Phys.org news
Phys.org / In good spirits: Why haunted houses are perfect places to connect with others
A pounding heart, shaking limbs, chills and a churning stomach—it's no wonder that fear is an emotion we usually try to avoid. At least most of the time. We may not like having the wits scared out of us in a real-life crisis, ...
Phys.org / A longstanding quantum roadblock just fell, opening existing fiber networks to ultra-secure light signals
Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute have broken a longstanding barrier by managing to send single photons—that can't be copied or split and thus are secure—in the network of optical fibers we already have. This opens ...
Phys.org / Quantum computing's next dark horse emerges from a frozen surface, where almost nothing behaves as expected
Quantum bits (qubits) are the fundamental building blocks of quantum information processing. A novel qubit platform invented at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory exhibits noise levels thousands ...
Phys.org / Buried in soil, a 100-million-year-old bacterial toxin could reshape pest control and antibiotic discovery
In every backyard, park, and playground on Earth, the ground is teeming with a type of bacteria called Streptomyces—one of the most abundant organisms on the planet. While these dirt-dwelling microbes are known for producing ...
Phys.org / A hidden food boom across Central Africa is pushing wildlife and rural diets toward a precarious edge
The total annual biomass of wild meat consumed across Central Africa has increased from an estimated 0.73 million metric tons in 2000 to 1.10 million metric tons in 2022. This increase is threatening wildlife populations ...
Phys.org / Water molecules found to actively drive gene transcription process
Researchers have uncovered a previously hidden layer of complexity in how genes are activated, showing that water molecules play a direct and essential role in one of the most fundamental processes in biology: DNA transcription.
Phys.org / Laser-plasma accelerators can preserve polarization of Helium-3 ions
Particle accelerators such as those at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva are typically highly complex large-scale devices. In these ring-shaped facilities, which are often several kilometers ...
Phys.org / DAMPE satellite reveals cosmic rays share spectral break near 15 teravolts
A century after their discovery, cosmic rays—particles of extreme energy originating from the far reaches of the universe—remain a mystery to scientists. The DAMPE (Dark Matter Particle Explorer) space telescope is tackling ...
Phys.org / Measurement of nuclear reactions at record-low energies opens new pathways for astrophysics research
An international research team has achieved an important milestone for astrophysics at GSI/FAIR in Darmstadt: In the CRYRING@ESR storage ring, scientists were able to measure nuclear reactions at extremely low energies for ...
Phys.org / Compound in ginger and turmeric may disarm drug-resistant bacteria
Every year, antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as staph, causes serious infections and outbreaks in hospitals and community settings, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, including ...
Phys.org / How mass extinctions helped termites become essential engineers of today's tropical ecosystems
Tropical ecosystems rely on the infrastructure provided by termites. These insects supply plants with vital nutrients by breaking down organic waste, bringing water to the roots by aerating the soil through tunneling, and ...
Phys.org / Integrated land planning could ease food, energy and biodiversity conflicts worldwide
While the world is a big place, humans are making greater and greater demands on the same areas of land. "This means that, unless we use the same land to serve multiple needs and coordinate this effort through planning, it ...
