Phys.org news

Phys.org / Electric double layer emerges in new electrocatalyst interface model

Hydrogen is at the heart of the transition to carbon neutrality, as both an energy carrier and a reagent for green chemistry. However, large-scale production of hydrogen via electrolysis, as well as the production of many ...

47 minutes ago
Phys.org / For regrowing human limbs, this salamander gene could hold the key

Investigating a common gene in three very different species—salamanders, mice and zebrafish—scientists have discovered the potential for a novel gene therapy aimed at eventually regrowing limbs in humans, according to new ...

27 minutes ago
Phys.org / Massive Atlantic sargassum blooms traced to West Africa

Massive blooms of Sargassum seaweed that have inundated coastlines across the Atlantic since 2011 likely originate off the coast of West Africa—forming years before they are visible and overturning long-standing assumptions ...

7 minutes ago
Phys.org / Monkeys navigate a virtual forest with thought alone, pushing brain-computer interfaces beyond the lab

As a part of a study testing out a new type of implanted brain-computer interface (BCI), three rhesus monkeys controlled movements in a virtual reality (VR) world using only brain signals. The study, published in Science ...

1 hour ago
Phys.org / Warm-bodied sharks and tunas face 'double jeopardy' in warming seas

A new study reveals that some of the ocean's most powerful predators are running hotter, and that they are likely paying an increasingly steep price for it. The significance of this headline finding is the "double jeopardy" ...

1 hour ago
Phys.org / Scientists unlock shape-shifting living tissue, programming cells to fold flat sheets into precise 3D forms

Biological tissues have a remarkable ability to organize and change shape, driven by forces generated by their own cells. One of the major challenges in bioengineering is harnessing this natural behavior to design synthetic ...

1 hour ago
Phys.org / Cyanobacteria surprise scientists with evolutionary shift

Photosynthetic bacteria helped shape planet Earth. Among them are cyanobacteria that produced the oxygen in the atmosphere and made complex life possible, captivating scientists for decades. Now, researchers at the Institute ...

1 hour ago
Phys.org / A hidden Oregon basin and a shallower slab sharpen the Cascadia megaquake threat

A new look at the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate beneath the coast of northern Oregon suggests this subducting slab is shallower than previously thought, with impacts on potential peak ground shaking during a Cascadia megathrust ...

1 hour ago
Phys.org / New metric identifies at-risk mangroves before they disappear

Scientists from UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Centro para la Biodiversidad Marina y la Conservación in Mexico have developed a tool that identifies mangrove patches facing the greatest risk of ...

1 hour ago
Phys.org / Simulations generate thousands of cyclone scenarios to predict extreme flooding in Bay of Bengal

Powerful cyclones can push seawater miles inland, threatening densely populated communities and critical infrastructure built along coastal areas. A combination of exposure and complexity makes the Bay of Bengal in Southeast ...

2 hours ago
Phys.org / Laser-plasma accelerator drives free-electron laser for record 8 hours

For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that a laser-plasma accelerator can reliably drive a free-electron laser for more than eight hours. Published in Physical Review Accelerators and Beams, the result was achieved ...

3 hours ago
Phys.org / Warmer winters and snow drought may threaten western US water by speeding flows

As future shifts in climate lead to more rain and less snow in the western United States, new research finds that water will move faster through a landscape, likely leading to negative impacts on summer water levels and water ...

2 hours ago