Phys.org news
Phys.org / Out of darkness, blind Mexican cavefish illuminate brain evolution
Deep within the dark caves of northeastern Mexico lives a fish that has spent hundreds of thousands of years adapting to a world without light. The blind Mexican cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus) has evolved in perpetual darkness, ...
Phys.org / Sicily remained a medieval melting pot despite major political and religious upheavals, ancient DNA reveals
Sicilian populations have been genetically diverse for many centuries, and they have remained that way even through major regime changes and religious transitions, according to a study published in PLOS One by Aurore Monnereau ...
Phys.org / X-ray snapshots reveal how viral shells change shape as they dry out
When viruses travel through the air in tiny droplets, they can quickly start to dry out. Yet many viruses remain infectious after rehydration—something that is still not fully understood. Now, an international team of researchers ...
Phys.org / Solar blast's magnetic cloud grew by one-fifth en route to Earth, spacecraft reveal
A University of Iowa-led physics team has detailed the extreme expansion of a magnetic cloud that originated from a huge, gaseous explosion on the sun. In a new study, the researchers describe the inflated magnetic cloud ...
Phys.org / What happens when environmental change outpaces life's ability to adapt?
When an animal's environment changes faster than the animal can adapt, its chances of survival can flatline. The same is true for populations and even entire species. Now, scientists at MIT and the University of Leicester ...
Phys.org / A nanotrap for HIV: Liposomes repurposed to trigger immune response
Medical advancements over the last several decades have made great strides in the treatment of HIV. Pharmaceutical treatments are able to contain and reduce a patient's viral load to the point where it is nearly undetectable. ...
Phys.org / Mathematical modeling helps advance use of magnetic particles in targeted drug-delivery systems
A Florida State University computational scientist is paving the way for future medical breakthroughs by developing mathematical models and simulations to predict the behavior of a unique drug-delivery method, which aims ...
Phys.org / Introducing Weather Jiu-Jitsu, a new approach to avert catastrophic weather events
In a new perspective paper, Qin Huang of Arizona State University and colleagues propose that the worst damage from extreme weather events could be prevented through Weather Jiu-Jitsu, a theory-based approach to "nudge" weather ...
Phys.org / Preserving wooden heritage in the Arctic as thaw, rot and tourism converge
Historic wooden structures across Svalbard are crumbling under the combined weight of climate change and human activity. Longer, warmer, and wetter seasons fuel wood-decaying fungi, while tourism adds physical wear to sites ...
Phys.org / Synthetic DNA toolkit expands scientists' ability to recognize genetic targets
A new method for recognizing and targeting DNA that dramatically expands the range of genetic sequences scientists can identify has been developed by experts at the University of Portsmouth. Published this week in Nature ...
Phys.org / Drifting tuna gear creates risks for wildlife in protected marine areas
An international study co-authored by a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researcher has found that drifting devices used by the global tuna fishing industry are entering marine protected areas around the world, creating potential ...
Phys.org / Pseudomonads boost crop growth in salty soils across multiple plants, could protect against rising sea levels
Researchers at the University of East Anglia have helped uncover a hidden ally in the fight against one of agriculture's greatest threats—salty soil. Led by Chinese collaborator Dr. Yanfen Zheng, the team's new study shows ...
