Phys.org news
Phys.org / Do political social media ads influence the outcome of elections?
Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and X, are accessed daily by millions of people worldwide. In the weeks or months leading up to elections, many political parties use social media platforms as part of their ...
Phys.org / ChatGPT can provide original mathematical proofs, researchers show
VUB's Data Analytics Lab has published new results showing that it is possible to develop original mathematical proofs using commercial language models. In a paper posted to the arXiv preprint server, the researchers show ...
Phys.org / Not just spin—electron orbitals can provide new method for controlling magnetism
Research is actively underway to develop a "dream memory" that can reduce heat generation in smartphones and laptops while delivering faster performance and lower power consumption. Korean researchers propose a new possibility ...
Phys.org / Location of reforestation projects has greater effect on climate than number of trees planted, study shows
In the fight against the climate crisis, countries are pinning great hope in reforestation projects. In a new study, ETH Zurich researchers show that the location in which reforestation is taking place is usually more important ...
Phys.org / A galaxy next door is transforming, and astronomers can see it happening
The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is one of the Milky Way's closest galactic neighbors—a small, gas-rich galaxy visible to the naked eye from the southern hemisphere, and bound to our galaxy by gravity, alongside its companion, ...
Phys.org / Ice satellite detects powerful geomagnetic storm with precision
It seems improbable that a satellite designed to monitor polar ice sheets and floating sea ice could accurately measure a disturbance in Earth's magnetic field. But that is just what ESA's CryoSat mission did earlier this ...
Phys.org / Plastic bottles transformed into Parkinson's drug using bacteria
A drug to treat Parkinson's disease can be made from waste plastic bottles using a pioneering method, a study shows. The approach harnesses the power of bacteria to transform post-consumer plastic into L-DOPA, a frontline ...
Phys.org / Frog-cell 'neurobots' grow self-organized nervous systems and alter gene activity
Biobots, whose growing line of variants started with xenobots, are fascinating tiny self-powered living robots built exclusively using frog embryonic cells. Originally developed in the laboratories of Wyss Institute Associate ...
Phys.org / Hunted by Neanderthals, giant elephants traveled hundreds of kilometers across ice-age Europe
Neumark-Nord in northeastern Germany was a lake landscape in the last interglacial period. It is rich in archaeological finds discovered during lignite mining. The area in Saxony-Anhalt is one of the most important European ...
Phys.org / Cannibalism takes major bite out of young blue crabs, but the shallows offer a refuge
The Chesapeake Bay's most popular crustacean has a dark streak. Cannibalism is the No. 1 killer of juvenile blue crabs in mid-salinity waters where they are known to congregate, according to a new study from the Smithsonian ...
Phys.org / Ocean bacteria team up to break down biodegradable plastic
Biodegradable plastics could help alleviate the plastic waste crisis that is polluting the environment and harming our health. But how long plastics take to degrade and how environmental bacteria work together to break them ...
Phys.org / Amazonian chocolate: Combining cocoa clones with different post-harvest processes balances flavor and nutritional value
Chocolate produced in the Amazon is internationally recognized for its unique flavor. A study by researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil has shown that it could be even more valuable. The analysis indicates ...
