Phys.org news
Phys.org / Neanderthals may have shared key DNA for complex language, reshaping when human speech began
In a first-of-its-kind finding, researchers at University of Iowa Health Care discovered that specific genetic sequences have an outsized impact on humans' language abilities and that these sequences evolved before humans ...
Phys.org / Quantum chips could scale faster with new spin-qubit readout that reduces sensors and wiring
Quantum computers, devices that process information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, could tackle some tasks that are difficult or impossible to solve using classical computers. These systems represent data as qubits, ...
Phys.org / Giant octopuses may have ruled the oceans 100 million years ago
Today's octopuses are intelligent, remarkably flexible animals that lurk in reefs, hide in crevices, or drift through the deep sea. But new research suggests that their earliest relatives may have played a far more predatory ...
Phys.org / Mysterious gas clouds near Milky Way's black hole now have a likely source
New observations and simulations by a team of researchers led by MPE reveal that a massive binary star near our galaxy's center is responsible for creating a series of enigmatic gas clouds—compact gas clumps that help feed ...
Phys.org / DNA damage just got more complicated: A long-missed weak spot emerges when light and oxygen strike
In everyday life, our genetic material is constantly under attack from many factors. Environmental influences such as light, along with internal processes like inflammation, can generate oxidative stress that damages DNA ...
Phys.org / New bioreactor turns stem cells into an immune-cell factory, producing 40 million human macrophages per week
Researchers at Hannover Medical School (MHH) have developed a method for the efficient production of human immune cells, such as macrophages, in medium-sized bioreactors. These immune cells can be derived from induced pluripotent ...
Phys.org / Milky Way's 'little cousins' may hold clues about infant universe
Ultra-faint dwarf galaxies—tiny satellite galaxies orbiting the Milky Way—have long been seen as cosmic fossils. Now, a new study published today in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society uses an unprecedented ...
Phys.org / Moon dust could stop being a nuisance and start reshaping how humans may build beyond Earth
As space agencies and private companies look toward a sustained human presence on the moon, a fundamental challenge centers on how to build strong, durable infrastructure without hauling every material from Earth. New research ...
Phys.org / Climate and competition alone cannot explain Neanderthal extinction, study finds
A new modeling study suggests that greater connectivity between groups may have given Homo sapiens the edge over Neanderthals. Why Neanderthals went extinct and Homo sapiens established a lasting presence in Europe is still ...
Phys.org / From the Pampas to Patagonia, DNA reveals South America's human history
A new genetic study shows that cultural diversity in the so-called Southern Cone—the roughly triangular southernmost part of South America—was strongly influenced by extensive human migration. An international research team ...
Phys.org / We think norms spread by imitation, but one deceptively simple rule tells a more human story
A paper appearing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences offers a strikingly simple answer to a longstanding question: How do people learn and settle on shared social conventions, from everyday habits to workplace ...
Phys.org / How a sinking lithospheric root raised Mongolia's Hangay Mountains
Central Mongolia's Hangay Mountains rise more than four kilometers above sea level, forming a dramatic dome that shapes the region's climate. But for decades, geologists have been puzzled: What caused this massive mountain ...
