Phys.org news
Phys.org / Novel crystal strategy delivers near-perfect zero thermal expansion from 11 K to 893 K
Almost every material expands when heated. Well-known examples include railroad tracks and concrete roadways, which feature visible expansion gaps to accommodate this effect. However, thermal expansion poses a far more acute ...
Phys.org / Tiny raptor, tiny range: GPS tracking reveals pygmy falcons use less than 1 km² to raise nestlings
A new study, published in the Journal of Raptor Research, reveals that Africa's smallest diurnal bird of prey, the pygmy falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus), operates within one of the smallest breeding home ranges ever recorded ...
Phys.org / Glass cells of atoms offer a new path to smarter, cheaper sensors
More accurate navigation systems and improved wireless communications may not come from traditional electronics, but rather from atoms. Researchers at Penn State and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) ...
Phys.org / European heatwave's unlikely accomplice: An ocean 'cold blob'
The heat wave battering Europe may have an unlikely partner in crime: a patch of cold ocean water south of Iceland and Greenland that can influence weather patterns over the continent.
Phys.org / Pacific plate's rotation gave Alaska's Aleutian Islands a later-life lift
New research by Brown University geologists confirms that the Aleutian Islands, the archipelago stretching from Alaska to Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, experienced a massive geological uplift between 5 million and 7 million ...
Phys.org / Ocean warming above 1.5°C triggered year-round marine disruption across globe, study shows
Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) led one of the first global assessments of how marine ecosystems responded during the first year when global temperatures temporarily exceeded 1.5°C ...
Phys.org / Secrets of how we see color revealed at the molecular level
A global team has cracked a decades-old mystery, revealing the atomic structures of the molecules in our eyes that allow us to see colors. "To understand how we detect light and perceive colors, we need to know the exact ...
Phys.org / Elusive thorium–thorium bonding directly observed using Hirshfeld atom refinement
Researchers have directly visualized a rare type of chemical bond between some of the heaviest elements in the periodic table, providing experimental evidence of how these atoms share electrons in systems where this has been ...
Phys.org / How bacteria use circadian clocks to colonize their world
Research has revealed how bacteria rely on circadian clocks to control the spread of their multicellular colonies. The findings provide important clues as to how we might improve soil health and plant growth. They may also ...
Phys.org / Whitebait rapidly switch life cycles when earthquakes cut off route to sea
Aotearoa New Zealand whitebait can rapidly switch their life cycles in response to sudden environmental changes, new University of Otago—Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka research shows. The research is published in the journal Nature ...
Phys.org / ROS-producing enzymes guide plant cell division and tissue patterning, gene-editing study shows
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced naturally during cellular metabolism often cause oxidative damage to cells. However, these molecules also play an important role in normal cellular signaling. While ROS are established ...
Phys.org / Do animal behavior experiments give a distorted view of cooperation?
When biologists study cooperation in animals, they usually offer just a single task at a time. But what happens when animals can choose among several opportunities to work together? Biologists at Utrecht University discovered ...
