Phys.org news
Phys.org / New catalyst could make mixed plastic waste recyclable in one chemical step
Ever wondered where your plastics end up? A PET bottle can be washed, shredded, melted and given a second life. But most everyday items—toys, mattresses, car seats—are made from different plastics that refuse to mix when ...
Phys.org / Krill buildup could slow fin whale filter-feeding unless baleen stays 15% clear
Usually there's safety in numbers, but it doesn't always work that way. Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) filter-feed on immense shoals of krill, engulfing colossal mouthfuls of water containing up to 144 kg of the crustaceans. ...
Phys.org / Using mechanical vibrations instead of magnetic memory for quantum computing
Quantum computers still face limits when it comes to storing information. Researchers at ETH Zurich are now turning to mechanical vibrations rather than electromagnetic memory. Their new vibrating memory can store significantly ...
Phys.org / Wearables to track plant health: Farmers could use real-time information to manage crop conditions
A smartwatch can tell us the level of oxygen in our blood, when our sleep is restless or the number of steps we take in a day. Now imagine that kind of tracking ability for plants. By the time farmers see curling leaves or ...
Phys.org / Genetic crossovers defy chromosome-length model in male and female mice
A Cornell-led study is challenging a decades-old explanation for how chromosomes exchange genetic material within the biological process that forms eggs and sperm in mammals.
Phys.org / Transparent nanosheets could shrink phone cameras while preserving high-resolution color images
Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have developed gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO) nanosheets that may enhance camera resolution in compact devices, including smartphones and medical endoscopes.
Phys.org / Quantum optics may turn this rare visual phenomenon into an eye test
Modern life depends on quantum physics. It makes technologies such as GPS navigation, MRI scanners and computer chips possible. Now, the same science may also lead to a new way to test the health of our eyes. A University ...
Phys.org / Programmable light simulates quantum matter across 300 processes without bigger circuits
A team of researchers at the University of Ottawa and its Nexus for Quantum Technologies Institute, in collaboration with researchers from Federico II University in Italy, has developed a programmable quantum simulator that ...
Phys.org / Falling water levels trigger a surge in methane emissions from Mediterranean reservoirs
Continental aquatic ecosystems, such as lakes and reservoirs, occupy a small proportion of Earth's surface but play a significant role in the global carbon cycle. It is estimated that more than 40% of global methane emissions ...
Phys.org / Neutron imaging reveals how water limits CO₂ storage in recycled concrete
The construction sector faces two problems at once: it emits large amounts of CO₂ and produces vast quantities of concrete waste. But what if part of that waste could be used to trap carbon instead of ending up as rubble?
Phys.org / Self-propelled microparticles scrub stubborn biofilms, improving wound care and instrument cleaning
Newly developed microparticles can infiltrate stubborn bacterial matrices and release tiny oxygen bubbles to clean surfaces and wounds more efficiently than hydrogen peroxide or other cleaning agents alone, researchers at ...
Phys.org / New genomic method to track disease outbreaks globally
Phylo-Plex, a new computational method, has been developed by Wellcome Sanger Institute scientists and their collaborators to allow cost-effective and scalable DNA sequencing of pathogens in laboratories with limited resources. ...
