Phys.org news
Phys.org / AI and robotics accelerate search for better gut microbiome therapies
Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a method for systematically developing novel, complex combinations of probiotics and prebiotics to more effectively maintain gut health and treat various gastrointestinal ...
Phys.org / Plants know when to grow—and when to hold back, study finds
Researchers have uncovered a surprising mechanism that allows plants to carefully coordinate the formation and growth of new leaf parts. The study shows that the hormone auxin regulates different phases in organ formation ...
Phys.org / Moth wings reveal an unexpected ability to smell plant chemicals
Insect wings are bristling with senses, feeling the wind blowing and even tasting potential mates, but little was known about whether moth wings are equipped with a sense of smell. Sonja Bisch-Knaden and Bill Hansson from ...
Phys.org / Saber-toothed cats' spinal tumors suggest inbred species struggled to survive
The fossilized spines of saber-toothed cats in the La Brea Tar Pits reveal evidence of an unexpectedly high prevalence of rare spinal nerve tumors, suggesting that the species became inbred just before extinction. These tumors, ...
Phys.org / Long-term study finds widespread lithium in drinking water across communities in the western U.S.
Lithium in drinking water is a widespread and persistent source of human exposure across Tribal communities in the Western United States, according to a new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. ...
Phys.org / A quantum heat engine that simultaneously provides work and refrigeration
The laws of thermodynamics state that heat naturally flows from hotter systems or regions to colder systems or regions until a state of thermal equilibrium is reached. This simple principle underpins the operation of numerous ...
Phys.org / Gamma-ray pulsations reveal extreme 3.2-millisecond pulsar 3,900 light-years away
By analyzing the data from NASA's Fermi gamma-ray space telescope, Chinese astronomers have investigated a recently identified millisecond pulsar known as PSR J0435+3233. As a result, they found that the pulsar exhibits gamma-ray ...
Phys.org / Angola's oldest burials, including its only known ancient cremation, uncovered at a 15th-century site doomed by a dam
As the construction of a hydroelectric dam loomed, archaeologists raced to uncover Angola's earliest dated burials and its only known cremation at a 15th-century settlement before it vanished beneath the water.
Phys.org / Twisted laser light distinguishes mirror-image molecules by their fragment counts
Many molecules exist in two mirror-image forms—like left and right hands—that look identical but can behave very differently, especially in biological systems and pharmaceuticals. Distinguishing between these enantiomers ...
Phys.org / Trace molecules emerge as chemical 'keystones' that steer life's communities
In nature, the rarest ingredient can be the one that holds everything together. In a new article published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Dr. Erika C. Freeman of the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries ...
Phys.org / Ancient bones from smaller Maya communities reveal heavy reliance on maize and local subsistence patterns
Historians and archaeologists know that maize was a central food source and cultural symbol across the ancient Maya world, but much of what is known has come from studies focused on large Maya cities and elite burials.
Phys.org / Rare blue optical transient points to possible new class of cosmic explosion
Chinese astronomers report the detection of a peculiar optical transient event that occurred in the center of a dwarf galaxy. The newly discovered event, designated AT2019ijn, is a fast-rising, slow-decaying blue optical ...
