Phys.org news
Phys.org / Planetary collisions may help young worlds hold on to their atmospheres
A new study lets some of the air out of a long-held theory that growing, rocky planets will lose their atmosphere if they smash into a large object in space.
Phys.org / Faraway tectonic forces may have accelerated the Gulf of California rifting
When the Baja California peninsula broke from mainland Mexico nearly 12 million years ago, it gave rise to the Gulf of California. New research suggests that this process of continental rifting was greatly accelerated due ...
Phys.org / Long-distance flights can throw seabirds' internal clocks out of sync, causing navigation errors
A study led by Oxford University has found that seabirds flying long distances across the Atlantic can experience a mismatch between their internal body clocks and local time (the same process that leads to jet lag in humans), ...
Phys.org / Researchers create first whole-body single-cell atlas of an adult vertebrate
Viewed from above, Danionella cerebrum offers a rare sight in a vertebrate: its brain, visible through the top of its head. Since the species was adopted for neuroscience research in 2018 and formally described in 2021, the ...
Phys.org / Rubin observatory reveals two hidden companions of the Milky Way
Preview data from the recently completed NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile point to a wave of discoveries that may complete the census of the Milky Way's neighboring galaxies—including its faintest companions.
Phys.org / Simplified ancestral enzyme makes ATP without amino acid needed for its usual reaction
Proteins perform essential functions in living organisms, from catalyzing biochemical reactions to supporting cellular energy metabolism. Their functions depend on their amino acid composition and three-dimensional structures. ...
Phys.org / Modest gamma-ray flash followed by dazzling afterglow points to powerful stellar jet viewed off-axis
A cosmic explosion that announced itself with a modest flash of gamma rays went on to produce one of the brightest afterglows astronomers have recorded in the past 20 years. An international team of astronomers now finds ...
Phys.org / Amino acid boosts last-resort antibiotic's effectiveness
Worldwide, antibiotic resistance is associated with millions of deaths every year, and the World Health Organization warns that the number of resistant infections is rising. Colistin is a last-resort antibiotic used when ...
Phys.org / New fossil scans challenge insect flight timeline, suggesting origins up to 80 million years later
A tiny fossil discovered exactly a century ago has caused an enormous change in our understanding of when flying insects first appeared on Earth.
Phys.org / Key Atlantic currents could collapse this century, but the risk is missing from almost all national climate plans
Icelandic government officials recently met to discuss a dramatic scenario: what if the current that circulates Atlantic waters weakened significantly, or collapsed altogether?
Phys.org / Zombie bacteria keep building DNA after death
Researchers at Aarhus University have discovered that bacteria can continue producing DNA after they die. And they have found a way to control what gets produced. The discovery could eventually contribute to the development ...
Phys.org / How eggs protect chromosome connections during prolonged dormancy
Eggs follow a very different developmental path from sperm. Once a male hits puberty, sperm cells are produced continuously throughout his life. Eggs, however, are all produced during the fetal stage. Once formed, eggs enter ...
