Phys.org news

Phys.org / Evolutionary process behind live birth in lizards uncovered

Scientists studying one of nature's greatest reproductive innovations have discovered how some lizards evolved from laying eggs to giving birth to live young. The new research is the first to reveal the evolutionary process ...

5 hours ago
Phys.org / Rye reference genome uncovers diversity that could strengthen wheat breeding

Rye is not only a hardy and high-yielding crop, but also possesses a valuable gene pool for wheat breeding. An international research team led by the IPK Leibniz Institute has significantly improved the foundations for research ...

3 hours ago
Phys.org / Interacting with AI can make people act more like robots

As AI continues to develop at a rapid pace, social robots powered by AI are becoming more commonplace in customer service settings such as retail, hospitality, tourism and health care. But as these robots become smarter and ...

6 hours ago
Phys.org / AI screens 100,000+ membrane combinations, predicting carbon capture performance within seconds

Reducing carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes and energy production remains one of the major technological challenges in addressing climate change. Membrane-based gas separation offers an energy-efficient alternative ...

6 hours ago
Phys.org / 3D-printed ceramic waveguide lasers could surpass the power of glass fiber lasers by 10 times

At the bottom of the ocean, optical fibers transmit telecommunications and internet data around the world. Waveguides make that feat possible by channeling and amplifying the light—and therefore the data within—over enormous ...

3 hours ago
Phys.org / 3D map of cell signaling sites could help improve cancer treatment

Cell-communication molecules called kinases play a key role in the growth and spread of many cancers. But exactly which kinases are active in a particular cancer is not always clear—there are 1.8 million sites on human proteins ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Climate taxonomy tool turns risk assessments into practical adaptation guidance

As climate impacts such as heat waves, floods and fires intensify worldwide, there is an urgent demand for information on how to respond. IIASA researchers and partners have developed a new tool that meets that need, integrating ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Beijing's isoprene-emitting trees highlight ozone risks in greener, hotter cities

Amid current heat waves, urban greening is once again moving to the center of public debate. Greener cities are generally expected to have cleaner air because trees capture airborne particles, absorb gaseous pollutants and ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Too much RNA can starve cells of energy, study finds

A new study from researchers at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) has uncovered a previously unknown consequence of viral infection: Too much RNA inside a cell can disrupt its ability ...

3 hours ago
Phys.org / Oases in the desert of Arabia created 'brands' in the Bronze Age

Did brands exist before modern society, in noncapitalist economies? An international team led by Marta Luciani of the University of Vienna has made unexpected discoveries about Bronze Age trade: Yes, brands did indeed exist ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / AI prompts offer a new tool for mapping how emotion concepts relate

How similar are "joy" and "surprise"? Conversely, how far apart are "joy" and "sadness"? We naturally organize words that express emotions—such as "happy," "afraid," and "angry"—according to similarities and differences in ...

3 hours ago
Phys.org / Genetic 'switches' could program 3D-printed bone tissue for blood vessel growth

An interdisciplinary team of engineers and chemists at Penn State has laid the groundwork for 3D printing spheroids—tiny clusters of living cells—capable of regenerating bone tissue in response to severe trauma or infections.

8 hours ago