Phys.org news

Phys.org / What deep sea mud is revealing about giant earthquakes along the Pacific Coast

Marine turbidites are layers of mud and sand deposited on the deep ocean floor by massive underwater landslides and are often used as a historical record for reconstructing earthquake histories.

7 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / Physicists uncover hidden magnetic order in the mysterious pseudogap phase

Physicists have uncovered a link between magnetism and a mysterious phase of matter called the pseudogap, which appears in certain quantum materials just above the temperature at which they become superconducting. The findings ...

7 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Fewer disinfection by-products present in bottled water compared to tap, study finds

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry researchers at the University of South Carolina measured disinfection by-products in bottled water, with total disinfection by-products ranging from 0.01–22.4 µg/L and compared ...

8 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / Austrian cow shows first case of flexible, multi-purpose tool use in cattle

In 1982, cartoonist Gary Larson published a now-iconic "Far Side" comic titled "Cow Tools." In it, a cow stands proudly beside a jumble of bizarre, useless objects that are "tools" in name only. The joke hinged on a simple ...

11 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / World's smallest capacitor paves way for next-generation quantum metrology

Nanomechanical systems developed at TU Wien have now reached a level of precision and miniaturization that will allow them to be used in ultra-high-resolution atomic force microscopes in the future. Their new findings are ...

5 hours ago in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / A shark's energy reserves are linked to how far it travels, suggests new study

For years, researchers have tagged sharks in the world's oceans to learn where they go, how they migrate and where they feed. While these tags have given us a wealth of data about their lives, many questions still remain. ...

10 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Wildfires trigger massive soil loss for decades, new global map shows

Wildfires are devastating events that destroy forests, burn homes and force people to leave their communities. They also have a profound impact on local ecosystems. But there is another problem that has been largely overlooked ...

12 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / Twisted 2D materials get an ultraclean, scalable upgrade for future quantum devices

Exciting electronic characteristics emerge when scientists stack 2D materials on top of each other and give the top layer a little twist.

6 hours ago in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Catalyst selectivity as a balancing act: Co₃O₄ 'trapped' in transition shows peak activity

In a study appearing in Nature Catalysis, researchers from the Inorganic Chemistry Department of the Fritz Haber Institute reveal how structural changes on the surface and in the bulk region of the cobalt oxide catalyst Co3O4 ...

6 hours ago in Chemistry
Phys.org / Vibrational spectroscopy technique enables nanoscale mapping of molecular orientation at surfaces

Sum-frequency generation (SFG) is a powerful vibrational spectroscopy that can selectively probe molecular structures at surfaces and interfaces, but its spatial resolution has been limited to the micrometer scale by the ...

6 hours ago in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Teen girls cannot escape unrealistic beauty ideals on social media, researchers say

Girls between the ages of 13 and 19 are widely exposed to beauty content online that promotes products unsuitable for young skin—even when they are not actively seeking beauty-related information. Moreover, they believe ...

7 hours ago in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Marine wildlife rarely interact with tidal turbines—and usually avoid collisions when they do, observations show

Tidal turbines harbor the potential to provide a natural, inexhaustible source of power, but have faced some regulatory hurdles and scientific uncertainty about risks to marine life.

13 hours ago in Biology