Phys.org news
Dialog / A Permian fossil may reveal the oldest known flowering-plant structure
Despite the importance and dominance of angiosperms ("flowering plants") in the current ecosystem, it is rather surprising that we know so little about their origin and early evolution. Paleobotanists have been making efforts ...
Phys.org / Precise giants: New research reveals how blue whales find food in a vast ocean
Despite protections, blue whales remain endangered, primarily because of the risk of collisions with ships. MBARI's Blue Whale Observatory uses a suite of technologies to study these animals and their primary food source, ...
Phys.org / Nature's color palette explains why everything we see is a mix of red, yellow, green and blue
Biologists and linguists alike have long puzzled over the universal human tendency to see and name colors as a combination of four "pure" hues—red, yellow, green and blue.
Phys.org / Even ancient bacteria possessed intercellular communication structures like humans today, study finds
Communication between cells in plants, animals and humans takes place via specialized connecting structures. An international team led by biologists from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and involving the University ...
Phys.org / New method swaps single atom in a molecule to speed drug discovery
Swapping out one letter in a word can entirely change its meaning. Similarly, swapping one atom in a molecule can completely change its identity. A group of chemists at the University of Chicago has demonstrated a new way ...
Phys.org / Femtosecond nano-imaging reveals ultrafast optical control of phonon polaritons
A collaborative research team has successfully visualized in real space the ultrafast optical modulation of hyperbolic phonon polaritons (HPhPs) in a van der Waals heterostructure composed of hBN and WS2. The research is ...
Phys.org / A single fix reverses the case for rolling back vehicle emissions standards
Two administrations, the Biden administration and the second Trump administration, reached opposite conclusions about whether vehicle emissions standards should be rolled back. These conclusions came from different assumptions, ...
Phys.org / 'One-pot' CRISPR platform delivers lab-like sensitivity in 30 minutes for at-home testing
A research team from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed an innovative "one-pot" testing platform, known as TEMPO, that could transform highly sensitive nucleic acid testing from a laboratory-based ...
Phys.org / How much air conditioning usage actually prevents heat deaths?
How protective is air conditioning in preventing deaths amid soaring temperatures and record heat levels? Yale researchers found that AC use cut the number of annual heat-related deaths by half in the U.S., saving more than ...
Phys.org / AI chatbot use for emotional support tied to loneliness in students
Young people leaning on AI chatbots for emotional support or personal advice are significantly more likely to struggle with serious emotional problems, feel isolated and doubt that they truly matter to others, a new uOttawa ...
Phys.org / Important role of plastid ion channels in plant stress response identified
When plants are attacked by herbivores or pathogens, they must respond rapidly while also preparing for potential future attacks. Calcium, a cellular second messenger, and the plant hormone jasmonic acid play important roles ...
Phys.org / Four 'Little Red Dot' pairs hint at black hole mergers in early universe
After analyzing infrared images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an international team of researchers has discovered multiple massive black holes from approximately 12.5–12.8 billion years ago that were ...