Phys.org news
Phys.org / A chemical failsafe can save crops from disease without crushing growth
Salicylic acid, the active molecule in aspirin and some acne medications, is a hormone in plants that is essential for immunity, but it's a double-edged sword: Too much can cause autoimmunity and stunt growth. In a study ...
Phys.org / Packed together, they melt differently: What happens when one iceberg enters another's icy wake
Earth's ice is melting. As icebergs break away from glaciers and melt away, the fresh meltwater mixes into its saltwater surroundings. However, icebergs do not exist in isolation. In Greenland, for example, jammed collections ...
Phys.org / Rotated lithium niobate crystals unlock conductive interfaces in otherwise insulating material
An international research team involving the Institute for Photonic Quantum Systems (PhoQS) at Paderborn University has made significant progress in researching so-called quantum materials. Their extraordinary properties—electrical ...
Phys.org / Measuring the negative impacts of biological invasions on animal welfare
Increases in global trade and travel are causing animal and plant species to be more frequently introduced to regions of the world where they do not naturally occur. In these new regions, these species are often referred ...
Phys.org / Buried electrical pathways across the US reveal new clues about Earth's interior and power grid risks
A solar storm like the one that caused a nine-hour blackout across Quebec in 1989 could have even more dramatic effects if it struck the eastern United States today. Now, scientists have developed new tools to detect these ...
Phys.org / Astronomers explore the surface composition of a nearby super-Earth
Using MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) on board the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a team of researchers led by former MPIA (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany) Ph.D. student Sebastian Zieba (Center ...
Phys.org / Plaster-making technique previously attributed to the Romans appears 8,000 years earlier in Motza
Excavations from 2015 to 2021 on the ancient site of Motza, just west of Jerusalem, revealed a sprawling settlement with some surprisingly advanced technology. The site dates back to 7100–6700 BCE during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic ...
Phys.org / DNA-reading AI reconstructs ancestry in minutes, matching top statistical methods
Researchers at the University of Oregon have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can read genetic code the way large language models like ChatGPT read text. Scanning the genome for biological mutation patterns, ...
Phys.org / Astronomers uncover over 1,000 radio galaxies with 'wings,' expanding a rare cosmic class
Astronomers recently carried out a comprehensive search for strange "winged" radio galaxies using data from the LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey Data Release 2 (LoTSS DR2) and discovered over 1,000 new systems. The paper outlining ...
Phys.org / Optically dark gamma-ray burst reveals an unusually wide jet
Using various telescopes, an international team of astronomers has performed multi-wavelength observations of a recently identified gamma-ray burst source designated GRB 250416C. Results of the observational campaign, published ...
Phys.org / Babies may share adults' sense of beauty, and it appears to sharpen with age
Humans tend to be captured by things around them that they perceive as pleasurable and aesthetically pleasing. This "sense of beauty" has been widely studied extensively, mostly in experiments that involved adult participants.
Phys.org / Magnon lifetime extended 100x paves the way for mini quantum computers
Magnons are tiny waves in magnetization that travel through solid magnetic materials, much like the ripples that spread across a pond when a stone is thrown into it. Unlike photons, which travel through empty space or optical ...