Phys.org news
Phys.org / How tides and river water combine to amplify floods
Ocean tides push upstream along coastal rivers, in some cases reaching hundreds of kilometers (hundreds of miles) inland. These inland stretches are known as tidal rivers, and they're the scene of complex interactions between ...
Phys.org / Evolutionary history shapes plant carbon storage strategies worldwide
Two types of carbohydrates are important to plants—structural carbohydrates (which form cell walls) and nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs). The latter group represents plants' stored energy reserves, which can be used to ...
Phys.org / Twisted ultrathin magnet retains magnetization after field changes, study finds
The properties of ultrathin magnets can be specifically altered by a slight twist between two atomic monolayers. This is the conclusion reached by an international research team led by TU Darmstadt in a study published in ...
Phys.org / AI helps scientists improve prediction of which DNA sequences bind to each other
Researchers have demonstrated a novel AI model that can predict which DNA molecules bind with other DNA molecules. A more thorough understanding of these hypercomplex binding relationships has utility in applications ranging ...
Phys.org / Statistical test helps judge the value of personalization
From precision medicine to personalized job training, customizing interventions for individuals is often assumed to produce better outcomes than a one-size-fits-all approach. But personalization also comes with costs: it ...
Phys.org / Data-driven tool can find mineral biosignatures on other worlds
A technique for judging whether a common mineral formed through biological activity could aid the search for ancient life on Earth and Mars. Apatite is a ubiquitous phosphate mineral found in terrestrial and extraterrestrial ...
Phys.org / Six years of drought reshape soil microbiomes in tallgrass prairie, study finds
A new study tracking soil microbial communities across six years of experimental drought in a tallgrass prairie finds that prolonged water stress diminishes biodiversity, pushing communities toward less predictable, harder-to-reverse ...
Phys.org / New mechanism shows how plants rapidly adapt to intense sunlight
Plants do not wait hours to respond to intense sunlight—they react within minutes. Researchers at Bielefeld University and the Australian National University have discovered a new signaling pathway that enables plants to ...
Phys.org / Disturbance has a greater effect on giant kelp productivity than resource availability
Marine scientists at UC Santa Barbara have found that disturbances to giant kelp forests have a major influence on their net primary productivity (NPP)—an indicator of an ecosystem's health and its ability to support its ...
Phys.org / What one of Emperor Hadrian's latrines is telling us about the durability of Roman concrete
One of the many marvels of the Roman world is that some of its buildings are still with us. But why have they lasted for so long when some relatively modern structures are in a state of decay after a few decades?
Phys.org / Study reports the first detection of a sugar in interstellar space
Sugars are key biomolecules in living organisms, as they form the backbone of DNA and RNA and play a fundamental role in metabolic processes. In theories of the origin of life, sugars are also essential for the synthesis ...
Phys.org / Quantum-gravitational mechanism could explain the universe's homogeneity
Our universe is known to be remarkably homogeneous and isotropic. This essentially means that matter is distributed evenly throughout the universe and that it looks almost the same in all directions.