Phys.org news
Phys.org / Framework unifies the classical and quantum Mpemba effects
Physicists have developed a new theoretical framework which unifies a wide array of seemingly unrelated "Mpemba effects": counterintuitive cases where systems driven further from equilibrium relax faster than those closer ...
Phys.org / How systems science helps keep my flower delivery costs low
When you go out to run errands on the weekend, you're on a "tour" as defined by human mobility researchers. Same if you book a guided tour of a famous city or take a trip on a cruise boat that reaches multiple ports. A characteristic ...
Phys.org / What's inside a masterpiece? Laser scans and AI map paint layers molecule by molecule
Paintings are far more than dabs of oil on canvas. They are complex works of art composed of multiple layers, from primer and glues to the pigments and protective varnishes applied by the artists. Being able to see into these ...
Phys.org / Thawing permafrost becomes 25 to 100 times more permeable, experiments find
Experiments by University of Leeds researchers, published in Earth's Future, have shown that thawing of permafrost makes it between 25 and 100 times more permeable, allowing more climate change forcing gases to escape.
Phys.org / Sacrifice before the cataclysm: The aromas of Pompeii's household altars
The destruction of Pompeii preserved ash residues on the household altars of its inhabitants. An international research team has scientifically investigated for the first time what was burned in Roman incense burners from ...
Phys.org / Quantum researchers engineer extremely precise phonon lasers
When lasers were invented in the 1960s, they opened new avenues for scientific discovery and everyday applications, from scanners at the grocery store to corrective eye surgery. Conventional lasers control photons—individual ...
Phys.org / Scientists solve 40-year-old biological mystery behind sleeping sickness
To survive in the human bloodstream, the African trypanosome parasite wears a "cloak" made of proteins known as a variant surface glycoprotein (VSG). The study, published in Nature Microbiology, identifies the protein that ...
Phys.org / Recovery from sudden permafrost collapse ranges from 10 years to a century, study suggests
Some Arctic regions regain their "greenness" within a decade of a sudden permafrost collapse, while others can take a century or more to recover, researchers report in a new study. The difference is directly related to each ...
Phys.org / Soil bacteria break down toxic chemicals in the environment
Many aromatic compounds, such as phenols, cresols and styrenes, are toxic to organisms and harmful to the environment. They can accumulate as a result of industrial processes and harm ecosystems. Soil bacteria can help to ...
Phys.org / Finding the 'quantum needle' in a haystack: New filtering method can isolate photons
In quantum technologies, everything depends on the ability to detect the properties carried by a single photon. But in the real world, that photon of interest is often buried in a sea of unwanted light—a true "needle in a ...
Phys.org / Tracing the evolutionary history of chemical warfare between plants and insects
A new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution connects plant and insect physiology, chemical ecology, molecular function, and evolutionary analysis to offer a new perspective on plant–insect coevolution. The research ...
Phys.org / High-rise living: How weaver ants build leaf nests using living 'zippers' and 'weights'
The rainforests of northern Australia are home to extraordinary ant colonies. Instead of dwelling in underground burrows, these ants inhabit canopies of trees, dozens of meters above the ground, inside hollow spheres they ...
