Phys.org news
Phys.org / Measuring titanium in Apollo rock to uncover moon's early chemistry
Earth and the moon may look very different today, but they formed under similar conditions in space. In fact, a dominant hypothesis says that the early Earth was hit by a Mars-sized object, and it was this giant impact that ...
Phys.org / Cells under stress: How a chemotherapy drug damages RNA
The integrity of DNA and RNA is essential for every cell. DNA contains the genetic information for proteins, while RNA serves as a working copy of individual genes and is required for the synthesis of proteins. Unlike DNA ...
Phys.org / Limits of protein evolution could reshape ideas about early life
The number of known proteins is infinitely small in comparison to the universe of possible proteins, which could in theory be realized. Yet these known proteins are the only major training ground for future protein design. ...
Phys.org / Wildlife-friendly landscapes dramatically boost biodiversity in fragmented forests, research reveals
A new study has revealed that improving the landscapes surrounding forest remnants can dramatically increase their ability to retain bird species—even when the forest fragments themselves are small or isolated. For decades, ...
Phys.org / Soil bacteria break down toxic chemicals in the environment
Many aromatic compounds, such as phenols, cresols and styrenes, are toxic to organisms and harmful to the environment. They can accumulate as a result of industrial processes and harm ecosystems. Soil bacteria can help to ...
Phys.org / Two organs, one brain area: How fish orient themselves in the water
Using zebrafish, researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University (OMU) have identified the tegmentum region in the fish midbrain as the area where light input from both the fish's eyes and the pineal organ—the "third eye"—is ...
Phys.org / No dyes, less cell stress: How mid-infrared ultrasound imaging tracks lipids live
A team at Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has developed a new microscopy technique that can distinguish lipid species in living cells—in particular cholesterol and sphingomyelin—and map them ...
Phys.org / Finding the 'quantum needle' in a haystack: New filtering method can isolate photons
In quantum technologies, everything depends on the ability to detect the properties carried by a single photon. But in the real world, that photon of interest is often buried in a sea of unwanted light—a true "needle in a ...
Phys.org / Ancient predator species discovered in South Africa challenges what we know about gorgonopsians
In a study published in The Anatomical Record, researchers have identified a new species of large-bodied gorgonopsian from the middle Permian. The discovery pushed back the known origins of when these apex predators began ...
Phys.org / Framework unifies the classical and quantum Mpemba effects
Physicists have developed a new theoretical framework which unifies a wide array of seemingly unrelated "Mpemba effects": counterintuitive cases where systems driven further from equilibrium relax faster than those closer ...
Phys.org / What's inside a masterpiece? Laser scans and AI map paint layers molecule by molecule
Paintings are far more than dabs of oil on canvas. They are complex works of art composed of multiple layers, from primer and glues to the pigments and protective varnishes applied by the artists. Being able to see into these ...
Phys.org / Thawing permafrost becomes 25 to 100 times more permeable, experiments find
Experiments by University of Leeds researchers, published in Earth's Future, have shown that thawing of permafrost makes it between 25 and 100 times more permeable, allowing more climate change forcing gases to escape.
