Phys.org news
Phys.org / Fake predator eyes scare off seabirds until they learn they're not real
In Danish fisheries, fish-eating seabirds are a menace. They often swoop down and feed on fish trapped in nets, which can hit profits and also sometimes lead to the accidental death of the birds. So scientists deployed an ...
Phys.org / Perfect randomness realized for the first time
Creating perfect randomness is surprisingly difficult. Even modern random number generators never generate completely ideal random numbers: small systematic errors can result in some numbers appearing slightly more frequently ...
Phys.org / Newly discovered 'thunder' of Atlantic sturgeons inspires awe
When a team of researchers recorded a low thundering underneath the surface of the Hudson River, they thought they were hearing the muffled rumble of trains. A closer look and listen led to a much more interesting discovery: ...
Phys.org / Reconstructed 1.5‑billion‑year‑old protein network reveals hundreds of hidden disease‑linked genes
A University of Texas at Austin-led team has reconstructed the most detailed map to date of the molecular machines that carried out the functions of life in an ancient ancestor that gave rise to all complex life on Earth, ...
Phys.org / 'Feathered dragon' has some of the longest tail feathers ever found on a fossil bird
Birds have all kinds of fancy decorations for attracting mates—male peacocks have a fan of feathers accented with shimmering blue eye-spots, birds of paradise do courtship dances that highlight their fluffy plumes, and female ...
Phys.org / Moon base missions face an unseen threat, and these simulations show where it could strike first
Researchers have developed a novel virtual model for simulating how astronauts in future moon base operations might interact with each other and with their environment, with preliminary simulations revealing potential opportunities ...
Phys.org / Researchers push back fundamental limit on energy transfer between particles without 'spilling' radiation
Researchers at TU/e have demonstrated that energy transfer without loss via light or heat can occur over much greater distances than previously thought possible thanks to vibrations in microscopic gold rods. They succeeded ...
Phys.org / Metamaterials enable control of heat transfer at nanoscale, potentially transforming energy and electronics
Heat behaves in predictable ways: a hot cup of coffee cools, a laptop warms your hands, the sun heats Earth. But at scales thousands of times smaller than a human hair, those rules begin to break down, and scientists are ...
Phys.org / The strange quantum property of tomorrow's insulator
Ultra-fast data transfer and superconductivity: Quantum materials offer significant technological prospects—if we can understand them at the atomic scale. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with ...
Phys.org / Lake Erie produces 'forbidden soup' of rotating potential toxins
Municipalities and federal agencies monitor U.S. waters for microcystins, a toxin produced by harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie, but a University of Michigan study shows that the blooms produce a greater range of potentially ...
Phys.org / As snow droughts continue to threaten global food security, research calls for climate-resilient agriculture practices
Global climate change is reshaping agricultural ecosystems. As warmer winters become more prevalent, snow droughts caused by insufficient snowfall are becoming more frequent. This leaves winter wheat, which relies on snow ...
Phys.org / NASA lays out moon base plans with landers, buggies and drones at the top of the list
NASA is already ordering landers, rovers and drones for a sprawling moon base, less than two months after the Artemis II's record-breaking lunar flyaround.
