Phys.org news

Phys.org / Chiral skyrmion flows enable new approach to nanoscale logic devices

In magnetic materials with antisymmetric exchange interactions, novel particle-like spin textures called magnetic skyrmions can appear and be manipulated by electrons. First observed in 2009, they have been created and controlled ...

Nov 18, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Researchers decode the chemistry behind a deadly genetic disorder

Northeastern University researchers used an original machine learning tool to predict how genetic mutations cause a rare metabolic disease known as OTC deficiency, uncovering some underlying biochemical mechanisms at play ...

Nov 18, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Floating solar panels show promise, but environmental impacts vary by location, study finds

Floating solar panels are emerging as a promising clean energy solution with environmental benefits, but a new study published in Limnologica finds those effects vary significantly depending on where the systems are deployed.

Nov 18, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Antarctic ice loss linked to 'storms' at ocean's subsurface

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have identified stormlike circulation patterns beneath the Antarctic ice shelves that are causing aggressive melting, with major implications ...

Nov 18, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Machine learning framework can scan for signs of extraterrestrial life

A machine learning framework can distinguish molecules made by biological processes from those formed through non-biological processes and could be used to analyze samples returned by current and future planetary missions. ...

Nov 18, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Algorithm finds smallest dataset that guarantees optimal solutions to complex problems

Determining the least expensive path for a new subway line underneath a metropolis like New York City is a colossal planning challenge—involving thousands of potential routes through hundreds of city blocks, each with uncertain ...

Nov 18, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Andes glaciers will fail to buffer megadroughts by century's end, study suggests

In light of the ongoing fifteen-year megadrought in Chile, an international team of researchers, including Francesca Pellicciotti from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), addressed a bold future scenario. ...

Nov 18, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Weather behind past heat waves could return far deadlier

The weather patterns that produced some of Europe's most extreme heat waves over the past three decades could prove far more lethal if they strike in today's hotter climate, pushing weekly deaths toward levels seen during ...

Nov 18, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Illuminating the messages that cells leave behind: Cells trek along vesicle 'breadcrumbs'

In stunning new time-lapse videos, biological nanoparticles scoot and flit across a starry field of glowing dots. Guided by the invisible chemistry of attraction, these microscopic travelers eventually group together to form ...

Nov 18, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Nanoparticles promise swift Vibrio control for safer seafood and healthier fish

Vibrio bacteria are major pathogens in the aquaculture industry, triggering vibriosis—a disease that can cause mortality rates of up to 90% within two days. This not only results in billions of dollars in economic losses ...

Nov 18, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / How a genetic circuit may have helped the evolution of insect wings

In most developing tissues, signals called morphogens act like lighthouses, guiding nearby cells toward their fate and telling them what to become. Each cell relies on such signals for organized structures like organs and ...

Nov 18, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Monitoring hidden processes beneath Kīlauea could aid eruption forecast

The massive 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano on Hawai'i Island lasted for months, destroyed neighborhoods, and was associated with 60,000 earthquakes.

Nov 18, 2025 in Earth