Phys.org news

Phys.org / Regenerative grazing study reveals trade-offs for sheep farmers

A new Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) study has found that while regenerative agriculture practices can improve soil health and reduce emissions on sheep farms, farmers often face trade-offs between environmental ...

34 minutes ago
Phys.org / Decades-old problem in classical geometry solved: First compact pair of bonnets found

For over 150 years, a rule of thumb dating back to the French mathematician Pierre Ossian Bonnet has been accepted in surface theory: If the metric and mean curvature of a compact surface are known at every point, then the ...

54 minutes ago
Phys.org / Geneticists challenge common model of how cells retain their identity

One of the most widely accepted models for how cells remember their identity may be incorrect. This is shown in a new study by two research groups at Umeå University. In Science Advances, they present results that overturn ...

14 minutes ago
Phys.org / Female birds more likely to sing when their extended family helps with childcare

Most of us have heard the phrase "it takes a village" when it comes to childcare. This age-old saying holds true for some songbirds, and a new study has found that this "village" has evolutionary consequences for their songs.

1 hour ago
Phys.org / Quantum handshake: How orbital overlap dictates molecular conductance

By placing single-atom-thick adlayers of p-block metals on commonly employed gold electrodes (d-block), a research team at National Taiwan University has successfully quantified the "interfacial hopping integral" between ...

1 hour ago
Phys.org / A pathway to achieve high well-being and a safe climate without relying on GDP growth

Governments' attempts to achieve climate goals are falling short, in large part because wealthy economies are continuing to pursue economic growth. As these economies ramp up production and consumption, they make climate ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / From plastics to pharmaceuticals, a new discovery sparks chain reactions

After years of research, international experts have confirmed the discovery of a new chemical reaction, launching new opportunities for rapid advances in a range of fields—from recycled plastics to pharmaceuticals. In the ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / Microbial clues uncover how wild songbirds respond to stress

Every animal carries a microscopic community of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes that play a critical role in health. These gut microbes help regulate the immune system, support digestion, and even influence how animals ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / A race against time to save Alpine ice cores that record medieval mining, fires, and volcanoes

Ice cores taken from glaciers reveal the air pollution of the past, using atmospheric particles incorporated in snow that fell on the glacier and became ice. Now, scientists have extracted a record of thousands of years' ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Climate change is slowing Earth's spin at unprecedented rate compared to past 3.6 million years

Climate change is lengthening our days because rising sea levels slow Earth's rotation. Researchers from the University of Vienna and ETH Zurich now show that the current increase in day length—1.33 milliseconds per century—is ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / Galactic islands of tranquility: 'Little red dots' may have brewed life's building blocks

Astronomers have found that both the core of our Milky Way and the earliest proto-galaxies in the universe share a surprising trait: They are unusually calm and quiet in terms of harsh radiation. This tranquility is not just ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Palm-sized superconducting magnet achieves 42 tesla, rivaling the world's biggest

When we think of powerful magnets used in particle accelerators or for NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), we often envision bulky machines, sometimes the size of buildings. But in an extraordinary breakthrough for physics, ...

22 hours ago