Phys.org news
Phys.org / Location, location, location: How the Nile helped an ancient Sudanese city thrive for centuries
The ancient city of Napata, located in what is now Sudan, was a major urban and cultural center of Kush, an ancient empire in Nubia. University of Michigan archaeologists and earth scientists examined the land underlying ...
Phys.org / Self-powered fibers can spot oil contamination and heat buildup within milliseconds
Oil spills and fires are two very different hazards, but both can cause major damage before people have time to react. Oil contamination can spread quickly across water and harm marine ecosystems, while undetected heat buildup ...
Phys.org / Amazon safeguards cut deforestation but miss rising forest degradation threat
Antonio has spent the past seven years running toward fires that most others run from. A firefighter in the Brazilian Amazon since 2019, he works inside the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, one of the most biodiverse places ...
Phys.org / Synchrotron safety monitoring sheds light on dark photons
A scientist from Tokyo Metropolitan University has proposed using safety monitoring at synchrotron facilities to study the properties of dark photons, hypothetical particles proposed to explain dark matter. Calculations show ...
Phys.org / Time-evolving polymer recreates nature's signature twist
Science has long taken inspiration from the natural world, and few natural designs are as iconic as the helical shape that makes life possible. The best-known example of such a molecule is DNA, a double helix that carries ...
Phys.org / Atomic map reveals how Leptospira bacteria flip virulence switch inside hosts
During infection, pathogens must adapt quickly to the conditions to thrive inside the body. A research team at the University of Basel, Switzerland, has uncovered how a key protein switches on the machinery that enables Leptospira ...
Phys.org / How bacteria circumvent plants' immune system
How are bacterial pathogens able to effectively overcome plants' defense mechanisms? Researchers working with Professor Şuayb Üstün at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, have found a surprising answer to this question: The ...
Phys.org / New self-assembling polymers proven to be effective at gene delivery
A collaboration of scientists at the University of Manchester and the University of Birmingham has explored a more effective and less toxic way of delivering genetic material into cells, a challenge central to areas such ...
Phys.org / DNA molecular computer combines memory and computing at scales below 2 nm
Until now, molecular-level DNA circuits have mainly been used for simple tasks, such as detecting the presence of cancer-related substances. However, these systems have faced a key limitation: once a reaction occurs, the ...
Phys.org / Brazil's farm expansion has left a vast soil carbon debt—but one fix could help meet climate goals
The conversion of Brazil's native biomes into agricultural areas has resulted in an estimated loss of 1.4 billion tons of soil carbon. This amount is equal to the emission of 5.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) equivalent, ...
Phys.org / CRISPR untangles five-gene protein that helps plants grow in early stages
For most of their lives, plants get their energy from photosynthesis. But during the seed to seedling stage, when they can't absorb light just yet, they rely on other sources, like fatty acids. To process the fatty acids, ...
Phys.org / Self-organizing 'pencil beam' laser could help scientists design brain-targeted therapies
MIT researchers discovered a paradoxical phenomenon in optical physics that could enable a new bioimaging method that's faster and higher-resolution than existing technology. They discovered that, under the right conditions, ...
