Phys.org news
Phys.org / Heavily reddened quasars caught going through a 'blow-out' phase
At the center of most large galaxies sits a supermassive black hole (SMBH). When these black holes are actively consuming material, they become incredibly luminous quasars. But some quasars appear wrapped in thick clouds ...
Phys.org / This tiny blue octopus from the Galápagos could curl up in your hand and shows how much deep ocean remains unexplored
The Galápagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador are home to more than a thousand plant and animal species found nowhere else on Earth—things like marine iguanas and giant tortoises. In a new paper in the journal Zootaxa, scientists ...
Phys.org / 'Patchwork families' existed more than 5,000 years ago, Neolithic DNA reveals
Children from previous relationships growing up as siblings in a new family, couples adopting or fostering children: So-called patchwork families are a widespread way of life today. It is considered modern, but is in fact ...
Phys.org / Gold-coated optical fiber rapidly gathers microscopic targets for faster, more sensitive detection
Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have developed a light-driven technique that quickly amasses thousands of bacteria into a single spot, boosting detection speed and sensitivity. Their approach paves the way for earlier ...
Phys.org / When order gives way to chaos—the turbulent birth of magnetic nanovortices
Magnetic switching processes are considered a prime example of controllable physics at the nanometer scale: in certain thin-film systems, a short electrical current pulse is sufficient to reverse the magnetization in a targeted ...
Phys.org / Honeybees reveal Weber's law in flight when choosing paths
Honeybees are among the widely studied insects, due to their sophisticated, hierarchical social organization and their essential ecological role. Bees can move swiftly in natural environments, passing through narrow openings ...
Phys.org / Extreme 8.5-minute orbit reveals white dwarf being torn apart by its binary companion
A team of U.S. astronomers has observed a binary pair of white dwarfs where one star is actively devouring material from the other. Led by Emma Chickles at MIT, the researchers revealed one of the clearest views yet of how ...
Phys.org / Emergence of new cavefish species challenges evolutionary dead-end idea
A new Yale study identifies a distinct species of eyeless cavefish, a discovery that challenges long-held conventional wisdom that caves and other subterranean ecosystems are evolutionary dead ends.
Phys.org / Controlled experiments reveal how nuclear fallout particles form
In less than a millionth of a second after a nuclear detonation or a severe nuclear reactor accident, an enormous burst of energy heats the surrounding air and materials. Everything in the vicinity is vaporized into a hot, ...
Phys.org / 'Permanently wet' coating method could transform wastewater treatment by helping bacteria survive better
Living bacteria embedded in coatings could clean wastewater, capture carbon and generate biofuels—but only if they survive the manufacturing process. Researchers at the University of Surrey and the University of Warwick have ...
Phys.org / Quantum metasurface boosts terahertz detection sensitivity by exploiting in-plane photoelectric effect
Being able to see light and detect radiation is of utmost importance at any frequency. While this challenge has been solved in the visible range, radiation detectors in the far-infrared and terahertz regimes are either not ...
Phys.org / The first signs of human cremation may date back 100,000 years
The latest discoveries by an international research team, which includes Academy Research Fellow Ferhat Kaya from the University of Oulu, Finland, offer a detailed view of how early humans lived, moved, and adapted to their ...
