Phys.org news
Phys.org / Disorder creates direction-dependent optics in compound semiconductors
An international research team has demonstrated that the intrinsic disorder of the compound semiconductor CuInSnS₄ can be exploited to influence its optical properties. While the atomic vibrations also sense the local disorder, ...
Phys.org / Faster tests reveal six fluoropolymer microplastics, including four rarely tracked types
Scientists around the world have been searching food, water and other environmental media for microplastics and for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). But microfluoroplastics (MFPs), the intersection between these ...
Phys.org / New cellular model for rare and deadly melanomas enables study of immunotherapy resistance
A research team at the University of Turku in Finland has developed a reliable laboratory model to study BAP1-deficient melanomas, which are a rare type of melanoma that evade the immune system once they have metastasized ...
Phys.org / Great Barrier Reef drilling reveals repeated collapse, regrowth and migration since last ice age
An international expedition including University of Sydney researchers has pieced together the clearest picture yet of how the Great Barrier Reef responded to dramatic environmental change over the past 30,000 years. Multiple ...
Phys.org / Why nanoscale droplets don't coalesce and microscale droplets do
Olive oil and water do not naturally mix. Water molecules are polar, having a net electric dipole moment due to the bend angle of about 104.5° between the two oxygen-hydrogen bonds. Olive oil is nonpolar due to its long hydrocarbon ...
Phys.org / Some boreal forest species fail to recover even 100 years after clearcutting
Boreal forests are being clear-cut faster than some of their wildlife and plant species can recover, with a few failing to return even 100 years after harvesting, according to University of Alberta-led research.
Phys.org / Urban growth may slow by 2100, leaving big cities smaller than expected
The world is urbanizing fast. In 1975, about 11% of the global population lived in cities with more than 1 million inhabitants. "Today, we estimate that share to be about 24%," says Andrea Musso, junior fellow at the Complexity ...
Phys.org / Deep-sea extremophile yields protein that forms super stable biofilm
Scientists discovered a protein secreted by a deep-sea extremophile—an organism adapted to extreme environmental conditions—that self-assembles into a biofilm and is highly stable, boosting its potential for biomedical applications.
Phys.org / Cyclic sealing and drainage on the Gofar Oceanic Transform Fault revealed
Oceanic transform faults are strike-slip boundaries—faults that move horizontally rather than up and down and connect offset mid-ocean ridge segments. They have long been regarded as simple "conservative" plate boundaries ...
Phys.org / Giant exoplanet may hold a magnetic grip on its host star
Within their planetary systems, stars are continuously shaping their orbiting planets through gravity, radiation and magnetic forces. So far, this relationship has appeared to be a one-way street.
Phys.org / First ever dinosaur found in Antarctica described for science
The first dinosaur fossil found on the Antarctic continent has been described scientifically. The fossil, a vertebra, was found on a British Antarctic Survey (BAS) expedition in 1985 but has only recently been recognized ...
Phys.org / Table sugar could hold a cheaper, quicker key to making vital drugs
Pioneering research has developed a new way of creating carbohydrate-based medicines that could ultimately replace costly drugs for common health conditions, using two cheap basic ingredients—table sugar and vinegar.