Phys.org news

Phys.org / Crowd sensing for the environment: Citizen science and plant apps map how urbanization alters city soils and climate

Plants reflect urban climate and soil conditions with remarkable precision. Using more than 80 million observations from plant identification apps, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry have produced ...

3 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / DNA's hidden 'traffic controller' protein may hold clues to cancer prevention

A new LUMC study has changed our understanding of how cells work. Researchers have discovered that the CFAP20 protein acts as a kind of "traffic controller" on DNA. Without this protein, chaos ensues, potentially causing ...

4 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Scientists watch cell receptors respond in real time as drugs bind

A research team of the University Medical Center Mainz has succeeded in observing for the first time how G protein-coupled receptors in living cells actually respond to activating substances. The scientists discovered that ...

4 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Construction emissions are higher than thought—but the solution isn't building less, new study finds

Many cities are making great strides in the fight against climate change, such as improving building energy efficiency, reducing traffic congestion and switching to renewable power sources. But there is another often overlooked ...

7 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / Tiny earthquakes reveal hidden faults under Northern California

By tracking swarms of very small earthquakes, seismologists are getting a new picture of the complex region where the San Andreas fault meets the Cascadia subduction zone, an area that could give rise to devastating major ...

5 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / Ancient Type II supernova discovered from universe's first billion years

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an international team of astronomers has discovered a new Type II supernova. The newly detected supernova, named SN Eos, exploded when the universe was only 1 billion years old. ...

9 hours ago in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Fossils reveal 'latitudinal traps' that increased extinction risk for marine species

A new study led by researchers at the University of Oxford has shown that the shape and orientation of coastlines significantly influenced extinction patterns for animals living in the shallow oceans during the last 540 million ...

5 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Long-term pesticide exposure accelerates aging and shortens lifespan in fish

Long-term exposure to low levels of a common agricultural pesticide can accelerate physiological aging and shorten lifespan in fish—a finding from new research led by University of Notre Dame biologist Jason Rohr with potentially ...

5 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / How small mammals shrink their brains to survive the cold

An international team of researchers, with the involvement of the UAB, has conducted a study that explains the evolutionary origins of the Dehnel phenomenon, a unique seasonal adaptation in small mammals that involves the ...

5 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Efficient cooling method could enable chip-based quantum computers

Quantum computers could rapidly solve complex problems that would take the most powerful classical supercomputers decades to unravel. But they'll need to be large and stable enough to efficiently perform operations. To meet ...

6 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / How concrete jungles could be changing dandelion seed dispersal in Japan

Dandelions are incredible plants with a highly efficient seed-dispersal system, meaning even a gentle breeze can carry seeds and their parachutes great distances. But in several places in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, they have ...

9 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Temporal anti-parity–time symmetry offers new way to steer energy through systems

The movement of waves, patterns that carry sound, light or heat, through materials has been widely studied by physicists, as it has implications for the development of numerous modern technologies. In several materials, the ...

11 hours ago in Physics