Phys.org news
Phys.org / Watering smarter, not more: A modern-day robotic divining rod
Advanced technology can help farmers get to the root of a growing problem—overwatering in an era of increasing drought and water scarcity. A new UC Riverside system can map soil moisture tree by tree, so growers water only ...
Phys.org / Male fish lose their learning edge in drug-polluted waters, research reveals
A common antidepressant detected in rivers and streams worldwide is disrupting how fish learn, and the impact is strikingly one-sided. New research led by Monash University shows the drug amitriptyline impairs spatial learning ...
Phys.org / Tiny frogs prefer concrete apartments over wooden shelters
James Cook University researchers have tested frog housing and nursery preferences in the Wet Tropics rainforest of North Queensland, with frogs finding the thermal regulation of concrete shelters to be the perfect tropical ...
Phys.org / UV light method offers repeat recycling for acrylic plastics without the environmental cost
A breakthrough method for chemically recycling acrylic—one of the world's most widely used plastics—has been developed by researchers at the University of Bath. In contrast to conventional mechanical recycling, this method ...
Phys.org / Graphene 'nano-aquariums' capture atomic-resolution videos of gold atoms in solvents
A team led by scientists at the National Graphene Institute (NGI) at The University of Manchester has developed the first technique capable of capturing atomic‑resolution videos of individual gold atoms 'dancing' across a ...
Phys.org / Software package makes gene regulation easier to study—and tweak
Understanding how genes are switched on and off in specific cell types remains one of biology's central challenges. While AI has made major progress in decoding the regulatory logic of DNA, applying these approaches across ...
Phys.org / DNA-binding protein blocks virulence cascade in a diarrhea pathogen outside hosts, study finds
Some pathogens use temperature as a trigger and activate virulence only after entering the warmer environment of a host. A research team from Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, and the University of Münster, Germany, investigated ...
Phys.org / AI turns electron microscopy into materials insights in minutes
An electron microscopy image can capture atoms arranged in a crystal lattice or defects threading through a semiconductor material, but turning that image into materials insight can take weeks of careful analysis. Now, an ...
Phys.org / Microscopic coils and coffee trees lead to new fungal discovery
Yunnan Province in southwestern China is a global biodiversity hotspot, accommodating an incredible variety of plants and animals. It is also the heart of China's coffee industry, with Yunnan accounting for almost all of ...
Phys.org / Unexplained sky flashes from the 1950s: Independent analysis supports their existence
Historical observations from an observatory in Germany have now independently verified evidence for brief, mysterious flashes of light in the night sky, first picked up by an American astronomical survey in the 1950s. Through ...
Phys.org / High nickel concentrations in Martian bedrock point to potential biosignatures
In 2024, NASA's Perseverance rover found surprising levels of Nickel in the Martian bedrock of an ancient river channel, called Neretva Vallis, which flowed into the Jezero crater. A new study, published in Nature Communications, ...
Phys.org / Gravitational waves suggest a 'forbidden zone' for stellar-origin black holes
An international team led by Monash University has uncovered evidence of a rare form of exploding star, helping to shed light on one of the most cataclysmic events in the universe. At the end of their lives, most massive ...
