Phys.org news
Phys.org / What made trees possible? New research points to drought
A study is reframing a fundamental question in plant evolution: What made trees possible? Researchers from Cal Poly Humboldt, Yale University, the University of Hohenheim in Germany and the Czech Academy of Sciences set out ...
Phys.org / Baker's yeast shows potential in treatment of persistent fungal infection
Millions of women worldwide suffer from vaginal yeast infections. These infections are most commonly caused by the fungus Candida albicans and can lead to symptoms ranging from itching and burning to recurrent inflammation. ...
Phys.org / World's first synthetic cell with a complete life cycle could revolutionize biological engineering
While many of life's mysteries remain unsolved, every biologist can describe the basic processes performed by a living organism, including energy use, reproduction, growth and development. While these characteristics can ...
Phys.org / Acceptor molecule upconverts low-energy green light to high-energy purple with high efficiency
Solar cells and photocatalysts can be surprisingly inefficient. Despite light consisting of many wavelengths, the range that even highly efficient devices use is limited. Other wavelengths, especially long wavelengths, simply ...
Phys.org / Were Clovis foragers in Late Pleistocene North America big-game hunters, or just big-game scavengers?
There are currently 15 well-documented Late Pleistocene localities in North America in which Clovis points are found associated with proboscidean remains (of mammoth, mastodon and gomphothere). Archaeologists routinely assume ...
Phys.org / Ancient gum disease may have helped reshape jaws before human brains expanded
Human evolution is generally explained through changes in brain size, locomotion or tool use, but new research from Wits University suggests that gum disease and changes in facial structure may have been important factors ...
Phys.org / Cosmic dust could play key role in cracking long-standing mystery of solar corona heating
A researcher at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, has published a new study in The Astrophysical Journal suggesting that tiny charged dust grains near the sun may significantly ...
Phys.org / Primate brains might have evolved to 'catch up' with larger bodies, but then kept growing
A new analysis supports the previously overlooked "brain lag" hypothesis—the idea that, in some primate lineages, the evolution of larger body size preceded the evolution of larger brain size—while also building on that hypothesis ...
Phys.org / Lake Chad supports 2.48 million waterbirds, emerging as one of Africa's top wetland refuges
A study titled "Monitoring major biodiversity stronghold in war zones: model predicts Lake Chad remains Africa's most important wetland for waterbirds" estimates that Lake Chad supports nearly 2.5 million waterbirds, making ...
Phys.org / Webb reveals merger scars in galaxies that stopped forming stars 9 billion years ago
Research has shed new light on why some distant galaxies suddenly stop forming stars. An international team led by astronomers at the University of Nottingham has used the James Webb Space Telescope to study a large sample ...
Phys.org / Orbit overload could devastate astronomy if 1.7 million proposed satellites brighten night sky
A new European Southern Observatory (ESO) study has found that current proposals to launch more than 1.7 million satellites into orbit, including extremely bright ones, would have "devastating consequences for astronomy." ...
Phys.org / Martian dust storms may generate atmospheric electrical conditions that could impact future missions
A new study by a doctoral researcher at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), part of The University of Alabama System, suggests global dust storms on Mars may organize the Martian atmosphere into regions favorable ...