Phys.org news
Phys.org / Jupiter-family comet 41P/TGK slows down and reverses spin after perihelion
New analysis on 2017 Hubble images of the Jupiter-family comet, 41P/Tuttle–Giacobini–Kresak (41P/TGK), indicates that the comet underwent a spin reversal between April and December 2017. While this behavior is not unheard ...
Phys.org / A new microscope for the quantum age: Single nanoscale scan measures four key material properties
Physicists in Leiden have built a microscope that can measure no fewer than four key properties of a material in a single scan, all with nanoscale precision. The instrument can even examine complete quantum chips, accelerating ...
Phys.org / New study maps where wheat, barley and rye grew before the first farmers found them
Using advanced machine learning and climate models, researchers have shown that the ancestors of crops like wheat, barley, and rye probably were much less widespread in the Middle East 12,000 years ago than previously believed. ...
Phys.org / A new turbulence equation for eddy interactions: AI and physics team up to tackle notoriously difficult question
The currents of the oceans, the roiling surface of the sun, and the clouds of smoke billowing off a forest fire—all are governed by the same laws of physics and give rise to a complex phenomenon known as turbulence. But ...
Phys.org / Predator stress makes road salt far deadlier for freshwater snails, study finds
Freshwater streams, ponds and lakes across the United States are becoming saltier, and new research from the University of Missouri shows the damage may be greater than scientists once thought. Scientists at Mizzou's College ...
Phys.org / mRNA fragments reveal a hidden process that protects cells from harmful mutations
Some genetic mutations that are expected to completely stop a gene from working surprisingly cause only mild or even no symptoms. Researchers in previous studies have discovered one reason why: cells can ramp up the activity ...
Phys.org / How plants balance woody xylem and fleshy tissues: Thermospermine targets methylated ribosomes
Scientists have identified a crucial mechanism that allows plants to shape their vascular systems, determining whether they grow soft edible storage organs or develop the rigid woody tissue characteristic of trees. Published ...
Phys.org / A little protein with a big role in building Earth's carbon fixing machinery
An international team of scientists has discovered that a small, low-abundance protein plays a surprisingly big role in assembling carboxysomes—specialized bacterial microcompartments that enable efficient carbon fixation ...
Phys.org / Exploring how the Gulf Stream affects the climate system and the carbon cycle
It is well documented that the Gulf Stream plays a pivotal role in the climate system through its transfer of heat, which ultimately supplies warmth to northern latitudes in the North Atlantic. What remains less well understood ...
Phys.org / A DNA 'on-off' switch? Light and redox cues reversibly link strands for nanotech
DNA, the blueprint of life, is best known for its fundamental role as genetic material—storing and transmitting biological information through the precise sequence of its bases. For decades, this information-storage function ...
Phys.org / Major earthquakes are just as random as smaller ones
For obvious reasons, it would be useful to predict when an earthquake is going to occur. It has long been suspected that large quakes in the Himalayas follow a fairly predictable cycle, but nature, as it turns out, is not ...
Phys.org / Scientists uncover Iron Age origins of Vietnamese tooth blackening practices
Not everyone wants their teeth to be white and gleaming. Tooth blackening is a recognized part of modern Vietnamese culture, and a recent discovery hints that the roots of this practice may stretch all the way back to the ...
