Phys.org news
Phys.org / Ultra-efficient optical sensors can keep light circulating longer inside a microscopic chip
CU Boulder researchers have built high-performing optical microresonators, opening the door for new sensor technologies. At its simplest form, a microresonator is a tiny device that can trap light and build up its intensity. ...
Phys.org / Auroras on Ganymede and Earth share striking similarities
New observations of Ganymede reveal a striking similarity between the auroras on the largest moon in the solar system and those on Earth. The international team of astrophysicists, led by researchers from the University of ...
Phys.org / Breadcrumbs offer fossil fuel–free production of everyday goods
The humble breadcrumb could hold the key to cutting out fossil fuels from one of the chemical industry's most widely used reactions, according to a new study. Scientists have found a one-pot microbial formula that uses waste ...
Phys.org / Animal muscles inspire biomaterial design for agriculture, fabrics and medicine
Natural muscle fibers are made up of spring-like proteins that can contract and stretch without losing their original form, dissipate mechanical energy as heat and maintain incredible tensile strength for all sorts of physical ...
Phys.org / Prussian blue goes from pigment to purification
The deep, murky pigment known as Prussian blue put the "blue" in traditional blueprints, colored Hokusai's "Great Wave off Kanagawa" and today is used for industrial purposes, from laundry to battery components to poison ...
Dialog / Bringing quantum ideas to the messy world of disordered proteins
Imagine trying to design a key for a lock that is constantly changing its shape. That is the exact challenge we face in modern drug discovery when dealing with intrinsically disordered proteins.
Phys.org / Diamond owl swoops in with new method to keep electronics cool
At Rice University, a research lab's signature keepsake has helped perfect a method for growing patterned diamond surfaces that could help decrease operating temperatures in electronics by 23 degrees Celsius. The paper is ...
Phys.org / Tuning in to fluorescence to farm smarter: Monitoring plant light use saves indoor farm energy costs
Plant owners with a so-called green thumb often seem to have a more finely tuned sense of what their plants need than the rest of us. A new "smart lighting" system for indoor vertical farms grants this ability on a facility-wide ...
Phys.org / Missing geomagnetic reversals: Earth's past may be incomplete
Several studies have predicted that not all geomagnetic reversals have been discovered, but it was unknown in which periods they might be hidden. Researchers led by the National Institute of Polar Research used a statistical ...
Phys.org / Scientists isolate climatic fingerprints of wildfires and volcanic eruptions
Volcanoes and wildfires can inject millions of tons of gases and aerosol particles into the air, affecting temperatures on a global scale. But picking out the specific impact of individual events against a background of many ...
Phys.org / Reading the enemy: How genome science is reshaping the fight against wheat stem rust
In 2013, farmers in the highlands of Ethiopia began to notice something unsettling: a familiar variety of wheat was failing in an unfamiliar way. Stems weakened, plants collapsed, and fields that had once held firm against ...
Phys.org / Plant hormone therapy could improve global food security by balancing growth with immunity
Plants have an immune system, like people, and when it is triggered by threats like disease or pests, a plant's defenses are activated. But there's a downside to this protective mechanism: the plant's growth is suppressed ...
