Phys.org news
Phys.org / How to train your catalyst, one atom at a time
How do you keep a copper catalyst from losing its oomph? Just add a dusting of platinum, says a new study published in Nature Materials. A team of researchers, including scientists at the Department of Energy's SLAC National ...
Phys.org / Catching light in air: Programmable Mie voids boost light matter interaction
Atomically thin semiconductors such as tungsten disulfide (WS2) are promising materials for future photonic technologies. Despite being only a single layer of atoms thick, they host tightly bound excitons—pairs of electrons ...
Phys.org / Research reveals cosmic tug-of-war behind the Crab Pulsar's zebra stripes
For the past two decades, scientists have wondered about a bright, distinct striped pattern seen in radio waves emanating from the Crab Pulsar, the remnant of a supernova observed by Chinese and Japanese astronomers in the ...
Phys.org / Mott and Kondo insulators—how external stimuli can modify electronic energy bands
A study from the Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) has uncovered a theoretical mechanism showing how the electronic band structures of strongly correlated insulators can be reshaped by spin and charge ...
Phys.org / Ancient DNA reveals life and death of Late Bronze Age in Central Europe
A new interdisciplinary study published in Nature Communications provides the first detailed insights, from a biomolecular and archaeological perspective, into the lives of people living in Central Europe during the Late ...
Phys.org / Laser-within-a-laser delivers MeV X-ray radiography in picoseconds
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the hottest place on Earth for the briefest of moments during an experiment. Now, it can be one of the brightest places thanks to the Advanced Radiographic ...
Phys.org / Chemists create complex DNA structures without hydrogen bonds
No "sticky ends"? No problem. A new study by NYU chemists finds that DNA tiles can assemble into 3D structures without the sticky cohesion of hydrogen bonding. This finding, published in Nature Communications, turns a fundamental ...
Phys.org / Porpoises can 'turn down the volume' to withstand ship noise
Porpoises are entirely dependent on their hearing for survival. They navigate, hunt, and communicate by emitting rapid click sounds and listening to the returning echoes. However, with increasingly noisy oceans, it is getting ...
Phys.org / Limiting global warming can reduce US wildfire smoke-related deaths by thousands annually
Using future climate scenarios based on wildfire damages in North America, scientists estimate that up to 10,000 or more lives may be saved annually in the United States if society is able to mitigate climate change by keeping ...
Phys.org / Color shortcut reveals bumblebees are efficient decision-makers
During their search for food, most insects head specifically for the flowers that promise the highest reward. But how do they know which ones to choose? Researchers from the University of Konstanz and the University of Würzburg ...
Phys.org / Soil saturation data sharpens atmospheric river flood warnings, study of 71,000 storms finds
Atmospheric rivers carry unfathomable amounts of water across the sky, bringing moisture to drought-stricken regions like the Western U.S. But whether a particular incoming atmospheric river storm will result in disastrous ...
Phys.org / Greenhouse gas fluxes in Everglades provide path for maximizing carbon capture via water management
The Florida Everglades is a complicated climate actor. The 1.5-million-acre wetland system remains a carbon sink, removing an average of 13.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year, but the system ...