Phys.org news

Phys.org / The unraveling of the shrew, in winter: Studies decode genetic basis of seasonal organ shrinkage in mammals

Some mammals hibernate to survive in winter, but the Eurasian common shrew (Sorex araneus) employs Dehnel's phenomenon to get through it. This is a metabolic process that enables shrews to conserve energy by shrinking their ...

3 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Open-access software tool helps researchers spot fake journals

Research papers in peer-reviewed academic journals are at the heart of academic integrity. New ideas and discoveries are vetted and checked by experts in the field as the boundaries of scientific knowledge are pushed forward. ...

5 hours ago in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Stacked graphene sandwich reveals switchable memory without traditional ferroelectrics

A research team led by Professor Youngwook Kim from the Department of Physics and Chemistry, DGIST, in collaboration with the research team of Professor Gil Young Cho at KAIST, have discovered a new memory principle that ...

7 hours ago in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / A new class of strange one-dimensional particles

Physicists have long categorized every elementary particle in our three-dimensional universe as being either a boson or a fermion—the former category mostly capturing force carriers like photons, the latter including the ...

3 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Niobium's superconducting switch cuts near-field radiative heat transfer 20-fold

When cooled to its superconducting state, niobium blocks the radiative flow of heat 20 times better than when in its metallic state, according to a study led by a University of Michigan Engineering team. The experiment marks ...

8 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Stable boron compounds pave the way for easier drug development

A major step toward simpler drug development has been taken at the University of Gothenburg. In a new study, researchers have developed stable boron-fluorine compounds that make it possible to increase the effect or reduce ...

8 hours ago in Chemistry
Phys.org / High-tech scans of an enigmatic 400-million-year-old lungfish reveal new details

New pieces have been added to the puzzle of the evolution of some of the oldest fish that lived on Earth more than 400 million years ago. In two separate studies, experts in Australia and China have found new clues about ...

8 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / How species competition shapes trait diversity worldwide

Every ecosystem is shaped by billions of invisible battles: organisms competing for light, nutrients, space, or mates. These competitive interactions determine which species survive, how they evolve, and how vibrant and resilient ...

8 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Infrared-activated hydrogel uses lysozyme 'nets' to combat resistant bacteria

Each year, bacterial infections are responsible for roughly 7.7 million deaths worldwide, with this problem further exacerbated by rising antibiotic resistance. Not only are wound infections increasingly difficult to treat, ...

7 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Tiny droplets navigate mazes using 'chemical echolocation,' without sensors or computers

A recent study by a team of researchers led by TU Darmstadt has found that tiny amounts of liquid can navigate their way through unknown environments like living cells—without sensors, computers or external control. The ...

7 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / New model predicts the melting of free-floating ice in calm water

A pair of US researchers have developed a new model to tackle a deceptively simple problem: how a small block of ice melts while floating in calm water. Using an advanced experimental setup, Daisuke Noto and Hugo Ulloa at ...

6 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / Two huge hot blobs of rock influence Earth's magnetic field, study reveals

Exploring Earth's deep interior is a far bigger challenge than exploring the solar system. While we have traveled 25 billion km into space, the deepest we have ever gone below our feet is just over 12 km. Consequently, little ...

10 hours ago in Astronomy & Space