Phys.org news
Phys.org / Earth's largest modern crater discovered in Southern China
A newly discovered, remarkably well-preserved impact crater is shedding fresh light on how extraterrestrial bodies collide with Earth.
Phys.org / Turning the gut microbiome into a longevity factory
A team of researchers has found a way to turn the bacteria living in the digestive tracts of animals into factories that can produce compounds that promote longevity in their hosts—showing a potential new drug development ...
Phys.org / Diverse particles form identical geometric patterns when confined, model reveals
Particles as different as soap bubbles and ball bearings can be made to arrange themselves in exactly the same way, according to a new study that could unlock the creation of brand new materials—including those with promising ...
Phys.org / Predator was a precursor of the crocodile—and although it lived before the early dinosaurs, it looked just like one
A newly discovered, carnivorous lizard ostensibly represents what most casual onlookers would perhaps perceive to be a dinosaur; however, it is in fact a precursor of the modern crocodile.
Phys.org / Gene editing produces plants that are indigestible to pests
Insects that feed on starch can find veritable feasts in corn, pea, and bean crops or warehouses. It is no coincidence that the ancestors of these commercial plants developed α-amylase inhibitor proteins, which make the ...
Phys.org / Unique shape of star's explosion revealed just a day after detection
Swift observations with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) have revealed the explosive death of a star just as the blast was breaking through the star's surface. For the first time, astronomers ...
Phys.org / Ultrafast electron diffraction captures atomic layers twisting in response to light
A pulse of light sets the tempo in the material. Atoms in a crystalline sheet just a few atoms thick begin to move—not randomly, but in a coordinated rhythm, twisting and untwisting in sync like dancers following a beat.
Phys.org / Water causes rock to shift on the Matterhorn
When water penetrates rock crevices in permafrost, it transports heat deep underground, where it causes the frozen rock to thaw. Researchers at the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) have explored which processes ...
Phys.org / Pleiades star cluster revealed as just one part of a vast stellar family
Astronomers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered that the famous Pleiades star cluster, the "Seven Sisters" often spotted on winter nights, is just the bright tip of a much larger stellar family. ...
Phys.org / Ultrafast light-driven electron slide discovered
When an intense laser pulse hits a stationary electron, it performs a trembling motion at the frequency of the light field. However, this motion dies down after the pulse, and the electron comes to rest again at its original ...
Phys.org / Cow cells defy aging, opening the door to affordable lab-grown beef
A new study shows, for the first time, that cow cells can naturally become immortal—continuing to divide indefinitely without genetic modification or any abnormal transformation. This overturns long-held assumptions that ...
Phys.org / First confirmed coronal mass ejection spotted on a star beyond the sun
Astronomers using the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton space observatory and the LOFAR telescope have definitively spotted an explosive burst of material thrown out into space by another star—a burst powerful enough to ...
