Phys.org news

Phys.org / Italians and Dutch share the same gestural instinct for teaching, research reveals

Italians are famous for speaking with their hands. But a new international study suggests that when it comes to teaching children, adults everywhere instinctively become more expressive with their gestures—even in cultures ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / A 'Balrog' in the tunnels: Scientists discover a new cave cricket species on the tiny island of Kastellorizo, Greece

Despite the intensity of modern exploration, the eastern Mediterranean continues to yield unexpected discoveries. On the small Greek island of Kastellorizo, researchers have documented a previously unknown cave cricket thriving ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Electrical 'knob' can switch light on, off and tune intensity at the nanoscale

Physicists from Emory University have led work to develop a microscopic, nonlinear light source that can be switched on, off or tuned to a particular intensity by an electrical "knob." The paper is published in the journal ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / MIZ-ing in action: How much of Antarctic sea ice is affected by waves?

Using old satellite radar techniques, scientists have developed a new way of measuring the true extent of an understudied and crucial region of the Antarctic sea-ice system for the first time. The Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / The solar wind's secret hammerheads and what they tell us about heat in space

The proton sharks showed up on a Friday. In a routine data calibration meeting for NASA's Parker Solar Probe in 2020, a small group of scientists were scrolling through visualizations of their data showing solar winds. Suddenly, ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Global food shock model reveals self-sufficiency alone may not prevent crises

Global food systems are fragile. Recent shocks such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have raised prices and exacerbated food insecurity. Governments are increasingly trying to shield ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Spin wave signals used in computing boosted more than 5,000 times in Z-shaped path approach

A research team from Tohoku University, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) has invented a new way to efficiently guide spin waves around sharp corners with minimal loss—representing ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / New Gulf Coast plan uses ocean technology to trap carbon dioxide

The motion of the ocean may be the key to removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, so University of Houston researchers set out to determine which U.S. coastlines are best suited for the process in a new study.

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Quantum vibronics research points to future energy and computing technologies

Scientists at the University of California, Riverside are making breakthroughs in understanding how quantum wave functions move across ultra-thin materials—research that could eventually improve solar energy technologies ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Crops predictably select growth boosting microbes regardless of soil type, study finds

A new study shows crop species, and not soil type, primarily determines the beneficial functions provided by root-associated microbes. In the study, soil obtained from across nine UK locations was used to cultivate six key ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Sensitivity of Antarctic ice to climate change sharply increased after ice age shift, study shows

A new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience by researchers at the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at Pusan National University in South Korea shows that the Antarctic ice sheet became more sensitive to climate ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Improved embryo freezing technique could preserve endangered species

The current practice of freezing embryos—used to assist reproduction in humans or animals or to conserve endangered species—routinely causes ice to form within the cells, ripping through cell membranes, changing the way proteins ...

19 hours ago