Phys.org news
Phys.org / 'Nature's algorithm' found in Chinese money plants
Look up at the clouds. What do you see? A sailboat? A seahorse? Your great-aunt Rosemary? As humans, we're prone to seeing patterns where they don't actually exist. This behavior is so common there's a name for it: apophenia. ...
Phys.org / Old newspapers track porpoise populations across the Baltic Sea
Harbor porpoises were once found across a much wider area of the Baltic Sea than they are today, including regions where they are now rare or absent. This is shown in a new study that uses centuries-old Swedish newspapers ...
Phys.org / Scientists use AI to interpret the sun's acoustic heartbeat
A new AI-based approach that can "hear" inside the sun could give vital signs of the solar disturbances that have significant effects in near-Earth space and on human activities. The solar cycle is an approximate 11-year ...
Phys.org / Giving X-ray vision a sense of direction
Whether in tooth enamel or in nanomaterials made of silicon, the orientation of tiny internal structures often determines the properties of a material. A new X-ray method can even make this nano-order visible when the structures ...
Phys.org / The shoal remembers: How signs of a collective memory shape a predator-prey arms race
Beneath the tropical trees of southern Mexico, enormous shoals of sulfur mollies blanket the water surface of toxic sulfur springs, where survival depends on collective defense against relentless attacks from predatory birds. ...
Phys.org / Swapping molecular building blocks one by one reveals how receptors tell adrenaline from dopamine
Different receptors respond to different neurotransmitters or hormones, such as adrenaline involved in the fight-or-flight response, or dopamine linked to reward and motivation. Both the receptors themselves and the substances ...
Phys.org / How we feel political emotions in our bodies—and why this matters for democracy
Researchers have found our emotions toward politics not only play on our minds, but shape how our bodies respond to political experiences, even driving political participation higher. The new study, published in the Proceedings ...
Phys.org / Molecular glue could hijack cells' natural machinery to help treat diseases
Proteins do most of the work in our body's cells. But when a protein is too active or does not function properly, it can lead to disease or other health problems. Researchers from the University of Toronto have discovered ...
Phys.org / How invading cancer cells grip and rip their way into new tissues
Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered that cancer cells do not simply push through surrounding tissues to spread, but instead actively grip onto protective tissue barriers and pull them ...
Phys.org / Water-based nanocrystal provides a sticky solution to a pesky agricultural problem
A water-based formulation developed at the University of Waterloo using nanotechnology is both greener and more effective than conventional methods for delivering agricultural pesticides.
Phys.org / Support local people to protect world's nature, new report urges, as deadline for global conservation target looms
For better or worse, a huge number of people will be affected by efforts to achieve "30x30"—the internationally-agreed conservation goal to protect and conserve at least 30% of the world's land and seas by 2030. How many ...
Phys.org / Cold events rival heat waves in bleaching Indonesia's corals, analysis reveals
The Indonesian seas are a biodiversity hotspot, harboring the highest coral diversity in the tropics and home to an extraordinary variety of marine life. Yet these unique ecosystems have been under growing pressure for years, ...
