Phys.org news
Phys.org / An ancient civilization of millions once flourished in the Amazon
New research conducted using airborne laser scanning reveals that a multicultural civilization that flourished in southwestern Amazonia between 600 BCE and 850 CE was home to millions of people. Spanning roughly 183,000 square ...
Phys.org / Monkey friendships with dogs, deer and even pigs offer clues to the evolutionary origins of pet-keeping
Why do humans keep pets? A new international study suggests that some of the behavioral foundations of human-animal companionship may have much deeper evolutionary roots than previously thought.
Phys.org / New twist on the Einstein problem reveals unexpected physics
A shape that captured worldwide attention for solving a decades-old mathematical puzzle has returned to the spotlight. While the shape's properties allowed it to solve previous puzzles, little is known about its other associated ...
Phys.org / 2D quantum memory device reaches single-electron limit of information storage
Most electronic memory storage devices require the ability to trap large numbers of electrons for each bit of memory. In an ideal world, however, it would take only one electron. This would reduce space requirements and power ...
Phys.org / Bringing complex field physics to the tabletop: A photonic stage for non-Abelian gauge fields
For most theories in physics, the order of operations has little impact on the result. When setting a dial to a certain position, for example, it doesn't matter whether it's turned clockwise or counterclockwise—the result ...
Phys.org / Non-monogamy may reduce jealousy overall, but feeling less desirable can still strain relationships
Comparing yourself with your partner is more common than you'd think. Psychologists even have a term for it: mate value discrepancy (MVD), which is the gap between how attractive, smart or successful each partner feels compared ...
Phys.org / Rare-earth ions could enable telecom-ready control of interacting qubits
Quantum technologies are devices and systems that exploit the laws of quantum mechanics and could perform tasks that are difficult or impossible to tackle using their classical counterparts. These technologies process and ...
Phys.org / Curiosity Mars rover discovers field of honeycomb textures
As NASA's Curiosity rover recently began climbing a Martian valley nicknamed "Valle Grande," it sent back images that were a familiar sight to mission scientists: honeycomb-like textures called polygonal fractures, each about ...
Phys.org / Early Cambrian fossil uncovers key buoyancy structure at the dawn of cephalopod evolution
Extant and ancient cephalopods—including octopuses, squids, extinct ammonites, cuttlefish and nautiluses—have all had to solve the problem of buoyancy, whether they have hard external shells or not.
Phys.org / Scientists discover 210-million-year-old dinosaur in Zimbabwe
A newly discovered dinosaur from Zimbabwe is offering fresh clues to how the animals diversified, suggesting they spread across distinct ecosystems in southern Africa, scientists said Wednesday.
Phys.org / Black hole 'blast' reaches 300,000 light-years
A team of researchers has discovered that winds generated by supermassive black holes are 100 times more powerful than previously thought, carrying energy across distances of approximately 300,000 light-years. The discovery ...
Phys.org / An entire world of fungi nearly a third of a mile underground could affect carbon storage estimates
Hundreds of feet below Earth's surface, rocks and water teem with fungi and support complex ecosystems of tiny organisms, according to a University of Michigan study that finds fungi are far more abundant deep underground ...
