Phys.org news

Phys.org / How black holes produce powerful relativistic jets
A hundred years before the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration released the first image of a black hole in 2019—located at the heart of the galaxy M87—astronomer Heber Curtis had already discovered a strange jet protruding ...

Phys.org / Researchers integrate waveguide physics into metasurfaces for advanced light control
Ultrathin structures that can bend, focus, or filter light, metasurfaces are reshaping how scientists think about optics. These engineered materials offer precise control over lights behavior, but many conventional designs ...

Phys.org / How the Southern Ocean controlled climate and atmospheric carbon dioxide during the lukewarm interglacials
Earth's climate has fluctuated between cold and warm periods for millions of years. During the so-called "lukewarm interglacials"—warm phases between 800,000 and 430,000 years ago—atmospheric CO2 concentrations were only ...

Phys.org / With new analysis, Apollo samples brought to Earth in 1972 reveal exotic sulfur hidden in moon's mantle
When astronauts returned from NASA's final Apollo moon mission in 1972, some of the samples they collected were sealed and carefully stored away in the hope that future researchers using advanced equipment might analyze them ...

Phys.org / Third dimension of data storage: Physicists demonstrate first hybrid skyrmion tubes for higher-density quantum computing
Typically, the charge of electrons is used to store and process information in electronics-based devices. In spintronics, the focus is instead on the magnetic moment or on magnetic vortices, so-called skyrmions—the goal ...

Phys.org / Bacteria may influence accumulation of gold nanoparticles in spruce tree needles
A new study has, for the first time, uncovered a connection between bacteria living in Norway spruce needles and gold nanoparticles. This discovery could pave the way for environmentally friendly gold exploration methods, ...

Phys.org / The real reasons Endurance sank—study finds Shackleton knew of ship's shortcomings
Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship, Endurance, was crushed by Antarctic sea ice and sank in November 1915. Emblematic of the heroic age of Antarctic exploration, it is widely considered the strongest polar ship of its time, albeit ...

Phys.org / World's first known butt-drag fossil trace was left by a rock hyrax in South Africa 126,000 years ago
Rock hyraxes, known in southern Africa more often as "dassies," are furry, thickset creatures with short legs and no discernible tails. They spend much of their time sunning themselves on rocky outcrops.

Phys.org / Stretchable waveguides maintain stable transmission even when bent or twisted
Researchers have designed and demonstrated stretchable waveguides that maintain efficient, stable signal transmission of surface plasmon polaritons even when bent, twisted or stretched. These plasmonic waveguides could make ...

Phys.org / Digital twin for forests developed with help of new laser scan technology
Scanning forests with lasers can provide three-dimensional models of forests, creating a unique way to look at these ecosystems. Researchers at the University of Helsinki are pioneers in applying this technical solution to ...

Phys.org / Inhalers drive carbon emissions equivalent to 530,000 cars each year, study shows
Inhalers are the frontline treatment for asthma and COPD, but they come with a steep environmental cost, according to a new UCLA Health study—the largest to date quantifying inhaler-related emissions in the United States.

Phys.org / Mysterious signs on Teotihuacan murals may reveal an early form of Uto-Aztecan language
More than two millennia ago, Teotihuacan was a thriving metropolis in central Mexico with up to 125,000 inhabitants. The city had gigantic pyramids and was a cultural center in Mesoamerica at the time.