Phys.org news

Cells rely on tiny molecules called microRNAs to tune which genes are active and when. Cells must carefully control the lifespan of microRNAs to prevent widespread disruption to gene regulation. A new study led by researchers ...

Proteins, one of the smallest building blocks of life on Earth, hold promise for answering some of biology's biggest questions. Consisting of amino acids strung together into peptide chains, these molecules perform much of ...

The rocks beneath our feet are leaving a hidden signature in the shells of marine snails along Australia's ancient coastline, according to new research led by Adelaide University scientists. A study published in Proceedings ...

For more than a century, heparin has been the go-to anticoagulant to prevent harmful blood clots in blood vessels or the heart from forming or getting larger. However, a major side effect is an increased risk of excessive ...

For over 350 years, quinine and other extracts from the cinchona tree (Cinchona spp.) were the only effective medicines against malaria, a tropical fever caused by single-celled parasites of the genus Plasmodium and transmitted ...

A study clarifies the date of an important technological milestone: the adoption of the bow and arrow in western North America. The replacement of older weapons by bows and arrows occurred independently in several prehistoric ...

Superconducting materials could play a crucial role in the energy-efficient applications of the future. However, several technical challenges still stand in the way of their practical use. Now, researchers at Chalmers University ...

Australian scientists have made a significant leap forward in energy storage technology with the world's first proof-of-concept quantum battery. Similar to conventional batteries, this quantum version charges, stores and ...

What do we really know about how oviraptors—bird-like but flightless dinosaurs—hatched their eggs? Did they use environmental heat, like crocodiles, or body heat from an adult, like birds? In a new Frontiers in Ecology ...

Using the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP), astronomers have discovered a new long-period radio transient source, which received the designation ASKAP J142431.2–612611 (ASKAP J1424 for short). The newfound transient has ...

Extremophiles may well be tiny, but they are making a huge contribution to the health of our planet and our lives. A new review of these microorganisms, published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, explains how they ...

A new genetic study published in the journal Cell is filling in some important details about the earliest inhabitants of Palau, an island nation in the western Pacific Ocean consisting of approximately 340 islands.