Phys.org news
Phys.org / Meadows reveal unexpected monotony in insect biodiversity study
According to a new study by the University of Würzburg, Bavarian meadows are the most monotonous insect habitats. Surprisingly, fields and settlements often offer more diversity than grassland.
Phys.org / Rethinking where life could exist beyond Earth
Astronomers have long searched for life within a rather narrow ring around a star, the "habitable zone," where a planet should be neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water. A new study argues that this ring is too strict: ...
Phys.org / Domestication has changed the chemicals that squash flowers use to attract bees
Flowers emit scented chemicals to attract pollinators, but this perfume—and how pollinators interact with the plant—can go through profound changes as a crop becomes domesticated.
Phys.org / Growth chambers could enable reproducible plant-microbe data across continents
Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to study plant microbiomes—communities of microbes living in and around plants—could help improve soil health, boost crop yields, and restore degraded lands. But there's ...
Phys.org / Accessing water on Mars: Examining the best technologies for future missions
A new study has examined how future human missions to Mars could access one of the planet's most vital resources—water. The "Martian aqua: occurrence of water and appraisal of acquisition technologies" paper, published ...
Phys.org / Beneath Antarctica's largest ice shelf, a hidden ocean is revealing its secrets
Beneath Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf lies one of the least measured oceans on Earth—a vast, dark cavity roughly twice the volume of the North Sea.
Phys.org / Study challenges long-held theory that language is built on grammar trees
Every time we speak, we're improvising. "Humans possess a remarkable ability to talk about almost anything, sometimes putting words together into never-before-spoken or -written sentences," said Morten H. Christiansen, the ...
Phys.org / Chimpanzees are better at solving resource dilemmas in larger, more tolerant groups
Despite being one of the most cooperative species on the planet, humans routinely fail to manage shared resources sustainably. We overfish from the oceans, burn fossil fuels, and over-prescribe antibiotics; behaviors that ...
Phys.org / Study reveals why light-driven chemical reactions often lose energy before bond-breaking
Florida State University researchers have discovered a pathway within a certain type of molecule that limits chemical reactions by redirecting light energy. The study could enable development of more efficient reactions for ...
Phys.org / Resurrected ancient enzyme offers new window into early Earth and the search for life beyond it
By resurrecting a 3.2-billion-year-old enzyme and studying it inside living microbes, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have created a new way to improve our understanding of the origins of life on Earth ...
Phys.org / Arctic cloud and ice formation affected by Russian river runoff as region studied for first time
Organic matter carried in rivers to the Russian part of the Arctic Ocean may be creating more clouds and keeping the region cooler, a new study has found.
Phys.org / Single enzyme streamlines production of all four RNA building blocks
A single enzyme that can generate all four nucleoside triphosphates, the building blocks of ribonucleic acid (RNA), has been identified by researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo. The study was published online in the ...
