Phys.org news
Phys.org / The first direct observation of laser-created isolated hopfions
Over the past few decades, some physicists worldwide have been investigating unusual particle-like magnetic structures known as topological solitons. These structures could potentially be leveraged to develop new cutting-edge ...
Phys.org / TikTok algorithm showed a pro-Republican bias during the last US presidential election
TikTok's algorithm did not treat Democrats and Republicans equally during the 2024 US presidential election. According to a paper published in Nature, its recommendation system showed a Republican-leaning skew in three states. ...
Phys.org / Spiral galaxy's brilliant heart shines bright in a new picture from NASA's Webb telescope
A spiral galaxy's brilliant heart outshines everything within sight in a new picture from NASA's Webb Space Telescope.
Phys.org / From flying discs to glowing orbs, these newly opened Pentagon files point somewhere stranger than expected
The Pentagon on Friday released a first batch of secret files documenting reported sightings of unidentified flying objects—some dating back to the 1940s—fanning speculation over whether alien life exists.
Phys.org / Scientists split gentoo penguins into four species, one totally new to science
The four-foot-tall Emperor penguin of Antarctica may be the most iconic member of this unique family of birds, but 17 other species of penguins populate the Southern Hemisphere, many of them confined to isolated islands that ...
Phys.org / Plants evolved distinct functions for two forms of a fundamental signaling molecule, study shows
The molecule cAMP, which plays essential roles in mammalian cells, is less well understood in plants. In a new Science Advances paper, researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and international ...
Phys.org / Vast atmospheric waves on Venus are caused by largest known 'hydraulic jump'
The mysterious origin of an impressive cloud disturbance on Venus has now been revealed by a team including the University of Tokyo. Researchers used numerical models to show that an enormous 6,000-kilometer-wide atmospheric ...
Phys.org / Oceans near record heat again as El Niño conditions begin to build
The European Union's climate monitor said Friday that ocean temperatures are edging toward record highs as conditions shift toward a potentially powerful El Niño weather pattern.
Phys.org / Plants survived the dinosaur-killing asteroid by duplicating genomes, study suggests
When an asteroid as big as Mount Everest struck Earth 66 million years ago, it wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs and roughly a third of life on the planet. But many plants survived the devastation. In a new study published ...
Phys.org / Anion swap unlocks sevenfold CO₂ capture in polyionic liquids
A joint research team from Nitto Boseki Co., Ltd. (Nittobo) and Tohoku University has revealed that polyionic liquids (PILs) can achieve high carbon dioxide (CO₂) adsorption when their counter anions are exchanged. This discovery ...
Phys.org / How Dante's Inferno modeled a planetary impact 500 years before modern science
New research reveals that Dante Alighieri's Inferno wasn't just a masterpiece of literature: it was a gedankenexperiment in impact physics. From multi-ring craters to shockwaves that reshaped the globe, discover how a 14th-century ...
Phys.org / Nearly 3,000 peer-reviewed medical papers have fake citations, AI-assisted audit finds
A new Columbia University School of Nursing AI-assisted audit reveals nearly 3,000 peer-reviewed medical papers have fake citations that do not exist in scientific databases. The results highlight an alarming trend in academic ...
