Phys.org news
Phys.org / Cracking a long-standing problem in high-entropy alloy nanoparticle synthesis
Composed of five or more elements in nearly equal amounts, high-entropy alloys (HEAs) have emerged as promising catalysts due to their compositionally complex surfaces that can accelerate chemical reactions. Until now, scientists ...
Phys.org / How primitive plants evolved to survive Earth's most catastrophic extinction event
Earth responded to its most severe past warming event by evolving a new and bizarre type of photosynthesis that allowed a group of primitive plants to survive. Research led by the University of Leeds has revealed how lycophytes—a ...
Phys.org / Hypertriton appears more tightly bound than expected, sharpening the picture of nuclear forces
An international research team of the A1 Collaboration at the Mainz Microtron (MAMI) of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has succeeded in determining the binding energy of the hypertriton with unprecedented precision. ...
Phys.org / Ant supergene reveals surprising twist in evolution of social behavior
In the spring, ants are once again hard at work. Beyond their everyday presence, ants are also key model organisms in cutting-edge evolutionary genetics research, helping scientists understand how social behavior and cooperation ...
Phys.org / Quantum gas resists heating under periodic kicks, revealing many-body localization mechanism
A joint theoretical study by the University of Innsbruck and Zhejiang University has uncovered the microscopic origin of a striking quantum phenomenon: a periodically driven gas of ultracold atoms that simply refuses to heat ...
Phys.org / Why a bizarre Brazil 'pterosaur' fossil is now being reclassified as a fish
Georges Cuvier, the 19th-century French anatomist who first recognized pterodactyls as flying reptiles, wrote that "of all the beings whose ancient existence has been revealed to us, [they are] the most extraordinary."
Phys.org / How resilient fungus might survive Mars and space
Scientists have long known that fungi are resilient, but a new study suggests that some strains might survive every step of the long, brutal trip to Mars. In a paper published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, researchers ...
Phys.org / Nitrogen isotope analysis reveals Southern Hemisphere waters dominated Indonesian Throughflow for 800,000 years
A research team with scientists from MARUM—Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen studied the hemispheric origin of Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) and found a high Southern Hemispheric contribution ...
Phys.org / Why so many mollusks sound Greek—their naming evolves at a snail's pace
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," said Juliet Capulet in William Shakespeare's famous play. And the same is presumably true for mollusks, albeit with different odors. When you think about the scientific names ...
Phys.org / Plastic texturing kills viruses when they land
Researchers have developed a thin plastic film that tears apart viruses on contact, offering a promising new way to keep high-touch surfaces such as smartphones and hospital equipment from spreading disease. The innovation ...
Phys.org / AI model accurately predicts the spread of wildfires in real time
USC researchers are developing a computational model that combines satellite data and physics-based simulations to forecast a wildfire's path, intensity, and growth rate. If you've ever been evacuated from your home during ...
Phys.org / Prototype thermal memory stores heat states with tiny voltages for days
Heat is a ubiquitous form of energy that, unlike others, is notoriously difficult to store due to its natural tendency to dissipate. While this property is essential for phenomena like solar energy reaching Earth, it also ...
