Phys.org news

Phys.org / Quantum fluid reveals hidden states that can be switched with a magnetic field

Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) are often described as a "fifth state of matter": a quantum state in which many particles lose their individual identities and behave as one collective object. For more than 60 years, researchers ...

13 hours ago
Phys.org / Decades-old theory for how insect societies evolve challenged

For more than 60 years, evolutionary biologists have debated whether a unique genetic system found in ants, bees and wasps helps explain one of nature's most remarkable innovations: eusociality, a form of social organization ...

14 hours ago
Phys.org / Electrocatalytic method could purify wastewater by converting pollutants into recoverable polymers

Wastewater treatment is a critical issue for global environmental protection and public health. Researchers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have recently achieved a major breakthrough with ...

13 hours ago
Phys.org / 3D DNA mapping in rare immune cells reveals new genes linked with autoimmune disease risk

Our DNA is often pictured as a simple spiral, like a piece of rope held taut. But inside cells, it folds into a complex three-dimensional structure, with 2 meters (6.6 feet) of DNA scrunched like a headphone wire in a pocket. ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / Two materials, one photonic chip: Unlocking a new way to generate light frequencies

Modern photonic chips can pack sophisticated optical functions onto devices smaller than a fingernail. They are increasingly used to generate, manipulate and measure light for applications ranging from communications to sensing. ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Mapping monsters: Data release unveils all-sky views of supermassive black holes

Data released by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) marks a landmark expansion in the study of accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs). As part of the fifth generation of the survey (SDSS-V), the Black Hole Mapper (BHM) ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / How the 'fecal revolution' changed Earth's ecosystems

An international study led by Flinders University has found a fertile area of inspiration to explain an important step in evolution—and it's a whole lot of poop. The new study describes the "fecal revolution" to explain a ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / Mythical mountain god inspires name for China's first freshwater cave snail

A team of scientists has announced the discovery of Erhaia dijiang, a species of eyeless freshwater cave snail.

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Nano-optics: New mechanism for channeling light waves discovered in natural hyperbolic materials

Researchers at the 4th Physics Institute of the University of Stuttgart and the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) in Milan have demonstrated a new mechanism for directing light in a naturally hyperbolic van der Waals ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / New method could sharpen diamond quantum sensors for tracking activity in single cells

A diamond-based quantum sensor inserted into a living cell can provide previously unseen levels of detail about how life works and how diseases form. "Think of it as an EKG for a single cell—a way to capture everything happening ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / Seaweed-derived coating keeps strawberries fresher than a fridge

University of British Columbia researchers have developed an edible, seaweed-derived coating that can keep strawberries fresh for at least four days at room temperature, outperforming uncoated berries stored in the refrigerator.

17 hours ago
Phys.org / DNA study uncovers deeper losses across Hawaiian honeycreeper family tree

Smithsonian researchers have identified the genetic relationships among all Hawaiian honeycreeper species known to have existed—and subsequently faced major losses—since the arrival of Europeans to the islands.

17 hours ago