Phys.org news
Phys.org / Saharan dust carries desert bacteria across the Atlantic to Amazon rainforest
Viewed under a microscope, the air above the Amazon rainforest teems with activity. It is full of pollen, fungal spores, tiny plant particles and bacteria. Normally, the composition of this bioaerosol community is quite stable. ...
Phys.org / Birds and humans share fundamental song and speech patterns, study finds
McGill University researchers have identified "universal" vocal patterns across hundreds of bird species and found that many of the same patterns also appear in human song and speech from cultures around the world. The patterns ...
Phys.org / Newly characterized Streptomyces strain yields previously unknown natural products
In a collaboration, researchers from the Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) have discovered two previously unknown natural products. ...
Phys.org / Chemical recycling turns silicone waste into reusable building blocks with up to 99% yield
Silicones are widely used in industry, medicine and everyday products due to their exceptional thermal and chemical stability. However, it is precisely these properties that have made recycling silicones extremely problematic ...
Phys.org / European rivers retain far more plastic than they carry to the sea, study finds
Plastic that enters the environment does not necessarily make its way to the sea via rivers. In fact, only a tiny fraction eventually reaches river mouths. Most plastic remains on land or within river systems.
Dialog / Waves alter Antarctic polynyas by breaking up surrounding sea ice
Polynyas are one of Antarctica's great counterintuitive features: recurring areas of open water surrounded by vast expanses of sea ice. These unusual environments are hot spots for sea-ice production, ocean–atmosphere exchange ...
Phys.org / Light-emitting nanoparticles help ultrasound direct gene editing to selected mouse brain regions
Scientists can now edit genes in precise locations deep in the brain and body without the use of invasive surgery or implants, thanks to new work from researchers at the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute. The team demonstrated ...
Phys.org / Qinghai–Tibet Plateau study traces evolution of terrestrial animals across three distinct regions
A new study has pieced together the evolutionary history of terrestrial animals on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP), offering a comprehensive picture of how the distinctive fauna of the "Third Pole" took shape over millions ...
Phys.org / Fingerprints of the sea: Identifying sharks by their fins alone
Every oceanic whitetip shark has a fin pattern as unique as a human fingerprint. In a new study published in Marine Biology, FIU researchers identified more than 50 oceanic whitetip sharks by their fins alone using pelagic ...
Phys.org / Asteroids venturing near white dwarfs don't break directly into dust, study reveals
When asteroids travel too close to white dwarfs, the dense remnants of stars that have exhausted their nuclear fuel, powerful gravitational forces can tear them apart. However, new research from Planetary Science Institute ...
Phys.org / Brighter evenings, darker school mornings: Permanent daylight saving time could put children's safety at risk
In July 2026, the U.S. House passed legislation to make daylight saving time (DST) permanent. But a new analysis of the consequences of the Sunshine Protection Act, reported in the journal Current Biology on Oct. 29, finds ...
Phys.org / Global maps reveal farming, dams and agricultural runoff as leading threats to freshwater species
Farming, dams and agricultural runoff are the biggest threats to freshwater biodiversity globally, with Europe and Northwest Africa the hardest-hit regions, McGill researchers have found.
