Phys.org news
Phys.org / Bird and tortoise fossil tracks on South Africa's coast: Latest findings are world firsts
The south coast of South Africa's Western Cape province is a rich source of fossil tracks and traces—clues suggesting what this environment may have been like many thousands of years ago.
Phys.org / Waikīkī faces escalating threat of sewage-contaminated flooding as sea level rises
A new study by University of Hawai'i at Mānoa researchers revealed that Waikīkī is facing a fundamental shift in flood hazards as sea levels rise—transitioning from a flooding that is driven primarily by rainfall to events ...
Phys.org / For regrowing human limbs, this salamander gene could hold the key
Investigating a common gene in three very different species—salamanders, mice and zebrafish—scientists have discovered the potential for a novel gene therapy aimed at eventually regrowing limbs in humans, according to new ...
Phys.org / Novel technique drills more detail into ice core records
Glaciers can reveal vast archives of information about Earth's environmental past, but deciphering the origins of the matter within them can be a challenge. Now, using a novel technique that enables researchers to directly ...
Phys.org / Extensive faults beneath Nevada nuclear lab raise unanswered earthquake risks
The underground laboratory in Nevada where the U.S. conducts nuclear subcritical experiments is riddled with faults. Researchers have not confirmed whether any of these faults are active and could rupture during an earthquake, ...
Phys.org / Gene discovery opens new path for disease-resistant rice breeding
Bacterial blight (BB) is a serious plant disease that mainly affects rice plants, especially in warm, humid regions. Due to the severity of BB, discovering and applying BB-resistance genes is strategically important for ensuring ...
Phys.org / African elephant genomes reveal a past of continental connectivity and a future of increasing isolation
In the largest genomic mapping of Africa's elephants to date, an international team of researchers shows that elephant history is defined by the ability to move across large distances and exchange genes throughout the African ...
Phys.org / Cancer's hidden switch may sit in the cell membrane, forcing growth receptors into permanent overdrive
Cells are enveloped by a lipid membrane that gives them structure and provides a barrier between the cell and its environment. However, evidence has recently emerged suggesting that these membranes do more than simply provide ...
Phys.org / eROSITA disentangles the solar system's X-ray glow from deep-space signals
Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics scientists have been able to disentangle the X-ray glow originating in our solar system from similar emission reaching us from deep space, using data from the SRG/eROSITA ...
Phys.org / Sex pheromone of a sandgrain-sized insect deciphered
Parasitic wasps of the genus Trichogramma are among the smallest insects in the world—yet they play an important role in natural ecosystems and agricultural landscapes as natural antagonists of pest species. Research teams ...
Phys.org / A hidden Oregon basin and a shallower slab sharpen the Cascadia megaquake threat
A new look at the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate beneath the coast of northern Oregon suggests this subducting slab is shallower than previously thought, with impacts on potential peak ground shaking during a Cascadia megathrust ...
Phys.org / Scientists unlock shape-shifting living tissue, programming cells to fold flat sheets into precise 3D forms
Biological tissues have a remarkable ability to organize and change shape, driven by forces generated by their own cells. One of the major challenges in bioengineering is harnessing this natural behavior to design synthetic ...
