Phys.org news
Phys.org / Glass nanostructures reflect nearly all visible light, challenging photonics assumptions
A research team led by SUTD has created nanoscale glass structures with near-perfect reflectance, overturning long-held assumptions about what low-index materials can do in photonics.
Phys.org / Biomass satellite returns striking first images of forests and more
Today, at the Living Planet Symposium, ESA revealed the first stunning images from its Biomass satellite mission—marking a major leap forward in our ability to understand how Earth's forests are changing and exactly how ...
Phys.org / Big possum that lived 60 million years ago unearthed in Texas
They say everything's bigger in Texas. And that appears to be true, at least in the case of a group of ancient near-marsupials scientists call Swaindelphys.
Phys.org / Unexpected mineral in a Ryugu grain challenges paradigm of the nature of primitive asteroids
The pristine samples from asteroid Ryugu returned by the Hayabusa2 mission on December 6, 2020, have been vital to improving the understanding of primitive asteroids and the formation of the solar system. The C-type asteroid ...
Phys.org / Physicists confirm elusive quantum spin liquid in new study
An international team of scientists led by Rice University's Pengcheng Dai has confirmed the existence of emergent photons and fractionalized spin excitations in a rare quantum spin liquid. Published in Nature Physics on ...
Phys.org / Earth's satellites at risk if asteroid smashes into moon: Study
If a huge asteroid smashes into the moon in 2032, the gigantic explosion would send debris streaming toward Earth that would threaten satellites and create a spectacular meteor shower, according to researchers.
Phys.org / Meteorite-common amino acid induces formation of nanocavities in clay mineral, hinting at life's origins
Researchers at the universities of Amsterdam and Utrecht have observed the formation of nanocavities in montmorillonite clay under exposure to gamma-aminobutyric acid, a molecule commonly found on meteorites. This hitherto ...
Phys.org / Gorillas' tree time rivals chimpanzees: Even silverbacks spend hours foraging above ground, study finds
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, as well as Rocky Vista University (U.S.), show that gorillas spend much more time in the trees than previously thought.
Phys.org / Reconstructing the shattered visage of Queen Hatshepsut
Re-assessment of damaged statues depicting the famous female pharaoh Hatshepsut questions the prevailing view that they were destroyed as an act of defilement, indicating Hatshepsut was treated similarly to earlier pharaohs ...
Phys.org / Upcycling plastic into painkillers: Microbes transform everyday waste into acetaminophen
Paracetamol (acetaminophen) production could be revolutionized by the discovery that a common bacterium can turn everyday plastic waste into the painkiller. The new method leaves virtually no carbon emissions and is more ...
Phys.org / Vera Rubin observatory reveals stunning first images
Breathtaking stellar nurseries, a sprawling stretch of cosmos teeming with millions of galaxies, and thousands of newly discovered asteroids were revealed Monday in the first deep space images captured by the Vera C. Rubin ...
Phys.org / Massive burps of carbon dioxide triggered widespread ocean anoxia 300 million years ago, sediment cores suggest
New research from the University of California, Davis, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Texas A&M University reveals that massive emissions, or burps, of carbon dioxide from natural Earth systems led to significant decreases ...
