Phys.org news
Phys.org / Future catastrophic weather could be 'far worse' than history suggests
Historical records of the deadliest storms and heat waves may be a poor indicator of the scale and impact future weather disasters could have, scientists at King's College London warn.
Phys.org / Scientists visualize proteins' hidden water architecture that may help define biological function
For decades, scientists have understood proteins primarily through two defining features: their amino acid sequence and their three-dimensional structure. This framework has driven major advances in biology, biotechnology ...
Phys.org / A fake spider at the tip of this snake's tail helps it lure birds: Scientists get their first look inside it
Lots of animals use mimicry to survive. Some copy the appearance of threatening predators, and others have evolved to resemble plants or rocks so they can blend into the background and avoid being attacked. But a viper from ...
Phys.org / Chinese cave traces Denisovan hunting and adaptation across 120,000 years
An ancient cave in southwestern China has revealed new evidence about how Denisovans—an ancient human relative—lived, survived and adapted over more than 100,000 years.
Phys.org / Psychologist wins Ig Nobel for proving rich drivers are the worst
Paul K. Piff, UC Irvine associate professor of psychology, has officially been recognized for what millions of frustrated commuters have long suspected: The fancier the car, the worse the driver.
Phys.org / Tightly guided atoms could enable low-power quantum navigation when GPS fails
Within tiny halos of light clinging to a vanishingly thin wisp of optical fiber, scientist Jongmin Lee guides atoms like marbles through a narrow pipe. Rock the fiber and the atoms shift side by side; they just don't fall ...
Phys.org / Ultra-cold quantum sensors cut X-ray uncertainty, improving nuclear material assessments
To monitor the amount and type of nuclear material at power plants and weapons facilities, scientists look for a special signal—the unique pattern of gamma rays emitted by specific radioactive elements. However, some of these ...
Phys.org / Ultrathin silicon structures can tune mid-IR light in billionths of a second
Light in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum plays a key role in modern sensing. Because molecules interact with this kind of light in specific ways, researchers use technologies like mid-IR ...
Phys.org / 'White graphene' reshaped at the atomic scale with tailor-made nanopores
A research team at the University of Vienna led by physicist Jani Kotakoski demonstrates how the shape of nanopores in hexagonal boron nitride—the electrically insulating counterpart to graphene, also known as "white graphene"—can ...
Phys.org / An unusual bacterium that penetrates and lives inside human cells may offer a new drug target
Research underway in the lab of Rebecca Alexander, a professor in Wake Forest University's Department of Chemistry, is shedding light on an unusual human bacterium, Mycoplasma penetrans. Alexander's work to understand how ...
Phys.org / 'Fingerprints' inside the sun could reveal if it once swallowed a planet
It is thought the sun may have engulfed a super-Earth-sized planet early in its history. Now, a new study has gone a step further, suggesting that such an event may have left behind detectable clues inside the sun that could ...
Phys.org / Cell wall transport disruption exposes weakness in antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Even highly antibiotic-resistant bacteria become more vulnerable when their cell wall transport system is disrupted, according to a new study from Umeå University. The discovery reveals a previously overlooked weakness that ...
