Phys.org news

Phys.org / Cells use a little-known molecule to protect themselves from iron overload

Iron is essential. Our cells need it to produce energy, carry oxygen throughout the body and power countless chemical reactions that sustain life. But this metal has a dark side. When too much of it is left free inside cells, ...

3 hours ago
Phys.org / Tiny satellite will use the dark side of the moon to eavesdrop on whispers from the early universe

A tiny UK-developed satellite, roughly the size of a small carry-on suitcase, could help answer one of the biggest questions in cosmology: What happened during the roughly 150 million years of the cosmic dark ages, before ...

3 hours ago
Phys.org / Tiny DNA rotor lets microscopes track gene transcription one base pair at a time

Scientists often describe life as a series of chemical reactions. Pallav Kosuri, Ph.D., describes life as movement. Chemical reactions are how you drive the movement of atoms, proteins, cells and bodies—without movement, ...

3 hours ago
Phys.org / Why climate-driven droughts and floods rarely become international news

Three factors—spectacular images, a high death toll and strong personal ties—make it more likely that the media in one country will report on a natural disaster in another, according to a study by the University of Bonn, ...

3 hours ago
Phys.org / EU cities plan to compensate for a fifth of their emissions through carbon removal, but few have thought through how

An analysis of 103 European cities' climate-neutral plans for 2030 (including 22 capital cities) shows that municipalities are planning to rely on carbon removal to compensate for about a fifth of their emissions. This would ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Arctic balloon samples trace marine sugars from the ocean to cloud-forming heights

Salt and sugar from the sea can rise as far as the free troposphere, thereby influencing both cloud formation and the Arctic climate. This is the finding of balloon measurements carried out by a team of researchers on Spitsbergen ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / Doomscrolling at work wastes time, but the real cost is what happens after

Whether on lunch break or on the clock, many employees scroll through the news and social media during the workday. Researchers found that employees who "doomscroll" at work suffer hidden costs that extend beyond lost productivity.

4 hours ago
Phys.org / TESS discovers a rare brown dwarf orbiting a massive, aging star

For decades, astronomers lumped brown dwarfs into a single category defined by mass alone—too big to be classified as planets but too small to become stars. However, this definition ignores the two very different mechanisms ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / India faces rising uncompensable heat stress, especially during monsoon season

Animals struggle to cool down in extreme heat and high humidity, and heat stress is rising in many regions around the world. This is especially true for people in tropical countries, including populous India. In a new paper ...

23 hours ago
Phys.org / Two oceans, one country—and 20 times more sharks in the prehistoric Pacific

How many sharks should a coral reef have? It sounds like a simple question, but almost nowhere on Earth is there a reef that has not at some time been fished or otherwise affected by humans, so there is no yardstick against ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Layered nano-biohybrid uses sunlight, air and water to make hydrogen peroxide

A research team led by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has developed a new material that combines inorganic material with biological components to produce hydrogen peroxide more efficiently.

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Fulfilling friendships linked to better health and well-being across 22 countries

Fulfilling friendships and close social relationships are strongly linked to excellent physical and mental health, finds a substantial global study published in the Journal of Mental Health.

18 hours ago