Phys.org news

Phys.org / New model maps solar storms across 1 million miles around Earth

A team at the Applied Physics Lab is working to understand the complex science behind predicting invisible threats that can quickly cripple electric grid infrastructure on Earth.

5 hours ago
Phys.org / Capturing the cosmic 'drift' before a star is born

Stars like our sun are formed from the collapse of stellar objects called prestellar cores, cold and dense concentrations of gas and dust held together by gravity. While many questions remain about the exact mechanisms of ...

12 hours ago
Phys.org / Could exoplanets locked in eternal day and endless night support life?

Ever so slightly bigger than Earth, the exoplanet LHS 3844b orbits its parent star, LHS 3844, a red dwarf 48.5 light-years from our solar system. Its rotational speed mirrors its orbital speed. The result? One side of LHS ...

5 hours ago
Phys.org / Tiny mountain lakes pose big, overlooked flood risks, new study warns

A new international study involving scientists from the University of Aberdeen has revealed a critical blind spot in global climate risk assessments—the growing danger posed by small alpine lakes formed by glacier retreat ...

6 hours ago
Phys.org / New ligand engineering strategy creates more active nanocluster catalysts

A joint research group from Tohoku University, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University and the Japan Fine Ceramics Center has developed a thermal catalyst that exhibits high carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Morning glories reveal 96% drop in adaptation as pollinator pressure reshapes evolution

Facing both climate change and a crashing pollinator population, plants may be evolving to attract pollinators rather than adapting to a warming climate, and the trade-off has resulted in a steep decline in plants' rate of ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / New catalyst could make mixed plastic waste recyclable in one chemical step

Ever wondered where your plastics end up? A PET bottle can be washed, shredded, melted and given a second life. But most everyday items—toys, mattresses, car seats—are made from different plastics that refuse to mix when ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / AI reveals hidden San Andreas Fault movements

When people think about geological faults, they usually think about earthquakes. Yet faults do not move only during earthquakes. Sometimes they slip silently, without generating noticeable shaking, releasing stress over hours ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / Ancient rocks reveal Earth's past warm periods were cooler than thought

Earth's temperature has been much cooler in the past than previously thought, meaning it could be moving toward the warmest it's ever been.

23 hours ago
Phys.org / Carbon–bismuth bonds reveal that relativity blurs the textbook line between sigma and pi bonds

Brown University chemists have provided direct evidence that upends the textbook explanation of how triple chemical bonds work in heavy elements. In a study published in Science, the researchers show evidence that when atomic ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / Quantum optics may turn this rare visual phenomenon into an eye test

Modern life depends on quantum physics. It makes technologies such as GPS navigation, MRI scanners and computer chips possible. Now, the same science may also lead to a new way to test the health of our eyes. A University ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / Programmable light simulates quantum matter across 300 processes without bigger circuits

A team of researchers at the University of Ottawa and its Nexus for Quantum Technologies Institute, in collaboration with researchers from Federico II University in Italy, has developed a programmable quantum simulator that ...

22 hours ago