Phys.org news
Phys.org / Ancient asteroid barrage may explain why early Earth had no stable continents
New research led by Curtin University and QUT (Queensland University of Technology) has revealed that repeated asteroid impacts may have been the dominant force shaping early Earth, delivering vast amounts of heat into the ...
Phys.org / Ultra-fast light-shaping technology could be 'game-changer' for future imaging
Scientists have developed a new type of "virtual" metasurface—capable of controlling light in ways traditional lenses and optics can't—which they say is superior to the current approach, which relies on ultrathin engineered ...
Phys.org / A thermodynamic approach to gravity could explain cosmic acceleration without dark energy
Gravity, the force that attracts objects toward each other, is currently framed by Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. This framework describes gravity as the curvature of spacetime, the invisible four-dimensional ...
Phys.org / Defect detection automated in diamond, other advanced semiconductors
Materials scientists at Rice University have developed a new workflow methodology for measuring microscopic defects in diamond and other advanced semiconductor materials. By making it easier to spot flaws that can undermine ...
Phys.org / Check politics at the door? Not at many workplaces, researcher says
When people think of workplace segregation, they usually think of race or gender. Yet Americans are also sorted at work by something employers rarely measure: how they vote.
Phys.org / Thirsty desert lizards inspire a new water-harvesting system
When the desert horned lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos) is thirsty, it cannot just lap up water or scoop it up like a bird because it lives in environments where water is extremely scarce. Typically, it's found in damp soil ...
Phys.org / Fossils upend catastrophist narrative that flowering plants flourished only after dinosaur extinction
A unique cache of plant fossils from volcanic deposits in New Mexico contradicts the common narrative that flowering plants were minor players in Earth's forests until dinosaurs disappeared 66 million years ago.
Phys.org / Seven exotic quantum phases predicted in ultracold magnetic atoms, including topological superconductivity
Strongly interacting quantum particles are key to some of the most fascinating phenomena in modern physics—from magnetism and superconductivity to topological states. Yet the complexity of such systems makes many of their ...
Phys.org / Natural hallucinogens may have evolved as ecological tools, not chemical accidents
Natural hallucinogens, such as psilocybin, mescaline, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and related compounds, have generally received attention for their effects on human perception, emotion and cognition. Recently, interest ...
Phys.org / Antibiotics trigger bacterial teamwork, boosting survival through shared proteins
When bacteria are under antibiotic attack, it is not "every man for himself." Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and colleagues from collaborating institutions have discovered that bacterial populations work as a team ...
Phys.org / AI reads 3D tooth microwear to reconstruct diets of early human ancestors
The study of dental microwear allows the analysis of the microscopic marks that foods leave on the surface of tooth enamel during mastication. In paleoanthropology, this methodology helps reconstruct the diet of fossil primates ...
Phys.org / Tiny water droplets transmutate aniline into pyridine in ambient and catalyst-free conditions
Aniline can now be transformed into pyridine without adding any catalysts, oxidants or toxic reagents. In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers achieved skeletal editing, involving ...
