Phys.org news
Phys.org / AI model predicts chemical effects on gene expression, speeding drug discovery
Inside a diseased cell, the genes are in chaos. Some are receiving signals to overproduce a protein. Others are reducing activity to abnormal levels. Up is down and down is up. The right molecule could restore order, reversing ...
Phys.org / Charcoal records reveal 'unprecedented' wildfires in tropical peatlands during 20th century
A new study reveals an unprecedented increase in wildfires in tropical peatlands during the 20th century. "Unprecedented burning in tropical peatlands during the 20th century compared to the previous two millennia" is published ...
Phys.org / Physicists trace the sun's magnetic engine, 200,000 kilometers below its surface
Every eleven years, the sun's magnetic field flips. Sunspots—dark, cooler regions on the sun's surface that mark intense magnetic activity and often trigger solar eruptions—appear at mid-latitudes and migrate toward the ...
Phys.org / The cactus on your desk is an evolution speed machine
The cactus on your windowsill may grow slowly, but new research shows that cacti are surprisingly fast at creating new species. Biologists have long thought that pollinators and specialized flowers drive the formation of ...
Phys.org / Asteroid Bennu's rugged surface baffled NASA—now, we finally know why
In one of the biggest surprises of NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, its target asteroid, Bennu, turned out to be a jagged, rugged world covered in large boulders, with few of the smooth patches that earlier observations from Earth-based ...
Phys.org / Ultrathin BiFeO₃ breaks the 30 nm limit, delivering fourfold stronger piezoelectricity
Piezoelectric materials, which convert mechanical stress into electricity and vice versa, are essential components in sensors, actuators, and energy-harvesting devices. However, the best piezoelectric materials, such as lead ...
Phys.org / From dust to planets: Parabolic flight reveal a turbulent path
How does fine dust aggregate into building blocks that ultimately form entire planets like our Earth? A research team led by the University of Bern, with the participation of ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich and the National ...
Phys.org / New rare bird species discovered in Japan
A previously unknown species of leaf warbler has been discovered in Japan. The Ijima's Leaf Warbler has proven to be two different species, not just one. Every year, a few new bird species are identified around the world. ...
Phys.org / Large craters offer clues to the origin of asteroid 16 Psyche
Even 200 years after asteroid 16 Psyche was discovered, astronomers continue to puzzle over its formation. Psyche is the 10th-most massive asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, and the largest known metallic ...
Phys.org / Nest-building birds help disperse cotton further than wind, study suggests
Birds play a larger role in the dispersal of wild cotton than previously assumed. This is shown by a study in the journal Oikos, carried out in southern Africa. Researchers discovered that birds actively collect wild cotton ...
Phys.org / Natural textile fibers may persist for more than a century in lake sediments
Natural fibers promoted as sustainable alternatives to plastic, including cotton and wool, have been found preserved in a U.K. lake for more than a century—challenging assumptions that they quickly biodegrade in the environment. ...
Phys.org / Inverse design: A new pathway to custom functional polymers
At a potluck, you ate the best chocolate chip cookie—golden-brown, thick and chewy. Unfortunately, you don't know who made the cookie to get the recipe from, so you decide to recreate it. Using forward design principles, ...
