Phys.org news

Phys.org / Dino-killing asteroid may have fueled underground life for 8 million years

The asteroid that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs also created an underground environment suited to supporting new life, and new research suggests it lasted for millions of years longer than previously suspected.

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Satellite data reveal Southern Ocean vertical currents diving 3,000 feet below surface

Ocean currents are not just horizontal motions that flow from side to side. There are also vertical currents that act like deep-sea elevators, pushing heat and carbon down into the deep, while bringing up vital nutrients ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / Maya altar and offerings at abandoned Belize sites highlight enduring ritual activities

Archaeologists excavating Maya sites at Kaxil Uinik and Ayiin Winik in Belize have discovered the first reported Late Postclassic altar in the region, along with additional evidence that Postclassic Maya people continued ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / Oldest Maya Long Count calendar date may reveal how royalty turned time into power

Archaeologists working at the ancient Maya site of El Palmar in Campeche, Mexico, have discovered what may be the earliest known Long Count calendar date in the Maya lowlands. It is carved into a stone monument and is interpreted ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / Physicists observe synchronized quantum dance of excitons and phonons

An international team of researchers has reported a major advance in understanding quantum dynamics in semiconductor materials. They directly observed how excitons and phonons evolve together in perovskite nanocrystals, revealing ...

14 hours ago
Phys.org / Freshwater boundary breach deepens as climate and land use amplify extremes

Human activities have significantly altered the freshwater cycle, threatening its ability to support vital climatic and ecological Earth system processes. A new study led by researchers at the University of Eastern Finland ...

15 hours ago
Phys.org / Brain removal in Iron Age Scotland burial reveals far-reaching family ties

It is difficult to identify funerary practices in Iron Age (c. 800 BC–AD 43) Britain, as human remains rarely survive. However, evidence is particularly prominent in north-west Scotland, because environmental conditions support ...

15 hours ago
Phys.org / Can AI help coastal cities prepare for rising seas and extreme events?

Our novel artificial intelligence model can predict extreme storm surges with high accuracy, including under future climate conditions. Because the AI model runs much faster, it can help researchers and practitioners better ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / Adélie penguins use colony cues to switch foraging sites if their previous trip was unsuccessful

Many animals live in groups. Among seabirds in particular, most species form colonies during the breeding season. Although coloniality entails costs, such as increased competition for food and disease transmission, its repeated ...

15 hours ago
Phys.org / Precision measurement under impact—when the balance itself becomes the object of measurement

How do you take measurements using one of the most sensitive scales in the world? Researchers at TU Wien have demonstrated how the measurement process affects not only the object being measured but also the scale itself, ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Chloroplast map reveals 'missing link' in plant growth and solar energy

For decades, science has understood the basics of photosynthesis, the process by which plants turn sunlight into food. However, photosynthesis occurs on uniquely specialized membranes that we have only begun to understand. ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / Q&A: Combating antibiotic resistance with nanotechnology, robotics and AI

Aeron Tynes Hammack, a physicist by training and currently interim facility director of the Nanofabrication Facility at the Molecular Foundry, likes to work with nanoscale objects to better understand the world and solve ...

16 hours ago