Phys.org news
Phys.org / New AI tool predicts how cells choose their future—helping uncover hidden drivers of development
What are the first steps that chart the path for a cell to become a blood cell, neuron cell, or pigment cell? Scientists have developed increasingly powerful tools to track those changes, but one challenge has persisted: ...
Phys.org / Researchers find coherent ferrons—polarization waves with potential across quantum and telecom applications
In new research published in Nature Materials, a team of researchers led by Columbia University chemist Xiaoyang Zhu, in collaboration with fellow Columbians Xavier Roy, Milan Delor, Dmitri Basov, and James McIver, has observed ...
Phys.org / Why prescribed fire often fails: Scorched invasive shrubs can resprout instead of die
Invasive woody plants present a major ecological challenge in eastern U.S. forests by outcompeting native species and spreading quickly, forming dense thickets that crowd out native plants and disrupt ecosystems. Land managers ...
Phys.org / How carbon dioxide cools the upper atmosphere—and warms Earth below
Even as temperatures rise on Earth's surface and in the lower atmosphere, the planet's upper atmosphere has cooled dramatically. This paradoxical pattern is a well-known sign of humanity's climate impacts—but until now, the ...
Phys.org / The G-value paradox: Why similar genes can lead to very different brains
Biologists have long puzzled over why organisms with similar numbers of protein-coding genes can differ so dramatically in nervous system complexity. New research points to a potential link between the expanding diversity ...
Phys.org / Climate patterns may shape where violent conflict risks are amplified
A new Rice University study is shedding light on a long-debated question: Can climate variability influence the risk of armed conflict? The answer, researchers say, is yes—but in more nuanced and region-specific ways than ...
Phys.org / Fresh brew, harsh bite: Coffee's bitter edge finally comes into full molecular view
Have you ever wondered why freshly brewed coffee smells so delicious, but tastes bitter? New research from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine has revealed the molecular details responsible for the detection ...
Phys.org / Snow and glacier ecosystems across remote Antarctic island reveal hidden microbial diversity
Research led by a University of Bristol Ph.D. student has revealed a host of thriving microscopic algae communities in snow and glaciers across one of the most remote locations on Earth. The study, which appears in ISME Communications ...
Phys.org / Light reshapes metal-organic framework to harvest airborne water
Chemists at the University of Iowa have created a three-dimensional lattice that captures water from the air and stores it. In a new study appearing in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers describe a ...
Phys.org / The birds and the babies: Humans and zebra finches have a similar technique for learning to speak
We are all born completely helpless, with little of the knowledge and skills we will need to survive as adults. Even our ability to communicate is almost entirely learned from our parents or caregivers.
Phys.org / Seismic attenuation techniques reveal what lies beneath Taiwan
As seismic waves travel through Earth, they gradually lose energy, a process called attenuation. That energy loss doesn't happen uniformly—some features in the crust sap far more energy from seismic waves than others. Researchers ...
Phys.org / How the Atlantic herring adapted to the brackish water of the Baltic Sea
When the Atlantic herring colonized the Baltic Sea thousands of years ago, it needed to adapt to the low salinity. Genes with a vital role in the functioning of sperm, eggs and embryos were crucial to this adaptation. A new ...
