Phys.org news
Phys.org / Thawing Arctic soil awakens only half of soil microbes, new study reveals
As the Arctic warms at an unprecedented rate, frozen soils that have remained locked in ice for most of the year are now thawing for longer periods. Yet new research led by an international team including scientists from ...
Phys.org / Gaming monkeys' curiosity: Japanese macaques actively explore moderately uncertain stimuli
The intrinsic information-seeking impulse we call curiosity is independent of extrinsic rewards, such as food or mating opportunities. Curiosity is purely the pursuit of understanding the unknown, driving both humans and ...
Phys.org / Harmless viruses trap Salmonella on flexible polymer in portable microfluidic sensor
Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have developed a solid polymer coated with harmless viruses to detect the bacteria Salmonella enterica (S. enterica), an advance that could lead to new ways of finding ...
Dialog / Scientists uncover hidden parasite diversity in barb fish from the Sea of Galilee
When most people think about biodiversity in lakes and rivers, they imagine fish, plants, or perhaps birds and amphibians. But beneath the surface exists another world that often goes unnoticed: microscopic parasites that ...
Phys.org / Novel nanoparticle therapy using manganese could improve cancer treatment
A research team led by the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has developed a new type of nanoparticle therapy that could make cancer immunotherapy safer and more ...
Phys.org / Every dollar spent on forest fuel treatments saves $3.75 in wildfire damages, study finds
Every dollar spent on forest fuel treatments saves about $3.75 in wildfire damages, according to a new study, led by researchers at the University of California, Davis, of nearly 300 fires in the western United States. The ...
Phys.org / Climate-driven extreme fire danger cannot be prevented by carbon neutrality alone, study warns
A new study warns that unless atmospheric carbon is reduced immediately, future summers will become even hotter and future wildfires even more destructive. A research team led by Professor Seung-Ki Min of the Department of ...
Phys.org / Trafficked pangolin DNA reveals hotspots of illegal wildlife trade
Small samples of DNA can reveal hotspots and trade routes in the illegal wildlife trade, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Sean Heighton and Philippe Gaubert of the University of Toulouse ...
Phys.org / How cells 'back up' DNA replication to survive severe damage
Every time a cell divides, it must copy its DNA with extraordinary precision. But this process is constantly challenged by DNA damage. Among the most dangerous lesions are DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs), which chemically ...
Phys.org / Why plant extinctions may rise by 2100 even if species keep shifting ranges
No matter how fast a species under threat can move, escape can only be successful if the new destination can meet its needs. An ecological modeling study from the University of California, Davis, found that 7% to 16% of global ...
Phys.org / Sexual arousal can lead to tunnel vision, blinding people to rejection cues
Sexual arousal can lead to "tunnel vision" that makes it more difficult to recognize when someone is just not that into you, according to new research in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
Phys.org / Deforestation lessens Amazon rainfall—and climate change hastens that process, study finds
Climate change makes the southern Amazon's rain increasingly sensitive to deforestation, a new study finds. Clearing large areas of forest can trigger severe and lasting reductions in rainfall regardless of climate, but as ...
