Phys.org news
Phys.org / Sunken Silk Road city reveals Central Asia's lost history
The sun had barely risen, but diver Elizaveta Bodrova was already raring to plunge into the cold waters of Lake Issyk-Kul, where the ruins of a once-thriving city have lain submerged for centuries.
Phys.org / Long-term logging experiment reveals how protecting the forest floor helps preserve soil carbon
Forest soils store an estimated 40% of the world's terrestrial carbon, but estimates suggest that around 15–30% of that soil carbon is lost when a forest is harvested. Tracking such losses can be tricky: wildfires, insects, ...
Phys.org / Modern forensics reveals human sacrifice in ancient Egypt's royal burials
Over 500 years before the building of the Great Pyramid in Egypt, First Dynasty kings were buried in a tomb surrounded by many burials of household officials and artisans—many of which seem to have taken place at the same ...
Phys.org / Quantum interactions may have locked early universe's fields into existing energy states
The universe may be trapped in its own comfort zone, and a researcher in the College of Engineering and Computer Science has helped explain why it cannot seem to leave. A new study suggests the universe could be locked into ...
Phys.org / Extinct bovine species discovered in Siberia reveals lost relative of yaks
DNA analyses of ancient remains have revealed a previously unknown extinct bovine species that inhabited southern Siberia during and even before the last ice age. The extinct species was related to modern yaks but followed ...
Phys.org / Tortoises win support, hyenas face doubts in survey on adding exotic wildlife to UK parks
Zebras grazing in a UK park might sound like the stuff of a high-budget Hollywood blockbuster, but new research suggests it could one day be vital in the fight against climate change, and that the British public might not ...
Phys.org / Quantum systems never quite forget where they came from
Even the most chaotic quantum systems keep a permanent mark of their own past—a "quantum birthmark"—that never fades. Researchers from Tampere University, Harvard University and TU Dresden discovered the feature in their ...
Phys.org / Atomic motion could help push solar cells beyond conventional limits
The bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE), a photoelectric effect that generates photocurrent without a p–n junction, can persist even when a material's average crystal structure remains centrosymmetric, a study from Institute ...
Phys.org / Forests are dying along North Carolina's coast—and it's speeding up
A new study finds that coastal forest loss in North Carolina's Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula began accelerating after 2010 and may still be speeding up. The study also found that North Carolina lost more than 20% of its coastal ...
Phys.org / Lipid signals help cells seal the damage from bacterial attacks, researchers discover
Epithelial cells form the body's frontline barriers, helping keep microbes, toxins and other harmful substances out. Yet these protective cells are constantly exposed to threats, including microbial infections. Some bacteria ...
Phys.org / Heat-induced nanoscale structures unlock electromechanical properties in ceramics
Scientists have developed a new way to make ceramic materials that can better withstand extreme heat and continue performing reliably in sensors and actuators. The approach creates tiny structures throughout the material ...
Phys.org / What a locust can teach us about how neuromodulators alter odor processing
When you walk into a bakery and smell fresh cookies, the enticing smell draws you in. After you eat a handful of cookies, though, the same smell likely doesn't send you back for more. Researchers in the McKelvey School of ...
