Phys.org news
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 / 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, ...
Phys.org / Mathematical foundations for noise-tolerant quantum catalysts in real-world environments
Quantum catalysts are specialized resources that enable quantum state transformations previously thought impossible, holding promise for advancements in quantum computing and thermodynamics. A recent international study has ...
Phys.org / Past intensive whaling threatens the future of bowhead whales
A unique collection of prehistoric bowhead whale bones, dating back 11,000 years, reveals a previously untold story of the relative impacts of humans on nature. The time series of ancient fossils show that commercial hunting ...
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 / Students discover new crab egg predator
After a year and a half of remote work and learning, UC Santa Barbara undergraduate students Sophia Lecuona Manos, Gabrielle Plewe, Carson Gadler and doctoral student Zoe Zilz returned to campus in late 2021 eager for some ...
Phys.org / When it comes to networks, nature has an edge
Networks exist in both nature—such as biological systems like food webs and gene regulatory networks—and in engineered systems as seen in power grids. Though natural and engineered systems share an overarching goal—providing ...
Phys.org / Engineered lipid nanoparticles reprogram immune metabolism for better mRNA vaccines
The most common side effects of mRNA vaccines like the COVID-19 shot are well known: soreness, mild fever, and general malaise. Those symptoms, which typically resolve within days, are the natural result of the immune system ...
Phys.org / Warmer, wetter cyclone weather made Peru's dengue outbreak 10 times larger, study finds
Diseases historically absent from the United States have been showing up in Florida, Texas, California and other U.S. states in recent years. To understand why, look to Peru. That's where researchers from Stanford and other ...
Phys.org / What's in your lipstick and water? New test flags hidden mutagens
Substances capable of mutating human genetic material—altering and permanently damaging it—are present in many everyday products. Researchers at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) have, for the first time, detected mutagens ...
Phys.org / Changing flight paths could slash aviation's climate impact
Small changes to aircraft flight paths to avoid the atmospheric conditions that create condensation trails—known as contrails—could reduce aviation's global warming impact by nearly half, a new study suggests. The study, ...
Phys.org / Nano 3D metallic parts turn out to be surprisingly strong despite defects
Scientists at Caltech have figured out how to precisely engineer tiny three-dimensional (3D) metallic pieces with nanoscale dimensions. The process can work with any metal or metal alloy and yields components of surprising ...
