Phys.org news

Phys.org / When Americans migrate from violent states, the risk of future violence follows them

Americans who grow up in historically violent states may move to a safer state, but they remain far more likely to die violently, according to new research co-authored at the University of California, Berkeley.

Dec 2, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Newly discovered star opens 'laboratory' for solving cosmic dust mystery

Seventy light-years from Earth, a star called Kappa Tucanae A harbors one of astronomy's most perplexing mysteries: dust so hot it glows at more than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, existing impossibly close to its host star, where ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Crickets munch on microplastics—especially if they have a big mouth

To a human, microplastics are very small at less than 5 millimeters (mm) wide. But to an insect, microplastics might be the same size as the food they usually eat. Researchers reporting in the journal Environmental Science ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Seeing physics as a mountain landscape for classification of nonlinear systems

Imagine standing on top of a mountain. From this vantage point, we can see picturesque valleys and majestic ridges below, and streams wind their way downhill. If a drop of rain falls somewhere on this terrain, gravity guides ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / X-ray laser offers new look at protein movement inside cells

At European XFEL, researchers have observed in detail how the vital iron protein ferritin makes its way in highly dense environments—with implications for medicine and nanotechnology.

Dec 2, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Sounding the 6,000-year-old shell trumpets of Catalonia

Archaeologists have played shell trumpets from Neolithic Catalonia, revealing they were highly effective for long-distance communication and may have also been used as musical instruments.

Dec 2, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Light-triggered nanoscale heating can control communication between nerve cells

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, report the successful creation of artificial synaptic vesicles that can be remotely controlled by near-infrared (NIR) light. By embedding ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / First fertilizer: A chemical process that may have sparked life on Earth

University of Alberta geochemists have discovered a missing piece to one of the great mysteries of science—the origin of life on Earth.

Dec 2, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Southern Annular Mode in most positive state in 1,000 years, review finds

A new review has revealed that the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), the Southern Hemisphere's most influential climate driver, is now in its most positive state in more than 1,000 years. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Adjustable DNA 'shield' can control timing and rate at which mRNA produces proteins in vivo

mRNA, widely known from the COVID-19 vaccine, is not actually a "therapeutic agent," but a technology that delivers the blueprint for functional proteins in the body and induces therapeutic effects. Recently, its application ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Newly discovered viral enzymes act like molecular scissors to disable immune alarm signals

Viruses and their hosts—whether bacteria, animals, or humans—are locked in a constant evolutionary arms race. Cells evolve defenses against viral infection, viruses evolve ways around those defenses, and the cycle continues.

Dec 2, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Define your dating goals: Study shows clarity is key to dating satisfaction

Single people who date without a clear understanding of what they are looking for in a relationship experience more loneliness and decreased life satisfaction, McGill researchers have found.

Dec 2, 2025 in Other Sciences