Phys.org news

Phys.org / Fighting the world's deadliest infection with PAC-MAN and AI

Tuberculosis, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is the world's deadliest single-agent infection, responsible for 1.23 million deaths in 2024, according to the World Health Organization. The bacterium's ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Did elephant energetics decide Hannibal's Alpine crossing route?

A new analysis sheds light on the most likely route for the Carthaginian general's famous crossing of the Alps. The study, led by the University of Oxford and iDiv/Friedrich Schiller University Jena, reveals that the Col ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / South Australian algal bloom species the world's most toxic harmful microalga yet recorded

The marine microalgae responsible for the most devastating effects of the South Australian harmful algal bloom (HAB) has now been shown to be the most toxic species of its kind ever studied.

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Detecting neutron sources by borrowing inference tools from cosmology

Neutron sources can be directly identified from measured spectra rather than proxies using inference tools adapted from cosmology, according to a University of Michigan Engineering study published in Physical Review Applied. ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Molecular nanostructures can be activated using ultrasound

Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have taken an important step toward developing intelligent molecular materials. The team headed by Dr. Bernd M. Schmidt (Institute of Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Phylogenomics reveals angel insects' ancestry, resolving century‑old 'Zoraptera problem'

Zoraptera, also known as angel insects or ground lice, are tiny termite-like insects generally found underneath bark or in decaying wood. The Zoraptera group includes a few dozen known insect species that closely resemble ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / Bees reveal emotion-like reactions, from 'lip licking' to head shaking, in new videos

New research proving bumblebees exhibit emotion-like behaviors—previously thought to exist only in mammalian species—has implications for how scientists understand the consciousness of insects.

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Neighbors shape plant life more than expected, scientists find

Scientists at Leiden University have discovered that plants are strongly influenced by their neighbors, not just above ground but also through hidden networks in the soil. Their findings challenge long-held ideas about how ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Paleontologists make 'one in a million' discovery of soft tissue preserved in 450-million-year-old fossil

Before the oldest dinosaur, before animals or even plants had expanded onto dry land, ancient relatives of starfish called crinoids, resembling stalked sea flowers, were among the first creatures to flourish in Earth's earliest ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Hummingbirds speed up pineapple family's evolution

Hummingbirds make bromeliad plants split into new species twice as fast as other pollinators do, scientists at the University of Reading have found. The research team gathered records of which animals pollinate 403 types ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / Unexpected discovery yields new graphene oxide production method

Researchers in the Texas A&M University J. Mike Walker '66 Department of Mechanical Engineering have developed a new method for producing graphene oxide, a high-value carbon nanomaterial used in batteries, electronics and ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Bioinspired strategy creates complex 3D curved structures via programmed shrinkage

The shape of biological structures, ranging from flower petals to the limbs or organs of animals, is often naturally best suited for performing specific functions. Biological structures also often present curved surfaces ...

16 hours ago