Phys.org news
Phys.org / Airborne sensors map ammonia plumes in California's Imperial Valley
A recent study led by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and the nonprofit Aerospace Corporation shows how high-resolution maps of ground-level ammonia plumes can be generated with airborne ...
Phys.org / AI traces prehistoric trade routes of Europe's prized 'green gemstone' trade
A multidisciplinary team of Spanish and Portuguese archaeologists and artificial intelligence experts has combined non-destructive archaeological measurement techniques, machine learning and explainable artificial intelligence ...
Phys.org / Light-controlled embryos reveal power of mechanical forces in human development
Only two weeks after fertilization, the first sign of the formation of the three axes of the human body (head/tail, ventral/dorsal, and right/left) begins to appear. At this stage, known as gastrulation, a flat and featureless ...
Phys.org / Hidden process behind 2025 Santorini earthquakes uncovered
A mysterious swarm of earthquakes that occurred near the Greek island of Santorini in early 2025 was caused by rebounding sheets of magma slicing through Earth's crust, according to a new study by an international team involving ...
Phys.org / How superstorm Gannon squeezed Earth's plasmasphere to one-fifth its size
A geomagnetic superstorm is an extreme space weather event that occurs when the sun releases massive amounts of energy and charged particles toward Earth. These storms are rare, occurring about once every 20–25 years. On ...
Phys.org / Could a kid have painted that? Jackson Pollock's famous pour-painting has child-like characteristics, study shows
What makes art art? Is it the method or the creator? Does it need a color palette and oil paints, or a canvas laid flat on the floor and paint splattered across it? Does it require a critically acclaimed painter, or a toddler ...
Phys.org / Scientists get a first look at the innermost region of a white dwarf system
Some 200 light years from Earth, the core of a dead star is circling a larger star in a macabre cosmic dance. The dead star is a type of white dwarf that exerts a powerful magnetic field as it pulls material from the larger ...
Phys.org / Generative chatbots promise personalized education at scale but struggle with accuracy issues
Personalized learning is a very effective teaching method, but its potential is limited due to resource constraints. In a small, in-person class, instructors can walk around, engage with students individually, adjust lessons ...
Phys.org / Not just stomata: Hidden water regulation mechanism could help crops survive drought
Cornell researchers have discovered a previously unknown way plants regulate water that is so fundamental it may change plant biology textbooks—and open the door to breeding more drought-tolerant crops.
Phys.org / Scientists map the hidden cellular 'postal codes' that shape every human face
Why do no two human faces look quite the same? Although we all follow the same biological blueprint, our features—the curve of a lip, the angle of a nose, the breadth of a jaw—diverge in endlessly subtle ways.
Phys.org / Understanding bacteria's role in transforming steroids to pharmaceuticals
For decades, pharmaceutical companies have been using bacteria found in soil and water to chemically convert steroids into effective treatments for human diseases. One example is cortisol, which is used to treat asthma and ...
Phys.org / Cellular crowding in fruit fly embryos triggers a critical DNA reorganization, biologists find
After fertilization, embryos race through rapid cell divisions before slowing down to build specialized cells that will carry out distinct functions in the developing body—but the signals that trigger this shift have remained ...
