Phys.org news
Phys.org / How cells choose their direction without external signals
Cell movement is an essential biological process, whether it's cancer cells metastasizing to other parts of the body or immune cells migrating to heal a wound. However, the principle by which cells autonomously determine ...
Phys.org / Precision genetic engineering points to a future of sustainable agriculture
As Earth's climate warms and changes, sustainable agricultural practices are critical for feeding a rapidly growing population. Can we genetically engineer crops to adapt to drought and other effects of a warming climate?
Phys.org / Invasive cane toads expected to reach western Australia's Pilbara within two decades
New Curtin University research has found invasive cane toads are on track to reach Western Australia's Pilbara region within the next 10 to 20 years, threatening to cause widespread losses among native species and significant ...
Phys.org / Iconic Andean monument may have been used for Indigenous accounting
Sediment analysis and drone photography of the iconic South American monument of Monte Sierpe (aka "Band of Holes") support a new interpretation of this mysterious landscape feature as part of an Indigenous system of accounting ...
Phys.org / Spins influence solid oxygen's crystal structure under extreme magnetic fields, study finds
Placing materials under extremely strong magnetic fields can give rise to unusual and fascinating physical phenomena or behavior. Specifically, studies show that under magnetic fields above 100 tesla (T), spins (i.e., intrinsic ...
Phys.org / Water temperatures in Amazonian lakes rise to unprecedented levels, killing wildlife
During a severe drought and heat wave in 2023, Amazonian lakes reached their highest recorded temperatures. Water temperatures in some areas climbed to an astonishing 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit) and resulted ...
Phys.org / Bacteria use sugar-fueled currents and molecular gearboxes to move without flagella
New studies from Arizona State University reveal surprising ways bacteria can move without their flagella—the slender, whip-like propellers that usually drive them forward.
Phys.org / Rainfall's origin reveals a hidden driver behind drought risks for farmers
A new University of California San Diego study uncovers a hidden driver of global crop vulnerability: the origin of rainfall itself.
Phys.org / Saturday Citations: Black hole flare unprecedented; the strength of memories; bugs on the menu
This week, researchers reported finding a spider megacity in a sulfur cave on the Albania-Greece border, and experts say that you, personally, have to go live there. Economists are growing nervous about the collapse of the ...
Phys.org / Rare footage shows sucker fish as they whale-surf in the ocean's wildest joyride
There are easier ways to cross an ocean, but few are as slick or stylish as the remora's whale-surfing joyride.
Phys.org / James Watson, co-discoverer of the double-helix shape of DNA, has died at age 97
James D. Watson, whose co-discovery of the twisted-ladder structure of DNA in 1953 helped light the long fuse on a revolution in medicine, crimefighting, genealogy and ethics, has died. He was 97.
Phys.org / Climate intervention may lower protein content in major global food crops
A new study in Environmental Research Letters reports that cooling the planet by injecting sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, a proposed climate intervention technique, could reduce the nutritional value of the world's ...
