Phys.org news
Phys.org / Complexity isn't subjective—the right amount results in new material properties
Complexity may seem subjective, but a quantitative measure of the complexity of nanomaterials was recently developed by a team of researchers from the University of Michigan Engineering, the University of Southern California ...
Phys.org / Why promising CO₂-to-fuel catalysts keep falling short of copper
Technology that converts carbon dioxide (CO₂) into fuels and plastic feedstocks using electricity is gaining attention as a core technology in the era of carbon neutrality. In particular, ethylene and ethanol are high-value ...
Phys.org / Television news coverage of climate policy is limited and polarized in the US, study finds
Two-thirds of Americans want action on climate change, but people vastly underestimate public support for climate solutions and policy. Historically, U.S. news outlets overrepresented views on climate change that went against ...
Dialog / A new light-based sensor could help make ultrasensitive disease testing more portable
When we think about highly sensitive medical testing, we often imagine a hospital laboratory filled with large instruments, trained technicians, and carefully controlled conditions. This is especially true for optical biosensing, ...
Phys.org / How does gold keep its glitter? Researchers uncover why it resists tarnish
Gold has been prized for thousands of years for its enduring shine, but Tulane University researchers have discovered that gold's resistance to tarnishing depends on more than its chemistry.
Phys.org / Bacteria found in artisan cheeses may ease disease
Blessed are the tiny cheesemakers: scientists have mapped out the bacteria responsible for giving three British cheeses their distinct flavor, which may also be beneficial to human health. Scientists in the Food Microbial ...
Phys.org / Wildlife is watching us, too—and changing behavior in response
A new large-scale study led by a research team from the Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change has found that wildlife responds not only to how humans reshape their habitats, but also to the simple presence of humans—and ...
Phys.org / Evolutionary arms race stretches hawkmoths and flowers to extremes
Long before his days of research, Christian Couch was just a kid marveling at the butterflies in the Florida Museum of Natural History's Butterfly Rainforest. Years later, after enrolling as an undergraduate student at the ...
Phys.org / Dual-atom fuel cell catalysts break single-peak rule, exposing two optima
Researchers have uncovered a new principle that could accelerate the development of cheaper and more efficient fuel cells by revealing how dual-atom catalysts behave during a key energy conversion reaction. The study, led ...
Phys.org / Astronomers de-fog exoplanet atmospheres with new cloud-detecting method
Sand clouds form every morning but clear up by nightfall on WASP-94A b, a well-studied gas giant in a constellation located nearly 700 light years away from Earth. Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), research ...
Phys.org / Musk's SpaceX bonus comes with unique condition: Colonize Mars
SpaceX's blockbuster IPO filing included some out-of-this-world details, including a provision that founder Elon Musk's massive bonus only kicks in if one million humans settle on Mars.
Phys.org / Extraterrestrial life may be slipping past space missions, astrobiologists warn
Suppose there are signs of extraterrestrial life and we have not yet been able to detect them. What does that mean? In Nature Astronomy, researchers discuss the consequences of these so-called false-negative results. "We ...