet reshapes existing ones, fruit fly study finds
The intestines rely on different strategies to rebuild themselves in response to diet changes versus infections, according to a new Cornell study—a finding that can shed light on how gut health adapts to harsh conditions, ...
