Phys.org news
Phys.org / What makes Mars' magnetotail flap? Two spacecraft point to magnetic reconnection
The sun continuously blasts charged, magnetic field-carrying particles, or plasma, in all directions. This solar wind interacts with the magnetic fields and atmospheres of several of our solar system's planets and other bodies, ...
Phys.org / Why climate models and ocean observations diverge, and what it means for rain and drought
Scientific models have predicted that climate change will drive oceans in the Northern Hemisphere to warm faster than oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. However, observational data over the last 70 years show the opposite—that ...
Phys.org / Connected habitats help frogs keep protective microbes and curb deadly fungus
Maintaining connections between natural habitats may support beneficial microbes that help wildlife defend against disease. In a new study of tropical amphibians, a team led by Penn State biologists found that amphibians ...
Dialog / Sprinkling nanoparticles on spintronics
Today, I want to walk you through a deceptively simple innovation from the lab at Loughborough University (PI: Prof Marco Peccianti): what happens when we decorate a spintronic heterostructure with a sparse layer of plasmonic ...
Phys.org / Single mathematical model helps solve a decades-old puzzle involving ultrafast lasers
A team of international researchers, including an Aston University researcher, has cracked the code on how "breather" laser pulses work, creating a single mathematical model that explains two completely different laser behaviors ...
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 / Lost millennium of Galapagos deep-sea corals linked to major Pacific climate shift
Scientists have discovered that deep-water corals in the Galapagos region vanished for more than 1,000 years before eventually recovering. The findings reveal that deep-water coral ecosystems may be more susceptible to climate ...
Phys.org / To thwart pathogens, researchers are giving beneficial microbes what they really want
University of California San Diego researchers have developed a new tool for understanding and modifying any microbiome, including the human microbiome. The approach, called Microbial Interaction and Niche Determination (MIND), ...
Phys.org / Madagascar's ancient baobabs store 700 years of climate secrets—what they reveal
Madagascar is home to seven species of baobab trees, of which six are found nowhere else on the planet. Many of the trees have been alive for well over 1,000 years. The ancient trees have become symbols of Madagascar itself. ...
Phys.org / AI model 'reads' protein pairs, unlocking new insights into disease and drug discovery
Researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that can more accurately predict how proteins interact with one another—an advancement that could accelerate drug discovery and deepen insights into diseases ...
Phys.org / Two paths to scalable quantum computing: Optical links between fridges and higher-temperature qubits
Superconducting qubits—bits of quantum information—have been widely considered a promising technology for moving quantum computing forward. But there's still much work to be done before they can be brought out of a near absolute ...
Phys.org / The physics of brain development: How cells pull together to form the neural tube
In about one out of every 1,000 pregnancies, the neural tube, a key nervous system structure, fails to close properly. Georgia Tech physicists are now helping explain why this happens, having uncovered the physics that drive ...
