Phys.org news

Phys.org / Distant galaxy fades 20-fold in just two decades, challenging how supermassive black holes evolve

An international team led by a researcher at the Chiba Institute of Technology has discovered an extremely rare phenomenon: a galaxy about 10 billion light-years away whose brightness dropped to one-twentieth of its original ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Ice Age animals and slice of Earth history found in central Texas water cave

A paleontologist from The University of Texas at Austin has discovered the fossilized remains of Ice Age animals that have never been found in Central Texas before—and he came across the bones while snorkeling for fossils ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / How plants stop growing to survive stress: Retired scientist's persistence reveals insight to boost farm yields

UC Riverside researchers have identified a mechanism that allows plants to rapidly slow growth in response to extreme environmental stress. The finding could help farmers grow more resilient crops, and one researcher continued ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / 'Cool' detectors cut neutrino mass upper limit by an order of magnitude

Their mass is extremely low, but how light are neutrinos really? A collaboration comprising German and international research groups has optimized its experiments to determine the mass of these "ghost particles." In doing ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / Hearing research traces evolution of key inner ear protein

In the intricate machinery of the inner ear, hearing begins with a protein that moves a few billionths of a meter up to 100,000 times per second. That protein, called TMC1, sits at the tips of sensory hair cells deep in the ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Webb and Hubble share the most comprehensive view of Saturn to date

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope have teamed up to capture new views of Saturn, revealing the planet in strikingly different ways. Observing in complementary wavelengths of light, the two space ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / Silicon nanospheres boost WS₂ second-harmonic generation 40-fold while preserving polarization

A research team has demonstrated that silicon nanospheres can strongly enhance second-harmonic generation (SHG) from an atomically thin semiconductor while preserving the circular polarization information tied to its valley ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / Organocatalytic strategy provides a metal-free route to antiviral candidates

A research team led by Prof. Sun Jianwei has achieved an advancement in organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry by developing an air-stable chiral phosphine-catalyzed enantioselective approach to synthesize enantioenriched ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Why no individual is like another when epigenetics come into play

Why do animals behave differently, and what are the consequences of this? A research team from the Collaborative Research Center NC³ at Bielefeld University and the University of Münster now provides a new explanation: ...

23 hours ago
Phys.org / Advanced dating method reveals age of Pacific coral architecture

Application of an advanced dating technique establishes the first precise construction timeline for houses built out of coral in French Polynesia. The findings reveal previously hidden patterns of architectural development ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / Microtubules discovered to play an active role in correctly distributing chromosomes during cell division

Microtubules, the dynamic filaments that form the cell's internal scaffolding, have long been viewed as mere passive structural supports. But a new study reveals they play a far more active signaling role. The findings, published ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / Seismic activity in California varies with the seasons

Earthquakes occur when the tectonic plates of the Earth's crust shift, jolting past each other in a release of built-up tension. However, other natural forces can also influence seismic activity: Hydrological dynamics, like ...

21 hours ago