Phys.org news
Phys.org / RNA in action: Filming ribozyme self-assembly
RNA is a central biological macromolecule, now widely harnessed in medicine and nanotechnology. Like proteins, RNA function often depends on its precise three-dimensional structure. A recent study published in Nature Communications ...
Phys.org / Social media research tool can lower political temperature—it could also lead to more user control over algorithms
A new tool shows it is possible to turn down the partisan rancor in an X feed—without removing political posts and without the direct cooperation of the platform.
Phys.org / Scientists capture the crackling sounds of what they believe is lightning on Mars
Scientists have detected what they believe to be lightning on Mars by eavesdropping on the whirling wind recorded by NASA's Perseverance rover.
Phys.org / Mystery foot belongs to ancient human relative: Scientists
Newly discovered fossils prove that a mysterious foot found in Ethiopia belongs to a little-known, recently named ancient human relative who lived alongside the species of the famous Lucy, scientists said Wednesday.
Phys.org / Survey raises estimate of African forest elephant numbers
DNA pulled from the dung of African forest elephants has given experts a more accurate—and higher—population estimate for the elusive animal, but the species remains critically endangered, a study showed Thursday.
Phys.org / Satellites spot surprising tsunami patterns: Massive Kamchatka quake challenges old models
A satellite deployed to measure ocean surface heights was up to the challenge when a massive earthquake off the Kamchatka Peninsula triggered a Pacific-wide tsunami in late July.
Phys.org / Instagram users overestimate their social media addiction, study suggests
Instagram users may overestimate the extent to which they are addicted to the platform, according to research conducted on 1,204 U.S. adults published in Scientific Reports. The findings suggest that for most social media ...
Phys.org / Electric discharges detected on Mars for the first time
On Mars, winds constantly stir up whirlwinds of fine dust. It was at the center of two of these dust devils that the SuperCam instrument's microphone, the first ever to operate on Mars, accidentally recorded particularly ...
Phys.org / The collapse of Maya civilization: Drought doesn't explain everything
Between 750 and 900 CE, the population of the Maya lowlands in Central America experienced a major demographic and political decline which, according to the scientific literature, coincided with repeated episodes of intense ...
Phys.org / Modern life explains why people in Chile are taller and have larger heads than their ancestors
Modern Chileans are significantly taller and have larger heads than their ancestors. That's the central finding of new research looking at how intracranial volume (ICV) has changed across thousands of years in northern Chile. ...
Phys.org / Diamond defects, now in pairs, reveal hidden fluctuations in the quantum world
In spaces smaller than a wavelength of light, electric currents jump from point to point and magnetic fields corkscrew through atomic lattices in ways that defy intuition. Scientists have only ever dreamed of observing these ...
Phys.org / Shop-bought cable helps power two quantum networks
For decades, physicists have dreamed of a quantum internet: a planetary web of ultrasecure communications and super-powered computation built not from electrical signals, but from the ghostly connections between particles ...
