Phys.org news
Phys.org / New microporous aerogel uses van der Waals forces for flexible, moldable shaping
Porous materials are widely used for gas storage, separation, catalysis, and environmental purification. Their functionality arises from nanoscale pores that allow molecules to be selectively captured or transported. However, ...
Phys.org / Free software lets laptops simulate how aging evolves under selection
Why do some species live for only weeks while others survive for centuries? Researchers at the Leibniz Institute on Aging—Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena have developed AEGIS, a freely available software tool that enables ...
Phys.org / A new way to detect breakthroughs in science: Large-scale analysis reveals 'disruptive' innovations in research history
The history of science and technology is marked by major breakthroughs—the theory of evolution, the splitting of the atom, the development of antibiotics—and a research team including faculty at Binghamton University, State ...
Phys.org / Stretching metals can tune catalysis: A new method predicts energy shifts
Heterogeneous catalysis—in which catalysts and reactants are of different phases, e.g., solid and gas—is important to many industrial processes and often involves solid metal as the catalyst. Ammonia synthesis, catalytic ...
Phys.org / Accuracy test for protein language models shines light into AI 'black box'
AI language models, used to generate human-like text to power chatbots and create content, are also revolutionizing biology by treating complex biological data like a language. Language models are increasingly used, for example, ...
Phys.org / Chaos shapes how meandering rivers change over time, research shows
Rivers are rarely the calm, orderly streams we imagine on maps. Over time, their winding paths—called meanders—shift, bend, and occasionally snap off in sudden "cutoff" events that shorten loops and reshape the landscape. ...
Phys.org / Can you trust a finding? A new project maps which studies replicate
Findings from the Systematizing Confidence in Open Research and Evidence (SCORE) program—a collaborative effort involving 865 researchers—have been published in Nature as a collection of three papers alongside a release of ...
Phys.org / NASA fuels rocket to launch astronauts on the first lunar trip in half a century
NASA fueled its moon rocket Wednesday for humanity's first lunar trip in more than half a century, aiming for an evening liftoff with four astronauts.
Phys.org / Magicians' talk doesn't trick the eyes, Three-Card Monte experiment suggests
Magicians often talk while performing their acts, using a type of speech called "patter." This can include scripted dialog, storytelling, and interactions, and is often used to entertain and manage audiences, with many people—including ...
Phys.org / Ultrafast quantum light pulses measured for the first time
Researchers at the Technion—Israel Institute of Technology have, for the first time, measured the temporal duration of individual pulses of an extraordinary form of quantum light known as bright squeezed vacuum (BSV). Their ...
Phys.org / Phosphorus spikes linked to ancient marine mass extinctions
Researchers have uncovered new evidence that short-lived spikes in ocean phosphorus may have played a major role in two of the most severe marine extinctions in Earth's history. Dr. Matthew Dodd from The University of Western ...
Phys.org / Precision work prior to cell division: How enzymes optimize DNA structure
Before a cell can divide, it has to precisely duplicate its entire genetic information. However, the DNA in the cell exists as part of a DNA-protein complex known as chromatin. For this purpose, the DNA is wrapped around ...
