Phys.org news
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 / First 3D map reveals hidden thermal structure of nearby interstellar medium
Astronomers have built the first three-dimensional map of gas temperature in the space surrounding our solar system, revealing a far messier and more dynamic picture than current models predict. The study was submitted to ...
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 / The oceans near Australia may be the best places to fertilize for removing carbon dioxide
Deploying ocean iron fertilization—a strategy for carbon dioxide capture—in higher latitudes rather than near the equator could reduce environmental impacts while still achieving removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, ...
Phys.org / Ice Age artists carved thumbnail-size bird figurines from mammoth ivory 40,000 years ago
Excavations at Hohle Fels Cave in the UNESCO World Heritage area of the Swabian Jura in southwestern Germany have again yielded two spectacular 40,000-year-old depictions of birds carved from mammoth ivory. The two figurines ...
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 ...
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 / In biology of cells, octopus has another trick up its sleeve
The octopus is a biological oddity. It can use tools, open jars, and its complex nervous system supports as many neurons as a small primate. Now Harvard biologists have discovered a mysterious distinction in octopuses' core ...