Phys.org news
Phys.org / Medici brothers' remains reveal Renaissance-era malaria strains, closing the book on a murder mystery
In 1562, Cardinal Giovanni de Medici, a scion of the dynastic family that dominated politics and banking in Tuscany during the Renaissance, died of malaria. Twenty-five years later, his older brother, Grand Duke Francesco ...
Phys.org / Houston power plant emerges as dominant source of cloud-forming aerosols
Research by atmospheric scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography and colleagues pinpointed an individual coal-fired power plant in Houston as the main source of particles most likely to encourage the ...
Phys.org / Bacteria use linked motors to reel in resistance DNA with extreme force
Every year, bacteria kill more than a million people worldwide through infections that no longer respond to antibiotics. In many cases, why those bacteria are so hard to stop comes down to their uniquely powerful structure.
Phys.org / Tiny ancient fish fossil with preserved brain offers clues to early fish evolution
Over 300 million years ago, a minnow-sized fish died and fell to the bottom of a prehistoric swamp near the village of Trawden, Lancashire, in northwest England. The remains of this tiny fish—known as Trawdenia planti—became ...
Phys.org / Grasslands could lose four times more carbon uptake under future drought conditions
The effects of individual climate factors on ecosystems are usually considered in isolation. However, in reality, they occur simultaneously and influence each other. Increasing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere contribute ...
Phys.org / Extreme droughts in the rainforest reduce important feedback between soil and atmosphere, study finds
Isoprene is a volatile organic compound (VOC) that is produced naturally by plants. More than 500 megatonnes of isoprene are emitted each year into Earth's atmosphere, primarily from tropical forests. Soils are recognized ...
Phys.org / Sound waves reconstruct Alaska fireball path after cameras miss key details
When a bright fireball streaked across the Alaska sky last spring, the usual tools scientists rely on to track such events—cameras and satellites—did not provide a detailed picture. But the meteoroid left behind something ...
Phys.org / Loss of DNA protector gene exposes vulnerabilities in cancerous cells
Every time a cell copies its DNA, parts of the genome are exposed and vulnerable to damage or errors. Molecular biologist Simon Boulton is interested in how cells spot and repair damage to their DNA, and what happens if this ...
Phys.org / A cataclysmic collision in space provides new clues on astronomy's biggest stalemate
Second only to black holes, neutron stars—incredibly dense star remnants—are the densest objects in the universe. When neutron stars collide, they create ripples in the fabric of space and time that we can detect on Earth.
Phys.org / Layered ZnPS₃ emits single photons, opening new path for quantum chips
Scientists from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw, in collaboration with teams from the National University of Singapore and Radboud University in the Netherlands, have observed single-photon emission from ...
Phys.org / One‑step process generates high entropy alloy nanoparticles in milliseconds for catalyst creation
A University at Buffalo-led team of researchers has developed a method for producing advanced nanoparticles that could accelerate the discovery of new materials for energy and electronic applications. The study, published ...
Phys.org / Black locust deploys peptides to steer root bacteria into nitrogen fixation
Plants need nitrogen to grow. Many legumes meet this need through a symbiotic relationship: They harbor bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen and make it available to the plant. Until now, it was largely unclear how a perennial ...
