Phys.org news

Phys.org / Stingrays inspire smarter ocean robots: The physics of fin motion

Using robotic fins, researchers at the University of California, Riverside have learned how stingrays are able to swim with impressive control. These insights could help underwater vehicles avoid disastrous ground collisions.

3 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Accessing water on Mars: Examining the best technologies for future missions

A new study has examined how future human missions to Mars could access one of the planet's most vital resources—water. The "Martian aqua: occurrence of water and appraisal of acquisition technologies" paper, published ...

3 hours ago in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Nash equilibria: The hidden math behind predator–prey behaviors

Animal survival depends on effective attack and defense strategies, yet how these behaviors arise remains unclear. Addressing this question, a recent study shows that predator and prey behaviors emerge naturally as stable ...

3 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Single enzyme streamlines production of all four RNA building blocks

A single enzyme that can generate all four nucleoside triphosphates, the building blocks of ribonucleic acid (RNA), has been identified by researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo. The study was published online in the ...

3 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Four-eyed Cambrian fish fossils hint at origins of vertebrate pineal complex

New fossil evidence from China suggests that some of our vertebrate ancestors had four eyes. The study, published in Nature, takes a closer look at a structure found in multiple 518 million-year-old fossils, which appears ...

7 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Social networks spanned thousands of square kilometers during the Upper Paleolithic period, study finds

Researchers from several European institutions, led by scientists from the University of Barcelona and the University of Alcalá, have demonstrated that the hunter-gatherers who inhabited the interior of the Iberian Peninsula ...

4 hours ago in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Arctic cloud and ice formation affected by Russian river runoff as region studied for first time

Organic matter carried in rivers to the Russian part of the Arctic Ocean may be creating more clouds and keeping the region cooler, a new study has found.

4 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / AI method advances customized enzyme design

Enzymes with specific functions are becoming increasingly important in industry, medicine and environmental protection. For example, they make it possible to synthesize chemicals in a more environmentally friendly way, produce ...

3 hours ago in Chemistry
Phys.org / Scientists may have discovered a new extinct form of life

Prototaxites are something of a prehistoric mystery. They were the first giant organisms on land, towering over ancient landscapes at heights of up to 8 meters. They had smooth trunk-like pillars and no branches, leaves or ...

9 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Experiment clarifies cosmic origin of rare proton-rich isotope selenium-74

Researchers have reported new experimental results addressing the origin of rare proton-rich isotopes heavier than iron, called p-nuclei. Led by Artemis Tsantiri, then-graduate student at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams ...

4 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Tungsten carbide phase control: Engineering a low-cost alternative catalyst for producing sustainable petrochemicals

Important everyday products—from plastics to detergents—are made through chemical reactions that mostly use precious metals such as platinum as catalysts. Scientists have been searching for more sustainable, low-cost ...

1 hour ago in Chemistry
Phys.org / Crouzon syndrome diagnosed in a knight from the Order of Calatrava, killed in battle over 600 years ago

For the ArchaeoSpain research team, it was a day just like any other on their dig at the castle of Zorita de los Canes (Guadalajara). They were working at the Corral de los Condes, where some knights from the Order of Calatrava ...

4 hours ago in Biology