Phys.org news

Phys.org / How farming changed us: Ancient DNA reveals natural selection sped up in recent human evolution

A massive study of ancient DNA from nearly 16,000 people across more than 10,000 years in West Eurasia reveals that natural selection has shaped modern human genomes far more than previously thought.

23 hours ago
Phys.org / Machine learning tool pinpoints optimal locations for tree planting, offering a powerful tool for climate mitigation

Afforestation—establishing forests on previously non-forested land, or where forests have not existed for a long time—is one of the nature-based and cost-effective solutions for climate change mitigation because it offsets ...

15 hours ago
Phys.org / Any color you like: Scientists create 'any wavelength' lasers in tiny circuits for light

Computer chips that cram billions of electronic devices into a few square inches have powered the digital economy and transformed the world. Scientists may be on the cusp of launching a similar technological revolution—this ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / Cut off from making fat, parasitic wasps lose pheromones, fail to form eggs and cannot reproduce

The Easter holidays are over and many people have once again experienced firsthand how easily sweets can be converted into fat. Parasitic wasps are also capable of converting sugar into fat—a capability that long was thought ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / CRISPR variant selectively targets tumor DNA

Cancer cells excel at evading detection, but subtle chemical differences set them apart from healthy cells. Now, a team of scientists from Wageningen University & Research and Van Andel Institute has identified a way to exploit ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / Bolivian mummy rewrites scarlet fever's past, suggesting killer bacterium circulated centuries before colonization

Researchers have identified the genetic material of scarlet fever while examining a tooth from a naturally mummified skull housed at MUNARQ, the National Museum of Archaeology in La Paz. Using a method that reassembled previously ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / 'Bathtub ring' hints at ancient Martian ocean

Caltech researchers have identified geological features on Mars that could point to the existence of a long-dried ocean that once covered a third of the Red Planet's surface. The research was conducted by former Caltech postdoctoral ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Dark volcanic ash has visibly reshaped Martian surface since 1976

Noticeable change on Mars often takes millions of years—but the European Space Agency's Mars Express has captured a blanket of dark ash creeping across the planet in just decades.

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Emerging in Alaska, dominant H5N1 strain spread continent-wide through migratory birds

An international group of scientists mapped the spread of the current dominant strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus through North American bird populations in 2024. Led by scientists from St. Jude Children's ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Quantum simulations reveal spin transport in 1D materials

Researchers from the Department of Energy's Quantum Science Center (QSC) headquartered at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have achieved a significant milestone by demonstrating the first digital quantum simulations of ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / One battered skull exposes a lost killer from dinosaur dawn and a vanished bloodline

"You want to stick your finger in a dinosaur brain?" asked Simba Srivastava. Surrounded by cabinets full of ancient bones in the paleobiology lab, the Virginia Tech undergraduate student held out a lumpy, pockmarked fossil.

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Color test 'sniffs out' dangerous staph strains fast

Researchers have developed a rapid color-changing test that can distinguish between different strains of golden staph, including those likely to be virulent and antibiotic resistant. Golden staph is a major human pathogen ...

16 hours ago