Phys.org news
Phys.org / Old-growth forests store a lot more carbon than managed forests, study finds
Swedish old-growth forests store 83% more carbon than managed forests, according to a new study from Lund University. The difference is substantially larger than previous estimates and is mainly due to large carbon stocks ...
Phys.org / Changing leafcutter ants' food reshapes their microbial gardens, scientists find
A colony of leafcutter ants is home to more than just one species. Each year, studies reveal new layers of complexity in these ecosystems, where various fungi and bacteria thrive alongside the ants, resulting in countless ...
Phys.org / Humans and animals have the same preference in mating calls, citizen science experiment finds
The bright colors of butterfly wings, the sweet aromas of flowers, and the euphonious melodies of songbirds all evolved as signals that help individuals propagate, yet humans also find these very same signals pleasing to ...
Phys.org / 'Mini earthquakes' turn tiny chips into radio signal powerhouses
From GPS satellites to mobile networks, modern technology relies on ultra-precise radio signals. Engineers have long tried to generate them on chips using interactions between light and sound, but the effect was too weak. ...
Phys.org / Study uncovers mineral 'sink' that reduced phosphorus in early oceans, potentially delaying Earth's oxygen rise
Scientists have long sought to explain a key mismatch in Earth's early history: oxygen-producing photosynthesis evolved hundreds of millions of years before atmospheric oxygen began to rise during the Great Oxidation Event. ...
Phys.org / How an RNA-binding protein detects and responds to non-optimal codon usage in human cells
Human genes are written in long strings of three-letter units composed of four different nucleotides. These units—or codons—specify one of many amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Multiple codons can encode ...
Phys.org / Ancient brines helped build Idaho's Silver Valley and Cobalt belt
Idaho's Silver Valley has produced about 1.2 billion ounces of silver since the late 1800s, enough to cast a solid cube roughly as tall as a five-story building, along with huge amounts of lead and zinc. Now a new study led ...
Phys.org / The discovery of a buried delta on Mars could boost the search for life
There's more evidence that water once flowed on Mars with the discovery of an ancient river delta deep below the surface. NASA's Perseverance rover found it more than 35 meters beneath Jezero Crater using ground-penetrating ...
Phys.org / The Yamna reused sacred spaces in the north Pontic Steppe, study suggests
According to an article published in Antiquity by Dr. Svitlana Ivanova and her colleagues, the Yamna culture's repurposing of older ritual spaces reflects a deliberate appropriation and continuation of sacred spaces. A case ...
Phys.org / DESI maps C-19, an extremely metal-poor Milky Way stellar stream
Using the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, an international team of astronomers has observed C-19—an extremely metal-poor stellar stream in the Milky Way's halo. Results of the observational campaign, ...
Phys.org / The best places to look for alien life: Scientists identify 45 Earth-like worlds to explore for a 'Project Hail Mary'
If we're to find extraterrestrial life in the universe, astronomers have pinpointed the best places to look for it. They have identified just under 50 rocky worlds most likely to be habitable out of the more than 6,000 exoplanets ...
Phys.org / A multi-lane highway for light: Topology helps build more robust photonic networks
Penn-led researchers have shown for the first time that multiple, information-carrying light signals can be safely guided through chip-based, reconfigurable networks using topology, the esoteric branch of mathematics that ...
