Phys.org news

Phys.org / Artificial light is keeping reef fish awake, and the effects may ripple across coral reefs

Artificial light spilling into coastal waters from cities, ports, roads and hotels is disrupting sleep in coral reef fish and is associated with changes in markers linked to brain health, according to a new study from Bar-Ilan ...

6 hours ago
Phys.org / Bird-derived gene tool inserts plant DNA 30 times more efficiently than CRISPR

In a rapidly changing climate landscape, the plants we rely on for food, textiles and more face a multitude of challenges, including rising temperatures, drought and disease. Caltech's Gözde Demirer, the Clare Boothe Luce ...

6 hours ago
Phys.org / Experiment upends beliefs on how electrons actually behave in warm dense matter

Researchers at European XFEL, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Rostock University and other collaborating institutions have used high-precision experiments to demonstrate that the most widely used models for the ...

6 hours ago
Phys.org / Corrected Pantheon+ analysis of supernovae challenges accelerating universe claim

Research led by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, along with Professor Subir Sarkar from the University of Oxford, questions the widely accepted argument that the expansion rate of the universe is accelerating ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / How oxygen sneaks into a corked wine bottle long before the first pour

The main reason for sealing wine bottles with a cork is to protect the liquid from oxygen. However, it is not an impermeable barrier, and a small amount of air leaks in, which is not always entirely bad news. The gas helps ...

14 hours ago
Phys.org / Cats age like humans—could studying their brains reveal healthy aging secrets?

Domestic cats age in remarkably similar ways to humans and show comparable age-related patterns of brain deterioration, according to an international collaboration among the University of Bath in the U.K., Auburn University ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / How cyanobacteria developed photosynthetic membranes over the course of evolution

A new study provides the first insights into how thylakoid membranes—the internal compartments where oxygen-producing photosynthesis takes place—emerged during evolution. By comparing the genomes of cyanobacteria with and ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Protein-tagging technology maps a hidden communication network between organs

The body's organs are in constant communication. Fat tissue tells the liver when to store or release energy, the immune system signals localized inflammation, and thousands of proteins carry these messages to organs throughout ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / How solar wind forecasting will help define heliosphere's boundaries

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientists are using a solar wind forecasting method combined with analytic and numerical heliosphere models to find out where the first plasma boundary of the outer heliosphere lies as ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Long-dismissed gas emerges as a hidden driver of urban air pollution

Researchers from Tampere University and the University of Helsinki have identified an unexpected chemical process that may influence the formation of air pollution particles in urban environments. The study shows that nitric ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / New findings challenge idea that human bodies simply got bigger and bigger over time in a steady line

The biggest jump in body size among our ancestors happened around 2–2.5 million years ago, with the appearance of Homo rudolfensis or Homo erectus/ergaster, rather than gradually across the whole human family tree.

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Chaotic polymer vibrations may unlock stronger, flexible thermal insulators

University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers have demonstrated a possible new avenue for developing flame-retardant and generally low-conductivity (low-heat-transfer) plastics that retain the benefits of being strong and ...

6 hours ago