Phys.org news
Phys.org / Great Barrier Reef drilling reveals repeated collapse, regrowth and migration since last ice age
An international expedition including University of Sydney researchers has pieced together the clearest picture yet of how the Great Barrier Reef responded to dramatic environmental change over the past 30,000 years. Multiple ...
Phys.org / Structural blueprint for RNA therapeutics reveals why some siRNA molecules work better than others
RNA interference is a natural mechanism for living cells to control whether specific genes are being used. Crowned with the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the discovery of RNA interference has since been harnessed ...
Phys.org / Toward experiment-guided AlphaFold: Researchers overcome AI tool's single-conformation limitation
The AI-based program AlphaFold predicts a protein's 3D structure with remarkable accuracy. However, it tends to reduce heterogeneous structures to a single dominant conformation, or shape, and overlooks experimental conditions ...
Phys.org / Reanalysis suggests 'Phoebe' is a variable star, not a primordial black hole
A new study debunks a recent claim that astronomers may have detected a lunar-mass primordial black hole. In a reanalysis of observations from the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), researchers found that the star nicknamed "Phoebe" ...
Phys.org / Lost megalodon vertebrae resurface, confirming 80-foot size estimate
An associated set of gigantic vertebrae belonging to the iconic extinct megalodon, or megatooth shark, that had been missing in action since the 1980s was discovered, providing new information about the shark's lifestyle. ...
Phys.org / Shining blue light on gold-graphene nanodots achieves wound healing trifecta
Closing wounds, burns and deep cuts isn't enough to kick-start healing. A wound needs a clean environment, free of bacterial infection and interruption. That calls for three components working together—one to kill bacteria, ...
Phys.org / Off-center stellar death points to wandering supermassive black hole stripped of its own galaxy
Astronomers have uncovered new details about the black hole that ripped apart a star in a tidal disruption event named AT2024tvd. Findings suggest it is a wandering supermassive black hole—the kind that is not located at ...
Phys.org / Injectable silk-kudzu hydrogel achieves complete wound closure in laboratory tests
Researchers at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation have developed an injectable hydrogel, a water-based gel material, made from silk proteins and a plant-derived compound. In laboratory tests, the material promoted ...
Phys.org / Human activity has driven retreat of Antarctica's fastest melting glacier
Human-driven climate change significantly intensified the retreat of one of the most important glaciers in Antarctica during the 20th century. The Pine Island Glacier, which drains a large part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet ...
Phys.org / NASA races to save Swift telescope from falling back to Earth with daring rescue mission
NASA is racing to save an aging telescope from falling back to Earth with a daring rescue mission.
Phys.org / Nanopattern method unlocks precise control of disorder for wave-guiding devices
A research team has developed a methodology to precisely design and control the "degree of disorder" in nanopattern arrays using metal-infiltrated block copolymer (BCP) thin films. The work was led by Professor So Youn Kim ...
Phys.org / Ancient algal defenses against UV may have helped plants conquer land
A new study sheds light on how the ancestors of modern land plants survived one of the most challenging aspects of life outside water: exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. By examining a microscopic alga closely ...
