Phys.org news
Phys.org / Why heights and snakes still hit harder: Study tracks fear sweat in 119 people
Fear-eliciting images of modern and ancestral threats are equally likely to evoke physiological reactions, despite their distinct evolutionary origins, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS One by ...
Phys.org / Challenging a 300-year-old law of friction
Researchers at the University of Konstanz have uncovered a new mechanism of sliding friction: resistance to motion that arises without any mechanical contact, driven purely by collective magnetic dynamics. The study, published ...
Phys.org / How young galaxies grew magnetic fields faster than expected
How fast can a galaxy build ordered magnetic fields spanning thousands of light-years? Existing theories say several billion years, but observations of galaxies in our universe imply shorter timescales. In a study published ...
Phys.org / Liquid biopsy method uses nanoparticle Raman signals to separate two lookalike enzymes
RIKEN researchers have demonstrated a method that can detect tiny amounts of biomarkers in liquid samples and can distinguish between highly similar biomarkers. This promises to boost the versatility and usefulness of liquid ...
Phys.org / Microwave quantum network shows resilience against heat-related disturbances
Quantum communication systems are emerging solutions to transmit information between devices in a network leveraging quantum mechanical phenomena, such as entanglement. Entanglement is a quantum effect that entails a link ...
Phys.org / Fossilized whale skulls reveal feeding secrets of sharks 5 million years ago
A new study analyzing two fossilized whale skulls from around 5 million years ago has revealed fragments of sharks' teeth lodged inside them. This provides rare evidence of how sharks fed on whales in north European waters ...
Phys.org / Integrative archaeogenetics reveal how Southern Andean communities adopted farming and endured crises
An interdisciplinary study published in Nature reconstructs over 2,000 years of population history in Argentina's Uspallata Valley (UV), a southern frontier of Andean farming spread in ancient times, with broader lessons ...
Phys.org / Colliding dust and the sparks of creation: Carbon-coated grains provide new clue to life's early energy
Two microscopic grains collide and produce a tiny spark. This phenomenon may have provided the energy to kick off life on Earth. But if these solid particles have the same composition, what factor causes the charge to flow ...
Phys.org / First world map shows impact of the tidal pulse in coastal rivers
Tides not only affect regions along the coast, their periodic fluctuations are carried upstream inland through coastal rivers. River sections particularly affected by these tidal pulses are exposed to an increased risk of ...
Phys.org / A 'two-factor authentication' system that controls microRNA destruction
Cells rely on tiny molecules called microRNAs to tune which genes are active and when. Cells must carefully control the lifespan of microRNAs to prevent widespread disruption to gene regulation. A new study led by researchers ...
Phys.org / Mystery of quinine biosynthesis solved with newly discovered enzymes
For over 350 years, quinine and other extracts from the cinchona tree (Cinchona spp.) were the only effective medicines against malaria, a tropical fever caused by single-celled parasites of the genus Plasmodium and transmitted ...
Phys.org / Using fiber-optic cables to detect moonquakes
Two recent studies suggest that fiber-optic cables laid directly on the moon's surface could potentially detect moonquakes, offering a simpler way to gather seismic data to support future human and robotic exploration.
