Phys.org news
Phys.org / New semiconductor maser operates continuously above room temperature
Lasers have become indispensable in everyday life and research, with applications ranging from data transmission and metrology to manufacturing. Masers, by contrast, have so far found hardly any practical applications.
Phys.org / Long-term study suggests landfill methane emissions are far higher than estimates
Methane is an especially potent greenhouse gas, causing much more warming than carbon dioxide on a unit-for-unit basis—and a new, uniquely long-term study of emissions at a New Jersey landfill suggests that estimates of methane ...
Phys.org / Backpack lab finds wastewater contamination and drug-resistant bacteria in Galápagos waters
From routine surgeries to cancer treatment, modern medicine depends on drugs that can fight infections caused by microbes such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. But some microbes are becoming resistant to the drugs ...
Phys.org / Attosecond X-ray method maps early electron motions that trigger chemical reactions
All chemistry starts with a push from electrons. In the early moments of a chemical reaction, it's the movement of electrons that initiates the breaking of old chemical bonds and forging of new ones, transforming one molecule ...
Phys.org / Turning one of the world's most difficult plastics into premium lubricant
Virginia Tech chemist and chemical engineer Guoliang "Greg" Liu and his lab have developed a process that converts the plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into polyalphaolefin, a key component in lubricants such as engine oil. ...
Phys.org / 'Spooky' particles transit DC suburbs, a step toward a quantum network
In early 2025, special signals wended their way through a fiber-optic highway strung above the streets and sidewalks of the Maryland suburbs. The arrival of those signals at their destination marks a significant step toward ...
Phys.org / A new species of Ice Age toad discovered at La Brea Tar Pits: The spadefoot toad Spea labreae
For the first time, researchers have discovered a new species of extinct amphibian from Ice Age Los Angeles at La Brea Tar Pits: a spadefoot toad they have named Spea labreae. Only one other extinct Pleistocene amphibian ...
Phys.org / Experimental drug turns cancer's favorite fuel against it
Cancer cells have a voracious appetite for sugar—using it to fuel their rapid growth. This is why many scientists have tried to develop drugs that block cancer cells' metabolism by cutting off their sugar supply.
Phys.org / Nanowires restore key functions in aging T cells
For decades, scientists have accepted that the immune system naturally weakens with age. Georgia Tech biomedical engineer and Carl Ring Family Professor Ankur Singh wasn't convinced. Then the COVID-19 pandemic made the stakes ...
Phys.org / As urban tree shade shrinks, mortality rises
As trees disappear from urban neighborhoods, lives may be lost with them. In a new study, Northwestern University scientists tracked death rates and fluctuations in tree canopy cover across an 11-year period in Chicago. They ...
Phys.org / Harvesting rainwater from rooftops could help cities stay cool and cut the number of heat wave days
Collecting rainwater from rooftops and using it to spray buildings during hot weather could help cities cut air conditioning use, lower urban temperatures and lessen the impact of heat waves, according to new research from ...
Phys.org / Little-known protein helps the body restrain scar-forming signals
U.K. and U.S. scientists have uncovered an important piece of the puzzle in the signaling pathway that causes damaging scar tissue to build up in the body, raising hopes for future treatments. A team from the University of ...
