Phys.org news

Phys.org / Mating reveals cholesterol's hidden role in male fruit fly lifespan

Scientists have discovered that the optimal diet for male fruit flies may depend strongly on whether they are reproducing, challenging long-standing assumptions about nutrition and aging. Led by researchers from the University ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Climate change is now causing more local extinction in temperate regions than the tropics, study shows

Imagine returning to a favorite hiking trail 15 years after your first visit and discovering that many of the plants and animals that once lived there are gone. While these species may still exist elsewhere, these disappearances—known ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Mars life search gets boost as rover test distinguishes mirrored biosignature molecules

Billions of years ago, environmental conditions on Mars were significantly more hospitable than they are today. Our neighboring planet was likely warm, humid and surrounded by a dense atmosphere. Whether simple microorganisms ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Missing DNA replication step revealed in first image of pre-initiation complex

Cells have evolved careful checks to ensure DNA is copied only once, but how they switch on replication at the right moment has been the focus of a 30-year research question. New work from the Crick has recorded the missing ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Perfectly preserved pterosaur wing rewrites the fossil rulebook

An international study led by Curtin University has revealed new insights into how an ancient flying reptile was preserved in extraordinary detail for 113 million years, offering a rare glimpse into a vanished world.

13 hours ago
Phys.org / Describing past relationship as a story may help women process breakups

Breaking up with a loved one is often a painful life experience, one that is difficult to recover from. Researchers from SWPS University, however, suggest that a simple step can help. Writing down the story of a past relationship ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Analysis of 352 probiotic supplements finds mismatched microbes across marketed health benefits

Probiotic supplements found in drugstores nationwide contain an assortment of microbes sold for specific health purposes despite limited understanding of the microbes' connections to their marketed use, new University of ...

5 hours ago
Phys.org / How a telescope's mirror stability makes or breaks exoplanet detection

Finding life beyond our solar system is a major goal of modern astronomy. NASA's planned Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) aims to take direct images of Earth-sized planets around stars other than our sun. This task, however, ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Mystery of 17th century shipwreck holding 400 gold coins finally solved after 30 years

The identity of a centuries-old shipwreck discovered off the south coast of England, holding 400 gold coins, has finally been identified as the Dutch trading ship "Dom van Keulen," which left Morocco for the Netherlands in ...

13 hours ago
Phys.org / Corrected microbial family tree offers statistically sound model for how earliest life forms evolved

In this era of Big Data, the prevailing wisdom is that more information leads to better answers. However, a new Canadian study shows that in the hunt for life's ancient ancestors, more data can actually lead to less truth. ...

5 hours ago
Phys.org / People are marrying holograms and making friends with chatbots. But can AI bring true happiness?

Can technology really replace human relationships? As philosophy scholars who focus on human happiness and on artificial intelligence (AI), we tackle this question in a recent paper.

11 hours ago
Phys.org / World's highest-consuming 10% cause up to $5.7 trillion a year in environmental damage, study finds

The environmental damage caused by the world's highest-consuming 10% of people is worth $1.7 trillion to $5.7 trillion a year. At the central and upper estimates, this is several times more than the international community ...

13 hours ago