Phys.org news
Phys.org / Urban birds' beak shape rapidly changed during COVID-19 lockdowns, suggesting human-driven transformations
When the world slowed down during the COVID-19 pandemic, its effects extended beyond humans. A recent study found that it reshaped urban ecosystems to such an extent that certain city-dwelling birds even began to develop ...
Phys.org / Hubble captures rare collision in nearby planetary system
In an unprecedented celestial event, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (HST) captured the dramatic aftermath of colliding space rocks within a nearby planetary system.
Phys.org / Scientists build a quantum computer that can repair itself using recycled atoms
Like their conventional counterparts, quantum computers can also break down. They can sometimes lose the atoms they manipulate to function, which can stop calculations dead in their tracks. But scientists at the US-based ...
Phys.org / Archimedean screw inspires new way to encode chirality into magnetic materials
In physics and materials science, the term "spin chirality" refers to an asymmetry in the arrangement of spins (i.e., the intrinsic angular momentum of particles) in magnetic materials. This asymmetry can give rise to unique ...
Phys.org / Silicon atom processor links 11 qubits with more than 99% fidelity
In order to scale quantum computers, more qubits must be added and interconnected. However, prior attempts to do this have resulted in a loss of connection quality, or fidelity. But, a new study published in Nature details ...
Phys.org / Hidden clay intensified 2011 Japan megaquake, study confirms
An international research expedition involving Cornell has uncovered new details as to why a 2011 earthquake northeast of Japan behaved so unusually as it lifted the seafloor and produced a tsunami that devastated coastal ...
Phys.org / Good listeners connect more easily with strangers, study finds
With many people now heavily relying on electronic devices to communicate with others, connecting on a deeper level with others, particularly face-to-face, can prove challenging. Recent nationwide surveys and psychological ...
Phys.org / New redback millisecond pulsar discovered with ASKAP
Using the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope, astronomers have discovered a new millisecond pulsar (MSPs) at a distance of some 7,000 light years away. The newfound pulsar, which received designation PSR J1728−4608, ...
Phys.org / Ants may hold solution to human superbug, researchers discover
Has a crucial component to the development of human medicine been hiding under our feet? Auburn University Assistant Professor of Entomology Clint Penick and a team of graduate students may have found that ants are far ahead ...
Phys.org / Research reinvents MXene synthesis at a fraction of the cost
MXenes (pronounced like the name "Maxine") are a class of two-dimensional materials, first identified just 14 years ago, with remarkable potential for energy storage, catalysts, ultrastrong lightweight composites, and a variety ...
Phys.org / Drone sampling of whale breath reveals first evidence of potentially deadly virus in Arctic
Drones have been used to successfully collect samples from the exhaled breath—or "blow"—from wild humpback, sperm and fin whales in northern Norway, hailing a new era of non-invasive health monitoring for these marine ...
Phys.org / A 400-million-year-old fossil is revealing how plants grew into giants
The tallest plants alive today can grow to over 100 meters tall. But they evolved from ancestors that were just a few centimeters high.