Phys.org news
Phys.org / Fossil amber reveals the secret lives of Cretaceous ants
Tiny insects trapped in amber could tell us a great deal about their roles in past ecosystems: pollinators, parasites, predators, and prey. But how many of the insects preserved alongside each other reflect interactions during ...
Phys.org / We may be underestimating the true carbon cost of northern wildfires
Wildfires in the northern boreal forests of Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, and Russia may be more damaging to the climate than previously thought, a new UC Berkeley-led study suggests. That's because these fires don't just ...
Phys.org / A study in stardust: Massive binary stars emit tiny carbon particles
Yale junior Donglin Wu leads a new study showing that some of the biggest stars in the universe shed some of the smallest dust particles. It's fitting that Wu's first major scientific journal article as lead author focuses ...
Phys.org / Putting sports stats to the test: Unpredictable play helps pick a winner in soccer
A comprehensive game plan and strategic tactics are critical to winning soccer, but how much does a team's unpredictability in moving the soccer ball around the pitch matter? In a new article published in PLOS One, an international ...
Phys.org / Molecular map reveals Andes hantavirus entry protein at the nanoscale
Hantaviruses, transmitted from rodents to people, have a death rate approaching 40%. They're found around the world, and because there are no approved vaccines or treatments, they're among the pathogens of highest concern ...
Phys.org / Political polarization can spur CO₂ emissions and stymie climate action
In recent years, studies and media reports have blamed growing partisan hostility in the U.S. for shattered marriages, broken families, ruined holiday dinners, and increased stress. New CU Boulder research suggests it may ...
Phys.org / Over 70% of global ecosystems remain unsampled for critical underground fungi
Underground, intricate networks of soil fungi underpin the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Yet despite their global importance, only 30% of global ecosystems have been sampled for these fungal partners. Arbuscular ...
Phys.org / Rydberg atoms detect clear signals from a handheld radio
For the first time, a team of US researchers has used sensors containing highly excited Rydberg atoms to detect signals from an ordinary handheld radio. Through a careful approach to demodulating the incoming signals, Noah ...
Phys.org / Single-celled organism becomes multicellular via three different pathways
Some single-celled organisms are known to transition to multicellularity during their lifetimes, usually either by cloning themselves or when many similar cells come together to form a larger multicellular organism. A new ...
Phys.org / Sea urchin spines inspire self-powered underwater sensors
Nature does it again! The natural world has a knack for giving us the blueprints for some useful technologies, and the humble sea urchin is the latest contributor. Scientists have designed a new class of smart sensors by ...
Phys.org / Energy loss triggers quantum thermal Hall-like effect at macroscopic scale
In many quantum materials—materials with unusual electrical and magnetic properties driven by quantum mechanical effects—electrons can organize themselves into Landau levels. Landau levels are essentially quantized energy ...
Phys.org / Russian astronomers observe the eruptive behavior of a young star
Russian astronomers from Moscow State University have performed photometric, polarimetric, and spectroscopic observations of a young star designated IRAS 21204+4913. Results of the new observations, which were published February ...
