Phys.org news
Phys.org / Why climate-driven droughts and floods rarely become international news
Three factors—spectacular images, a high death toll and strong personal ties—make it more likely that the media in one country will report on a natural disaster in another, according to a study by the University of Bonn, ...
Phys.org / Early hardship may shape how oxytocin influences altruism
While humans are inherently social beings, they can interact and connect with others in very different ways. For instance, while some people tend to be more altruistic, others are less prone to helping their friends, acquaintances ...
Phys.org / Copper's surprising melting behavior provides insights into future fusion design
Future fusion power plants aim to recreate the heart of a star here on Earth to power our future energy needs. While the core fusion plasma will burn at hundreds of millions of degrees, the surrounding structural components ...
Phys.org / TESS discovers a rare brown dwarf orbiting a massive, aging star
For decades, astronomers lumped brown dwarfs into a single category defined by mass alone—too big to be classified as planets but too small to become stars. However, this definition ignores the two very different mechanisms ...
Phys.org / India faces rising uncompensable heat stress, especially during monsoon season
Animals struggle to cool down in extreme heat and high humidity, and heat stress is rising in many regions around the world. This is especially true for people in tropical countries, including populous India. In a new paper ...
Phys.org / Active supermassive black holes may help form massive planets
A popular myth about black holes is that they act like giant cosmic vacuum cleaners, sucking in everything around them. But Wladimir Lyra's research found a new mechanism around supermassive black holes that is more like ...
Phys.org / Protein-like nanoparticles sort themselves inside growing crystals, enabling controlled release
The tiny bones in your fingers withstand countless taps and swipes thanks to a precise blend of materials. Flexible collagen fibers form the framework, reinforced by hard calcium phosphate hydroxyapatite crystals. This is ...
Phys.org / A new category of heat waves is melting western US snowpack faster
Heat waves are not all created equal. While some bring dry heat that rapidly dries out crops, others carry a lot of moisture that can prevent sweat from evaporating off the skin. In new research published in the journal Science ...
Phys.org / Complex suicidal somersault behavior in male redback spiders may be explained by surprisingly simple genetics
The Australian redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti), a cousin of the North American black widow spider, is known to practice sexual cannibalism, which is somewhat common among spider species. However, the male Australian ...
Phys.org / Paleontologists reconstruct forests of 56 million years ago with chilling parallels for our warming planet
If you want to know how rapidly pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere will affect future forest ecosystems, you have to look into the distant past. The researchers behind a new study published in Science have done just ...
Phys.org / Two oceans, one country—and 20 times more sharks in the prehistoric Pacific
How many sharks should a coral reef have? It sounds like a simple question, but almost nowhere on Earth is there a reef that has not at some time been fished or otherwise affected by humans, so there is no yardstick against ...
Phys.org / CRISPR roadblocks: Scientists identify genes blocking gene therapy success
Like a delivery driver navigating crowded city streets, a gene-therapy-toting lipid nanoparticle faces a gauntlet of potential detours on its journey toward a cell's nucleus. First, there's entering the cell's plasma membrane; ...
