Phys.org news
Phys.org / 'Miracle': Europe reconnects with lost spacecraft
The European Space Agency announced Thursday it has re-established communication with a spacecraft that is part of its Proba-3 mission, after losing contact with the satellite a month ago.
Phys.org / Earthquake scientists reveal how overplowing weakens soil at experimental farm
Plowing, or tilling, is an age-old agricultural practice that readies the soil for planting by turning over the top layer to expose fresh earth. The method—intended to improve water and nutrient circulation—remains popular ...
Phys.org / No exotic physics needed: A new formation mechanism of skyrmions inside magnets
Skyrmions, in which electron spins inside a magnet are arranged like vortices, are a key structure in next-generation spintronics technology. KAIST researchers have shown that skyrmions can form using only the fundamental ...
Phys.org / H5N1 in marine mammals is spreading: Research tallies over 50,000 seals and sea lions killed along South America's coast
When the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus was discovered on a poultry farm in Asia in 1996, there was little indication that it would become so widespread and so destructive. Within 30 years, it reached every ...
Phys.org / Clearing the nanoscale bottleneck holding back next-gen electronics
Researchers at UCLA have discovered a way to dramatically improve how electrical current enters perovskite semiconductors, an emerging class of materials with enormous potential for next-generation electronics. Their research ...
Phys.org / Humans and animals have the same preference in mating calls, citizen science experiment finds
The bright colors of butterfly wings, the sweet aromas of flowers, and the euphonious melodies of songbirds all evolved as signals that help individuals propagate, yet humans also find these very same signals pleasing to ...
Phys.org / The best places to look for alien life: Scientists identify 45 Earth-like worlds to explore for a 'Project Hail Mary'
If we're to find extraterrestrial life in the universe, astronomers have pinpointed the best places to look for it. They have identified just under 50 rocky worlds most likely to be habitable out of the more than 6,000 exoplanets ...
Phys.org / Engineered nanoparticles show enhanced intrinsic luminescence for biomedical imaging and cancer treatment
The Nanomedicine and Nanotoxicology Group (GNano) at the University of São Paulo's São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC-USP) in Brazil has discovered a way to transform hydroxyapatite, a bioceramic material, into a nanoparticle ...
Phys.org / An AI-guided gene-editing tool for more precise and safer DNA correction
Researchers at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) have developed a revolutionary new method to improve compact gene-editing tools known as base editors, which enable smaller, ...
Phys.org / 'Mini earthquakes' turn tiny chips into radio signal powerhouses
From GPS satellites to mobile networks, modern technology relies on ultra-precise radio signals. Engineers have long tried to generate them on chips using interactions between light and sound, but the effect was too weak. ...
Phys.org / Changing leafcutter ants' food reshapes their microbial gardens, scientists find
A colony of leafcutter ants is home to more than just one species. Each year, studies reveal new layers of complexity in these ecosystems, where various fungi and bacteria thrive alongside the ants, resulting in countless ...
Phys.org / Molecular enhancements help plants light up when they're under attack
Imagine that plants could tell us exactly when they're stressed, infected, or being eaten by insects, by lighting up. A new study led by Dr. Karen Sarkisyan, Head of the Synthetic Biology group at the MRC Laboratory of Medical ...