Phys.org news
Phys.org / Sweetening the deal for sustainability, while removing carbon dioxide
Here's a novel pathway to a more sustainable planet: carbo-loading for the public good. In a new study published in Nature Synthesis, chemists at Yale and the University of California-Berkeley have developed a two-step process ...
Phys.org / Prehistoric tool made from elephant bone is the oldest discovered in Europe
A remarkable prehistoric hammer made from elephant bone, dating back nearly half a million years ago, has been uncovered in southern England and analyzed by archaeologists from UCL and the Natural History Museum, London.
Phys.org / Optical technique reveals hidden magnetic states in antiferromagnets
Imagine computer hardware that is blazing fast and stores more data in less space. That's the promise of antiferromagnets, magnetic materials that do not interfere with each other and can switch states at high speed, opening ...
Phys.org / Low-platinum catalyst could make hydrogen production cheaper
A new type of catalyst that uses five times less platinum than usual could help make hydrogen production more affordable in the future.
Phys.org / Rye pollen's cancer-fighting structure revealed for first time
Nearly three decades ago, scientists found that a pair of molecules in rye pollen exhibited an unusual ability to slow tumor growth in animal models of cancer. But progress stalled for one seemingly simple reason: No one ...
Phys.org / Natural peptides from cyanobacteria offer eco-friendly solution to marine biofouling
A new CIIMAR study demonstrates that natural peptides produced by cyanobacteria are capable of replacing toxic biocides that dominate the market for anti-fouling paints used in the maritime industry. The use of these peptides ...
Phys.org / Positive interactions dominate among marine microbes, six-year study reveals
A six-year analysis of marine microbes in coastal California waters has overturned long-held assumptions about how the ocean's smallest organisms interact.
Phys.org / Metal clumps in a quantum state: Physicists place thousands of sodium atoms in a 'Schrödinger's cat state'
Can a small lump of metal be in a quantum state that extends over distant locations? A research team at the University of Vienna answers this question with a resounding yes. In the journal Nature, physicists from the University ...
Phys.org / A wild potato that changed the story of agriculture in the American Southwest
Starchy residue preserved in ancient stone tools may rewrite the story of crop domestication in the American Southwest, according to research led by the University of Utah.
Phys.org / Ultrafast light switches use atomically thin semiconductors for rapid optical control
A nanostructure made of silver and an atomically thin semiconductor layer can be turned into an ultrafast switching mirror device that may function as an optical transistor—with a switching speed around 10,000 times faster ...
Phys.org / Iron Age dental plaque reveals Scythians consumed milk from horses and ruminants
Researchers have deciphered the diet of an important nomadic people in Eastern European history. By analyzing dental calculus, they have provided the first direct evidence that the diet of the Scythians included milk from ...
Phys.org / Kenya's big cats under pressure: Cattle are pushing lions away
In the Kenyan savanna, lions and livestock essentially live in shifts: Cattle graze during the day and are enclosed at night when lions are active.