Phys.org news

Phys.org / The 'nostalgia effect': Scientists produce less disruptive work as they age

You probably know that Einstein changed the face of physics with his theory of relativity in his twenties. What you may not know is that he spent his later career on a crusade against quantum mechanics, the model that would ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Pilot whales are already 'shouting' at full volume, but one busy waterway is pushing them to the edge

With over 60,000 ships passing through the Strait of Gibraltar each year, this stretch between the Atlantic and Mediterranean is one of the busiest waterways on the planet. This narrow strip of water is also home to a critically ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Ultrahigh-energy cosmic messengers may carry ultraheavy secrets

There may be an ultraheavy explanation for the mystery surrounding the origins of the highest-energy particles ever observed. Ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays are particles from space that strike Earth with energies far beyond ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / How soil bacteria help plants defend themselves against disease

A study led by researchers at the University of Liège reveals the mechanism by which surfactin, a molecule produced by beneficial soil bacteria, activates plants' immune defenses. This mechanism, distinct from the classical ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Harmless viruses trap Salmonella on flexible polymer in portable microfluidic sensor

Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have developed a solid polymer coated with harmless viruses to detect the bacteria Salmonella enterica (S. enterica), an advance that could lead to new ways of finding ...

7 hours ago
Dialog / Scientists uncover hidden parasite diversity in barb fish from the Sea of Galilee

When most people think about biodiversity in lakes and rivers, they imagine fish, plants, or perhaps birds and amphibians. But beneath the surface exists another world that often goes unnoticed: microscopic parasites that ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Ice Age butcher's tools are a sign of ancient humans' creativity during hard times

In central China, scientists have spent over a decade excavating and studying an archaeological site where ancient humans butchered animals. Amidst bones, archaeologists found complex stone tools that would have required ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Gaming monkeys' curiosity: Japanese macaques actively explore moderately uncertain stimuli

The intrinsic information-seeking impulse we call curiosity is independent of extrinsic rewards, such as food or mating opportunities. Curiosity is purely the pursuit of understanding the unknown, driving both humans and ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Quantum metallurgy: Electron crystals deform and melt

In a process analogous to how solids melt into liquids, the electrons in many different metals form crystal-like patterns that can deform and melt, opening new pathways for neuromorphic computing and superconductors, University ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Climate-driven extreme fire danger cannot be prevented by carbon neutrality alone, study warns

A new study warns that unless atmospheric carbon is reduced immediately, future summers will become even hotter and future wildfires even more destructive. A research team led by Professor Seung-Ki Min of the Department of ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Ancient soil temperatures may have steered millet farming across Neolithic East Asia

Millet has been an important crop in East Asia for much of the Holocene, a period beginning about 11,700 years ago. To better understand how environmental conditions may have shaped the development of millet agriculture, ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Novel nanoparticle therapy using manganese could improve cancer treatment

A research team led by the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has developed a new type of nanoparticle therapy that could make cancer immunotherapy safer and more ...

8 hours ago