Phys.org news
Phys.org / Biologists battle over North America's largest crayfish
When Caitlin Bloomer wrestled the massive Crawzilla crawdad—yes, that's its actual common name—out of the muck during a biological survey in Kentucky, she was convinced it was the largest crayfish ever recorded.
Phys.org / Bennu asteroid samples point to a surprising origin involving Jupiter
The asteroid Bennu orbits the sun once every 1.2 years and approaches Earth every six years, passing within around 300,000 kilometers. NASA took advantage of this to collect material from the celestial body. In a spectacular ...
Phys.org / Astrophysicists use wave simulations to open a new window on dark matter
Astrophysicists from The University of Hong Kong (HKU), working with a research team led by Beijing Normal University (BNU), have developed a more physically realistic approach to testing how ultralight, or "fuzzy," dark ...
Phys.org / Earth shifted among five 'mega-climate' states over 539 million years, with extinctions spiking near transitions
Earth's climate has undergone dramatic changes throughout its history, but new research suggests those changes may not have been as random as previously thought. A study led by an international team of researchers, including ...
Phys.org / Can this biotech innovation halt the destructive march of a cereal killer?
A UK-led research collaboration has taken a significant step in the global effort to protect cereal crops from the devastating blast fungus. Researchers at the John Innes Centre explored a recently discovered class of plant ...
Phys.org / Bee-made propolis boosts an antifungal drug against yeast pathogens in lab tests
Propolis may not only inhibit the growth of certain fungi but also affect the activity of drugs used to treat fungal infections. Researchers have investigated how an ethanolic extract of Polish propolis interacts with various ...
Phys.org / Starch-based sensor changes color to indicate moisture in food packaging
Brazilian researchers have developed a biodegradable, starch-based sensor that changes color when moisture enters food packaging. With the addition of cobalt chloride, the sensor changes from blue to pink as moisture levels ...
Phys.org / The Antarctic's only two flowering plants reveal opposing strategies for surviving long-term warming
A team of Chilean and Spanish researchers has published the results of one of the longest-running in-situ warming experiments in maritime Antarctica in the journal Physiologia Plantarum. The experiment exposed the Antarctic ...
Phys.org / Ancient genome function persists despite frequent mutations, centromere study shows
Every time a cell divides, its chromosomes must be distributed correctly between the two daughter cells. Central to this process is the centromere, a specialized region of the chromosome. The centromere serves as the attachment ...
Phys.org / Evolved enzymes build tuberculosis antibiotic ingredient in the desired form, potentially reducing waste
Tuberculosis, or TB, is a contagious bacterial infection that primarily affects the lungs. While curative treatments exist, more than 80% of cases occur in low- and middle-income nations, where drug-resistant strains are ...
Phys.org / Unevenness of global warming: Regional warming speedups emerge in waves
New research from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in collaboration with other institutions, highlights the fragmented and staggered timing of warming increases across the planet, providing a nuanced perspective ...
Phys.org / Study reveals how biological echo chambers form—and what can break them
Tropical army ants are known to form devastating armadas that march through forests eating other insects and small creatures. As they march, they deposit chemical trails of pheromones that others behind them sense and follow. ...