Phys.org news
Phys.org / Programmable terahertz vortices enable dual electric and magnetic skyrmion modes
Researchers have created an optical device that can generate both electric and magnetic vortex-ring-like light patterns. These structured light vortices, known as skyrmions, are highly stable and resistant to disturbances, ...
Phys.org / MXene nanoscrolls could improve energy storage, biosensors and more
Researchers from Drexel University who discovered a versatile type of two-dimensional conductive nanomaterial called MXene nearly a decade and a half ago, have now reported on a process for producing its one-dimensional cousin: ...
Phys.org / Mapping 'figure 8' Fermi surfaces to pinpoint future chiral conductors
One of the biggest problems facing modern microelectronics is that computer chips can no longer be made arbitrarily smaller and more efficient. Materials used to date, such as copper, are reaching their limits because their ...
Phys.org / Novel quantum refrigerator benefits from problematic noise
For quantum computers to function, they must be kept at extremely low temperatures. However, today's cooling systems also generate noise that interferes with the fragile quantum information they are meant to protect. Now, ...
Phys.org / New satellite method maps 'creeping drought' in Canada's mountain snow
Researchers at Concordia have developed a new method of measuring the amount of usable water stored in snowpacks. The comprehensive technique, known as snow water availability (SWA), uses satellite data and climate reanalysis ...
Phys.org / AI models retrace evolution of genetic control elements in the brain
Artificial intelligence allows tracing the evolution of genetic control elements in the developing mammalian cerebellum. An international research team led by biologists from Heidelberg University as well as the Vlaams Instituut ...
Phys.org / Kangaroo and wallaby evolution tied to Australia's past climate shifts
A QUT-led study has found how increasing aridity and habitat variation and the subsequent emergence of grasslands shaped the evolution of modern kangaroos and wallabies. The study, published in Molecular Phylogenetics and ...
Phys.org / Freestanding 3D MXene structures push the limits of microscale devices
In a breakthrough that could power next-generation electronics, sensors, and energy storage devices, CMU engineers have developed a fabrication technique that arranges MXene nanosheets, each a million times thinner than a ...
Phys.org / How fire-loving fungi learned to eat charcoal
Wildfire causes most living things to flee or die, but some fungi thrive afterward, even feasting on charred remains. New University of California, Riverside research finds the secret to post-fire flourishing hidden in their ...
Phys.org / How tree rings help scientists understand disruptive extreme solar storms
Scientists have long relied on tree rings to learn about ancient solar storms—rare bursts of high-energy particles from the sun that can disrupt satellites, power grids, and communication systems across the planet. When ...
Phys.org / Caribbean heat waves intensify over five decades, study finds
A new study led by climatologists at the University at Albany has found that extreme heat waves across the Caribbean are becoming significantly more frequent, longer and severe. This study examined extreme summer heat waves ...
Phys.org / Male or female? How one frog gene 'hijacked' sex determination about 20 million years ago
Early in development, many animals pick a team—male or female—based on their genetics, and, with time, acquire the characteristics to match. New research from the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) explores how one species ...
