Phys.org news

Phys.org / Young salmon may face hungry new competition from juvenile sablefish along northwest coast

There is a new mouth to feed in the coastal waters of the Northwest where juvenile salmon first enter the ocean, and it's a hungry one.

Jan 8, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Proximity effect enables non-ferroelectric materials to gain new properties

Ferroelectrics are special materials with polarized positive and negative charges—like a magnet has north and south poles—that can be reversed when external electricity is applied. The materials will remain in these reversed ...

Jan 8, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Physicists achieve simulation of non-Hermitian skin effect in 2D with ultracold fermions

A research team led by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has achieved a groundbreaking quantum simulation of the non-Hermitian skin effect in two dimensions using ultracold fermions, marking a significant ...

Jan 8, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Just 7% of male humpback whales in New Caledonia may have fathered offspring

A small international team of marine mammal scientists has found evidence that just 7% of the male humpback whales residing near New Caledonia, in the southwest Pacific, may have fathered offspring. For their project, reported ...

Jan 8, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Crafting the perfect bite of meat: Engineers develop metamaterials that mimic muscle and fat architecture

In a new publication in Nature Communications, Israeli and Palestinian engineers from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem pioneered the use of metamaterials to create whole cuts of meat. The work leverages cutting-edge materials ...

Jan 8, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Toxin-antitoxin systems could target invasive and resistant bacteria

In a counterintuitive move, bacteria are known to produce self-destructive toxins. However, they also make antitoxins, and researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have identified these toxin-antitoxin ...

Jan 8, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / The hidden mechanics of earthquake ignition: How slow, silent stress release is prelude and trigger for seismic activity

A new study has unraveled the hidden mechanics of how earthquakes ignite, shedding light on the mysterious transition from quiet, creeping motion to the violent ruptures that shake the Earth.

Jan 8, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Dormancy: Life's first survival strategy?

The early Earth was an extreme place. Asteroids pommeled the surface. Volcanoes spewed lava and carbon dioxide. The thick, toxic atmosphere lacked oxygen. Yet, in this turmoil, life emerged.

Jan 8, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / A quarter of freshwater species face extinction: Study

A quarter of freshwater animals, including fish, insects and crustaceans, are at high risk of extinction due to threats including pollution, dams and farming, according to a new study published on Wednesday.

Jan 8, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Dinosaurs may have roamed the northern hemisphere millions of years earlier than previously thought

How and when did dinosaurs first emerge and spread across the planet more than 200 million years ago? That question has for decades been a source of debate among paleontologists faced with fragmented fossil records.

Jan 8, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Scientists find evidence that ancient 'hotspot' played major role in formation of Great Lakes

A trio of Earth and atmospheric scientists at the University of Houston, working with a geoscientist from the University of Arizona, has found evidence that a geographic hotspot laid the groundwork for the formation of the ...

Jan 8, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Researchers image magnetic skyrmions at room temperature for the first time

An international research team, working with cutting-edge technology at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, has made a discovery that may dramatically expand the materials used in next-generation, energy-efficient memory ...

Jan 8, 2025 in Nanotechnology