Phys.org news
Phys.org / A history of containers, an ancient technology hundreds of thousands of years in the making
We hardly give them a second thought, but everyday objects like bags and backpacks belong to a long technological tradition that may stretch back hundreds of thousands of years.
Phys.org / Atomic bands in two transition metal dichalcogenides hint at long-theorized quantum state
Insulators are materials in which electrons cannot move freely. Past theoretical studies predicted the existence of an unusual insulating state dubbed obstructed atomic insulator (OAI), in which electrons are localized inside ...
Phys.org / Liquid crystals enable on‑demand skyrmion formation at room temperature
Researchers have recently found a new way to summon useful structures in magnetic materials using light, heat, and electric fields. This new method, described in a new study published in Physical Review Letters, may lead ...
Phys.org / Recreating dying stars reveals hydrogen's key role in cosmic dust formation
Silicon carbide (SiC) dust is one of the most important ingredients in cosmic dust, the tiny particles floating throughout the cosmos that eventually give rise to new planets and stars. This compound of silicon and carbon ...
Phys.org / Mostly empty foam overturns assumptions of electron beam stopping
When physicists fire beams of fast electrons at materials, they often need to know exactly how much energy those electrons will lose as they travel through. Through new research published in Physical Review Letters, a team ...
Phys.org / Rivalry with neighboring groups may be a key driver of male size in primates
In many primate species, males are much larger than their female counterparts, which is generally attributed to male competition for mates (sexual selection). But bigger bodies may not just be about alpha males defeating ...
Phys.org / The first domesticated horses: 6,000 years of a complex story
Horses were being ridden, worked, and traded long before anyone thought it possible. New research pushes back the accepted timeline of human use of horses by centuries, showing that humans used horses in organized ways as ...
Phys.org / Bee magnetism appears far more widespread than expected across 120 species
As married research professors at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Dustin Gilbert and Anne Murray often discuss their work once they get home each night. Their fields of study rarely crossover. That changed six years ...
Phys.org / Ancient iceberg scratches reveal reverse Great Lakes snowbelt
Buffalo's legendary snowfall totals are largely the result of one unlucky geographic reality: the city sits east of the Great Lakes instead of west. Anyone who has lived through a winter in Buffalo, Cleveland or any snowbelt ...
Phys.org / Stardust trapped in Antarctic ice reveals tens of thousands of years of solar system's past
When you think of outer space, you're likely picturing stars, planets and moons. But much of space is filled with clouds of gas, plasma and stardust—known as interstellar clouds.
Phys.org / Rice plants observed trapping and killing fall armyworm caterpillars
Rice plants and Venus flytraps share something in common that was not scientifically documented until recently. Using a faint smell to lure caterpillars into a trap, rice plants killed early-stage fall armyworm larvae by ...
Phys.org / What a list of Black Death survivors reveals about the way people recovered from plague
In our research in the British Library's medieval collections, we have identified a previously unnoticed document that provides fresh insights into the survivors of the outbreak of plague known as the Black Death (1346–53).
