Phys.org news
Phys.org / Asteroid Nysa's rare three-lobed structure challenges formation models
Named for the mythical valley where the god Dionysus was raised in secret by nymphs, the asteroid 44 Nysa inhabits the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Through observations by the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers ...
Phys.org / Molecular orbitals imaged in 3D, opening path to femtosecond videos
One of the most famous and intriguing results of quantum mechanics is the finding that fundamental particles, such as electrons, cannot be pinned down to one single location. Instead, a particle is described by its "wavefunction," ...
Phys.org / Fossils from Wyoming's Smiley Draw deepen understanding of early primate evolution
A new study from the University of Kansas complicates the picture of primates living in North America some 55 million years ago during the Eocene, a warm period that allowed mammals to diversify quickly.
Phys.org / 3D DNA mapping in rare immune cells reveals new genes linked with autoimmune disease risk
Our DNA is often pictured as a simple spiral, like a piece of rope held taut. But inside cells, it folds into a complex three-dimensional structure, with 2 meters (6.6 feet) of DNA scrunched like a headphone wire in a pocket. ...
Phys.org / Cannabis farming is changing streams in California, experts warn
Groundwater pumped to irrigate cannabis crops in California's Emerald Triangle can cause some streams that normally run year-round to dry up entirely during summer, say researchers from Simon Fraser University, the University ...
Phys.org / Two materials, one photonic chip: Unlocking a new way to generate light frequencies
Modern photonic chips can pack sophisticated optical functions onto devices smaller than a fingernail. They are increasingly used to generate, manipulate and measure light for applications ranging from communications to sensing. ...
Phys.org / How the 'fecal revolution' changed Earth's ecosystems
An international study led by Flinders University has found a fertile area of inspiration to explain an important step in evolution—and it's a whole lot of poop. The new study describes the "fecal revolution" to explain a ...
Phys.org / Decades-old theory for how insect societies evolve challenged
For more than 60 years, evolutionary biologists have debated whether a unique genetic system found in ants, bees and wasps helps explain one of nature's most remarkable innovations: eusociality, a form of social organization ...
Phys.org / Quantum fluid reveals hidden states that can be switched with a magnetic field
Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) are often described as a "fifth state of matter": a quantum state in which many particles lose their individual identities and behave as one collective object. For more than 60 years, researchers ...
Phys.org / New catalyst design selectively suppresses competing hydrogen reaction in ammonia synthesis
A research team led by professor Yousung Jung from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Seoul National University College of Engineering has developed a new catalyst design principle that suppresses the ...
Phys.org / Nano-optics: New mechanism for channeling light waves discovered in natural hyperbolic materials
Researchers at the 4th Physics Institute of the University of Stuttgart and the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) in Milan have demonstrated a new mechanism for directing light in a naturally hyperbolic van der Waals ...
Phys.org / Mapping monsters: Data release unveils all-sky views of supermassive black holes
Data released by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) marks a landmark expansion in the study of accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs). As part of the fifth generation of the survey (SDSS-V), the Black Hole Mapper (BHM) ...
