Phys.org news
Phys.org / Could a kid have painted that? Jackson Pollock's famous pour-painting has child-like characteristics, study shows
What makes art art? Is it the method or the creator? Does it need a color palette and oil paints, or a canvas laid flat on the floor and paint splattered across it? Does it require a critically acclaimed painter, or a toddler ...
Phys.org / Scientists get a first look at the innermost region of a white dwarf system
Some 200 light years from Earth, the core of a dead star is circling a larger star in a macabre cosmic dance. The dead star is a type of white dwarf that exerts a powerful magnetic field as it pulls material from the larger ...
Phys.org / Generative chatbots promise personalized education at scale but struggle with accuracy issues
Personalized learning is a very effective teaching method, but its potential is limited due to resource constraints. In a small, in-person class, instructors can walk around, engage with students individually, adjust lessons ...
Phys.org / Not just stomata: Hidden water regulation mechanism could help crops survive drought
Cornell researchers have discovered a previously unknown way plants regulate water that is so fundamental it may change plant biology textbooks—and open the door to breeding more drought-tolerant crops.
Phys.org / Scientists map the hidden cellular 'postal codes' that shape every human face
Why do no two human faces look quite the same? Although we all follow the same biological blueprint, our features—the curve of a lip, the angle of a nose, the breadth of a jaw—diverge in endlessly subtle ways.
Phys.org / Understanding bacteria's role in transforming steroids to pharmaceuticals
For decades, pharmaceutical companies have been using bacteria found in soil and water to chemically convert steroids into effective treatments for human diseases. One example is cortisol, which is used to treat asthma and ...
Phys.org / Cellular crowding in fruit fly embryos triggers a critical DNA reorganization, biologists find
After fertilization, embryos race through rapid cell divisions before slowing down to build specialized cells that will carry out distinct functions in the developing body—but the signals that trigger this shift have remained ...
Phys.org / Humans bring gender bias to their interactions with AI, finds study
Humans bring gender biases to their interactions with Artificial Intelligence (AI), according to new research from Trinity College Dublin and Ludwig-Maximilians Universität (LMU) Munich.
Phys.org / Subverting plasmids to combat antibiotic resistance
Researchers in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School have opened a new window into understanding the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
Phys.org / Multicellular cyanobacteria switch gene activity between day and night cycles
Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, occur worldwide in many varieties, including in single-cell form and in chains called filaments. While these tiny life forms can strongly influence many ecosystems, the details ...
Phys.org / Metal-phase protection enables durable acidic CO₂ electroreduction to formic acid
The electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable chemicals and fuels typically operates under alkaline or neutral conditions, but the carbonation side reaction causes carbon loss. In addition, the main product is ...
Phys.org / Machine learning beats classical method in predicting cosmic ray radiation near Earth
Cosmic rays are high-energy particles that constantly bombard Earth from space and are influenced by the sun's magnetic activity. When the sun is active, fewer of these particles reach Earth; when the sun is quiet, more are ...
