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Science News

Latest science news, discoveries and scientific developments.

Industrialization reshapes gut microbes, from bacterial communities to their DNA, studies find
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Industrialization reshapes gut microbes, from bacterial communities to their DNA, studies find

The totality of bacteria, viruses and fungi that exist in and on a multicellular organism forms its natural microbiome. The interactions between the body and these microorganisms significantly influence the host organism's functions and health. Among other things, researchers have shown that the microbiome plays an important role in defense against pathogens. On the other hand, they suspect that imbalances in the microbiome's composition are linked to the development of so-called environmental diseases, such as chronic inflammation.

📅 2026-11-02 21:40:09    •    Phys.org
Are we overfertilizing our fields? Researchers challenge conventional soil testing
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Are we overfertilizing our fields? Researchers challenge conventional soil testing

A new study led by Dr. Shikma Zaarur of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with Dr. Ran Erel of the Agricultural Research Organization–Volcani Institute, reveals that agricultural soils may contain a substantial unaccounted-for reservoir of potassium, an essential nutrient for plant growth, that is largely overlooked by conventional soil testing methods. The findings could pave the way for more precise fertilizer recommendations, potentially reducing unnecessary fertilizer use while supporting sustainable agricultural production.

📅 2026-11-02 21:20:12    •    Phys.org
Molecular dinitrogen anions pave the way for low-temperature ammonia synthesis
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Molecular dinitrogen anions pave the way for low-temperature ammonia synthesis

While ammonia (NH₃) is best known for its role in fertilizer production, it is attracting attention as a carbon-free hydrogen carrier, potentially offering a practical way to store and transport clean fuel. Despite this promise, NH₃ synthesis still depends on high-temperature, high-pressure processes that are difficult to scale up sustainably. The reason behind this is the extremely strong bond between nitrogen atoms in nitrogen gas (N₂), which requires a lot of energy to break.

📅 2026-11-02 21:20:08    •    Phys.org
According to science, you may be more likely to gain respect and status by helping others
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According to science, you may be more likely to gain respect and status by helping others

Human intelligence is still a bit of an enigma. Researchers have some ideas about why advanced intelligence evolved in humans, but they have not come to a conclusive answer. One prominent idea is that intelligence serves a social function. In their new study, a group of researchers led by Jonathan Egeland reports additional evidence supporting this idea. According to their research, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, greater intelligence seems to garner more respect, but only when it's applied to tasks that help others.

📅 2026-11-02 21:10:01    •    Phys.org
Reservoir, human activity impact Ravi River's surface water availability by fivefold
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Reservoir, human activity impact Ravi River's surface water availability by fivefold

What does a healthy river look like? For most of us, an obvious answer would involve two aspects: water flowing through a channel and green vegetation along its banks. However, in reality, a river's health depends on several factors, such as how much water flows through it, how water moves through the landscape, how that flow changes with the seasons, how sediment moves downstream, how often it spills into its floodplain and how these processes change with the seasons.

📅 2026-11-02 21:00:21    •    Phys.org
From wild to mild: Friendly foxes show changes in brain region
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From wild to mild: Friendly foxes show changes in brain region

Scientists studying the neurology of tame foxes identified changes in a part of the brain that has previously been associated with aggression, according to a new paper that compared the brains of domesticated, aggressive and wild foxes. The changes occurred in an area at the base of the brain called the ventromedial hypothalamus, which is known to drive aggression, control decisions related to energy use and play an important role in maternal instincts and social behaviors in mice.

📅 2026-11-02 21:00:06    •    Phys.org
Q&A: Is faith feminine? Why US churches have men in pulpits, women in pews
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Q&A: Is faith feminine? Why US churches have men in pulpits, women in pews

Working as a Christian minister years ago, Landon Schnabel noticed a paradox common to many U.S. churches: Men filled leadership roles, implying that religion is masculine and patriarchal, but many more women participated in services, Bible study and other activities.

📅 2026-11-02 20:40:13    •    Phys.org
A new way to make better use of ruthenium in single-atom catalysts
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A new way to make better use of ruthenium in single-atom catalysts

Ruthenium (Ru) is a valuable metal used in catalysts to speed up chemical reactions in many industrial processes. It can help improve efficiency and reduce the energy needed for chemical production. However, because it is rare and expensive, scientists are looking for ways to make better use of it.

📅 2026-11-02 20:40:08    •    Phys.org
Ultrashort laser pulses can slice lab-grown diamond along useful crystal plane
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Ultrashort laser pulses can slice lab-grown diamond along useful crystal plane

More than just a precious gemstone for jewelry, diamond has properties that make it attractive for several next-generation, high-performance technologies. Its high thermal conductivity can help move heat away from semiconductor devices, while its wide bandgap is promising for high-power electronics. Moreover, its transparency in the visible light range makes diamond useful for demanding optical applications.

📅 2026-11-02 20:20:10    •    Phys.org
RNA-protein interactions could lead to new coronavirus drug targets
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RNA-protein interactions could lead to new coronavirus drug targets

A study co-led by a University of California, Riverside, biomedical scientist has identified new targets for coronavirus antiviral drugs, including treatments that may be less vulnerable to the rapid evolution of these viruses.

📅 2026-11-02 20:20:03    •    Phys.org
Historical records reveal the bitter truth about 17th-century Transylvania's climate
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Historical records reveal the bitter truth about 17th-century Transylvania's climate

For roughly five centuries from about 1300, Europe experienced periods of unusually cold weather and extreme conditions collectively known as the Little Ice Age. Transylvania, a historical region in modern-day Romania, was also affected, but information about just how severe things were had been scattered in old town records, church logs, travelogs and administrative and monastic diaries.

📅 2026-11-02 20:17:08    •    Phys.org
Fighting accent bias is everyone's job, not just accented speakers'
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Fighting accent bias is everyone's job, not just accented speakers'

People who speak with an accent know it can lead to discrimination. It can cost them in job interviews, at work and in everyday exchanges. But what they usually have to go on is anecdote: their own experiences and those of people they know.

📅 2026-11-02 20:00:04    •    Phys.org
Stars make oxygen for small galaxies, but they lose most of it
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Stars make oxygen for small galaxies, but they lose most of it

Scientists examining data collected by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have found that dozens of small galaxies contain far less oxygen than their stars are estimated to have produced. The researchers, including a Rutgers astrophysicist, studied 37 dwarf galaxies, which are much smaller than the Milky Way and considered to be nearby, within 22 million light-years of Earth. The results were published in The Astrophysical Journal.

📅 2026-11-02 20:00:02    •    Phys.org
Long-term observations of marine clouds reveal how in-cloud motions shape rain
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Long-term observations of marine clouds reveal how in-cloud motions shape rain

Research led by atmospheric scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory sheds new light on one of the fundamental challenges of weather forecasting: determining the conditions under which a cloud will produce rain—and how much rain it will produce.

📅 2026-11-02 19:40:15    •    Phys.org
Blood chemistry reveals why some animals bleed blue, green or purple
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Blood chemistry reveals why some animals bleed blue, green or purple

Whether it's gushing from a bumped nose or pooling atop a pricked finger, our blood is some hue of red. But red-bloodedness isn't universal in the animal kingdom. In some creatures, the vital fluid is purple; in others it's yellow, green or even white.

📅 2026-11-02 19:40:06    •    Phys.org
Predicting jumping genes' roles in changing genome size
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Predicting jumping genes' roles in changing genome size

A genome contains all of the DNA of every living organism, but its contents don't stop there—most of these structures also contain snippets of DNA that can copy and paste themselves to "infect" a genome, expanding its size. Precisely why that happens remains a mystery.

📅 2026-11-02 19:20:14    •    Phys.org
Martian polar crater ice shifts with seasonal frost
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Martian polar crater ice shifts with seasonal frost

Mars shares many landforms and weather patterns with Earth, including changing seasons, volcanoes, canyons, dust storms, dust devils and water ice. Another feature that Earth and Mars share is polar ice caps. These are among each planet's striking features, but the major difference is that Earth's polar ice caps are both composed of water, while Mars' north polar ice cap is composed only of water and its southern polar ice cap is carbon dioxide.

📅 2026-11-02 19:00:01    •    Phys.org