Phys.org news
Phys.org / Quantum trembling: Why there are no truly flat molecules
Traditional chemistry textbooks present a tidy picture: Atoms in molecules occupy fixed positions, connected by rigid rods. A molecule such as formic acid (methanoic acid, HCOOH) is imagined as two-dimensional—flat as a ...
Phys.org / Birds change altitude to survive epic journeys across deserts and seas
Every year, billions of birds undertake extraordinary migrations, crossing vast deserts and open seas with no place to stop, feed, or rest. A new international study published in iScience by a consortium of researchers from ...
Phys.org / Phonon lasers unlock ultrabroadband acoustic frequency combs
Acoustic frequency combs organize sound or mechanical vibrations into a series of evenly spaced frequencies, much like the teeth on a comb. They are the acoustic counterparts of optical frequency combs, which consist of equally ...
Phys.org / Scientists reveal best- and worst-case scenarios for a warming Antarctica
The climate crisis is warming Antarctica fast, with potentially disastrous consequences. Now scientists have modeled the best- and worst-case scenarios for climate change in Antarctica, demonstrating just how high the stakes ...
Phys.org / How root growth is stimulated by nitrate: Researchers decipher signaling chain
When 200 natural accessions of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana grown in a nitrate-enriched medium were compared, one observation stood out: some accessions formed significantly longer lateral roots than others. Genetic ...
Phys.org / Social media advertising suppresses voting in targeted communities, research shows
Messages intended to suppress votes can be precisely delivered to particularly vulnerable and consequential groups of people via social media and keep millions of them from casting ballots, according to a new study that is ...
Phys.org / Neutron scattering helps clarify magnetic behavior in altermagnetic material
Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have identified the true source of a magnetic effect seen in the material ruthenium dioxide (RuO₂), helping resolve an active debate in the rapidly growing field of ...
Phys.org / Americium, curium and californium—crystallizing the rarest elements
Actinides are a group of heavy, radioactive elements that include uranium, plutonium, americium, curium, berkelium and californium. Understanding how these elements bond with other atoms (known as coordination chemistry), ...
Phys.org / Blood marker from dementia research could help track aging across the animal world
A protein called neurofilament light chain (NfL)—studied in humans in the context of neurodegenerative diseases and aging—is also detectable in the blood of numerous animals, and NfL levels increase with age in mice, ...
Phys.org / Scientists home in on Acinetobacter baumannii's resistance evolution
Acinetobacter baumannii is a bacteria which can become a virulent killer in health-care settings among severely ill patients. The germ has rapidly developed drug resistance to even last-line carbapenem drugs. Now a group ...
Phys.org / Study identifies oaks, dry duff and debris as top power line failure risks
Wildfires and power outages caused by vegetation near powerlines have contributed to some of the state's most destructive fires.
Phys.org / A hidden step before meiosis could reshape efforts to treat infertility
In human cells, DNA carries chemical or "epigenetic" marks that decide how genes will be used in different tissues. Yet in a group of specialized cells, known as "germ cells," which will later form sperm and eggs, these inherited ...
