Phys.org news
Phys.org / Americium, curium and californium—crystallizing the rarest elements
Actinides are a group of heavy, radioactive elements that include uranium, plutonium, americium, curium, berkelium and californium. Understanding how these elements bond with other atoms (known as coordination chemistry), ...
Phys.org / How root growth is stimulated by nitrate: Researchers decipher signaling chain
When 200 natural accessions of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana grown in a nitrate-enriched medium were compared, one observation stood out: some accessions formed significantly longer lateral roots than others. Genetic ...
Phys.org / Blood marker from dementia research could help track aging across the animal world
A protein called neurofilament light chain (NfL)—studied in humans in the context of neurodegenerative diseases and aging—is also detectable in the blood of numerous animals, and NfL levels increase with age in mice, ...
Phys.org / Neutron scattering helps clarify magnetic behavior in altermagnetic material
Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have identified the true source of a magnetic effect seen in the material ruthenium dioxide (RuO₂), helping resolve an active debate in the rapidly growing field of ...
Phys.org / Social media advertising suppresses voting in targeted communities, research shows
Messages intended to suppress votes can be precisely delivered to particularly vulnerable and consequential groups of people via social media and keep millions of them from casting ballots, according to a new study that is ...
Phys.org / Scientists home in on Acinetobacter baumannii's resistance evolution
Acinetobacter baumannii is a bacteria which can become a virulent killer in health-care settings among severely ill patients. The germ has rapidly developed drug resistance to even last-line carbapenem drugs. Now a group ...
Phys.org / Study identifies oaks, dry duff and debris as top power line failure risks
Wildfires and power outages caused by vegetation near powerlines have contributed to some of the state's most destructive fires.
Phys.org / A hidden step before meiosis could reshape efforts to treat infertility
In human cells, DNA carries chemical or "epigenetic" marks that decide how genes will be used in different tissues. Yet in a group of specialized cells, known as "germ cells," which will later form sperm and eggs, these inherited ...
Phys.org / A few weeks of X's algorithm can make you more right-wing—and it doesn't wear off quickly
A new study published in Nature has found that X's algorithm—the hidden system or "recipe" that governs which posts appear in your feed and in which order—shifts users' political opinions in a more conservative direction.
Phys.org / How fast is the universe expanding? Supernova could provide the answer
That the universe is expanding has been known for almost a hundred years now, but how fast? The exact rate of that expansion remains hotly debated, even challenging the standard model of cosmology. A research team at the ...
Phys.org / Hiding in plain sight: Discovery of cryptic species could double the number of vertebrates
There may be twice as many vertebrates on the planet as previous estimates claimed, according to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. That's not because of any errors ...
Phys.org / Triplet superconductivity—physicists may have found the missing link for quantum computers
Many physicists are searching for a triplet superconductor. Indeed, we could all do with one, although we may not know it yet—or understand why. Triplet superconductors could be the key to achieving the most energy-efficient ...
