Phys.org news
Phys.org / Scientists observe water's behavior in a single molecular layer
New research has revealed that water behaves differently when confined to spaces just one molecule thick. For the first time, scientists have directly measured the vibrational signatures of truly two-dimensional water. In ...
Phys.org / Older than the sun: Astronomers find new clues to the origin of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS
Astronomers have used the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) to study the composition of 3I/ATLAS, the brightest interstellar object ever seen, in detail. By measuring specific chemical fingerprints—the ...
Phys.org / Earth's deepest rocks help define upper limit for viscosity beyond which materials effectively become rigid
Viscosity is one of the most fundamental physical properties used to describe how materials flow. It governs the movement of liquids, molten rocks and even slowly deforming regions deep inside the Earth. While scientists ...
Phys.org / New workflow tool gives scientists a clearer view of how DNA is regulated
Researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at NUS have developed a new method that allows scientists to better understand how DNA is organized and regulated inside cells. The study, published ...
Phys.org / China's space probe reaches asteroid after 1-billion-kilometer chase for first sample return
China's Tianwen-2 space probe, which is set to bring back samples from an asteroid for research, has reached its target after traveling 1 billion kilometers (620 million miles) over more than a year, the Chinese space agency ...
Phys.org / Euclid discovers the most ancient quasars in the universe
The European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope has discovered 31 of the most ancient quasars ever found. Two of these giant and dazzling galaxy cores, powered by gargantuan black holes, are the earliest quasars yet observed ...
Phys.org / Researchers use AI to evaluate a systematic framework to describe molecular order in liquid water
Water is the most abundant liquid on Earth's surface, and it is highly anomalous compared with other liquids because it expands upon freezing. The anomalies in water have been linked to how its microscopic structure changes ...
Phys.org / Neutral lipids enable precision control over supramolecular polymerization
The formation of supramolecular polymers within living cells is an emerging strategy for regulating cellular functions, and lipid droplets (LDs) are promising environments for such processes. LDs are cellular organelles composed ...
Phys.org / Scattered bronze bells in Chinese lord's 2,600-year-old tomb point to ritual deactivation
When archaeologists opened the 2,600-year-old tomb of an ancient Chinese lord, they discovered his magnificent bronze bells had been scattered, their wooden hangings broken. But the most mysterious part of all: This was apparently ...
Phys.org / Rats show empathy, according to model
A rat first frees a cagemate rat and then shares food with it. Is this animal just as empathetic as humans? In an American study from 2011, researchers observed that rats first freed their fellow rats from a cage and then ...
Phys.org / Rare 309-million-year-old fossils suggest early tetrapods developed without tadpole phase
Scientists have long posited that the earliest water animals to transition to land had amphibious tadpole features, going through a metamorphosis akin to that of today's frogs.
Phys.org / European cities short on shade as heat waves hit, urban mapping reveals
More than four in five homes and workplaces across 25 European cities have less nearby tree canopy than what is needed for meaningful cooling, according to an open-data analysis by an urban greening expert.