Phys.org news

Phys.org / Oases in the desert of Arabia created 'brands' in the Bronze Age

Did brands exist before modern society, in noncapitalist economies? An international team led by Marta Luciani of the University of Vienna has made unexpected discoveries about Bronze Age trade: Yes, brands did indeed exist ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / AI screens 100,000+ membrane combinations, predicting carbon capture performance within seconds

Reducing carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes and energy production remains one of the major technological challenges in addressing climate change. Membrane-based gas separation offers an energy-efficient alternative ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Beijing's isoprene-emitting trees highlight ozone risks in greener, hotter cities

Amid current heat waves, urban greening is once again moving to the center of public debate. Greener cities are generally expected to have cleaner air because trees capture airborne particles, absorb gaseous pollutants and ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / 3D map of cell signaling sites could help improve cancer treatment

Cell-communication molecules called kinases play a key role in the growth and spread of many cancers. But exactly which kinases are active in a particular cancer is not always clear—there are 1.8 million sites on human proteins ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Climate taxonomy tool turns risk assessments into practical adaptation guidance

As climate impacts such as heat waves, floods and fires intensify worldwide, there is an urgent demand for information on how to respond. IIASA researchers and partners have developed a new tool that meets that need, integrating ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Search in strange quark sector reveals new particle possibilities

Despite science's best efforts to classify the vast menagerie of subatomic particles discovered over the past few decades, some exotic varieties defy explanation. Now, nuclear physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy's ...

15 hours ago
Phys.org / Volcano myths unravel, from 'smoke' plumes to Yellowstone catastrophe claims

Volcanoes emit smoke. Beneath a volcano lies a huge chamber filled with liquid magma. A series of earthquakes means an eruption is imminent. And if a "supervolcano" like Yellowstone were to awaken, a global catastrophe would ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / Genetic 'switches' could program 3D-printed bone tissue for blood vessel growth

An interdisciplinary team of engineers and chemists at Penn State has laid the groundwork for 3D printing spheroids—tiny clusters of living cells—capable of regenerating bone tissue in response to severe trauma or infections.

11 hours ago
Phys.org / AI flood map reveals 11 million Americans may be omitted from official risk zones

Official flood maps shape disaster preparedness, insurance decisions and urban planning, but large parts of the United States remain unmapped or under-mapped. This means some communities may be left unaware of the risks they ...

12 hours ago
Phys.org / Novel insights into aerosol behavior could improve air-quality forecasting

New research from Purdue University demonstrates how organic aerosol molecules can influence one another's behavior in ways that existing atmospheric models do not fully capture.

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Foldamer–protein pair unlocks precise building blocks for artificial molecular materials

Proteins form complex three-dimensional shapes and can join together to create larger structures. Researchers want to use these properties to make artificial materials. However, arranging proteins and synthetic molecules ...

12 hours ago
Phys.org / Fastest known Milky Way star offers new test of supermassive black hole's spin

Astronomers have discovered the fastest known star in our galaxy, the Milky Way, orbiting the black hole at its center. The star, named S301, was detected with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope Interferometer ...

14 hours ago