Phys.org news
Phys.org / Sea expedition helps unravel why mercury levels are so high in the Arctic
Mercury (Hg) is a naturally occurring element found across the globe, yet it becomes highly toxic as it accumulates up the food chain. Pollution from human activities has pumped increasing amounts of mercury into the atmosphere, ...
Phys.org / Queensland sites offer play and rest for migrating humpbacks
A new study has compared how migrating humpback whales use two stopover sites along the Queensland coast, finding that one was more social in nature and the other was used primarily by mothers and calves.
Phys.org / How whisker-generated sounds are encoded in the auditory cortex of mice
Nestled in dark burrows, with a limited sense of vision, mice brush their whiskers against their environment to navigate and to detect objects around them. This behavior, termed whisking, has been extensively studied in the ...
Phys.org / First machine learning model developed to calculate the volume of all glaciers on Earth
A team of researchers led by Niccolò Maffezzoli, "Marie Curie" fellow at Ca' Foscari University of Venice and the University of California, Irvine, and an associate member of the Institute of Polar Sciences of the National ...
Phys.org / Ancient ambidextrous protein breaks the rules of molecular handedness
A study has found that an ancient protein motif that binds to nucleic acids is functionally "ambidextrous." This means that the motif can interact with both natural and mirror-image nucleic acids, an occurrence that has never ...
Phys.org / Amazon could survive long-term drought but at a high cost, study suggests
The Amazon rainforest may be able to survive long-term drought caused by climate change, but adjusting to a drier, warmer world would exact a heavy toll, a study published in Nature Ecology and Evolution suggests.
Phys.org / Working together when searching for food has more benefits than trade-offs for vultures
Together, or not together, that is the question. Hamlet is not the only one facing life-changing questions—wild animals have to make decisions pivotal to their survival on a daily basis.
Phys.org / Tiny bubbles of gas reveal secrets of Hawaiian volcanoes
Using advanced technology that analyzes tiny gas bubbles trapped in crystals, a team of scientists led by Cornell University has precisely mapped how magma storage evolves as Hawaiian volcanoes age.
Phys.org / Drug-loaded nanoparticles can enhance precision and safety of ultrasound tumor treatment
Researchers have created a new kind of nanoparticle that could make ultrasound-based cancer treatments more effective and safer, while also helping prevent tumors from coming back.
Phys.org / Dark matter formed when fast particles slowed down and got heavy, new theory says
A study by Dartmouth researchers proposes a new theory about the origin of dark matter, the mysterious and invisible substance thought to give the universe its shape and structure. They say the hypothetical force shaping ...
Phys.org / Fossil discovery in India extends the timeline of early dinosaurs
Sun filters through dense stands of cycads and conifers of Gondwana, where a lithe, bipedal predator slowly moves through the Upper Triassic undergrowth. Standing just over a meter tall and measuring about two meters from ...
Phys.org / Astronomers observe the evolution of a slowly-spinning pulsar
Using a set of ground-based radio telescopes, an international team of astronomers has observed a slowly-spinning pulsar known as PSR J0901−4046. Results of the observational campaign, published on the arXiv preprint server, ...
