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Top storyFossil long known as world's oldest reptile dethroned phys.org · 34m ago

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Fossil long known as world's oldest reptile dethroned

For nearly 30 years, a small fossil from Scotland has been celebrated as one of the earliest known reptiles. A new study out today in Nature and led by researchers at the American Museum of Natural History and the University of Oxford, in collaboration with the European Synchrotr

Brief phys.org · 34m ago
Classifying groundwater systems by their ability to recover from drought

A few days of rain do not change low groundwater levels after a long drought. To better determine how groundwater systems recover after a drought and which groundwater reserves are most vulnerable, hydrologist Sandra Hauswirth developed a method to classify groundwater systems ba

Brief phys.org · 54m ago
Astronomers link mysterious cosmic flashes to collisions of dead stars

For decades, astronomers have identified collisions between two neutron stars through bursts of gamma rays that can disappear in less than two seconds. But some of these violent encounters may also reveal themselves through X-ray flashes lasting several minutes. A new study publi

Brief phys.org · 2h ago
AI-enhanced petitions on Change.org: More text, less success

The change was obvious—but in the end, things stayed about the same. Cornell researchers took advantage of online petition website Change.org's gradual rollout of an artificial intelligence writing tool to gauge AI-enhanced language's impact on petition outcomes.

Brief phys.org · 2h ago
How sea squirts perceive underwater noise

Shipping, construction work and other human activities are altering the acoustic conditions in our planet's seas. Sound pressure is often examined to determine the effects that this underwater noise has on marine organisms. However, these observations may not be thorough enough f

Brief phys.org · 3h ago

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Short on time? It could be good for you

When it comes to mental health, it may not be how much time you have that matters, but rather how you feel about the time you have. That's one key takeaway of a new University of Colorado Boulder study examining the relationship between time and mental health.

phys.org · 4m ago
Tracking the fin whale and the sperm whale in the Mediterranean

Where are the great marine animals of the Mediterranean, such as the fin whale, the sperm whale or the bottlenose dolphin? How does their distribution change over a few weeks? All indications suggest that these species shift between marine areas in a remarkably short time and ove

phys.org · 14m ago
Anti-fibrotic drug could be repurposed to control cell communication

An experimental antifibrotic compound can dramatically alter how cells release the microscopic packages they use to communicate, according to new research from the University of Surrey. Researchers found that the compound, SD-208, which reduces scar tissue in organs, substantiall

phys.org · 14m ago
Fossil long known as world's oldest reptile dethroned

For nearly 30 years, a small fossil from Scotland has been celebrated as one of the earliest known reptiles. A new study out today in Nature and led by researchers at the American Museum of Natural History and the University of Oxford, in collaboration with the European Synchrotr

phys.org · 34m ago
'Molecular movie' fills in blanks of how nonenveloped viruses infect cells

Viruses come in two major flavors—not chocolate and vanilla, quips Harvard Medical School structural biologist Stephen Harrison, but those enveloped in membranes, such as herpesvirus, influenza virus, HIV and SARS-CoV-2, and those that are not, such as poliovirus, HPV, rotavirus

phys.org · 44m ago
Classifying groundwater systems by their ability to recover from drought

A few days of rain do not change low groundwater levels after a long drought. To better determine how groundwater systems recover after a drought and which groundwater reserves are most vulnerable, hydrologist Sandra Hauswirth developed a method to classify groundwater systems ba

phys.org · 54m ago
Clay tablets reveal how Babylonian students learned about their gods

When it came to religious education in ancient Babylonia, in what is now Iraq, students had a lot to learn, ranging from the names of gods to their divine characteristics. A new study published in the journal Iraq has taken a deep dive into ancient texts and surviving clay tablet

phys.org · 54m ago

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