Phys.org news
Phys.org / A 'crazy' dice proof leads to a new understanding of a fundamental law of physics
Right now, molecules in the air are moving around you in chaotic and unpredictable ways. To make sense of such systems, physicists use a law known as the Boltzmann distribution, which, rather than describe exactly where each ...
Phys.org / Dark matter, not a black hole, could power Milky Way's heart
Our Milky Way galaxy may not have a supermassive black hole at its center but rather an enormous clump of mysterious dark matter exerting the same gravitational influence, astronomers say. They believe this invisible substance—which ...
Phys.org / Could apes 'play pretend' like toddlers? A study tracks imaginary juice and grapes
In a series of tea party-like experiments, Johns Hopkins University researchers demonstrate for the first time that apes can use their imagination and play pretend, an ability thought to be uniquely human.
Phys.org / Hannibal's famous war elephants: Single bone in Spain offers first direct evidence
Historical accounts of the Punic Wars—and many other ancient wars—often paint a picture of soldiers riding in on imposing "war elephants." Yet, no skeletal remains of these war elephants had ever been found from the Punic ...
Phys.org / Petra aqueduct survey uncovers rare 116-meter lead conduit beside terracotta pipe
In a recent study, Niklas Jungmann from the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin conducted a survey and investigation of the 'Ain Braq aqueduct of the ancient city of Petra. It was discovered that, unlike previously believed, ...
Phys.org / VIP-2 experiment narrows the search for exotic physics beyond the Pauli exclusion principle
The Pauli exclusion principle is a cornerstone of the Standard Model of particle physics and is essential for the structure and stability of matter. Now an international collaboration of physicists has carried out one of ...
Phys.org / Scents of the afterlife: Identifying embalming recipes by 'sniffing' the air around Egyptian mummies
If you have ever stood close to an ancient Egyptian mummy, you may remember a distinctive, lingering odor. For a long time, it was assumed that this was simply due to age and decay. However, scientists have discovered that ...
Phys.org / A smarter way to watch biology at work: Microfluidic droplet injector drastically cuts sample consumption
Watching proteins move as they drive the chemical reactions that sustain life is one of the grand challenges of modern biology. In recent years, X-ray free-electron lasers, or XFELs, have begun to meet that challenge, capturing ...
Phys.org / Detection system uses gravitational waves to map merging black holes
An international collaboration of astrophysicists that includes researchers from Yale has created and tested a detection system that uses gravitational waves to map out the locations of merging black holes—known as supermassive ...
Phys.org / Listening to polymers collapse: 'Water bridges' pull the strings
It is not easy to follow the interactions of large molecules with water in real time. But this can be easier to hear than to see. This is how an international team deciphered the role of water in the collapse of PNIPAM.
Phys.org / 2018 Kīlauea earthquake may have stalled fault's slow slip for decades
The magnitude 6.9 earthquake that took place in 2018 on the south flank of Kīlauea on the Island of Hawaiʻi may have stalled episodes of periodic slow slip along a major fault underlying the volcano, according to a new ...
Phys.org / From deer to chickadees: How fewer social encounters could raise extinction risk
Imagine an asteroid striking Earth and wiping out most of the human population. Even if some lucky people survived the impact, Homo sapiens might still face extinction, because the social networks humans rely on would collapse.
