Phys.org news

Phys.org / Climate stress in adolescence can weaken bumblebees for life
Recent research shows that climatic changes to which bumblebee queens are exposed in their early life stages impair their survival and reproductive abilities, which can also have a negative impact on ecosystems and agriculture.

Phys.org / Swarm reveals growing weak spot in Earth's magnetic field
Using 11 years of magnetic field measurements from the European Space Agency's Swarm satellite constellation, scientists have discovered that the weak region in Earth's magnetic field over the South Atlantic—known as the ...

Phys.org / Captivity changes the gut bacteria of endangered pandas and bears
Whether we're talking about animals or humans, gut microbes are essential for health, metabolism and protecting against infection. While captivity is known to alter the gut microbiota of wildlife, the relative influence of ...

Phys.org / Observations inspect the nature of a newly discovered very faint X-ray transient
Using various space telescopes, an international team of astronomers have observed a newly detected very faint X-ray transient designated 4XMM J174610.7–290020. Results of the observational campaign, published October 2 ...

Phys.org / Lab-boosted olfactory receptor reveals new insights about how our sense of smell works
Humans have about 400 odorant receptors (ORs), but scientists have had trouble finding ligands that match up with most of these ORs in lab settings—leaving them with a murky understanding of how certain smells are recognized ...

Phys.org / Island spider sheds half its genome, defying evolutionary expectations
Over a few million years, the spider Dysdera tilosensis—a species endemic to the Canary Islands—has reduced the size of its genome by half during the process of colonization and adaptation to its natural habitat. In addition ...

Phys.org / Earth's continents stabilized due to furnace-like heat, study reveals
For billions of years, Earth's continents have remained remarkably stable, forming the foundation for mountains, ecosystems and civilizations. But the secret to their stability has mystified scientists for more than a century. ...

Phys.org / Drip by drip: Research provides first complete mathematical description of stalagmite shapes
Deep inside caves, water dripping from the ceiling creates one of nature's most iconic formations: stalagmites. These pillars of calcite, ranging from centimeters to many meters in height, rise from the cave floor as drip ...

Phys.org / Rewriting the rules of genetics: Study reveals gene boundaries are dynamic, not fixed
Molecular biologists have long believed that the beginning of a gene launched the process of transcription—the process by which a segment of DNA is copied into RNA and then RNA helps make the proteins that cells need to ...

Phys.org / Dark matter might leave a 'fingerprint' on light, scientists say
Dark matter, the substance that makes up about 27% of the universe, could potentially be detected as a red or blue light "fingerprint," new research shows. The research is published in the journal Physics Letters B.

Phys.org / Light-driven reaction leads to advanced hybrid nanomaterial
Scientists are exploring many ways to use light rather than heat to drive chemical reactions more efficiently, which could significantly reduce waste, energy consumption, and reliance on nonrenewable resources.

Phys.org / Astronomers uncover collisional signature of filamentary structures in galactic G34 molecular cloud
Using CO (J=1–0) molecular line data obtained from the 13.7-meter millimeter-wave telescope at the Purple Mountain Observatory's Delingha Observatory, Sun Mingke, a Ph.D. student from the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory ...