Phys.org news

Phys.org / Tiny crystal defects solve decades-old mystery in organic light emitters

Materials that emit and manipulate light are at the heart of technologies ranging from solar energy to advanced imaging systems. But even in well-studied materials, some fundamental behaviors remain unexplained. Researchers ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / From ship wakes to soft tissues: Exploring fluid and solid surface-wave physics

A new study by scientists in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) shows that when a pressure disturbance moves across an ultrasoft elastic material, such as a gel or a biological tissue, ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / Video shows that sunbirds suck, while hummingbirds don't

Two unrelated groups of nectar eaters, hummingbirds and sunbirds, have evolved different techniques to slurp the sweet liquid from flowers. The tongue suctioning employed by sunbirds is unique among vertebrates, according ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / Quantum sensors get a precision boost as 2D defects reveal their hidden timing

A key factor for the performance of sensors is the speed at which the system returns to its initial state after a disturbance or measurement, similar to the taring of a balance. In the quantum sensor under investigation, ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / Satellites reveal city methane emissions are rising faster than official estimates

Urban emissions of methane—a potent greenhouse gas—are rising faster than bottom-up accounting estimates anticipated, according to a study led by University of Michigan Engineering. The discrepancy was found with satellite ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / Protein clusters reshape cell movement and may help cells build amino acids faster

Cells can be thought of as cities, with factories, a transport system, and lots of building activity. An international team led by scientists at the University of Groningen studied cells growing under different conditions ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Museum fossil reveals that extinct giant echidnas once roamed Australia

Paleontologists have used an Ice Age fossil found 120 years ago in an underground cave to reveal that extinct giant echidnas roamed southeastern Australia during the Pleistocene Epoch, filling a major knowledge gap in the ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / Date palm waste yields bio-oil, unlocking energy use for 150 million trees

Researchers have developed a method to extract bio-oil from the surface fiber waste of date palm trees, an abundant, low-cost, and sustainable biomass resource generated by an estimated 150 million date palm trees worldwide. ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / Combining ion pumps and click chemistry enables precise drug release in the body

How can a drug be released or activated exactly where and when it is needed in the body? For many treatments, particularly in cancer therapy, the active compound should ideally act only at a specific site. Yet in practice, ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / Plants use a protein-tagging complex to control stress survival, study finds

A specific cellular mechanism regulates the protein balance of plants, thereby influencing how they respond to environmental stress. An international research team led by Dr. Markus Wirtz at the Center for Organismal Studies ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / Designing better membrane proteins by embracing imperfection

Scientists at the VIB–VUB Center for Structural Biology have uncovered a counterintuitive principle that could reshape how membrane proteins are designed from scratch: Sometimes, making a protein less stable helps it fold ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / A tiny twist and synthetic diamond put superconductivity on a switch, opening a new route to lossless electronics

Researchers have discovered evidence that superconductivity can be controlled by influencing the surrounding environment, a finding that may lead to more efficient electronics down the road, according to a new study published ...

23 hours ago