Phys.org news
Phys.org / Lizard tail preserved in amber sheds light on a 100-million-year-old defense mechanism
A lizard making a dramatic escape, leaving its tail wriggling behind as it darts to safety, is an image familiar to many. Tail-shedding is one of the most widespread defenses against predators among living lizards, yet tracing ...
Phys.org / How shoes change our bones—and what that tells us about the evolution of walking
We tend to think of our bones as solid, unchanging support structures inside our bodies, but a recent study from the University of Chicago shows just how much they can change depending on how we use them.
Phys.org / Two distinct sleep stages emerge in jumping spider, including a REM-like state
Humans and other vertebrates go through various stages of sleep, including REM (rapid eye movement) sleep characterized by rapid eye movements and muscle twitches. Can a similar sleep state be observed in spiders? Researchers ...
Phys.org / Audit reveals suspected fabricated references across physics, chemistry, engineering and computing journals
Months after a Columbia University School of Nursing–led audit published in the Lancet reported thousands of fabricated citations in medical papers, the same research team has found the same problem in the physical sciences, ...
Phys.org / Hydrogen production from seawater: Low-cost catalyst could cut energy use and resist corrosion
Using a range of advanced characterization techniques, researchers say they have developed a novel method with the potential to produce hydrogen from seawater using a process that requires less energy, resists corrosion and ...
Phys.org / False lingzhi unmasked: Scientists crack the 245-year mystery behind a medicinal mushroom mix-up
In a new study published today in Plants, People, Planet, scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and their international collaborators clarify the distinction between Ganoderma lucidum, a European bracket fungus ...
Phys.org / Metalens microscope switches focus with voltage, not moving optics
Just as it is difficult for a camera to keep both a nearby flower and a distant mountain sharply focused at the same time, conventional optical microscopes face a similar challenge when imaging structures located at different ...
Phys.org / Physicists reveal new paradigm for fiber growth in neurodegenerative diseases
Some proteins that are linked to neurodegenerative diseases can form both liquid droplets and amyloid fibers. But how are these two states connected, and where do the fibers grow? Leiden physicists Liru Feng and Louise Jawerth ...
Phys.org / Stellar collisions may have been common when the universe was young
In our solar system's corner of the galaxy, stars rarely collide. It makes sense: Space is vast, and stars have room to roam. Even in most of the present-day universe, stellar collisions are rare. The James Webb Space Telescope, ...
Phys.org / One extra quantum dot helps balance speed and stability in spin qubits
Quantum computers need qubits that can be controlled both quickly and reliably. Yet making semiconductor spin qubits faster often makes them more sensitive to electrical noise, creating a difficult trade-off.
Phys.org / New binary gene expression system enables independent control of multiple cell types
Our bodies are composed of many different types of cells that work together to build and maintain normal physiological functions. In the central nervous system, for example, neurons transmit information, while glial cells ...
Phys.org / RNA archiving method reveals what a cell did days ago
Information on what a cell did a few hours or days ago is generally unavailable to researchers, who can only measure the cell's current status. This is a problem if the aim is to understand how immune responses arise or why ...
