Phys.org news

Phys.org / Nanoengineers realize an on-chip excitonic hyperlens

When light passes through materials, it typically changes direction and bends in predictable ways. This change in direction, known as refraction, is caused by a change in the speed of light as it enters a new medium. In some ...

14 hours ago in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Nitrogen pollution is rising: What a new global map means for forest carbon

On a cool spring morning in a northern forest, the ground feels soft underfoot. Mist hangs between the trunks, and the air smells of wet leaves and old humus; the slow alchemy that keeps a forest alive. Beneath the surface, ...

7 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / Double white dwarf system detected in a nearby stellar cluster

Using the Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have discovered a compact binary system consisting of two white dwarfs in the center of a nearby globular cluster designated NGC 6397. The finding was presented in a paper ...

13 hours ago in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / A bacterium's built-in compass, explained: Single-cell magnetometry confirms Earth-field alignment

Some bacterial species possess an astonishing ability: They use Earth's magnetic field to orient themselves. To better understand this mechanism, the team led by Argovia-Professor Martino Poggio from the Swiss Nanoscience ...

3 hours ago in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Prehistoric fossil poses puzzles in shark research

A newly examined prehistoric shark from the age of dinosaurs provides surprising insights into the early evolution of modern sharks. It cannot be confidently assigned to any shark order that exists today and thus calls into ...

8 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Not all humans are 'super-scary' to wildlife, animal behavior study suggests

Humans have climbed to the top of the food chain by skillfully hunting, trapping, and fishing for other animals at scales that far exceed other predators, altering how the animals behave and earning the tag of a "super-predator." ...

10 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Scientists raise 300,000 surfclams offshore, proving open-ocean aquaculture can work

Rutgers researchers have made a discovery that could change the future of seafood farming in New Jersey. A study led by marine scientist Daphne Munroe has shown that Atlantic surfclams can be successfully farmed in the open ...

8 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / World's smallest QR code, read via electron microscope, earns Guinness recognition

Just how small can a QR code be? Small enough that it can only be recognized with an electron microscope. A research team at TU Wien, working together with the data storage technology company Cerabyte, has now demonstrated ...

9 hours ago in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Physicists observe polaron formation for the first time

When an electron travels through a polar crystalline solid, its negative charge attracts the positively charged atomic cores, causing the surrounding crystal lattice to deform. The electron and lattice distortion then move ...

10 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Bacterial strain from 5,000-year-old cave ice shows resistance against 10 modern antibiotics

Bacteria have evolved to adapt to all of Earth's most extreme conditions, from scorching heat to temperatures well below zero. Ice caves are just one of the environments hosting a variety of microorganisms that represent ...

22 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Otters as ocean doctors: How a 40-year watch on Brazil's coasts reveals hidden threats to estuaries

For 40 years, scientists have been monitoring the Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis) along the southern coast of Brazil. A study published in Estuarine Management and Technologies reveals that these charismatic mammals ...

9 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Honey bees navigate more precisely than previously thought

A team from the University of Freiburg led by neurobiologist and behavioral biologist Prof. Dr. Andrew Straw studied the flight behavior of honey bees. Using a drone, the researchers tracked honey bees as they flew between ...

11 hours ago in Biology