Phys.org news
Phys.org / Listening for extinction: Study finds areas of critical concern for northern spotted owls
Northern spotted owl populations are approaching or have already crossed functional extinction across large areas of the Pacific Northwest, a new study, published in Ecological Applications found. Researchers used artificial ...
Phys.org / A tiny drop of water is all that's needed to find threatened frogs
New James Cook University research has used highly sensitive environmental DNA (e-DNA) techniques to find two species of threatened frogs in places they've never been seen before—and find another still struggling to recover ...
Phys.org / Cow gut enzyme could help target bacterial biofilms and antibiotic-resistant infections
The bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii poses a substantial threat in health care settings, readily forming biofilms on wounds and medical surfaces and contributing to persistent infections and delayed healing. Its growing ...
Phys.org / How people treat you may shape your reputation and stabilize cooperation
When one person helps, or refuses to help, another in public, this may change not only the provider's reputation but also the recipient's. A theoretical study led by Kobe University offers a simple explanation for how cooperation ...
Phys.org / Nanoscale hairs may help gecko skin trap moisture and slow evaporation
In a dry shrubland, a gecko sprints toward shelter. Its greatest danger is not a predator, although hawks circle overhead and sand cats wait in ambush. Rather, its most pressing concern is dehydration. Its skin is paper-thin; ...
Phys.org / Young golden eagles leave their parents' territory late
When a young golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) finally leaves its parents' territory, it leaves behind the only safety net it has ever known. Until now, biologists had assumed that eagles took this step as soon as they could ...
Phys.org / Chatbots are making our writing more similar but losing the identity and personality behind it
Large language models (LLMs) are making writing styles more similar without changing the overall meaning, according to an analysis of more than 880,000 texts across different writing types published in Nature Human Behaviour. ...
Phys.org / AI financial advice can improve decisions or steer investors wrong, experiment finds
To what extent can AI improve our financial decisions or steer us in the wrong direction? Researchers at the University of Bayreuth investigated this question in a new study involving 3,700 participants and fictional investment ...
Phys.org / Bright ideas accelerate the hunt for quantum emitters
The search for materials that can power future quantum technologies is accelerating, but identifying the most promising candidates remains painfully slow. Evaluating whether a material can efficiently emit quantum light requires ...
Phys.org / The hidden chemistry behind glow-in-the-dark art
Some of the world's brightest colors don't just reflect light; they create it. Scientists and museum conservators are now uncovering why these luminous pigments fade and how to preserve them for future generations. The findings ...
Phys.org / Tides can vary by almost a meter across a single bay, four decades of satellite images reveal
Tide levels can vary by almost a meter across a single bay, according to a new study that uses decades of satellite images to measure tides at the scale of individual beaches.
Phys.org / How the sun's galactic journey and superflare-filled youth shaped Earth's climate
At the center of our solar system, the sun influences every planet that orbits it. In two recent studies, scientists uncovered how ancient events in the sun's history may have helped create Earth's unique climate and driven ...
