Phys.org news

Phys.org / Could a kid have painted that? Jackson Pollock's famous pour-painting has child-like characteristics, study shows

What makes art art? Is it the method or the creator? Does it need a color palette and oil paints, or a canvas laid flat on the floor and paint splattered across it? Does it require a critically acclaimed painter, or a toddler ...

14 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Scientist captures tiny particles for clues on what sparks lightning

Using lasers as tweezers to understand cloud electrification might sound like science fiction, but at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) it is a reality. By trapping and charging micron-sized particles ...

20 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Discovery of rare protist reveals previously unknown branch of eukaryotic tree of life

A research team from the Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague has discovered Solarion arienae, an extremely rare and morphologically unique unicellular eukaryote that sheds new light on early eukaryotic evolution.

23 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / A new space radiation shield: Flexible boron nitride nanotube film shows promise

High-energy cosmic radiation damages cells and DNA, causing cancer, and secondary neutrons—generated especially from the planetary surfaces—can be up to 20 times more harmful than other radiations. Aluminum, the most ...

20 hours ago in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Crucial protein recruits help to protect itself while it forms

Proteins are often called the building blocks of cells, but even those building blocks need to be built. One of the most important steps in the process of building proteins is glycosylation, when sugar molecules (glycans) ...

19 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / New type of DNA damage discovered in our cells' mitochondria

A previously unknown type of DNA damage in the mitochondria, the tiny power plants inside our cells, could shed light on how our bodies sense and respond to stress. The findings of the UC Riverside-led study are published ...

23 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Soil carbon decomposition varies vastly, holding implications for climate models

Soil stores more carbon than Earth's atmosphere and plants combined, which makes the speed of soil carbon's decomposition an important variable in models used to predict changes to our climate.

21 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / Calcite deposit from southern Nevada cave reveals 580,000 years of climate history

Climate history recorded in a calcite deposit in a southern Nevada cave indicates that the hot, arid southwestern United States experienced significant shifts in temperature and rainfall over the last 580,000 years.

23 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / How a plant-parasitic nematode can infect a wide range of organisms

UC Davis nematologists, including Valerie Williamson, professor emerita in the Department of Plant Pathology, and associate professor Shahid Siddique, Department of Entomology and Nematology, have long wondered how a plant-parasitic ...

21 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Ancient bog growth reveals shifting Southern Hemisphere winds 15,000 years ago

Scientists have revealed that ancient bogs in the Southern Hemisphere hold clues to a major shift in Earth's climate thousands of years ago.

22 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / Emerald green degradation in masterpieces: Scientists identify the culprits

An international team of researchers have found what triggers degradation in one of the most popular pigments used by renowned 19th and 20th century painters. Using a multi-method approach, including advanced synchrotron ...

22 hours ago in Chemistry
Phys.org / Coaxing bilayer graphene into a single diamond-like layer for industrial applications

Graphene's enduring appeal lies in its remarkable combination of lightness, flexibility, and strength. Now, researchers have shown that under pressure, it can briefly take on the traits of one of its more glamorous carbon ...

22 hours ago in Nanotechnology