Phys.org news
Phys.org / Humpback whales match song themes to dive phases, tags reveal
For male humpback whales, singing is serious business. Their haunting, complex songs can last for hours and travel for miles underwater, playing a central role in reproduction during the winter breeding season. But despite ...
Phys.org / Nanopore method improves detection of cyanobacteria toxins in lake water
Cyanobacterial blooms, like the ones that occur in Lake Geneva, are rapid, dense growths of photosynthetic bacteria in fresh and marine waters that can threaten the health of swimmers and their pets.
Phys.org / Kids who start social media earlier may do worse at school
Students who open a personal social media account earlier in adolescence appear to perform worse on later standardized tests, according to a study in Nature Human Behaviour based on 5,227 Italian students. The authors speculate ...
Phys.org / Over 100 South American lakes could become climate-change early-warning observatories
More than 100 shallow lakes stretching over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) along the Atlantic coast of southern Brazil and Uruguay could become one of the world's most important natural laboratories for understanding how climate ...
Phys.org / Scientists watch, molecule by molecule, as cell helpers rescue problem proteins
University of Wollongong (UOW) scientists have uncovered, for the first time, exactly how two of the cell's "helper" proteins operate as a rescue crew for misfolded proteins, a discovery that sheds new light on the molecular ...
Phys.org / Tiny predatory bacteria help protect endangered Caribbean corals
A microscopic predator may offer a new way to protect some of the Caribbean's most endangered corals. Georgia Tech researchers found that tiny predatory bacteria can halt the spread of a destructive coral disease by hunting ...
Phys.org / Ten viral genome regions may explain why deadly chicken virus evades vaccines
A highly contagious herpes virus causes Marek's disease, a deadly illness that mainly infects chickens. While it does not make people sick, the virus causes tumors and paralysis in chickens and, if unchecked, can spread rapidly ...
Phys.org / Ultrafast X-ray flashes partially reverse the damage they cause, enabling brighter, more accurate imaging
The interaction between X-rays and matter can be actively controlled, according to an international research team led by the University of Hamburg and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory that has succeeded in producing bright ...
Phys.org / How the brain helps protect fertility from heat-induced damage
As global temperatures continue to rise, scientists are racing to understand why heat so profoundly threatens fertility across the animal kingdom. A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and collaborators has ...
Phys.org / Genetic analysis identifies a distinct Risso's dolphin population around British Isles
Risso's dolphins around the British Isles are part of a single population—genetically distinct from those elsewhere in the Atlantic, new research shows. Scientists studied the DNA of dolphins that stranded in England, Scotland ...
Phys.org / How simple amber lights could make nights safer for insects
Approximately 40% of insect species worldwide are thought to be in decline and under threat of extinction. Among the key causes are habitat loss, pollution and climate change. Another threat is artificial light from sources ...
Phys.org / Laid to rest with care: Ancient infants, perhaps twins, found in 1,200-year-old latrine
More than 1,000 years ago, two babies were tucked away in an abandoned Roman toilet channel. Yet, despite what the location suggests, they were cherished, not discarded.