Phys.org news
Phys.org / How redox reactions drive bacteria's Na⁺-NQR sodium pump
The enzyme Na⁺-NQR is a sodium pump that drives the respiration of many marine and pathogenic bacteria. Using redox reactions, the process of exchanging electrons between materials, it powers the transportation of sodium ...
Phys.org / Rich medieval Christians bought graves 'closer to God' despite leprosy stigma, archaeologists find
Medieval Christians in Denmark showed off their wealth in death by buying prestigious graves: the closer to the church, the higher the price. Researchers used these gravesites to investigate social exclusion based on illness, ...
Phys.org / Only humans have chins: Study shows it's an evolutionary accident
Dashiell Hammett mentioned Sam Spade's jutting chin in the opening sentence of his novel, "The Maltese Falcon." Spade's chin was among the facial features Hammett used to describe his fictional detective's appearance, but ...
Phys.org / New experiments suggest Earth's core contains up to 45 oceans' worth of hydrogen
Scientists have long known that Earth's core is mostly made of iron, but the density is not high enough for it to be pure iron, meaning lighter elements exist in the core, as well. In particular, it's suspected to be a major ...
Phys.org / Hurricane Helene did not shift US climate views or votes, study finds
Hurricane Helene, one of the deadliest hurricanes in US history, did not affect people's views on climate change or their intentions to vote for politicians advocating stricter climate policies. This is shown in a new study ...
Phys.org / How a tiny shrimp could hold the clue to better armor
Modern armor systems do not do a good enough job of protecting humans from blast-induced neurotrauma (brain and eye damage). To improve them, we may have to look to nature. In particular, a tiny shrimp that is able to protect ...
Phys.org / Ancient DNA suggests hunter-gatherers in Europe's lowlands endured until 2500 BCE
Researchers at the University of Huddersfield have used ancient DNA to reveal that hunter-gatherers in one part of Europe survived for thousands of years longer than anywhere else on the continent—and have uncovered the ...
Phys.org / NOvA maps neutrino oscillations over 500 miles with 10 years of data
Neutrinos are very small, neutral subatomic particles that rarely interact with ordinary matter and are thus sometimes referred to as ghost particles. There are three known types (i.e., flavors) of neutrinos, dubbed muon, ...
Phys.org / Captured on camera for the first time: How tiny marsupials crawl to their mother's pouch
For the first time, scientists have recorded how baby dunnarts, tiny carnivorous marsupials from Australia, reach their mother's pouch not long after being born. While much is known about how many other marsupial babies go ...
Phys.org / Electronic friction can be tuned and switched off
Researchers in China have isolated the effects of electronic friction, showing for the first time how the subtle drag force it imparts at sliding interfaces can be controlled. They demonstrate that it can be tuned by applying ...
Phys.org / Ammonia leaks can be spotted in under two seconds using new alveoli-inspired droplet sensor
Researchers from Guangxi University, China have developed a new gas sensor that detects ammonia with a record speed of 1.4 seconds. The sensor's design mimics the structure of alveoli—the tiny air sacs in human lungs—while ...
Phys.org / Subaru observations suggest an intrinsic gap in NGC 5466's tidal stream
Astronomers from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and elsewhere have used the Subaru Telescope to perform deep imaging observations of a distant globular cluster known as NGC 5466. The observational campaign ...