Phys.org news
Phys.org / Turning vibrations into value—a new catalyst converts CO₂ into useful CO
Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed a catalyst that uses vibrational energy to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon monoxide (CO), an important industrial feedstock. The work, published in the Journal ...
Phys.org / When humidity changes, so do the colors of sweat bees
Nature is a riot of color. In the animal kingdom, many species, from insects to cephalopods, use their permanent color or change it for communication, camouflage, and thermoregulation. While this type of reversible shift ...
Phys.org / First direct nanomagnet measurement finds switching attempts far slower than long-assumed
A compass always points north—or does it? Magnets normally maintain a stable direction of magnetization, pointing from south to north (S→N). However, this direction can change under strong magnetic fields or heat. For example, ...
Phys.org / Light-powered propulsion expands space exploration possibilities
Reaching the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, would take hundreds of thousands of years using current rocket propulsion technology. Researchers in the J. Mike Walker '66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M ...
Phys.org / It wasn't just water: The hidden force inside Japan's 2011 tsunami changed everything
Mud-rich coastlines could face a greater tsunami risk, at least that may have been the case for the 2011 Tōhoku-oki tsunami that killed more than 19,000 people and led to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. According ...
Phys.org / Particle thought to break physics followed rules all along, research reveals
A tiny discrepancy in particle physics has loomed for decades as an exciting possible crack in one of science's most successful theories, hinting at unknown forces or quantum objects. Now, an international team led by a Penn ...
Phys.org / Both bonobos and dolphins form unexpected alliances with 'outsiders'
Cooperation is a pillar of human society, promoting an exchange of skills and knowledge between different individuals and social groups. Humans typically do not only cooperate with their own family, friends and members of ...
Phys.org / Clearing crowded supermarket aisles lifts sales by 11.5% in field tests
Additional product displays in supermarket aisles—so-called secondary placements—are intended to encourage impulse purchases. However, a new study by Mathias C. Streicher of the University of Innsbruck shows that excessive ...
Phys.org / Why does life prefer one 'hand' over the other? New study points to electron spin
A team of scientists has identified a new physical mechanism that could help explain one of the most persistent mysteries in science: why life consistently uses one "handed" version of its molecules and not the other. In ...
Phys.org / They promised climate action for years, but what these meat and dairy giants were really selling was something else
The meat and dairy industry accounts for 57% of total global food production emissions and at least 16.5% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. But the vast majority of environmental claims from the animal agricultural ...
Phys.org / A new route for plasma-based particle accelerators
Plasma, the fourth state of matter, consists of a gas in which electrons are no longer bound to atoms, which allows electricity to flow freely. When beams of particles moving close to the speed of light travel through plasma, ...
Phys.org / Beneath Arctic ice, a vast fossil fuel footprint is colliding with Indigenous lands and wildlife
Arctic fossil fuel development shows significant overlaps with Indigenous communities and ecologically sensitive areas, which might support calls from some scientists to keep Arctic fossil fuels in the ground, according to ...
