Phys.org news
Phys.org / How shifting tectonic plates drove Earth's climate swings
Carbon released from Earth's spreading tectonic plates, not volcanoes, may have triggered major transitions between ancient ice ages and warm climates, new research finds.
Phys.org / Intricacies of Helix Nebula revealed with Webb
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has zoomed into the Helix Nebula to give an up-close view of the possible eventual fate of our own sun and planetary system. In Webb's high-resolution look, the structure of the gas being ...
Phys.org / To fight cancer, scientists customize cellular protein
Precise methods for shredding or repairing and replacing specific cancer-causing proteins in a malignant cell, developed at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, could have applications beyond cancer to a wide range of ...
Phys.org / Get ready for smokier air: Record 2023 wildfire smoke marks long-term shift in North American air quality
A new analysis of air quality data from the past 70 years shows that Canada's record wildfire smoke in 2023 is part of a broader, continent-wide trend toward smokier skies across North America.
Phys.org / Hot spring bathing doesn't just keep snow monkeys warm—it can disrupt lice distribution and reshape gut bacteria
Japanese macaques, colloquially referred to as snow monkeys, famously soak in steaming hot springs during winter. It's easy to see that this helps them stay warm in cold temperatures, but a team of researchers at Kyoto University ...
Phys.org / Tracer reveals how environmental DNA moves through lakes and rivers
Forensics experts gather DNA to understand who was present at a crime scene. But what if the crime occurred in the middle of a lake, where DNA could be carried far and wide by wind and waves? That's the challenge faced by ...
Phys.org / The last spiny dormouse in Europe
Today, only one species of the spiny dormouse survives, in southern India. However, the oldest spiny dormouse in evolutionary history, a member of the rodent family, was found in sediment dating back 17.5 to 13.3 million ...
Phys.org / Previously unknown chemical pathway for air pollution particle formation uncovered
An atmospheric scientist at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, has helped uncover a previously unknown chemical pathway that plays a major role in the formation of air ...
Phys.org / A century's worth of data could help predict future solar cycle activity
Research conducted by an international team of astronomers from Southwest Research Institute, Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences in India and the Max Planck Institute in Germany could help predict upcoming ...
Phys.org / Bridging theories across physics helps reconcile controversy about thin liquid layer on icy surfaces
The ice in a domestic freezer is remarkably different from the single crystals that form in snow clouds, or even those formed on a frozen pond. As temperatures drop, ice crystals can grow in a variety of shapes: from stocky ...
Phys.org / Seawater microbes offer new, non-invasive way to detect coral disease
Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), in collaboration with the University of the Virgin Islands have discovered that microorganisms in seawater surrounding corals provide a powerful indicator of ...
Phys.org / Cleaner ship fuel linked to reduced lightning in key shipping lanes
Cuts in sulfur emissions from oceangoing vessels have been tied to a reduction in lightning stroke density along heavily trafficked shipping routes in the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea, according to new research from ...
