Phys.org news
Phys.org / Cracking the code of why and when some choose to 'self-handicap'
Partying the night before a big exam. Preparing last-minute for a work presentation. Running a 5K in a 10-pound Halloween costume. All are examples of what psychologists call "self-handicapping"—creating obstacles to success ...
Phys.org / A new look at TRAPPIST-1e, an Earth-sized, habitable-zone exoplanet
Of the seven Earth-sized worlds orbiting the red dwarf star TRAPPIST-1, one planet in particular has attracted the attention of scientists. This planet orbits the star within the "Goldilocks zone"—a distance where water ...
Phys.org / NASA completes Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope construction
NASA's next big eye on the cosmos is now fully assembled. On Nov. 25, technicians joined the inner and outer portions of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in the largest clean room at the agency's Goddard Space Flight ...
Phys.org / The microbiome of an entire country mapped for the first time
An international research team led by Aalborg University with contributions from the University of Vienna has systematically mapped the microbiome of an entire country for the first time. In the study "Microflora Danica," ...
Phys.org / New massive duck-billed dinosaur species identified
There's a new dinosaur species on the block. An international team, including a biologist from Penn State Lehigh Valley, discovered that a 75-million-year-old fossil classified as a different dinosaur is its own massive, ...
Phys.org / Astrophysicists test a new piece of the sky to probe dark matter and dark energy
In the leading model of cosmology, most of the universe is invisible: a combined 95% is made of dark matter and dark energy. Exactly what these dark components are remains a mystery, but they have a tremendous impact on our ...
Phys.org / LHC data confirm validity of new model of hadron production—and test foundations of quantum mechanics
A boiling sea of quarks and gluons, including virtual ones—this is how we can imagine the main phase of high-energy proton collisions. It would seem that particles here have significantly more opportunities to evolve than ...
Phys.org / Scientists capture first detailed look inside droplet-like structures of compacted DNA
Inside human cells, biology has pulled off the ultimate packing job, figuring out how to fit six feet of DNA into a nucleus about one-tenth as wide as a human hair while making sure the all-important molecules can still function.
Phys.org / New study challenges the idea of humans as innately nature-loving
Nature is a source of well-being and recovery for many people. However, research shows that there is also a growing number of individuals who experience negative emotions, such as fear, discomfort, or even disgust, toward ...
Phys.org / Lightning channels reveal hidden bursts: Lateral negative re-discharges observed for first time
A new study led by researchers from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has uncovered the first observational evidence of lateral negative re-discharges occurring on negative leader ...
Phys.org / Space debris poses growing threat, but new study suggests cleanup is feasible
High up in Earth's orbit, millions of human-made objects large and small are flying at speeds of over 15,000 miles per hour. The objects, which range from inactive satellites to fragments of equipment resulting from explosions ...
Phys.org / Nanotyrannus was not a juvenile T. rex, new study confirms
For decades, paleontologists argued over the lone skull used to establish the distinct species Nanotyrannus. Was it truly a separate species or simply a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex? A new paper published in Science has definitively ...