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221 recent stories from Phys.org
The past decade has brought a wave of legal reforms around same-sex relationships across Asia: India struck down its colonial-era ban in 2018; Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage in 2019; Singapore repealed Section 377A, with the change taking effect in 2023; and Thailand's marriage equality law came into effect in 2025.
Aug 11, 2026
The past decade has brought a wave of legal reforms around same-sex relationships across Asia: India struck down its colonial-era ban in 2018; Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage in 2019; Singapore repealed Section 377A, with the change taking effect in 2023; and Thailand's marriage equality law came into effect in 2025.
Phys.org ·
Nearly 30 years ago, a simple question sent University of Washington researchers into the Puget Sound lowlands to look for birds. With Seattle's population swelling and housing developments pushing into once-forested suburbs, researchers wanted to know how land conversion was affecting birds and whether the type of development mattered.
Phys.org ·
If you ask an economist why everything is so expensive these days, you will likely get an answer explaining how oil—the lifeblood of the global economy—is currently facing supply bottlenecks in the Strait of Hormuz, thereby driving up global energy prices.
Phys.org ·
A new study led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign scientists reveals critically low genetic variation in one of the country's primary breeding stocks for corn. The finding relates specifically to grain yield in intermediate-maturity hybrids, which dominate commercial production in the U.S. and represent nearly a third of the world's corn production. The researchers say it's a crisis waiting to happen.
Phys.org ·
Mitochondria are often called the powerhouses of the cell. But their ancient origins may also make them drivers of inflammation. Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have discovered that proteins released from mitochondria can activate the immune system in a similar way to invading bacteria. The findings suggest that remnants of mitochondria's evolutionary past may contribute to inflammation in infections and autoimmune disorders.
Phys.org ·
Natural diamonds consistently command higher prices per carat than laboratory-grown synthetic diamonds, according to a large-scale analysis of online diamond sales published in the International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing. This perhaps unsurprising finding suggests that the two products should be treated as distinct market segments.
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A new archaeobotanical study by researchers from the University of Oxford and Kiel University (CAU) has revealed that increases in cereal grain size at the dawn of agriculture, more than 11,000 years ago, were initially driven by plants' plastic responses to favorable growing conditions, rather than by genetic selection under cultivation as previously thought.
Phys.org ·
Hurricane warnings are only effective if people understand them. A new study by Florida State University faculty members in the School of Communication in the College of Communication and Information and the Department of Geography in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy examined an experimental forecast graphic developed by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) that adds inland tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings to the traditional track-forecast cone, which historically emphasized coastal impacts.
Phys.org ·
A centromere is a specific region on a chromosome that ensures that, when a cell divides, the chromosome separates accurately so each new cell receives the correct amount of genetic material. Despite their essential role, centromeres remain one of the last major blind spots in the human genome.
Phys.org ·
Salt marshes are coastal wetlands that are alternately inundated and exposed by tides. These marshes, like other coastal ecosystems, are hotspots of carbon cycling.
Phys.org ·
A new study has found that sexual role identities among men who have sex with men vary systematically by age and geographic region.
Phys.org ·
University of Missouri researchers have uncovered evidence that challenges one of astronomy's most trusted assumptions, a breakthrough that could reshape how scientists measure galaxies and reconstruct the history of the universe.
Phys.org ·
What can a pizza shop teach us about the dramatic shifts taking place in consumer marketing? Quite a lot, actually. New research focused on pizza delivery has found that consumer impatience is driving so much consumer decision-making that even location, price and quality can take a back seat. While this study focused…
Phys.org ·
It can be a little hard to believe it's back-to-school season already. And while there are still some long, relaxed days of summer ahead, it's also the time when families begin to plan for the coming school year. School clothes and notebooks are just around the corner.
Phys.org ·
Scientists have long been fascinated by two promising classes of antibiotics that disable RNA polymerase (RNAP). They knew that these drugs could grind gene expression to a halt in several pathogens, including the bacterium behind tuberculosis, by binding to specific locations in RNAP. But despite decades of study, a…
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Washington State University horticulturist Jeffrey Wall partnered with members of the Mi'kmaq First Nations people of Canada to create a new, Indigenous-centered model of the connections that link humans with plants, animals and the environment.
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