Phys.org news
Phys.org / How an influx of salt may affect microbial ecosystems in rivers, estuaries and coastal waters worldwide
As sea levels rise due to climate change, encroaching seawater will likely make freshwater environments saltier. In a new study, MIT researchers have shown how that increase in salinity might affect microbial ecosystems found ...
Phys.org / To learn how tough a material is, engineers find its breaking point
A recent study examined a transparent material used in high-impact applications such as helicopter windshields at the molecular level to measure its toughness. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and ...
Phys.org / How human activities compromise coral health and resilience
Human activities are fundamentally altering the chemical makeup of coral reefs, according to a study led by the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and published in Nature Communications. The research team discovered that 25 contaminants ...
Phys.org / In search of life beyond our solar system: Atmosphere detected on a habitable-zone rocky world
In a major milestone in the search for life on other planets, astronomers have detected, for the first time, an atmosphere surrounding an Earth-like, rocky planet orbiting within the habitable zone of another star. The finding ...
Phys.org / A new record holder for the world's oldest amber discovered in China
Paleontologists in China have discovered the oldest chemically verified amber ever found, dating to 385 million years ago. That's approximately 140 million years before dinosaurs roamed Earth. The previous record holder was ...
Phys.org / Quantum teleportation could reduce photon loss in long-distance communications
Quantum technologies, which leverage the principles of quantum mechanics, have been found to outperform their classical counterparts on specific tasks. Among other things, past studies have highlighted the potential of quantum ...
Phys.org / Brain-inspired nanopore device uses current-induced heating for memory operations
Some researchers are leaning into biology for inspiration in computing. In particular, neuromorphic computing offers a brain-inspired approach to hardware that replaces traditional binary processing with systems that function ...
Phys.org / Nearby rocky planet may be replenishing helium from atmosphere, study finds
Nearly a decade after the discovery of LHS 1140b, a rocky exoplanet in the habitable zone of a nearby low-mass star, a new study reveals that the object may have its own atmosphere.
Phys.org / Scientists invent new board games to reveal how we tackle the unknown
Playing board games can be fun, challenging, infuriating and a great way to pass the time. They can also help scientists understand how we solve new problems.
Phys.org / Rare mutations are helping dangerous hospital bacteria slip past the last-line antibiotic defense
Another last-resort antibiotic has fallen victim to the rapid evolution of drug-resistant superbugs. The powerful antibiotic combination ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA), widely used to treat severe hospital-acquired infections ...
Phys.org / Tunas and other ocean predators may have evolved more slowly than previous research predicted
Today, oceans host a large variety of fast, resilient marine predators, including tunas, mackerels and various other fish species. Many of these fish belong to a lineage known as Scombridae, whose members are characterized ...
Phys.org / Chemists shrink gallium nitride, the material behind LED lighting, into nanocrystals
Nanocrystals are so useful that they formed the basis of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. But despite their usefulness, scientists have so far been able to make these microscopic crystals from only a limited palette of ...
