Phys.org news

Phys.org / Disordered atoms steer shared light pulses by matching motion and timing

A research team at the Institute of Applied Physics at TU Darmstadt has shown for the first time that atoms that are completely disordered and in constant motion can nevertheless emit jointly directed light preferentially ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Why most rivers don't respond to storms the same way twice

The same amount of rain falling on the same landscape at different times can send very different amounts of water into its rivers, according to a new study in Nature Water. The research offers a global picture of how catchments ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / How a pathogen turns flowers into leaves

Scientists have found how a protein produced by bacteria disrupts the mechanism that controls flower development in plants, turning reproductive organs into leaf-like structures. These findings shed light on a plant disease ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Great Salt Lake's ancient past reveals how quickly fresh water can disappear

From a mountainside overlooking Utah's Great Salt Lake, a time traveler turning back the clock 20,000 years would watch a dramatic transformation of the landscape. The shallow, salty lake below would swell into an immense ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / A famous galaxy's black hole has been hiding its most violent behavior

Astronomers have found that a nearby galaxy's black hole is blasting out a far more powerful and hidden gas outflow than previously realized. Studying NGC 1068, a well-known galaxy with an actively feeding black hole at its ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Adaptive crystal can selectively capture CO₂ and recognize similar molecules

Chemical separation can be energy-intensive when molecules have similar sizes and properties. Researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, have now developed an interlayer adaptive crystal that changes its spacing ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Home advantage or pastures new? High-Arctic shorebirds rarely return to the same breeding area

Shorebirds are capable of some of the longest migrations on Earth, yet most return year after year to the same area to breed. Coming back has distinct advantages, including knowing the best spots to feed or roost, having ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / New peanut genome map uncovers hidden gene, boosts dense-planting yields 20%

An international team that includes researchers from Murdoch University's Centre for Crop and Food Innovation (CCFI) has built the most comprehensive genetic map of the peanut yet and used this new genomic resource to breed ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / For many group-living females, breeding and raising young are shared endeavors

Some female animals living in groups raise offspring that are not their own, sometimes without reproducing themselves. While the behavior of cooperatively breeding species is well documented, some aspects remain poorly understood.

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Ancient DNA traces medieval migration from Sweden to Finland

A new study led by the University of Turku provides new insights into the population history of Finland during the Late Iron Age and the Middle Ages. The researchers analyzed the genomes of people who lived in southwestern ...

14 hours ago
Phys.org / Heat-stable enzyme from deep-sea microbe turns nitrogen gas into ammonia

Microorganisms can do remarkable things—for example, nitrogen fixation, the conversion of nitrogen gas (N₂) into a form that organisms can use. Although nitrogen gas makes up around 78% of Earth's atmosphere, plants and animals ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Record-breaking levels of plastic found in seabirds, with almost 900 pieces found in one bird alone

For more than a decade, it was thought that the world's most plastic-polluted birds couldn't get any more contaminated by the man-made material. But then, from 2023–2026, the record was broken every single year.

10 hours ago