Phys.org news
Phys.org / Photoexcitation flips 2D moiré devices from metals to insulators in ultrafast test
Quantum materials, materials with properties that are governed by the laws of quantum mechanics describing many-body interactions, have proved promising for the development of various advanced technologies. Many of these ...
Phys.org / New gold-palladium catalysis mechanism could advance bio-based chemical manufacturing
The building‐block chemicals behind everyday products—like shampoo bottles, food containers, and kitchen spatulas—are largely derived from oil. Researchers are now working to replace those fossil‐fuel‐based inputs with materials ...
Phys.org / Stonehenge Altar Stone's epic transportation across ancient Britain detailed in new study
New research by Curtin University has revealed how one of Stonehenge's most mysterious stones was likely transported hundreds of kilometers across Britain through challenging terrain, highlighting the remarkable capabilities ...
Phys.org / Moms' learned fear of snakes gets inherited by offspring in a critically endangered mouse, biologists discover
Conservationists often raise the young of endangered species in captivity before releasing them into suitable habitats as adults. The benefits are obvious: survival to adulthood is typically high, as captive animals are safe ...
Phys.org / Warming unlocks ancient carbon in Tibetan permafrost, triggering climate tipping point
A new study in Nature Communications finds a critical climate tipping point in Tibetan permafrost ecosystems. Warming of 2–4 degrees Celsius triggers a self-reinforcing cycle of carbon release that could significantly accelerate ...
Phys.org / How honeybees really crown their queens
For generations, scientists believed a queen honeybee was made almost entirely by diet: feed an ordinary larva enough royal jelly and a ruler emerges. But new research suggests queens are created through a more elaborate ...
Phys.org / Greenland shark genome reveals clues to 400-year lifespan
The first comprehensive map of nearly the entire Greenland shark genome is beginning to reveal some of the genetic clues behind its incredibly long life. The work could one day help scientists develop new cures and treatments ...
Phys.org / 'Don't scare the cat!' Engineers find smarter way to measure quantum systems
UNSW Sydney engineers have riffed on the famous Schrödinger's cat analogy to demonstrate a more efficient way to eliminate errors in quantum computing.
Phys.org / Extraordinary fossils solve a 500-million-year mystery: Bryozoans were there at the dawn of animal life
Bryozoans are tiny, filter-feeding colonial invertebrates that thrive in the world's oceans today, yet for decades their origins presented a puzzling gap in the fossil record. While nearly every other major animal group made ...
Phys.org / Octopuses learn mirror-guided navigation to locate prey
Octopuses are remarkably intelligent creatures, as was demonstrated by Inky the Octopus's famous escape from the National Aquarium of New Zealand through a drainpipe back to sea in 2016. A new Dartmouth study shows octopuses ...
Phys.org / Solar sails edge closer to reality, but interstellar travel is another story
From planetary rovers and asteroid sample return missions to the recent Artemis II flight above the far side of the moon, we are seemingly good at doing space. But our achievements still do not match many of our space dreams, ...
Phys.org / Deep-Earth seismic anomalies may be explained by newly discovered manganese compound
Scientists know that manganese, in its various oxide forms, plays a significant role in Earth's geochemical cycles. However, the exact forms of manganese, their abundance and the mechanisms behind these cycles that occur ...