Phys.org news

Phys.org / Catching light in air: Programmable Mie voids boost light matter interaction

Atomically thin semiconductors such as tungsten disulfide (WS2) are promising materials for future photonic technologies. Despite being only a single layer of atoms thick, they host tightly bound excitons—pairs of electrons ...

4 hours ago in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Smart fluorescent molecules provide cheaper path to sharper microscopy images

Multiphoton microscopy is used in biomedical research to study cells and tissues. Today, so-called two-photon microscopy is used to study processes within cells, but the technique has limitations in terms of image resolution. ...

4 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Are these killer whales cannibals? They probably don't think so themselves

In 2022, a Russian whale researcher made a remarkable discovery on Bering Island off Russia's Pacific coast: a severed killer whale fin marked with the teeth of another killer whale. In 2024, it happened again. The two finds ...

2 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Dissolvable hydrogel could enable personalized bone implants

Bones broken in a skiing accident usually heal on their own. But if the break is too severe or a bone tumor needs to be removed, surgeons insert an implant that enables the bone to grow back together. Implants often consist ...

4 hours ago in Chemistry
Phys.org / Rare Type Icn supernova SN 2024abvb is among the most luminous known

An international team of astronomers has carried out photometric and spectroscopic observations of SN 2024abvb—a recently discovered supernova of a rare Type Icn. The new observational campaign yields important information ...

9 hours ago in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / First 3D reconstruction of the face of 'Little Foot' completed

Identified as the most complete Australopithecus fossil discovered to date, "Little Foot" was buried in sediments whose movement and weight caused fractures and deformations, making analysis of its skull—and more particularly ...

5 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Ultrasound-activated 'nanoagents' kill superbugs hiding in biofilms

Scientists have designed nanoagents that act like smart drug-delivery capsules—carrying an antibiotic deep into bacterial infection sites and releasing it only when activated by gentle ultrasound. Delivering antibiotics ...

4 hours ago in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Tech upgrade reveals even finer transcription detail inside cells

In 2021, a technology developed at the University of Michigan, called Seq-Scope, revolutionized the ability to map gene activity within intact tissue at microscopic resolution, enabling researchers to measure all expressed ...

5 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Ancient Greek priestesses may have turned ergot fungus into a psychedelic brew during the Eleusinian Mysteries

The Eleusinian Mysteries were secret religious rites in ancient Greece honoring the goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone, and aimed to remove the fear of death. The ceremonies included days of fasting, rituals and ...

10 hours ago in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Newfound third cell type enables fully functional hair follicles in the lab

Hair regrowth treatment may soon take a major leap forward, as researchers in a recent study have successfully grown complete, fully functional hair follicles outside of the living body, in a dish. This was made possible ...

10 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Microplastics and nanoplastics in urban air originate mainly from tire abrasion, research reveals

Although plastic particles in the air are increasingly coming into focus, knowledge about their distribution and effects is still limited. Chemical analyses from Leipzig now provide details from Germany for the first time: ...

5 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / Porpoises can 'turn down the volume' to withstand ship noise

Porpoises are entirely dependent on their hearing for survival. They navigate, hunt, and communicate by emitting rapid click sounds and listening to the returning echoes. However, with increasingly noisy oceans, it is getting ...

2 hours ago in Biology