Phys.org news

Phys.org / Copper's 'gatekeeper' could unlock cleaner energy future

A common mineral hiding in plain sight could hold the key to making copper production cleaner, faster and more efficient, just as global demand for the metal surges to power the energy transition. In an article published ...

2 hours ago
Dialog / Not so dark with Alena Tensor: Math framework could explain dark matter without invisible particles

Alena Tensor is a relatively new mathematical approach that allows for arbitrary curving and straightening of analyzed spacetimes. As it turns out, generalizing this model to all known fields and fully describing matter, ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / This nasal spray rewinds the aging brain, restoring memory and reversing inflammation in preclinical models

Picture this: your brain is a high-performance engine. Over decades, it doesn't just wear down, it also starts to run hot. Tiny "fires" of inflammation smolder deep within the brain's memory center, creating a persistent ...

13 hours ago
Phys.org / Ethiopia's Afar Rift provides glimpse into life and death 100,000 years ago

The study of ancient cultures around Ethiopia during the Middle Stone Age (MSA) time period is important for understanding how some of the first Homo sapiens lived and eventually left Africa. Unfortunately, there are not ...

14 hours ago
Phys.org / Birds that put more energy into parenthood age faster and die younger, research shows

In a new study, appearing in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, scientists selectively bred Japanese quails into two groups: laying either relatively large or small eggs. As the quails don't do much ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Discovery of Addison's disease gene in dogs could help humans as well

Among dog breeds, Nova Scotia duck tolling retrievers (tollers) have an unusually high rate of Addison's disease, a condition in which the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones, notably cortisol and aldosterone. In ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Copper blasted into a million-degree plasma strips away 22 electrons in a flash before atoms recover

When laser flashes hit matter, electrons are knocked off their orbits around the atomic nuclei. This can generate extremely hot plasmas composed of charged particles—ions and electrons. Researchers at HZDR have now observed ...

15 hours ago
Phys.org / After 9,000 years of cultivation, rice has reached its thermal limit

Rice has historically been a heat-loving plant. In fact, the wild ancestor of cultivated rice once grew primarily on the sweltering, rain-swept Malay and Indochina peninsulas as well as the islands of Southeast Asia. It wasn't ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Torsion balances set strongest direct limits yet on ultralight dark matter

Dark matter is believed to make up a large fraction of the matter in the universe, yet its true nature remains unknown. Most past experiments have focused on heavier dark matter candidates, while much lighter dark matter, ...

12 hours ago
Phys.org / Bonobos' peaceful reputation cracks after a rival group attack leaves an infant dead

Bonobos are often described as gentle apes, generally calm primates that are seen as peacemakers in the animal kingdom. But this reputation may be coming under attack as a new study published in Scientific Reports reveals ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Young stars dim quickly in their X-ray output, potentially benefiting orbiting planets

Scientists have found that young stellar cousins of our sun are calming down and dimming more quickly in their X-ray output than previously thought, according to a new study using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. A paper ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Graphene as a charge mirror: Why water droplets 'see' graphene—but don't show it

Research on graphene has made great strides in recent years. However, to fully harness its potential in applications such as desalination membranes, sensors, and energy storage and conversion, a deeper understanding of the ...

9 hours ago