Phys.org news

Phys.org / New CRISPR tool spreads through bacteria to disable antibiotic resistance genes

Antibiotic resistance (AR) has steadily accelerated in recent years to become a global health crisis. As deadly bacteria evolve new ways to elude drug treatments for a variety of illnesses, a growing number of "superbugs" ...

19 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Compound in 500-million-year-old fossils sheds new light on Earth's carbon cycle

A UT San Antonio-led international research team has identified chitin, the primary organic component of modern crab shells and insect exoskeletons, in trilobite fossils more than 500 million years old, marking the first ...

21 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / Researchers demonstrate organic crystal emitting red light from UV and green from near-infrared

Invisible light beyond the range of human vision plays a vital role in communication technologies, medical diagnostics, and optical sensing. Ultraviolet and near-infrared wavelengths are routinely used in these fields, yet ...

19 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Three-way quantum correlations fade exponentially with distance at any temperature, study shows

The properties of a quantum material are driven by links between its electrons known as quantum correlations. A RIKEN researcher has shown mathematically that, at non-zero temperatures, these connections can only exist over ...

20 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Broken inversion symmetry lets 3D crystals mimic 2D Ising superconductivity

Two-dimensional (2D) materials, in general, allow the realization of unique quantum phenomena unattainable in the common three-dimensional (3D) world. A prime example is graphene. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have ...

19 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Aerobic respiration began hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought, study suggests

Oxygen is a vital and constant presence on Earth today. But that hasn't always been the case. It wasn't until around 2.3 billion years ago that oxygen became a permanent fixture in the atmosphere, during a pivotal period ...

21 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / The surprising power of a tiny, disordered protein in a mitochondrial supercomplex

For decades, scientists assumed that order drives efficiency. Yet in the bustling machinery of mitochondria—the organelles that crank out adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the universal "energy currency" of cells—one of the ...

21 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / New 3D method maps Paleolithic engravings at submillimeter resolution

A team of archaeologists from the Universitat Jaume I, the University of Barcelona, and the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) has developed a new methodology that allows for a much more detailed, ...

21 hours ago in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Artificial light is reshaping caracal behavior, limiting where the South African wild cat can hunt

Artificial light is one of the most ingrained features of modern life. For humans, light after dark offers convenience and a sense of safety. For wildlife, it's a growing environmental disturbance. "When humans introduce ...

21 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Measuring time at the quantum level depends on material symmetry

EPFL physicists have found a way to measure the time involved in quantum events and found it depends on the symmetry of the material. "The concept of time has troubled philosophers and physicists for thousands of years, and ...

23 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / 'Energy efficiency' proves key to how mountain birds adapt to changing environmental conditions

Research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) sheds new light on how mountain birds adapt to changes in climate. Scientists know that species diversity changes as you go up a mountain, but it is not clearly understood ...

20 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Study reveals microscopic origins of surface noise limiting diamond quantum sensors

A new theoretical study led by researchers at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory has identified the microscopic mechanisms by which diamond surfaces affect the quantum coherence of nitrogen-vacancy ...

20 hours ago in Physics