Phys.org news

Phys.org / Global plants' carbon cost for nitrogen uptake surpasses forest fire emissions, study finds

A team led by Prof. Liu Xueyan from the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a new plant-soil nitrogen isotope process model that quantifies the fractional contribution of three nitrogen ...

Oct 14, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Extra silver atom sparks 77-fold increase in Ag nanocluster photoluminescence quantum yield

A team of researchers from Tohoku University, Tokyo University of Science, and the Institute for Molecular Science have uncovered how the precise addition of a single silver (Ag) atom can dramatically transform the light-emitting ...

Oct 14, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Checking the quality of materials just got easier with a new AI tool

Manufacturing better batteries, faster electronics, and more effective pharmaceuticals depends on the discovery of new materials and the verification of their quality. Artificial intelligence is helping with the former, with ...

Oct 14, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / How orogeny and plants shaped Earth's paleoclimate via silicate weathering

Throughout most of Earth's geological history, its paleoclimate has remained hospitable to life—largely thanks to continental silicate weathering, which acts as a long-term planetary thermostat.

Oct 14, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Displacing high-energy water can supercharge molecular binding

Water is everywhere in life, covering most of our planet, making up the majority of our bodies, and forming the stage on which all biology plays out. Yet not all water behaves the same. Most is part of the vast, free-flowing ...

Oct 14, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Chickening out: Why some birds fear novelty

The largest-ever study on neophobia, or fear of novelty, has discovered the key reasons why some bird species are more fearful of new things than others.

Oct 14, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / How a stretchy protein senses forces in cells

How does skin hold you in? How do heart cells beat together? Researchers at the University of California, Davis, Department of Biomedical Engineering, are exploring how structures called desmosomes, which stick cells together, ...

Oct 14, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / New crystals could lead to cleaner, cheaper gas purification

A team of researchers has developed a new type of material that could make the process of separating gases cleaner and more energy-efficient.

Oct 14, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Volcanic eruptions may have delivered hidden ice to Mars's equator

Explosive volcanic eruptions on early Mars may have transported water ice to equatorial regions, according to a modeling study published in Nature Communications. The authors suggest that these eruptions could have led to ...

Oct 14, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / CO₂ as a raw material: Catalyst system makes climate gas usable for the chemical industry

Researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT), Ruhr University Bochum and Evonik Oxeno have developed a novel catalyst system that enables the use of the climate gas carbon dioxide (CO₂) as a raw material ...

Oct 14, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Tracking daily commutes with mobile data uncovers urban and rural differences in disease spread

For countless millions across the globe, commuting to work or school is an everyday routine. But during a pandemic, the practice can contribute enormously to the spread of infectious disease, a fact that many traditional ...

Oct 14, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Lasers and gold nanoparticles enable on-demand crystal growth for new materials

Researchers at Michigan State University have discovered how to "draw" on demand the crystals used in many crucial technologies, from solar panels and LED lighting to medical imaging.

Oct 14, 2025 in Nanotechnology