Phys.org news

Phys.org / Photosynthetic microorganisms achieve long-lasting and renewable chemical production

Photosynthetic microorganisms can use light energy to convert carbon dioxide into useful compounds under mild, environmentally compatible conditions. However, many current photosynthetic production systems rely on cells growing ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Water quality, not just scarcity, may shape future competition for a limited resource

Climate change is largely to blame for water scarcity. The low water levels in European rivers this summer speak volumes in that respect.

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Distant time crystals oscillate in unison, paving the way for spin networks

In January 2024, physicists at TU Dortmund University demonstrated a continuous time crystal in a semiconductor whose oscillations remained stable for hours. In a new study published in Nature Communications, Professor Alex ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Uncovering how Cryptococcus shifts from silent infection to killer fungus

For most healthy people, Cryptococcus is an unnoticed infection. The immune system walls it off in the lungs and keeps it dormant for life. But in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy, recovering from an organ transplant, ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Sixteen AI-designed viruses offer a new route against drug-resistant bacteria

In a world first, scientists led by a team from Stanford University have created 16 viable viruses that do not exist in nature and were designed by AI. Their experiment, which is published in Science, could help in the fight ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / DESI releases biggest 2D map of the universe

Hold on to your telescopes: The DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys team has released the largest-ever 2D color map of the universe. The 5.6-trillion-pixel map contains nearly 4 billion celestial objects, primarily stars and galaxies. ...

13 hours ago
Phys.org / Fermentation emerges as key pathway for ammonium production beneath the Pearl River Delta

A study led by Professor Jimmy Jiujiu Jiao from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and Professor Meng Li from Shenzhen University has identified microbial fermentation as the ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Trapped gases in ancient rocks challenge global explanation for 2-billion-year-old carbon anomaly

Roughly 2.5–2 billion years ago, Earth's surface experienced the biggest chemical change in its history when oxygen became abundant in the atmosphere, eventually leading to the evolution of complex life forms such as plants ...

13 hours ago
Phys.org / Discovery of 'slow' electrons in 2D material could lead to new memory device

Over the last decade, researchers have developed two-dimensional materials with fascinating quantum effects that could be harnessed for next-generation technologies.

12 hours ago
Phys.org / Illegal fishing captures up to 15% of global marine wild catch, analysis finds

Industrial-scale illegal fishing continues to undermine ocean sustainability, coastal livelihoods and global seafood markets—despite decades of regulation and recent advances in surveillance technology, according to new University ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Climate change could mean four extra hours of extreme heat on hot days

Hot days could gain more than four additional hours of extreme heat by the end of the 21st century under a high-emissions scenario, according to a modeling study published in Nature Climate Change. The findings show that ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / MRI study shows dogs can distinguish between human fear and sadness

Scientists—and dog lovers—have long known that dogs are remarkably good at interpreting our laughs, frowns and tears. But the biology behind this ability has remained largely unexplored until now. In a study published in ...

15 hours ago