Phys.org news
Phys.org / When strength in numbers stops working: Climate extremes rewrite monkey society in Costa Rica
As climate change intensifies, scientists are becoming increasingly concerned about how animals will cope with a more unpredictable world. One way to gain insight is by studying how animals have already responded to natural ...
Phys.org / 'Indian Niño' drove record heat in 2023 and 2024, new study finds
In 2023 and 2024, Earth's average global surface temperature spiked nearly 0.3 degrees Celsius above what was already expected from climate change. Each year was declared the hottest on record and coincided with deadly wildfires, ...
Phys.org / A new kind of CRISPR could treat viral infection and cancer by shredding sick cells' DNA
A new kind of CRISPR that destroys cells rather than gene editing them has shown potential for killing sick cells while leaving healthy cells untouched. The technology has largely been tested in cells in a dish, but if it ...
Phys.org / Dark proteome yields 1,785 new microproteins that could reshape disease research
Scientists have uncovered more than 1,700 new proteins that could have implications for human diseases, including cancer. Mostly very small, these proteins were found in what's called the "dark proteome," which covers gene ...
Phys.org / Deforestation may push Amazon degradation threshold below 2°C warming
Around two-thirds of the Amazon rainforest could shift into degraded forest or savanna-like ecosystems at 1.5–1.9°C of global warming if deforestation increases to roughly 22–28% of the Amazon, according to a new study from ...
Phys.org / What can singing mice say about human speech?
Speech is a crowning achievement of human evolution, the skill that separates us from every other animal. So, it would stand to reason that evolving this capability required some enormous leap in brain complexity. A study ...
Phys.org / The lost koala: New fossil species was hiding in plain sight for 100 years
In 2024, the Western Australian Museum received a donation. It was a koala skull collected from Moondyne Cave in Margaret River by Lindsay Hatcher, an avid caver. There was something a bit odd about this skull, and we were ...
Phys.org / Landsat 9 captures Russia's restless Shiveluch volcano mid-eruption
Near-constant activity continues on the volcano in Russia. Shivelyuch (also called Shiveluch), the most northerly active volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. On a near-daily ...
Phys.org / Space junk falls to Earth faster when sunspots peak, reshaping satellite collision forecasts
Solar emissions exert 'drag' on space junk orbiting Earth. From historical measurements across a period of 36 years, researchers have now shown that space junk begins to fall down much faster once the sun's activity across ...
Phys.org / On the ground or in the atmosphere? Swarm satellites help characterize and pinpoint destructive events
When solar storms strike Earth, they can disrupt power grids, rail systems, satellites, and even marine life. These effects arise because solar wind and geomagnetic activity disturb the magnetosphere–ionosphere system, generating ...
Phys.org / Hologram technology where 'light becomes the key' enables hard-to-copy security
A new type of hologram technology has been developed that uses the motion of light as a key, revealing information only under specific conditions. This is gaining attention as a novel approach that can simultaneously overcome ...
Phys.org / Freshwater mussel protein offers new source of inspiration for medical-grade glues
Researchers at the University of Toronto have identified a protein from the quagga mussel that can stick to surfaces underwater, even though it lacks a chemical feature long thought to be essential for this kind of adhesion. ...