Phys.org news

Phys.org / How Indigenous fire stewardship continues to shape North American forests
Indigenous knowledge and Western science are coming together to develop diverse, resilient and just fire restoration practices that support our forests, which are critically important in navigating a warming future with increased ...

Phys.org / From risk factor to survival advantage: How tuberculosis has shaped meerkat evolution
Meerkats genetically adapt to a species-specific form of tuberculosis according to a long-term study by an international research team led by Ulm University. The scientists also found that climate change in the Kalahari Desert ...

Phys.org / Dragonflies survived asteroids—but wildfires and climate change may push them to extinction
A new study led by University of Colorado Denver has uncovered how climate change and intensifying wildfires are disrupting dragonfly mating traits—threatening to push some species toward local extinction.

Phys.org / Robots could help kids conquer reading anxiety, a new study suggests
For many children, the transition from learning to read to reading to learn is a crucial and sometimes nervewracking milestone. Reading aloud in class is intended to foster fluency and confidence, but for many students, it ...

Phys.org / Research reveals how microplastics threaten Gulf of Mexico marine life
Critical wildlife habitats are exposed to pollution risk in the seas off the southern United States, with implications for human health and food security. "Most of the pollution comes from rivers and not from wastewater treatment ...

Phys.org / Climate change is driving fish stocks from countries' waters to the high seas, study finds
Fish and other marine organisms, though deeply affected by human activities, don't respect human borders. The ranges of many commercially important species in fact straddle the borders of countries' exclusive economic zones ...

Phys.org / Measuring electron pulses for future compact ultra-bright X-ray sources
In a step toward making ultra-bright X-ray sources more widely available, an international collaboration led by the University of Michigan—with experiments at the U.K.'s Central Laser Facility—has mapped key aspects of ...

Phys.org / Triggering RNA activation on demand: Strategy expands options for therapeutics and gene editing
National University of Singapore (NUS) researchers have devised a method to safely and temporarily "switch off" and then "turn on" ribonucleic acid (RNA) inside cells. This is achieved using structurally optimized disulfide-containing ...

Phys.org / Enzyme analysis shows how microbes regulate methane balance
Research by microbiologists Martijn Wissink and Cornelia Welte of Radboud University, among others, is helping us understand how microorganisms regulate the methane balance. The scientists have demonstrated how a methane-converting ...

Phys.org / As farm jobs decline worldwide, food industry work holds surprisingly steady
As economies expand, people don't just eat more food—they eat differently. A sweeping new study covering nearly three decades and 189 countries finds that while traditional farm jobs decline as nations grow wealthier, employment ...

Phys.org / When magnets cannot agree: Quantum mechanics deciphers iron catalyst
Catalysts are indispensable for the large-scale production of many chemicals, as they accelerate chemical reactions. Some of them contain metal atoms such as iron as key building blocks. The electrons of each individual iron ...

Phys.org / Crowded conditions muddle frogs' mating choices
Female treefrogs prefer a mate with an impressive call, but the crowded environments give unattractive males an edge, according to a new international study led by Assistant Professor Jessie Tanner of the University of Tennessee, ...