Phys.org news
Phys.org / It's complicated: New research reveals more about the social networks of baboons and African monkeys
Like people, nonhuman primates live in groups that vary in size and shape depending on the species. Some primate groups are small and simple; others are large and more layered. Over the decades, primatologists have observed ...
Phys.org / Watermelon super-pangenome paves the way for precision breeding
Watermelon is a quintessential summertime fruit, evoking images of warm, sunny afternoons and cookouts with friends and family. You can easily picture its striped, green rind and pink flesh, imagine the delicate crunch as ...
Phys.org / Water and 13 hallmarks of complexity trace path from molecules to life
Many properties of molecules cannot be predicted from the properties of the atoms they consist of. These properties only emerge when they are combined—a phenomenon known in science as "emergence." A publication by Goethe ...
Phys.org / Elastic rules may explain why nematic crystals look ordered and disordered at once
Electronic nematicity is a phase of some crystalline solids in which electrons' collective properties, such as charge or spin densities, organize themselves into ordered patterns, lowering the crystal's rotational symmetry. ...
Phys.org / Microplastics pass through earthworms without accumulating in body tissues, study shows
As much as 40 million metric tons of microplastics are released into the environment globally every year. These tiny pieces of plastic come from larger plastic items that break down or are shed by products such as clothing, ...
Phys.org / Magnetic fields can 'revive' superconductivity in nickelates, research reveals
A research team led by Professor Denver Li Danfeng, Associate Dean (Research and Postgraduate Education) of the College of Science and Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK), ...
Phys.org / Decades of deep sea mining research show threat to seafloor creatures
There's increasing interest in deep-sea mining, but the impacts that this will have on the animals that live in the depths isn't fully understood. A new review led by our scientists is giving us our first insight into how ...
Phys.org / Why are mountain forests in Mexico and Central America hotspots for oak trees? Study shows most definitive answer yet
The mountains of Mexico and Central America harbor some of the greatest biodiversity of oak trees worldwide, and a landmark study conducted by The Morton Arboretum with U.S. and Mexican collaborators provides the most definitive ...
Phys.org / Understanding how lasers can rapidly magnetize fusion plasmas
The mechanism that can cause a rapidly expanding plasma—the superhot state of matter harnessed in fusion energy systems—to spontaneously generate its own magnetic fields was identified through a new set of simulations. This ...
Phys.org / Packed together, they melt differently: What happens when one iceberg enters another's icy wake
Earth's ice is melting. As icebergs break away from glaciers and melt away, the fresh meltwater mixes into its saltwater surroundings. However, icebergs do not exist in isolation. In Greenland, for example, jammed collections ...
Phys.org / Tiny insect brain discovery offers a blueprint for faster and more efficient AI and robots
The secret behind insects' lightning-fast reactions could offer a blueprint for more energy-efficient robots and self-driving cars, according to a new study challenging our understanding of how brains process information. ...
Phys.org / Rotated lithium niobate crystals unlock conductive interfaces in otherwise insulating material
An international research team involving the Institute for Photonic Quantum Systems (PhoQS) at Paderborn University has made significant progress in researching so-called quantum materials. Their extraordinary properties—electrical ...