Phys.org news

Phys.org / Strange 500-million-year-old marine fossils reveal a feeding strategy that still shapes oceans today

More than 500 million years ago, during what is known as the Cambrian period, the seas and oceans on Earth were filled with a myriad of marine animals, many of which have now become extinct. This evolutionary burst in new ...

46 minutes ago
Phys.org / Gold nanoparticles that behave like a liquid open path to adaptive materials

When inorganic nanoparticles come together, their optical, electronic, and magnetic properties depend strongly on how they are arranged. Being able to reorganize these arrangements in a controlled way could therefore provide ...

6 minutes ago
Phys.org / Molecular grappling hooks improve cancer drug targeting and effectiveness

Medications are designed to treat diseased tissues while sparing healthy ones, often by attaching the drug to something that helps guide it directly to its target. But drugs also need time to work, which means they need to ...

46 minutes ago
Phys.org / A hidden lubricant in creeping faults? Uncovering the mysteries of aseismic slip

Geological faults hold many secrets that may help us answer important questions about the nature of our planet and what really happens deep underground. One of the biggest mysteries lies within the Atotsugawa Fault System ...

5 minutes ago
Phys.org / Atomic bands in two transition metal dichalcogenides hint at long-theorized quantum state

Insulators are materials in which electrons cannot move freely. Past theoretical studies predicted the existence of an unusual insulating state dubbed obstructed atomic insulator (OAI), in which electrons are localized inside ...

2 hours ago
Phys.org / Amazon's carbon clock is speeding up, and violent storms may be only part of why

Tropical forests store more than 60% of the world's vegetation biomass and are among the most important ecosystems for regulating the global carbon cycle and climate. However, their regulatory role is greatly influenced by ...

3 hours ago
Phys.org / The cinema effect: Turning films into a gateway to science

The sci-fi film Project Hail Mary, currently in theaters, is capturing the attention of both audiences and the scientific community for its science-based content. It manages to engage viewers with complex, cutting-edge topics—from ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Gravitational wave detectors can now 'autotune' signals to harmonize the heavens

Gravitational wave researchers working on the world's most sensitive scientific instruments have found a way to tune their detectors using a process akin to the pitch-correction used in music production.

12 hours ago
Phys.org / Gravitational waves from colliding black holes may allow detection of dark matter

Dark matter is thought to make up most of the matter in the universe, but the only way it interacts with its surroundings is through gravity. If two colliding black holes spiral through a dense region of dark matter and merge, ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / 80 years after the Trinity nuclear test, scientists identify new molecule-trapping crystal formed in the blast

Matter behaves strangely under extreme conditions, and often, remnants of these behaviors are left behind even when conditions return to normal. The Trinity nuclear test in 1945 left behind such remnants, and now, 80 years ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Largest-ever survey of physicists puts Standard Model of cosmology under scrutiny

The largest-ever survey of physicists from around the world—released today—shows a distinct lack of consensus across many of physics's most important questions, from the nature of black holes and dark matter, to the still-incomplete ...

13 hours ago
Phys.org / Engineered exosomes reverse sleep deprivation brain damage in mice

Sleep is a vital physiological process that allows humans and other animals to restore both the mind and body, while also consolidating memories, clearing out toxins and regulating their metabolism. Several past studies showed ...

21 hours ago