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 ...

36 minutes ago
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 ...

16 minutes ago
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 ...

56 minutes ago
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.

1 hour ago
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, ...

5 hours ago
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 ...

1 hour ago
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).

1 hour ago
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 ...

3 hours ago
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 ...

2 hours ago
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 ...

2 hours ago
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 ...

2 hours ago
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.

2 hours ago