Phys.org news
Phys.org / A 2-in-1 approach captures toxic metals and recovers rare earth elements from wastewater
We generally throw away a broken camera lens, earphones or an old phone that has stopped working and is beyond repair because they seem useless when they no longer function. However, these objects contain rare earth elements ...
Phys.org / Young infants see saliva sharing as a sign of a close bond, experiments suggest
Imagine you're an infant. Just a few months in the world, trying to gather your faculties, testing gravity—you're pretty helpless and fully reliant on the people around you. As a result, one of your primary tasks as a new ...
Phys.org / Newly available satellite data show just how flawed some river models can be
"Is there enough water? What's happening with climate change? How do I operate my hydro plant? In a world of water problems, there are problems that we need a good model to solve," says Colin Gleason, a hydrologist in the ...
Phys.org / Blue light could cut food poisoning from raw chicken
A low-power blue light could be the key to significantly reducing food poisoning caused by raw chicken in the U.K., scientists at the University of Reading have found. Campylobacter is the most common cause of bacterial food ...
Phys.org / Stem cells survive unexpectedly rough space travel
In early 2024, laboratory-grown neurospheres (i.e. clusters of neural stem cells) were sent to the International Space Station (ISS) to be exposed to microgravity. The return trip was delayed several times due to bad weather ...
Phys.org / Hydra loses its immortality after cold triggers switch to sexual reproduction
The freshwater polyp Hydra oligactis is essentially immortal and reproduces asexually by cloning itself. Except when it gets too cold: then the animal switches to sexual reproduction, begins to age, and eventually dies. A ...
Phys.org / Hydrothermal vents supply a geochemical precursor of ATP that could have powered early life
Where did the energy come from to power the chemical origin of life, and how did phosphate come to be the universal energy currency of cells? Biologists from the Institute of Molecular Evolution at Heinrich Heine University ...
Phys.org / Unusual stars may not owe their origins to hypernovae after all
Evidence for hypernovae, theorized to be the most powerful explosions in the universe, has been disputed in two papers by University College London (UCL) researchers.
Phys.org / Bacteria use collisions to navigate crowded environments, micro-maze experiments reveal
Some bacteria can sense when they bump into each other and use these interactions to shape how the group organizes and moves. This discovery reveals a new way microbes explore their environments using physical feedback rather ...
Phys.org / X-ray technique reveals how quantum materials respond to laser pulses in real time
Creating a quantum device often begins by intentionally damaging a crystal. Scientists fire an ultrafast laser pulse into a material, knocking atoms out of place and leaving behind tiny imperfections called vacancies. Far ...
Phys.org / Simulated moon soil and recyclable thermoplastics could help build future space infrastructure
Transporting material from Earth to the moon is an expensive proposition: By some estimates, moving a single kilogram (2.2 pounds) can cost more than $1 million. Any plan to build a permanent human habitat up there will depend ...
Phys.org / Flexible protein gate controls access to mitochondrial folds, simulations suggest
Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, mitochondria in our cells churn out energy from the food we eat, which keeps our bodies functioning. Much of this work happens along cristae—deep pockets in the mitochondria's inner ...
