Phys.org news

Phys.org / X-ray snapshots reveal how viral shells change shape as they dry out

When viruses travel through the air in tiny droplets, they can quickly start to dry out. Yet many viruses remain infectious after rehydration—something that is still not fully understood. Now, an international team of researchers ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / Euclid mission view of Milky Way's heart previews upcoming survey by NASA's Roman

A new look at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy by Euclid, an ESA (European Space Agency) mission with NASA contributions, overlaps with a region scientists will observe with NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, launching ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / What happens when environmental change outpaces life's ability to adapt?

When an animal's environment changes faster than the animal can adapt, its chances of survival can flatline. The same is true for populations and even entire species. Now, scientists at MIT and the University of Leicester ...

5 hours ago
Phys.org / Room-temperature laser hits record stability with 68-cm optical cavity

Scientists at NPL have demonstrated the best-reported laser frequency stability achieved with an optical reference cavity operating at room temperature, marking a major advance in ultrastable laser technology. The team's ...

5 hours ago
Phys.org / A nanotrap for HIV: Liposomes repurposed to trigger immune response

Medical advancements over the last several decades have made great strides in the treatment of HIV. Pharmaceutical treatments are able to contain and reduce a patient's viral load to the point where it is nearly undetectable. ...

5 hours ago
Phys.org / Does the Netherlands feed the world? Study challenges a familiar view of Dutch agriculture

The Netherlands is a major agricultural exporter. But look beyond euros to land, animal feed, calories and protein, and a different picture emerges. In a study published in Nature Food, researchers at Wageningen University ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Out of darkness, blind Mexican cavefish illuminate brain evolution

Deep within the dark caves of northeastern Mexico lives a fish that has spent hundreds of thousands of years adapting to a world without light. The blind Mexican cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus) has evolved in perpetual darkness, ...

5 hours ago
Phys.org / Plasma approach keeps catalysts working for longer in hydrogen production

Scientists from the University of Manchester have shown how a plasma-based approach, using nonthermal plasma—an electrically energized gas often described as the fourth state of matter—can prevent catalyst deactivation in ...

5 hours ago
Phys.org / Synthetic DNA toolkit expands scientists' ability to recognize genetic targets

A new method for recognizing and targeting DNA that dramatically expands the range of genetic sequences scientists can identify has been developed by experts at the University of Portsmouth. Published this week in Nature ...

5 hours ago
Phys.org / First complete map of world's seagrass offers warnings and hope for conservation

It's time we gave seagrass the credit it's due. This hero of a plant protects coastlines, stores vast amounts of carbon and supports ecosystems that people and wildlife depend on. But we don't often hear about it when it ...

12 hours ago
Phys.org / New giant wormlion fly species identified on the southern slopes of the Himalayas

An enigmatic new species of wormlion fly, whose larvae construct clever pitfall traps to capture prey, has been revealed in a study led by researchers at Dali University in China.

12 hours ago
Phys.org / From virtue to vice: How the morality of popular music lyrics has changed since the 1960s

Popular music may be reflecting a growing culture of vices, according to new research from the Center for Digital Music at Queen Mary University of London. The analysis of musical evolution found that song lyrics have become ...

14 hours ago