Phys.org news
Phys.org / How a shape-shifting tiny rover inspired by Japanese toys autonomously explored the moon
Moon missions come in all shapes and sizes, from car-sized rovers packed with scientific equipment to towering rocket payloads—and now, a small, shape-shifting machine that is about the size of the average palm.
Phys.org / Electron matter waves gain ultrafast torque that flips handedness in femtoseconds
Many natural processes, ranging from magnetism to chemical reactions, entail the movement and rotation of particles at very small scales. In quantum mechanics, particles exhibit both particle-like and wave-like behaviors, ...
Phys.org / Ancient clay figurine from Guatemala may bear the oldest written numbers in Mesoamerica
A clay figurine, small enough to cradle in your hand, with 11 dots arranged in columns where its head should be, may depict the oldest known example of written numbers in Mesoamerica.
Phys.org / Scientists discover collagen, the human body's most abundant protein, is liquid-like inside cells
Collagen, the protein that builds skin, bones, tendons and organs, exists inside cells as a liquidlike droplet rather than the long, rigid rod seen in textbooks over the last half-century, according to a new study from the ...
Phys.org / First global map of mycorrhizal fungi reveals true scale of underground networks across the planet
Mycorrhizal fungi form underground networks that sustain plant life and help regulate Earth's climate by drawing carbon into soils. In a study published in Science, an international team of researchers produced the first ...
Phys.org / 'Selection shadow' may explain why longer lives bring more age-related disease
A review article now published in Nature Reviews Genetics brings together evolutionary theory, comparative genomics and large-scale human genetics to explain why we age and why aging rates differ among individuals and species. ...
Phys.org / Ancient DNA from Tuscan wells reveals origins of modern wine
Scientists analyzing 2,000-year-old grape seeds from ancient wells in Tuscany have mapped the most extensive genetic history of ancient grapevines recovered from a single site.
Phys.org / Genomes from Oceania offer new clues to human evolution
A new Yale-led study provides one of the most detailed and comprehensive analyses to date of genetic variation in human populations in Oceania, filling a major gap in representation in genomics research. Despite harboring ...
Phys.org / Rare deep-sea goblin sharks filmed in natural habitat for first time
The first published live observations of the rare goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) in its natural deep-ocean habitat were reported in a new paper by a University of Hawai'i at Mānoa-led team of oceanographers. In the past, ...
Phys.org / Cosmic dawn fuel discovery unlocks early galaxy growth secrets
Astronomers have discovered a huge reservoir of cold molecular gas, the direct fuel for star formation, in REBELS-25, a massive, star-forming galaxy. The team, led from Leiden University, focused on REBELS-25, seen when the ...
Phys.org / Wasp spider reveals rapid genetic adaptation during decades-long march into northern Europe
It has taken only a few decades: The wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi) has expanded its range from the Mediterranean region to northern Europe—even as far as southern Finland. In doing so, it has adapted genetically much faster ...
Phys.org / Light echoes reveal possible dark matter buildup around supermassive black holes
We may not know what dark matter is, but we keep getting whiffs of it. "We are reaching a point where the observational evidence for dark matter is simply undeniable," said Mayank Sharma, a Virginia Tech graduate student ...
