Phys.org news

Phys.org / The ornate horns of ancient marvel Lokiceratops point to evolutionary insights

What do you get when you cross Norse mythology with a 78-million-year-old ancestor to the Triceratops? Answer: Lokiceratops rangiformis, a plant-eating dinosaur with a very fancy set of horns.

Jun 20, 2024 in Biology
Phys.org / Striking new Webb image showing alignment of bipolar jets confirms star formation theories

For the first time, a phenomenon astronomers have long hoped to image directly has been captured by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope's Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). In this stunning image of the Serpens Nebula, ...

Jun 20, 2024 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Iron meteorites hint that our infant solar system was more doughnut than dartboard

Four and a half billion years ago, our solar system was a cloud of gas and dust swirling around the sun, until gas began to condense and accrete along with dust to form asteroids and planets. What did this cosmic nursery, ...

Jun 20, 2024 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Spectroscopic technique that singles out water molecules lying on the surface reveals how they relax after being excited

A more complete picture of how excited water molecules at an interface with air lose their energy has been uncovered by RIKEN scientists in a study published in the journal Nature Communications. This finding will be valuable ...

Jun 20, 2024 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Turning infrared light visible: New device uses 2D material to up-convert infrared light

The human eye can only see light at certain frequencies (called the visible spectrum), the lowest of which constitutes red light. Infrared light, which we can't see, has an even lower frequency than red light. Researchers ...

Jun 20, 2024 in Physics
Phys.org / A ship found far off Israel's coast could shed light on the navigation skills of ancient mariners

A company drilling for natural gas off the coast of northern Israel discovered a 3,300-year-old ship and its cargo, one of the oldest known examples of a ship sailing far from land, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Thursday.

Jun 20, 2024 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / New photonic chip spawns nested topological frequency comb

Scientists on the hunt for compact and robust sources of multicolored laser light have generated the first topological frequency comb. Their result, which relies on a small silicon nitride chip patterned with hundreds of ...

Jun 20, 2024 in Physics
Phys.org / Gravesite in France offers evidence of steppe migrant integration with Late Neolithic Europeans

A team of geneticists and archaeologists affiliated with multiple institutions in France has uncovered skeletons in an ancient gravesite not far from Paris that show evidence of steppe migrant integration with Late Neolithic ...

Jun 20, 2024 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / An alternative way to manipulate quantum states

Researchers at ETH Zurich have shown that quantum states of single electron spins can be controlled by currents of electrons whose spins are evenly aligned. In the future, this method could be used in electronic circuit elements.

Jun 20, 2024 in Physics
Phys.org / Scientists discover surprising link between ancient biology and restricted human hair growth

University of Manchester scientists have linked one of the ways that cells respond to stressful conditions with restricted healthy hair growth.

Jun 20, 2024 in Biology
Phys.org / Scientists find further evidence that climate change could make fungi more dangerous

A team of medical researchers and infectious disease specialists affiliated with multiple institutions in China, working with a pair of colleagues, one from Singapore, the other from Canada, has found evidence bolstering ...

Jun 20, 2024 in Biology
Phys.org / Scientists devise algorithm to engineer improved enzymes

Scientists have prototyped a new method for "rationally engineering" enzymes to deliver improved performance. They have devised an algorithm, which takes into account an enzyme's evolutionary history, to flag where mutations ...

Jun 20, 2024 in Biology