Phys.org news

Phys.org / X-ray analysis reveals the inner life of leaves while advancing engineering efforts to reduce 'crop sweat'

In the Midwestern summer, humans and plants have to breathe through the heat and humidity. Researchers hope that a retooled crop plant—one with an improved ventilation system within its leaves—could thrive while avoiding ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Three energy-loss routes may explain Tarantula Nebula's X-ray shortfall

Like a collage made of layered sheets of colored cellophane, a vibrant new image layers observations of a famous star-forming nebula from NASA's space telescopes. The resulting cosmic "craft" reveals new details about the ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Fungal chitin offers new route to tougher hydrogels for medical devices and soft robots

Researchers at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the University of Tennessee (UT), Knoxville, have made an advance by using a natural substance from fungi called chitin to create hydrogels ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Star cluster discovery could change how scientists measure the universe

University of Missouri researchers have uncovered evidence that challenges one of astronomy's most trusted assumptions, a breakthrough that could reshape how scientists measure galaxies and reconstruct the history of the ...

13 hours ago
Phys.org / Chinese label once tied to Boston Tea Party reveals 19th-century Pacific trade

When MIT historian Tristan Brown first examined a Chinese tea chest label displayed as a relic of the Boston Tea Party, he had no reason to doubt its story.

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Perceived naturalness emerges as key driver of public support for climate technology

From nuclear energy to lab-grown meat, the list of effective but unpopular climate solutions is long. A new University of Colorado Boulder study sheds light on why people reject or accept some proposed sustainability technologies: ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Himalayan grain demonstrates the potential of pangenome-guided breeding for higher yields and adaptability

Scientists from the Centre for Crop and Food Innovation (CCFI) at Murdoch University have participated in a landmark proof-of-concept research project demonstrating how pangenome-guided breeding strategies can reunite two ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Reading daily ocean temperatures from red algae

Understanding how marine ecosystems respond to a warming ocean requires detailed records of past temperatures. An international research team led by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Max Planck Institute for ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / More than a decade of observation in Seattle suburbs shows where sensitive bird species won't go

Nearly 30 years ago, a simple question sent University of Washington researchers into the Puget Sound lowlands to look for birds. With Seattle's population swelling and housing developments pushing into once-forested suburbs, ...

12 hours ago
Phys.org / Mitochondrial proteins may trigger inflammation by mimicking bacterial distress signals

Mitochondria are often called the powerhouses of the cell. But their ancient origins may also make them drivers of inflammation. Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have discovered that proteins released from ...

12 hours ago
Phys.org / New contactless method reveals how mirror-image materials respond differently to light

New research introduces a contactless way to see how mirror-image materials respond differently to circularly polarized light, without first building them into a complete electronic device. The researchers developed a novel ...

12 hours ago
Phys.org / Webb reveals oxygen-rich dust and water surviving near Milky Way's central black hole

Using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, an international team of astronomers has discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky ...

15 hours ago