Phys.org news

Phys.org / Helical liquid crystals can flip light's chirality under ultralow electric fields

The direction in which the electromagnetic field of circularly polarized light rotates can be easily reversed by applying a voltage, RIKEN researchers have demonstrated. This could enable a new generation of optical devices ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Cosmic collision of galaxies mapped by Maunakea telescope

An astronomer at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo is using data from the Canada–France–Hawaiʻi Telescope (CFHT) on Maunakea to help reconstruct a slow-motion cosmic collision, one that has been unfolding for hundreds of ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Nature's photocopiers caught 'doodling'—scientists say it could revolutionize how DNA is written

New research has discovered that the molecular machines responsible for copying our DNA have a surprising hidden talent—an ability to create entirely new and highly sophisticated DNA sequences from scratch. The study, led ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / Molecular system can distinguish and neutralize cancer cells, paving the way for 'smart' drugs

How can cancer cells be targeted without damaging healthy tissue? This is one of the major challenges facing oncology today. Using synthetic DNA strands, a team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has created a "smart" ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / Useful quantum computers could be built with as few as 10,000 qubits, team finds

Quantum computers of the future may be closer to reality thanks to new research from Caltech and Oratomic, a Caltech-linked start-up company. Theorists and experimentalists teamed up to develop a new approach for reducing ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / One of cholera's great enemies is found in the human gut

Cholera-causing bacteria are locked in an evolutionary arms race with a viral nemesis, according to a new genomic study. Researchers have found that, in the Ganges Delta, cholera bacteria rapidly gain and lose special armor ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / New microporous aerogel uses van der Waals forces for flexible, moldable shaping

Porous materials are widely used for gas storage, separation, catalysis, and environmental purification. Their functionality arises from nanoscale pores that allow molecules to be selectively captured or transported. However, ...

16 hours ago
Phys.org / Ghost bat dialects emerge across colonies, study suggests

Accents are usually thought of as a human trait, indicating where a person has grown up or the communities they belong—and new research shows the same dialects can also occur in Australia's largest carnivorous bat.

17 hours ago
Phys.org / A new way to detect breakthroughs in science: Large-scale analysis reveals 'disruptive' innovations in research history

The history of science and technology is marked by major breakthroughs—the theory of evolution, the splitting of the atom, the development of antibiotics—and a research team including faculty at Binghamton University, State ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Analysis tracks 20 years of coastal species shifts in the Gulf of Maine

Researchers from the University of Maine, in partnership with the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), are analyzing more than 20 years of fishery survey data from the Gulf of Maine to examine how environmental change ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Building desktop particle accelerators to unlock new realms of research

Using high-intensity lasers, researchers have taken an important step toward miniaturization of particle accelerators by demonstrating free-electron laser amplification at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths (27–50 nm), with ...

23 hours ago
Phys.org / Phosphorus spikes linked to ancient marine mass extinctions

Researchers have uncovered new evidence that short-lived spikes in ocean phosphorus may have played a major role in two of the most severe marine extinctions in Earth's history. Dr. Matthew Dodd from The University of Western ...

20 hours ago