Phys.org news
Phys.org / Where did that raindrop come from? Climate model ensemble captures worldwide water isotopes over 45 years
Water is made of hydrogen and oxygen, and sometimes these atoms are slightly heavier than usual. These heavier forms are called isotopes. As water evaporates or moves through the atmosphere, the amount of these isotopes changes ...
Phys.org / Acoustic communication—an overlooked driver in boxfish evolution
A new international study reveals the unexpected importance of acoustic communication in the evolution of boxfishes. This discovery offers new perspectives on the role of acoustic communication in the evolutionary history ...
Phys.org / When heat flows backwards: A neat solution for hydrodynamic heat transport
When we think about heat traveling through a material, we typically picture diffusive transport, a process that transfers heat from high-temperature to low-temperature as particles and molecules bump into each other, losing ...
Phys.org / Half of the world's coral reefs suffered major bleaching during the 2014–2017 global heat wave, estimates suggest
Benefits to society from coral reefs, including fisheries, tourism, coastal protection, pharmaceutical discovery and more, are estimated at about $9.8 trillion per year. For the first time, an international team led by Smithsonian ...
Phys.org / Social media feeds: Algorithm redesign could break echo chambers and reduce online polarization
Scroll through social media long enough and a pattern emerges. Pause on a post questioning climate change or taking a hard line on a political issue, and the platform is quick to respond—serving up more of the same viewpoints, ...
Phys.org / What's in a name? Information structure parallels discovered across cultures—with repercussions for Asian names
First names in Western countries today are more diverse than they were before early modern states evolved. This difference started to emerge in the 17th century in response to a change that took place in the naming system ...
Phys.org / New nanoparticles remove melanoma tumors in mice with low-power near-infrared laser
Researchers at Oregon State University have developed and tested in a mouse model a new type of nanoparticle that enables the removal of melanoma tumors with a low-power laser. After the systemically administered nanoparticles ...
Phys.org / Trace gases play previously unseen role in cloud droplet formation, research reveals
Tiny, invisible gases long thought to be irrelevant in cloud formation may actually play a major role in determining whether clouds form—and possibly whether it rains.
Phys.org / 'Increase' framing makes research results seem bigger and more important, experiments show
Scientific findings are in the news. They're cited on food packages and beverage labels. They are discussed in podcasts and argued over by politicians and pundits. And each finding sits within a specific frame. If researchers ...
Phys.org / Software tool can detect hidden errors in complex tissue analyses
A new software tool, ovrlpy, improves quality control in spatial transcriptomics, a key technology in biomedical research. Developed by the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) in international collaboration, ovrlpy ...
Phys.org / New dataset reveals how US law has grown more complex over the past century
A century ago, the section of U.S. federal law governing public health and welfare was relatively small and loosely connected to the rest of the legal system. Today, it is one of the largest and most interconnected parts ...
Phys.org / Egalitarianism among hunter-gatherers? What a food-sharing experiment reveals about self-interest
Hunter-gatherers like the Hadza of Tanzania are famous for their egalitarianism. A resource redistribution experiment conducted with the Hadza suggests many tolerate inequality—as long as it benefits themselves. Published ...
