Phys.org news
Phys.org / Human impacts rewrite the rules of island biodiversity around the globe
A new study reveals that human activities have fundamentally reshaped biodiversity patterns on islands across the globe, with important implications for how scientists understand ecology, evolution and conservation.
Phys.org / Most powerful Northern Lights in a generation expose weaknesses in UK infrastructure
Millions of people across the UK marveled at the spectacular northern lights that lit up the night sky in May 2024. But while the display captivated skywatchers, the geomagnetic storm behind it also served as the biggest ...
Phys.org / Virtual café experiment finds Japanese participants keep greater distance than Italians
How close do we stand to other people during a social interaction? The distance we maintain between our body and that of another person—known as interpersonal distance—is a fundamental aspect of everyday life. It influences ...
Phys.org / Silkworm cultivation predates the Silk Road in southern Central Asia, ancient cocoons suggest
The silkworm moth, whose caterpillars have been used in silk production since antiquity, may have been brought to southern Central Asia 4,000 years ago—nearly 2,000 years earlier than previously assumed—according to new research ...
Phys.org / Heat is coming for Hawaiian corals, but study finds there may be time to adapt
Since the first major bleaching event in 1996, Hawaiian corals have been subject to increasing heat stress and more frequent bleaching events. New research from oceanographers at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa used high-resolution ...
Phys.org / Environmental bacteria ferry genes that boost antibiotic resistance over 10,000-fold
A patient with a severe infection is prescribed a potent antibiotic. Hopes for improvement are high, but just after treatment is given, resistance to the drug increases thousands of times. How could this happen?
Phys.org / Shaking atoms to bring black-hole quantum chaos into the lab
Physicists have discovered a surprisingly simple way to reproduce one of the most fascinating models in modern physics—linked to black holes, quantum chaos and exotic electronic materials—using ultracold atoms trapped in ...
Phys.org / Lipid nanoparticles deliver one-two punch to shrink resistant oral tumors in preclinical models
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common form of head and neck cancer, and the number of new cases is predicted to rise by 30% in the next decade. Despite decades of cancer research, treating OSCC remains a ...
Phys.org / Training microbes to prepare soils for the impacts of climate change
Scientists at the University of Lincoln have discovered a promising new way to help protect crops from one of climate change's growing threats to global food production—increasing soil salinity.
Phys.org / Ceramic vessels reveal how social inequalities were also cooked into 19th-century Brazil
Fish, shellfish, maize, manioc, rice and even chicken eggs. Molecular residues preserved in more than 180 ceramic vessels from southern Brazil have made it possible to reconstruct what different communities were cooking more ...
Phys.org / Peptide isolated from a Cerrado frog increases strawberry shelf life
Five minutes. That was the amount of time that Oso Grande strawberries remained in contact with the Ctx(Ile21)-Ha peptide—a molecule isolated from a frog native to the Brazilian Cerrado—in experiments conducted in Brazil ...
Phys.org / Orcas filmed ramming one of the world's heaviest fish so hard it explodes, possibly for fun
Orcas are known to be smart and ruthless hunters. They've been observed hunting a variety of prey, with some species, such as whales, larger than themselves. They use a wide range of strategies to hunt and kill prey, but ...
