Phys.org news

Phys.org / Ancient DNA suggests western farming reached Gansu without mass migration

A multidisciplinary study has answered key questions about how agricultural practices diffused into ancient Gansu from Eurasia, as well as described population movements and burial practices in the Gansu region thousands ...

1 hour ago
Phys.org / Tiny crustacean helps scientists understand genes regulating circatidal rhythms

Scientists at UMass Chan Medical School and the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole have shown that the four core clock genes responsible for maintaining circadian rhythms in animals—Per, Cry2, Bmal1 and Clk—also regulate ...

2 hours ago
Phys.org / When panic freezes people: Virtual quake tests capture real-time fear and injury risk

Growing up, many of us were taught to drop, cover and hold on during an earthquake. The guidance is straightforward, but how people actually respond when the ground starts shaking can be far more complicated. Now, UC Berkeley ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / Dual-purpose qubit design could speed operations while cutting quantum errors

Researchers from MIT have designed a new qubit architecture that enables qubits to interact with each other much more quickly while remaining very stable. This advance could someday help scientists build practical quantum ...

2 hours ago
Phys.org / Heat has a memory—and a new theoretical framework can track it

Heat, it turns out, has a memory. A cooling cup of coffee may not seem particularly thoughtful. At the scale of a kitchen, heat appears to follow a straightforward rule: it moves from warmer places to cooler ones. Leave the ...

2 hours ago
Phys.org / First DDT, now the flu: Peregrine falcons in San Francisco Bay Area hit hard by H5N1 variant

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) featured prominently in the news during 2020 as it took the lives of millions of birds across the globe. While the worst seems to be behind us, population-level effects are just now ...

3 hours ago
Phys.org / Heavy water's atmospheric fingerprints boost weather forecasts for up to five days

Weather forecasts rely on many different kinds of data, including temperature, humidity and wind. For the first time, researchers, including those at the University of Tokyo, have demonstrated that a long-theorized improvement ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Quantum control algorithm looks to explain how birds migrate

The hidden world of quantum mechanics exists at scales many orders of magnitude smaller than living organisms, yet scientists have long theorized that quantum effects play an important role in biology. Birds' ability to sense ...

3 hours ago
Phys.org / Electron spin unlocks magnetic control of hydrogen surface reactions

Chemical reactions at surfaces play a central role in many processes, including catalysis and materials synthesis. It is well known that the outcome of these reactions is influenced by the translational, vibrational and rotational ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Farewell black spruce? How climate change and pests are reshaping North America's forests

More than 80% of North American forests could face greater threats from pests and diseases by midcentury, a University of British Columbia-led study finds. If global emissions continue unchecked, rising temperatures and shifting ...

3 hours ago
Phys.org / Underwater meadows sustain millions in extreme poverty

A study provides the first large-scale empirical evidence that seagrass meadows act as a critical safety net for millions of coastal people living in extreme poverty across the Indo-Pacific.

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Biodegradable 'nanobone' could one day help regrow bone without painful grafts

For children born with cleft lip and palate, repairing gaps in the jawbone often means waiting until they are 10 to 12 years old before undergoing invasive bone graft surgery. University of Sydney researchers have developed ...

11 hours ago