Phys.org news
Phys.org / Visual map of 20,000 words reveals why lip-readers confuse common look-alikes
New research from the University of Kansas uses network science to determine why people make mistakes when lip-reading. Michael Vitevitch, professor of speech-language-hearing at KU, and his co-authors created a visual map ...
Phys.org / A holoparasitic plant replaces its own genes with host DNA to survive
All living organisms are known to inherit genes, DNA sequences that contain instructions for producing specific proteins and performing biological functions, from their parents. In some cases, however, genes can also shift ...
Phys.org / Spontaneous current loops in a kagome metal point to hidden quantum order
Quantum materials, materials exhibiting physical behavior governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, have proved promising for the development of numerous advanced technologies, including quantum technologies, memory devices ...
Phys.org / Swimming crab trapped in plastic bottle survives two months at sea
How did a large crab end up trapped inside a plastic bottle with an opening smaller than its body? Hiroshima University researchers investigated this unusual marine mystery, revealing a lesser-known impact of marine plastic ...
Phys.org / Airborne AI spots underwater munitions in shallow seas with high precision
A new airborne imaging approach can reliably detect unexploded weapons that lie in shallow coastal waters and remain an ongoing hazard to public safety, marine ecosystems and infrastructure worldwide. By combining advanced ...
Phys.org / Scientists uncover why Antarctica became engulfed by ice millions of years before the Arctic
Scientists have uncovered why Antarctica became engulfed by ice millions of years before the Arctic. The international research, published in Science, helps solve one of climate science's longest-standing puzzles: how a vast ...
Phys.org / More Canadian than the beaver? Scientists discover a western toad found only in Canada
The beaver and moose may be enduring symbols of Canadian wildlife, but neither is uniquely Canadian from a genetic perspective. But a team of researchers from the University of Ottawa has now discovered something rare: a ...
Phys.org / Zero-waste plastic and color recycling: The end of colored plastic downgrading could be near
In the world of market competition, having the best and brightest package could send company sales into the millions. On the other hand, the amount of colored plastic waste increases, adding to the growing challenge of recycling ...
Phys.org / Quantum gravity tests may mistake ordinary spacetime for superposition
Everything around us, from atoms and molecules to planets and galaxies, is governed by two extraordinarily successful theories of physics: quantum mechanics and gravity. Quantum mechanics explains the behavior of the microscopic ...
Phys.org / Ecological factors, not social behavior, explain brain size in cephalopods
Octopuses, squid and cuttlefish may have evolved large brains because of the challenges posed by their environments rather than the demands of social life, according to a new study published in iScience today.
Phys.org / Analog gravity advance offers new insights into Hawking radiation from black holes
Hawking radiation is a form of radiation emitted by black holes, as theoretically predicted by Stephen Hawking. It suggests that black holes do not merely swallow matter—as had previously been assumed—but also emit very faint ...
Phys.org / Honeybee queens push pesticides to eggs to protect themselves over their offspring, research reveals
Worker bees are the first line of defense when it comes to removing contamination in honeybee colonies, but a queen has her ways, too. A honeybee queen facing chronic exposure to pesticides will take up that contamination ...