Phys.org news
Phys.org / Ancient proteins hint at all-female Homo naledi burial site in Rising Star cave system
Scientists have extracted and analyzed the first-ever ancient proteins from the fossils of Homo naledi, revealing a potential all-female burial site. The study, published in the journal Cell, raises the possibility that South ...
Phys.org / Quantum squeezing sidesteps the limits on mechanical transducers
From detecting the ripples of colliding black holes to imaging individual chemical bonds, mechanical transducers have repeatedly transformed our understanding of the universe. So far, however, the sensitivity of these devices ...
Phys.org / Why female guppies prefer rare males and how this might shape evolution
When it comes to choosing a partner, some species prefer males that stand out from the crowd. Evolutionary biologists call the resulting process negative frequency-dependent selection. It means that a male has a huge mating ...
Phys.org / Artificial DNA tiles could deliver drugs and monitor neurons non-disruptively
Living cells constantly exchange ions (i.e., charged particles) via the thin barrier that surrounds their interior, known as the outer membrane. Neuroscientists and medical researchers have long been trying to devise effective ...
Phys.org / Interlayer self-doping could unlock room-temperature multiferroics in atom-thin materials
Multiferroics are materials that exhibit more than one prominent "ferroic" property, such as ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity. One of their most advantageous features is that they allow engineers to control their magnetic ...
Phys.org / Asteroid zooming past Earth on Saturday visible to stargazers
A large asteroid that will zoom harmlessly past Earth on Saturday will be visible to stargazers using a small telescope or large binoculars, the European Space Agency announced Wednesday.
Phys.org / Language-based screeners may miss kids who struggle to read due to visual-processing issues
Reading difficulties, like dyslexia, are common and often affect achievement and outcomes during school and later in life. A new study, published in Current Biology, reports that current methods used to test for reading disabilities ...
Phys.org / Oldest example of preserved tube feet reveals clues about the lives of 452-million-year-old sea lilies
Echinoderms, such as starfish, sea urchins and sea lilies, use small, flexible, tubular projections called "tube feet" for locomotion, feeding, respiration and sensory perception. Crinoids, a subgroup of echinoderms, are ...
Phys.org / ALMA spots a nine-member stellar family in the act of formation
Massive stars much bigger than our sun always come in pairs or groups, not alone. But astronomers don't fully understand how these groupings form. In a new study, astronomers using ALMA have serendipitously discovered a young ...
Phys.org / Sugar-coated nanoparticles show promise for treating most aggressive form of brain cancer
Researchers at Oregon State University have potentially found a new way to treat the most aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma, whose two-year survival rate is less than 30%.
Phys.org / Euclid captures 60 million stars in sharpest broad view of Milky Way's core
For just one day, our dark universe detective, Euclid, turned its gaze toward the light: the extremely bright inner region of our Milky Way galaxy, known as the galactic bulge. This special request came from astronomers who ...
Phys.org / First complete map of world's seagrass offers warnings and hope for conservation
It's time we gave seagrass the credit it's due. This hero of a plant protects coastlines, stores vast amounts of carbon and supports ecosystems that people and wildlife depend on. But we don't often hear about it when it ...