Phys.org news
Phys.org / Order from chaos: The emergence of photon 'swirling' in disordered nanometric systems
An international research team reports the discovery of "hidden order" in systems that are disordered in space and time. The paper is published in the journal Nature Materials.
Phys.org / Scientists create stable, switchable vortex knots inside liquid crystals
The knots in your shoelaces are familiar, but can you imagine knots made from light, water, or from the structured fluids that make LCD screens shine?
Phys.org / AI helps solve decades-old maze in frustrated magnet physics
By partnering with artificial intelligence (AI), a researcher at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has solved a long-standing physics problem and uncovered the mathematical trickery that ...
Phys.org / Engineered material uses light to destroy PFAS and other contaminants in water
Materials scientists at Rice University and collaborators have developed a material that uses light to break down a range of pollutants in water, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, the "forever chemicals" ...
Phys.org / Recent H5N1 bird flu variants show increased ability to infect dairy cattle
The H5N1 avian influenza virus—commonly known as bird flu—has been causing outbreaks in dairy cows in the United States since March 2024. Now, scientists studying the adaptation of the avian H5N1 viruses to cows have ...
Phys.org / New agentic AI platform accelerates advanced optics design
Stanford engineers debuted a new framework introducing computational tools and self-reflective AI assistants, potentially advancing fields like optical computing and astronomy.
Phys.org / Manta rays create mobile ecosystems, study finds
A new study from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science and the Marine Megafauna Foundation finds that young Caribbean manta rays (Mobula yarae) often swim with groups of other ...
Phys.org / New biomolecular technique uncovers millet in medieval Ukrainian dental calculus
A study has, for the first time, identified minute traces of broomcorn millet consumption directly from human dental calculus, offering an unprecedented window into medieval diets and expanding the toolkit available to archaeologists ...
Phys.org / Molecules as switches for sustainable light-driven technologies
Metal nanostructures can concentrate light so strongly that they can trigger chemical reactions. The key players in this process are plasmons—collective oscillations of free electrons in the metal that confine energy to ...
Phys.org / Tiny particles 'surf' microscopic waves to save energy in chaotic environments
Conditions can get rough in the micro- and nanoworld. For example, to ensure that nutrients can still be optimally transported within cells, the minuscule transporters involved need to respond to the fluctuating environment. ...
Phys.org / Nanoscale magnetic mazes could transform data center communications
A collaborative team has developed a new way to create magnetic optical materials, one that removes a long-standing design bottleneck and could boost the speed and efficiency of data-center communications. Using an ion beam ...
Phys.org / Climate shapes arms race between ants and their social parasites
Two new studies show how climate influences behavior, communication, and genome evolution—driving adaptation in a long-running conflict.
