Phys.org news
Phys.org / Tiny optical modulator could enable giant future quantum computers
Researchers have made a major advance in quantum computing with a new device that is nearly 100 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair.
Phys.org / Why do raccoons cross the road? Research shows they don't
A new study led by researchers from Saint Louis University, the Saint Louis Zoo, and partner organizations recently set out to understand how raccoons use space in one of the nation's largest urban parks.
Phys.org / The monster hiding in plain sight: JWST reveals cosmic shapeshifter in the early universe
In a glimpse of the early universe, astronomers have observed a galaxy as it appeared just 800 million years after the Big Bang—a cosmic Jekyll and Hyde that looks like any other galaxy when viewed in visible and even ultraviolet ...
Phys.org / Chinese intertidal shellfish farming: An unexpected fuel station for millions of migrating shorebirds
China's tidal flats feed people and mollusk-eating migrating shorebirds such as red knots, great knots and Eurasian oystercatchers. Under good management, these flats used for aquaculture markedly reduce human disturbance ...
Phys.org / Polar bears may be adapting to survive warmer climates, says study
New research reveals a link between rising temperatures and changes in polar bear DNA, which may be helping them adapt and survive in increasingly challenging environments.
Phys.org / How Earth's mantle locked away vast amounts of water in early magma ocean
Some 4.6 billion years ago, Earth was nothing like the gentle blue planet we know today. Frequent and violent celestial impacts churned its surface and interior into a seething ocean of magma—an environment so extreme that ...
Phys.org / Chip-scale magnetometer uses light for high-precision magnetic sensing
Researchers have developed a precision magnetometer based on a special material that changes optical properties in response to a magnetic field. The device, which is integrated onto a chip, could benefit space missions, navigation ...
Phys.org / Rooster 'epidemic' fueled by backyard coops, sanctuaries say
A yearslong surge in displaced roosters is overwhelming animal sanctuaries in Maryland and across the country, fueled by a pandemic-born boom in backyard chicken coops and the noisy realities of owning a male bird.
Phys.org / Graphene membranes offer efficient, low-cost option for industrial CO₂ capture
Carbon capture is becoming essential for industries that still depend on fossil fuels, including the cement and steel industries. Natural-gas power plants, coal plants, and cement factories all release large amounts of CO₂, ...
Phys.org / Small galaxies may buck the black hole trend, Chandra finds
Most smaller galaxies may not have supermassive black holes in their centers, according to a recent study using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This contrasts with the common idea that nearly every galaxy has one of these ...
Phys.org / NASA loses contact with its Maven spacecraft orbiting Mars for the past decade
NASA has lost contact with a spacecraft that has orbited Mars for more than a decade.
Phys.org / Astronomers challenge 50-year-old quasar law
Compelling evidence that the structure of matter surrounding supermassive black holes has changed over cosmic time has been uncovered by an international team of astronomers.