Phys.org news

Phys.org / Cell membranes may store memories after electrical stimulation

The science of memories has been pursued and studied since the days of ancient Greece and Aristotle. Today, research conducted by Dima Bolmatov, assistant professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Texas Tech University, ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Laser bursts flip nanoscale magnetic vortices at blistering speeds, opening a path to brain-like spintronics

Spintronics are devices that operate leveraging the spin, an intrinsic form of angular momentum, of electrons. The ability to switch magnetic states is central to the functioning of these devices, as it ultimately allows ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / Before the melt begins, sea stars show hidden immune collapse and tissue failure driving a coastal die-off

Scientists are homing in on a mysterious wasting disease that has killed billions of sea stars along the Pacific coast of North America since 2013. Sea star wasting disease can rapidly wipe out entire populations, leaving ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Collagen analysis finds wider prey use by Neanderthals and modern humans

The Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH) has taken part in a study published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology that provides new insights into subsistence strategies during the ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Penguin muscle map reveals how waddles and underwater 'flight' both work

Penguins may look charmingly awkward on land, but new research shows their bodies are finely tuned for powerful, efficient movement both on land and underwater. A team of anatomists from Midwestern University, in collaboration ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Half of America sits in democratic limbo—and that silent middle may decide what breaks next

If you were to ask democracy scholars what they consider the greatest threat to American democracy, you might assume it is voters who support undemocratic practices or policies. But the real answer may surprise you: These ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Rose pangenome maps 55,000 genes, opening new path for breeding

Roses are among the most economically significant ornamental plants worldwide, with widespread applications in the cut flowers, garden, and cosmetics industries. Yet fewer than 10% of rose species have contributed to modern ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Breakthrough sulfur polymer kills dangerous fungi and bacteria while sparing human and plant cells

Antimicrobial resistance is becoming a global burden in human health and food production, so affordable new materials are needed to overcome this growing problem. To answer the call, a multidisciplinary research team led ...

15 hours ago
Phys.org / Astronomers precisely date rare brown dwarf companion, offering new test for how these objects cool

Astronomers at the University of Hawaiʻi have precisely measured the age of a nearby sun-like star and its unusual companion, known as a brown dwarf, an object that falls between a planet and a star. The discovery offers ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Deep-rooted grass stores significantly more carbon, says new study

Soil biologist Eric Slessarev has some advice for conservationists, landscapers, and farmers with fallow fields: Go touch deep-rooted grass. Or better yet, go plant some. Slessarev, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Photonic chip generates milliwatt-level UV light, 100 times brighter than before

Researchers from the University of Twente and Harvard University have developed a new way to generate ultraviolet (UV) light on a photonic chip at power levels high enough for real-world use. For the first time, the technique ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Pressure-tuned quantum spin liquid-like behavior observed in material Y-kapellasite

A quantum spin liquid is a phase of matter in which the magnetic moments in a material do not align or freeze, even at temperatures close to absolute zero (i.e., at 0 K). The experimental realization of this highly dynamic ...

20 hours ago