Phys.org news
Phys.org / New spectroscopy method enables direct comparisons of nuclear sizes across heavy elements
The size of a nucleus (nuclear charge radius) is an important physical quantity that reflects the arrangement of protons and neutrons within the nucleus. Particularly in deformed nuclei, such as those of rare-earth elements, ...
Phys.org / Lunar fault maps reveal how much the moon is shrinking
A new study of young tectonic landforms on the moon offers the most detailed estimate yet of how much the moon has contracted as its interior gradually cooled over time.
Phys.org / AI turns scrap impurities into useful ingredients for stronger recycled iron
About 2 billion metric tons of metal are produced worldwide every year to meet the demands of industry, infrastructure and the energy sector. Much of this production still relies on primary raw materials, contributing to ...
Phys.org / In animated films, nonhuman characters are still overwhelmingly male
Female protagonists in animated films have come a long way over the past several decades. Take the 1959 movie "Sleeping Beauty": Soft-spoken and vulnerable, Princess Aurora is cursed as an infant by the evil fairy Maleficent ...
Phys.org / Plants use a molecular measuring tape to tell fungal friend from foe
Chitin, a chain of repeating sugar molecules, is the main building block of fungal cell walls. When fungi grow or are broken down, fragments of chitin chains of different lengths end up in the soil, and plants detect them ...
Phys.org / Candida auris copies its entire genome to survive antifungal treatment, research reveals
New research has revealed an unexpected new mechanism through which the killer fungus Candida auris is resisting antifungal drug treatment. A team led by the University of Exeter and City St George's, University of London, ...
Phys.org / Measuring deep-ocean oxygen with microscopic magnetic fossils
Humanity's ongoing disruption of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations, temperatures, and global nutrient cycles is starving the oceans of oxygen. Although we can measure ongoing changes to ocean circulation and ...
Phys.org / Molecular snapshots reveal how viral enzymes switch between inserting and removing DNA
Bacteriophages, or viruses that infect bacteria, have a fiendishly simple purpose in life: attach to a bacterial cell, inject their DNA and then use the host's genetic machinery to reproduce. In doing so, they may have evolved ...
Phys.org / North Sea heat wave fueled underwater plankton bloom largely missed by satellites
When a marine heat wave strikes, scientists often turn to satellites to see how the ocean is responding. From space, changes in ocean color can reveal shifts in phytoplankton, microscopic organisms that form the foundation ...
Phys.org / New DNA sequencing methods detect rare mutations acquired as bodies grow and age
Somatic mutations, the DNA changes that occur as our bodies grow and age, not only hold an important key to cancer but are emerging as the seeds of a wide range of common, noncancerous diseases. The Somatic Mosaicism across ...
Phys.org / Palm-leaf manuscripts reveal traces of their preparation through X-rays and machine learning
For centuries, people across South and Southeast Asia recorded religious teachings, literary works, legal regulations and scientific knowledge on palm leaves. Before they could be inscribed or written on, the leaves had to ...
Phys.org / Laser pulses bring order to a quantum material's tiny electrical regions
Physicists at Auburn University have used flashes of laser light to bring order to tiny electrically charged "islands" inside a crystal. The discovery helps answer a decades-old question about how the material organizes itself ...
