Phys.org news
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 ...
Phys.org / Dynamic black holes may obey Hawking-style thermodynamics with an alternative entropy measure
Of the known things in the universe, black holes are among the most extreme. They pack huge amounts of mass densely into a small area, producing gravity that is so strong that even light cannot escape. To describe their properties, ...
Phys.org / Massive sturgeon once bred in Britain's rivers, boosting reintroduction hopes
Atlantic and European sturgeon once called Britain's rivers home and could do so again, following research using Natural History Museum specimens. These fish are among the biggest found in Europe and undertake epic migrations ...
Phys.org / How giant tropical trees transport water 70 meters to stay as drought-resilient as smaller trees
The giant trees of tropical forests are important allies in the fight against climate change because of their ability to store carbon, yet they are still poorly understood by science. However, a study published in the journal ...
Phys.org / Nanozymes map nanoparticle routes inside live cells without genetic engineering
Nanoparticles are widely used in medicine to deliver drugs, genes or imaging agents to specific parts of the body. Once a nanoparticle reaches a cell, however, many things can happen—it can reach its target, be degraded, ...
Phys.org / What makes a star a star? A strange 'in‑between' celestial object is testing astronomers' boundaries
A star called TOI-2155 lies around 1,350 light-years (839 trillion miles) from Earth. It is a little bigger, heavier and hotter than the sun, and it is not particularly interesting or unusual in itself.
Phys.org / The broader a fungus's diet, the better it kills insects and helps plants
Many fungi lead triple lives—acting as deadly insect pathogens, decomposers in the soil, and helpful partners living inside and transferring insect-derived nitrogen to plant roots. Scientists have long wondered what allows ...
Phys.org / Spider venoms could stop deadly varroa mites killing honey bees
Spider venoms contain ingredients that could lead to a new treatment to protect honeybees from the deadly Varroa destructor mite, according to a study led by the University of the Sunshine Coast. Researchers identified components ...
