Phys.org news
Phys.org / Humanity's oldest geometries, engraved on ostrich eggs
At several archaeological sites in southern Africa, hundreds of highly unusual fragments of ostrich eggs have been found. Dating back more than 60,000 years, the shells were engraved by groups of Homo sapiens who lived in ...
Phys.org / Hidden architecture inside cellular droplets reveals new targets for cancer and neurodegeneration
Cells rely on biomolecular condensates to coordinate essential biological processes without surrounding membranes. These droplet-like dynamic assemblies control the way in which DNA is turned into proteins, help clear cellular ...
Phys.org / Iron nanoparticle eliminates tuberculosis in mice and may pave the way for new treatments
An iron-based compound encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles completely eliminated tuberculosis in the lungs of mice after 30 days of treatment, according to a study by the Tuberculosis Research Laboratory at the Araraquara ...
Phys.org / Farming on the moon or Mars? How recycled sewage could turn regolith into crop soil
Dining on the moon or Mars might seem like a fantasy reserved for science fiction, but researchers are investigating how it could become a reality. Their efforts to recycle plant and human waste into a fertilizer material—turning ...
Phys.org / A world first at the microscopic scale: Metamaterials that can shrink and expand on their own
Leiden physicists Daniela Kraft and Julio Melio have created soft structures that can take on different shapes without any external drive in their lab. They present their research on microscale metamaterials in Nature—a ...
Phys.org / The physics of sneaker squeaks: High-speed imaging shows how they arise from supersonic detachment pulses
Basketball shoes on a gym floor, bicycle brakes in need of a tune-up, or the squeal of tires are everyday examples of squeaking sounds. Such sounds have long been attributed to stick-slip friction, or a cycle of intermittent ...
Phys.org / Land plants began reshaping Earth 455 million years ago, scientists discover
Pinpointing when early land plants colonized terrestrial environments and began influencing Earth's systems is a core question in the evolution of the Earth system. A research team led by Prof. Zhao Mingyu at the Institute ...
Phys.org / New michelin star jellyfish discovered in Japanese aquaria
Researchers have reported the discovery of a new species of jellyfish, Malagazzia michelin, marking only the second species of its genus ever found in Japanese waters. Led by Takato Izumi of Fukuyama University, the discovery ...
Phys.org / 'Lock-and-key' chemistry keeps cancer drugs inactive until they reach tumor sites
Many therapeutic molecules used in cancer treatments are highly toxic, often harming healthy tissues and causing significant side effects. This creates a critical need for strategies that localize their toxic activity to ...
Phys.org / Ion bombardment triggers a reliable quantum switch in tantalum disulfide crystals
When you toss a coin, you put it into a higher-energy state until it falls back down again. It can then end up in one of two possible states: heads or tails. No matter which state the coin was in before, after the toss both ...
Phys.org / Mother's breasts may protect a newborn from the cold—a new perspective on breast evolution
Humans differ from other primates due to their relatively large, permanent breasts, and their development has so far not been conclusively explained. According to a study conducted at the University of Oulu, Finland, the ...
Phys.org / Plants stay neatly patterned as they grow, and PLETHORA proteins may explain why
How do plants achieve their remarkably regular arrangement of leaves and flowers? And why does this pattern remain so stable, even as plants grow and respond to their environment? Researchers at Wageningen University & Research ...