Phys.org news
Dialog / What happens to cigarette butts after 10 years in the environment
Cigarette butts are the most common form of litter worldwide. Trillions are discarded every year in cities, parks, beaches, along railway tracks and roadside environments. Despite their small size, these remnants of smoked ...
Phys.org / Charcoal records reveal 'unprecedented' wildfires in tropical peatlands during 20th century
A new study reveals an unprecedented increase in wildfires in tropical peatlands during the 20th century. "Unprecedented burning in tropical peatlands during the 20th century compared to the previous two millennia" is published ...
Phys.org / 'Rock clock' refines time measurement of Earth's early complex animal life
How can we measure time more than 500 million years into the past? A study recently published in Nature Communications by researchers at the University of Lausanne presents a new geological "rock clock" that allows major ...
Phys.org / Physicists trace the sun's magnetic engine, 200,000 kilometers below its surface
Every eleven years, the sun's magnetic field flips. Sunspots—dark, cooler regions on the sun's surface that mark intense magnetic activity and often trigger solar eruptions—appear at mid-latitudes and migrate toward the star's ...
Phys.org / Light-activated material offers new approach to carbon dioxide conversion
Scientists have developed a new material that can use sunlight and water to convert carbon dioxide (CO₂) into carbon monoxide (CO)—a key building block for making fuels, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other everyday chemicals. ...
Phys.org / AI model predicts chemical effects on gene expression, speeding drug discovery
Inside a diseased cell, the genes are in chaos. Some are receiving signals to overproduce a protein. Others are reducing activity to abnormal levels. Up is down and down is up. The right molecule could restore order, reversing ...
Phys.org / The cactus on your desk is an evolution speed machine
The cactus on your windowsill may grow slowly, but new research shows that cacti are surprisingly fast at creating new species. Biologists have long thought that pollinators and specialized flowers drive the formation of ...
Phys.org / Asteroid Bennu's rugged surface baffled NASA—now, we finally know why
In one of the biggest surprises of NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, its target asteroid, Bennu, turned out to be a jagged, rugged world covered in large boulders, with few of the smooth patches that earlier observations from Earth-based ...
Phys.org / Ultrathin BiFeO₃ breaks the 30 nm limit, delivering fourfold stronger piezoelectricity
Piezoelectric materials, which convert mechanical stress into electricity and vice versa, are essential components in sensors, actuators, and energy-harvesting devices. However, the best piezoelectric materials, such as lead ...
Phys.org / New rare bird species discovered in Japan
A previously unknown species of leaf warbler has been discovered in Japan. The Ijima's Leaf Warbler has proven to be two different species, not just one. Every year, a few new bird species are identified around the world. ...
Phys.org / Large craters offer clues to the origin of asteroid 16 Psyche
Even 200 years after asteroid 16 Psyche was discovered, astronomers continue to puzzle over its formation. Psyche is the 10th-most massive asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, and the largest known metallic ...
Phys.org / From dust to planets: Parabolic flight reveal a turbulent path
How does fine dust aggregate into building blocks that ultimately form entire planets like our Earth? A research team led by the University of Bern, with the participation of ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich and the National ...
