Phys.org news
Phys.org / DNA tracking links raccoons to riverborne bacteria with possible human spillover
The emerging infectious bacterium Escherichia albertii has caused outbreaks of severe food poisoning and hospitalized people through contaminated water and foods, such as salad ingredients. Now, a new study from Osaka Metropolitan ...
Phys.org / Carbon dioxide unlocks safer oxidation chemistry under room-temperature conditions
Oxidation reactions are indispensable to the chemical industry, but from a process safety perspective, they are among the most challenging transformations. A research team at the University of Bayreuth, working in collaboration ...
Phys.org / AI tracks missing hydrogen atoms in crystals with 97% success rate
Artificial intelligence is often used to generate images. In research, specialized AI models are used for scientific applications—for example, to predict the positions of atoms in materials. The MatterGen model developed ...
Phys.org / Collapsing stars could spawn mini-universes, offering new path to gravastars
Stars shine because atoms fuse in their interiors, releasing energy. When a very massive star has exhausted its nuclear fuel, radiation pressure can no longer provide sufficient counterforce to gravity. The star then collapses ...
Phys.org / How a shape-shifting tiny rover inspired by Japanese toys autonomously explored the moon
Moon missions come in all shapes and sizes, from car-sized rovers packed with scientific equipment to towering rocket payloads—and now, a small, shape-shifting machine that is about the size of the average palm.
Phys.org / Electron matter waves gain ultrafast torque that flips handedness in femtoseconds
Many natural processes, ranging from magnetism to chemical reactions, entail the movement and rotation of particles at very small scales. In quantum mechanics, particles exhibit both particle-like and wave-like behaviors, ...
Phys.org / Ancient clay figurine from Guatemala may bear the oldest written numbers in Mesoamerica
A clay figurine, small enough to cradle in your hand, with 11 dots arranged in columns where its head should be, may depict the oldest known example of written numbers in Mesoamerica.
Phys.org / First global map of mycorrhizal fungi reveals true scale of underground networks across the planet
Mycorrhizal fungi form underground networks that sustain plant life and help regulate Earth's climate by drawing carbon into soils. In a study published in Science, an international team of researchers produced the first ...
Phys.org / Rare deep-sea goblin sharks filmed in natural habitat for first time
The first published live observations of the rare goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) in its natural deep-ocean habitat were reported in a new paper by a University of Hawai'i at Mānoa-led team of oceanographers. In the past, ...
Phys.org / 'Selection shadow' may explain why longer lives bring more age-related disease
A review article now published in Nature Reviews Genetics brings together evolutionary theory, comparative genomics and large-scale human genetics to explain why we age and why aging rates differ among individuals and species. ...
Phys.org / Wasp spider reveals rapid genetic adaptation during decades-long march into northern Europe
It has taken only a few decades: The wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi) has expanded its range from the Mediterranean region to northern Europe—even as far as southern Finland. In doing so, it has adapted genetically much faster ...
Phys.org / Ancient DNA from Tuscan wells reveals origins of modern wine
Scientists analyzing 2,000-year-old grape seeds from ancient wells in Tuscany have mapped the most extensive genetic history of ancient grapevines recovered from a single site.
