Phys.org news

Phys.org / 35-year monitoring study clarifies ecological forces behind Lyme disease risk

Tick-borne diseases are on the rise in the United States. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported, with nearly half a million people diagnosed each year. Caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, it is most often spread ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / Mega-Earth GJ 523b is 23 times as massive as our planet—but only 2.5 times as wide

It's nearly 170 million years old. It's more than 2.5 times the size of Earth. And it's the first exoplanet discovered and cataloged by researchers with the Wisconsin Center for Origins Research (WiCOR).

23 hours ago
Phys.org / Locust neurons detect PFAS at environmentally relevant levels, pointing to portable sensors

Researchers at Michigan State University have discovered that neurons in a locust's brain can distinguish among multiple PFAS compounds, including PFOS, one of the world's most common "forever chemicals," at environmentally ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Brazil's vast coastline could help address food insecurity through sustainable seafood

New research into seafood consumption and production in Brazil highlights how one of the world's most populous countries could build healthier and more sustainable food systems by encouraging people to eat more seafood, developing ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Tiny feet on cells can sense defects and stall migration to heal wounds

Cells travel through the body both individually and in collective groups during development, wound healing and diseases such as cancer. New research from the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / Ancient Austronesian seafarers carried symbolic art 4,000 years ago

A 4,000-year-old painted stone plaque discovered on a remote Indonesian island is the first known example of portable art belonging to the Austronesian Painting Tradition (APT), providing a rare glimpse into the symbolic ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / Observations since 1850 reveal regional climate fingerprints of human-induced warming

There is no question that the current global temperature increase is human-caused. Global warming has long since emerged as the dominant signal amid natural climate fluctuations. However, identifying how this warming manifests ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Graphene device measures fractional electric charges carried by some of quantum physics' strangest objects

An electron is supposed to be indivisible. It carries one fundamental unit of electric charge, and every electron is exactly the same. But under extreme conditions, large numbers of electrons act together and give rise to ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / Butterflies on the move to higher ground as warming redraws Alpine habitats

Climate change presents animals and plants with a fundamental challenge: What can they do when their established habitats become increasingly warm? They can adapt to the changing conditions—or move to areas where the climate ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / How plants selectively silence jumping genes while protecting essential ones

Histone variants help establish DNA methylation at transposons (jumping genes) while preventing this epigenetic modification from spreading to essential genes in plants, a study from the Institute of Science Tokyo reveals. ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Stellar explosions come into focus with new nuclear reaction measurements

In two separate papers published in Physical Review Letters, researchers investigated the nuclear reactions that take place inside supernovae and X-ray bursts—two of the universe's most powerful explosions. Together, the ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / Breath-strip-like nanofiber film delivers three pain drugs in under two seconds

Children and seniors who have difficulty chewing and swallowing conventional tablets may have an easier way to find pain relief. Cornell researchers have developed an ultrafast-dissolving nanofiber film that can deliver a ...

20 hours ago