Phys.org news
Phys.org / Rice grown on the moon? Air-to-fertilizer technology helps rice grow in lunar soil simulant
Securing sustainable food supplies is a key challenge for long-term human exploration and potential habitation of the moon. The moon's soil contains no organic material, and essential plant nitrogen sources like ammonia and ...
Phys.org / New findings on how malaria parasites invade human cells yield proof of concept for new antimalarial drug
For nearly half a century, scientists have known that malaria parasites force their way into human red blood cells through a ring-shaped structure called the moving junction. What no one could work out was what it actually ...
Phys.org / Camouflaging snails change color in the rain
How does a stripy tree snail hide from hungry birds? The Hypselostyla camelopardalis from the Philippines and Reinia variegata from Japan have both evolved a form of dynamic camouflage to survive. Their light-colored patterns ...
Phys.org / World Cup research reveals strategy to give teams a penalty-shootout edge
One of football's most iconic moments—the penalty shootout—may be far more strategic than previously thought, with new research challenging the notion that the team kicking first holds a major advantage.
Phys.org / How cricket mothers control the developmental timing of their offspring
Diapause is a fascinating form of biological dormancy employed by a broad array of animals as a survival strategy to endure adverse environmental conditions. To overcome the problems associated with seasons that are unsuitable ...
Phys.org / Light-activated compound kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria by turning its own defense enzyme against it
Antibiotic resistance is becoming an accelerating crisis because of the overuse and misuse of antibiotics over many years. The problem is exacerbated when antibiotics wipe out susceptible bacteria but leave resistant bacteria ...
Phys.org / Solar storms leave their mark on cosmic rays that reach Earth
A new study has revealed an unexpected link between solar storms and the flux of high-energy cosmic rays arriving at Earth. The findings, made using one of the world's largest cosmic ray detectors, could open up a new way ...
Phys.org / Giraffes combine quantities similarly to addition
In addition to humans, some species of primates and birds have demonstrated under experimental conditions their ability to manipulate quantities in tasks that require combining or separating them, in a manner similar to addition ...
Phys.org / Giant exoplanet may hold a magnetic grip on its host star
Within their planetary systems, stars are continuously shaping their orbiting planets through gravity, radiation and magnetic forces. So far, this relationship has appeared to be a one-way street.
Phys.org / Why nanoscale droplets don't coalesce and microscale droplets do
Olive oil and water do not naturally mix. Water molecules are polar, having a net electric dipole moment due to the bend angle of about 104.5° between the two oxygen-hydrogen bonds. Olive oil is nonpolar due to its long hydrocarbon ...
Phys.org / Unexpected pathway turns water and CO₂ into climate‑neutral methane on nickel–zirconia
Natural gas still plays an important role in many industrial sectors, but it is a climate-damaging fossil fuel. TU Wien and the University of Innsbruck have now discovered an unexpected reaction pathway that makes it possible ...
Phys.org / Mummified dogs reveal Tiwanaku people buried companions beside homes long before they became status symbols
In the arid landscapes of southern Peru, around 1,100 years ago, someone carefully dug a small pit, laid down a woven mat and placed a young dog within as if sleeping, possibly wrapped in twine. Centuries later, the mummified ...
