Phys.org news
Phys.org / Ancient diamond preserves evidence of water-bearing mineral deep in Earth's mantle
A team of Brazilian researchers discovered the first direct evidence that goethite—the mineral responsible for the brown color of soils—can withstand extreme pressures and temperatures all the way to the planet's interior ...
Phys.org / Deadly blooms offer a genetic blueprint for making hard-to-synthesize medicinal compounds
Two plants that cause neurotoxicity and paralysis in the tiniest doses are also known to counter pain, malaria, cancer and pests. For the first time, researchers discovered a way to recreate these powerful compounds in the ...
Phys.org / Solar wind stirs Mars' upper atmosphere, boosting ion loss to space
Our sun constantly releases a stream of high-speed charged particles, known as the solar wind. Unlike Earth, Mars does not have a strong global magnetic field to shield its atmosphere from this flow. As a result, the solar ...
Phys.org / Lichen-like life 600 million years ago may push back origins of fungal-algal partnerships
Two organisms inhabiting a common environment can sometimes mutually influence each other, either benefiting or, in some cases, damaging one another. This mutually beneficial or ambivalent biological relationship is known ...
Phys.org / Diego Rivera claimed his mural Creation was half wax, but chemical forensics says otherwise
Adorning the walls of San Ildefonso College in Mexico City is artist Diego Rivera's masterpiece, rendered in fresco and gold leaf, The Creation, or La Creacioń. It depicts a man standing with his arms outstretched beneath ...
Phys.org / Ancient Rome's food shortages were shaped more by logistics than climate
Ancient Rome's greatest threat to food security wasn't the weather but the challenge of getting grain to the capital, according to a new study. By comparing hundreds of years of historical records with reconstructions of ...
Phys.org / New photonic platform offers a four-lane highway for light
Topological photonics can force propagating light to travel in a single direction—allowing researchers to route optical signals around corners and past defects without any of it scattering backward. So far, however, this ...
Phys.org / Less-explored form of quantum code could be more powerful—and more stable—than its alternative in error correction
In mathematics and getting dressed, some processes are commutative, while others are noncommutative. Commutative means the order doesn't matter (3 + 2 is the same as 2 + 3, and it doesn't matter which sock goes on first). ...
Phys.org / Two independent studies push semiconductor qubits towards practical scales
Semiconductor spin qubits are one of the most promising building blocks for future quantum computers, but turning them into a working, large-scale quantum computer has so far proven difficult. For now, two big questions remain ...
Phys.org / A new genetic tool helps researchers uncover the logic of gene regulation
The human genome contains more than 20,000 genes. However, at any given time and in a given cell, only a fraction are active. Researchers from EMBL Heidelberg's Krebs Group have developed an innovative experimental approach ...
Phys.org / Ancient Irish volcano offers new clues about the development of its modern-day, active 'brothers and sisters'
An international team of volcanologists working on Carlingford Mountain has found that liquid "magma chambers" do not always exist beneath volcanoes. The team instead demonstrated that magma "plumbing systems" beneath Earth's ...
Phys.org / Newly discovered mechanism protects DNA during cell division
Every time a cell divides, it must accurately copy and distribute its DNA between two new cells. However, in some cases, chromosomes do not fully separate, leaving behind thin strands of DNA known as DNA bridges that connect ...
