Phys.org news

Phys.org / Exotic pines in the Southern Hemisphere grow faster and are more drought-resistant, study reveals

A new study published in the journal Nature reveals that conifers planted outside their native range in the Southern Hemisphere not only grow up to four times faster than those in the Northern Hemisphere but also show greater ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Mammalian genes can combine to make previously unknown mRNAs and proteins

For decades, scientists have understood that each of the roughly 20,000 genes in the human body carries instructions for a single kind of protein. Now, researchers at Harvard Medical School have discovered that instructions ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Electric fish keep from blinding themselves with these brain cells

The brain cells you see in the above image help an African fish decode electric signals to spot prey, scan its murky surroundings and communicate with its fellows. By rigorously mapping how these cells in the electrosensory ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Chemists design extra-sticky adhesives that degrade on command

A good adhesive is unequivocally sticky. A great adhesive is sticky until you don't want it to be sticky anymore—a label on cardboard until it's time to recycle it. Medical tape on a cut until the wound heals. A GWAR poster ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Why lower-class workers are less likely to negotiate for higher pay—and how it could cost some nearly $800,000

Michele Gelfand has studied and taught negotiation for years. A professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business, she sees negotiation as a skill that is imperative for everyone to learn. "It's ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Bio-based plastic turns into fertilizer after use

Plastic waste is one of the world's fastest-growing environmental problems. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's Global Plastics Outlook: Policy Scenarios to 2060 report, global plastic ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Seven new species show 250-million-year-old marine group is still evolving

Scientists believed there were only two species of hornerid bryozoans in Aotearoa New Zealand, but new research shows several more have been secretly evolving and thriving in the nation's southern waters.

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Eight-letter DNA alphabet is accurately transcribed by a natural enzyme

All known life on Earth uses the same genetic alphabet, consisting of four letters. Now, researchers at the University of California San Diego have demonstrated that one of biology's most essential enzymes can accurately ...

14 hours ago
Phys.org / A summer odyssey: Female dotterels seek multiple mates across Northern Europe

On a high Norwegian plateau in late May, patches of bare ground begin to appear through the snow, and with them arrive some of Europe's most approachable birds. Eurasian dotterels breed on exposed mountain ridges and Arctic ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Blue Origin's New Glenn explosion shows infrasound can detect rocket accidents from up to 1,700 kilometers away

When Blue Origin's New Glenn launch vehicle accidentally exploded during a static test fire in May 2026, the explosion generated low frequency soundwaves below the range of human hearing.

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Bovine stem cells offer new approach to future cultivated steak research

Cultivated meat aims to produce meat from animal cells in the laboratory without needing to raise a living animal for meat production. It has been proposed as a potentially more sustainable alternative to conventional meat ...

14 hours ago
Phys.org / Scientists discover the key ingredients that make birdsong pretty

What makes birdsong beautiful? Answering this question could help us understand how soundscapes make the natural world relaxing for humans, opening the door to improving parks, upgrading the design of stressful places like ...

19 hours ago