Phys.org news
Phys.org / Wolves kill—and ravens remember where
When a wolf pack runs down its prey, the first on the scene is often the raven. Even before the predators have had time to dig in, the ravens are already in line, waiting to take advantage of the odd scrap of meat that becomes ...
Phys.org / Musicality is rooted in human biology, not just culture, says professor
Humans are fundamentally "musical animals"—and our capacity for music is rooted in biology, not just culture. This is the conclusion of new work by University of Amsterdam professor of Music Cognition Henkjan Honing. In ...
Phys.org / Musicologists map medieval chant tropes to 9th-century political borders
The spread of a particular genre of music reflects the borders between medieval empires in Europe. This is shown by a study conducted by a musicologist at the University of Würzburg, appearing in Transactions of the International ...
Phys.org / Shell game: How oysters enlist help from microbes
For an oyster, creating an internal environment for calcification that forms its distinctive hard shell is essential. But new Harvard research has found that these bivalves may outsource the work, coordinating with microbes ...
Phys.org / Self-regenerating catalyst restores its own performance, advancing CO₂ conversion technology
Technologies that convert carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted from factories and power plants into useful chemical feedstocks are considered key to achieving carbon neutrality. However, rapid degradation of catalyst performance ...
Phys.org / Fortified salad packs a healthy punch to meet a growing vitamin B12 need
A pioneering research-industry partnership has used advances in indoor farming technology to grow pea shoots fortified with vitamin B12, opening an exciting route to market for farmers and addressing a major public health ...
Phys.org / Astronomers discuss fortifying our planetary defenses
When people think of asteroids, they tend to picture rare, civilization-ending impacts like those depicted in movies such as "Armageddon." In reality, the asteroids most likely to affect modern society are much smaller. While ...
Phys.org / Local droplet etching yields more symmetric quantum dots for integrated photonics
Light-based quantum technologies, such as quantum communication and photonic quantum computing, require reliable sources of individual photons and, ideally, pairs of entangled photons. Semiconductor quantum dots are promising ...
Phys.org / The 'croak' conundrum: Parasites complicate love signals in frogs
Across the animal kingdom, sound is more than communication—it's a signal of survival and success. From birds and primates to insects, fish, and amphibians, animals broadcast acoustic "advertisements" to defend territory, ...
Phys.org / Bioinspired event camera tracks full vibration trajectory using geometry
Researchers at University of Tsukuba have developed a noncontact vibration measurement method using an event camera, a sensing technology inspired by biological vision. By applying geometric analysis to event-stream data, ...
Phys.org / How much do nontargeted analyses really see? A model maps chemical blind spots
In a study published in Analytical Chemistry, researchers from the University of Amsterdam's Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) reveal a sobering reality regarding nontargeted chemical analysis. Although ...
Phys.org / A familiar voice shapes how zebra finches hear and respond
Conversations with friends have an ease that is hard to replicate with someone you have just met—often replies come more naturally and timing just seems to click. A strikingly similar pattern plays out in zebra finches, ...