Phys.org news
Phys.org / Climate policies: The swing voters that determine their fate
The climate measures currently in place are unlikely to meet Paris Climate Agreement targets. Whether further political measures can move us closer to the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees and combating climate ...
Phys.org / Solid but fluid: New materials reconfigure their entire crystal structure in response to humidity
Most solid materials we rely on, from steel, to plastics and ceramics, are designed to have specific properties. Whether a material is soft and flexible, or stiff and tough depends on how molecules within the material are ...
Phys.org / Watching quantum behavior in action: MagnetoARPES reveals time-reversal symmetry breaking in a kagome superconductor
Electron movement and structures described in quantum physics allow researchers to better understand how and why materials like superconductors behave as they do. Rice University researchers Jianwei Huang and Ming Yi have ...
Phys.org / Ancient DNA reveals Ice Age mammals thrived after volcanic eruption
For the first time, scientists have used DNA preserved in ancient sediments to examine how a major natural disaster affected animal populations. A new study of a catastrophic volcanic eruption during the Ice Age has found ...
Phys.org / Oval orbit casts new light on black hole–neutron star mergers
Scientists have uncovered the first robust evidence of a black hole and neutron star crashing together but orbiting in an oval path rather than a perfect circle just before they merged. This discovery challenges long-standing ...
Phys.org / DNA barcoding reveals which gene-therapy nanoparticles reach targets in vivo
Drug delivery researchers have vastly improved the potential of genetic therapies by overcoming the challenge of consistently getting genes and gene-editing tools where they need to be within cells. Findings of the study ...
Phys.org / New research shows path to affordable water in fast-growing cities
By 2050, up to half the world's urban population will face water scarcity. A new model of water supply, demand, and policies in a drought-prone city of 7 million in India shows how policies could prevent the poor from bearing ...
Phys.org / Study captures single polymer segments sticking and slipping on surfaces
Kyushu University researchers have directly observed, for the first time, how individual polymers—chain-like molecules—behave when in contact with solid surfaces. Published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, ...
Phys.org / Researchers mix X-rays and optical light to track speedy electrons in materials
To unlock materials of the future, including better photocatalysts or light-switchable superconductors, researchers need to understand how the valence electrons within materials respond to light at the atomic scale. Materials ...
Phys.org / Japanese scientists discover how falling cats almost always make perfect landings
When cats fall, they usually land on their feet. This uncanny ability to right themselves before hitting the ground has long puzzled scientists. Now, a team from Yamaguchi University in Japan has the answer, and it's all ...
Phys.org / New exoplanet survey method finds high rates of closely orbiting planets
Up until now, exoplanet surveys have mostly focused on nearby, bright stars that are sun-like or are red dwarfs, which are known to frequently host planets. While astronomers have discovered thousands of planets this way, ...
Phys.org / New African species confirms evolutionary origin of magic mushrooms
A long-standing debate about the evolutionary origin of the world's most widely cultivated "magic mushroom"—Psilocybe cubensis—may now have been settled by scientists from southern Africa and the United States.
