Phys.org news
Phys.org / Unusual nonlinear thermoelectric effect appears in chiral tellurium, confirming theoretical predictions
An unusual thermoelectric effect has been observed in the semiconductor tellurium by RIKEN physicists for the first time. This demonstration points to the potential of similar materials to be used in applications such as ...
Phys.org / Uncovering the link between epigenetic modifications and chromatin structure
Certain epigenetic modifications can directly control how genetic material is packed in the nucleus, RIKEN researchers have shown. This has important implications for our understanding of how genes are expressed in different ...
Phys.org / Piezoelectric effect in diamond membranes challenges century-old scientific dogma
A research team in China has reported a significant piezoelectric effect in ultrathin and ultra-flexible polycrystalline diamond membranes. This pioneering discovery challenges a century-long scientific dogma that diamonds ...
Phys.org / Crystals of space and time: A structural phenomenon that may collapse into tiny black holes
A team from Vienna and Frankfurt has found a formula describing a strange phenomenon: Space and time can form a kind of "crystal" that may turn into a black hole. The results are described in Physical Review Letters.
Phys.org / Astronomers may have discovered the tiniest odd radio circle
Astronomers have identified a possible new member of one of astronomy's strangest classes of objects: Odd radio circles (ORCs), enormous ring-like structures visible only at radio wavelengths. The newly discovered source, ...
Phys.org / Flint reveals changes in human mobility in the southern Pyrenees during the Upper Paleolithic
Analysis of more than 3,000 lithic artifacts from the Cova Gran de Santa Linya site (Les Avellanes-Santa Linya, Lleida) shows that anatomically modern human communities occupying the southern Pyrenees during the Upper Paleolithic ...
Phys.org / Saturn-sized exoplanet with Earth-like temperature reveals methane-rich atmosphere
A planet that is about the size of Saturn, but with a temperature more like Earth's, has an atmosphere rich in methane, according to a new study using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
Phys.org / Molecule-in-a-crystal system could boost quantum computing via chemically engineered qubits
Within a crystal's atomic structure, tiny atomic-scale flaws will naturally occur where electrons can become trapped. These defects have emerged as one of the leading platforms for quantum information processing. Through ...
Phys.org / Extraterrestrial life may be slipping past space missions, astrobiologists warn
Suppose there are signs of extraterrestrial life and we have not yet been able to detect them. What does that mean? In Nature Astronomy, researchers discuss the consequences of these so-called false-negative results. "We ...
Phys.org / AI-designed miniproteins switch key cell receptors on and off
G protein-coupled receptors, or GPCRs, sit in the plasma membrane, the boundary that defines the inside and outside of a living cell. They communicate with nearly every physiological process in our bodies—from the ability ...
Phys.org / Researchers develop AI model that maps how genes work together in human cells
Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have created a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that helps reveal how genes function together inside human cells, offering a powerful new way to understand biology ...
Phys.org / How does gold keep its glitter? Researchers uncover why it resists tarnish
Gold has been prized for thousands of years for its enduring shine, but Tulane University researchers have discovered that gold's resistance to tarnishing depends on more than its chemistry.