Phys.org news
Phys.org / Frame-dragging observations validate Einstein yet again
More than a century after Albert Einstein first transformed our understanding of gravity, his general theory of relativity continues to withstand ever more demanding experimental tests. Now, an international team led by Ignazio ...
Phys.org / Why we may still be choosing our friends like it's the Stone Age
Choosing friends may involve more than clicking with others who share our interests or outlooks. According to new research, people may select friends based on traits that made them valuable survival partners in our evolutionary ...
Phys.org / Direct observation of spontaneous magnon coherence at room temperature
Researchers at RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau have achieved a key experimental breakthrough: For the first time, the spontaneous macroscopic coherence of magnons—the quantized excitations of magnetic materials—has ...
Phys.org / Two atmospheric patterns may explain why some heat waves in Europe persist
Many parts of Western Europe are currently wilting under a heat wave. These blistering spells can last for a week or more, and although they are common in most summers, it is difficult to predict how long they will last.
Phys.org / DNA origami turns secret messages into nano–Morse code that acts as multiplayer molecular encryption
Mathematics has always been at the core of securing information. From online banking to government communications, modern society relies on cryptography, in which complex mathematical algorithms transform readable information ...
Phys.org / Physicists confirm 20-year-old theory that could boost quantum technology
Future quantum computing will require correlations between distant modules—a feature known as distributed entanglement. Traditionally, such entanglement has relied on active control and repeated measurements. Now, physicists ...
Phys.org / World-first neutron lens brings sharp focus to structures inside materials and objects
Researchers at Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have developed the world's first achromatic lens for neutron imaging. The lens overcomes a longstanding obstacle in the field: focusing neutrons of different wavelengths well enough ...
Phys.org / Ancient Roman farm women made wine, oil and profits. Historians dismissed them as 'housekeepers'
Female farm managers are hidden in plain sight in ancient Roman texts, mentioned in laws, literature and grave inscriptions across five centuries. Modern historians have generally assumed they were housekeepers, in charge ...
Phys.org / 'Uncanny valley' effect observed in macaques through 3D animated monkey avatars
A new tool that allows researchers to create realistic full-body animations of monkeys has provided the first evidence that nonhuman primates experience the "uncanny valley" phenomenon for body avatars, according to a study ...
Phys.org / 'Amazing moths': Study pinpoints insect habitat that draws grizzlies to glacier peaks
When grizzly bears clamber onto the talus slopes high in Glacier National Park, they're searching for an abundant, fatty meal: army cutworm moths. The inch-long (2.5-centimeter-long) moths hatch on the Great Plains and fly ...
Phys.org / Haven or trap? Study finds sinkholes protect endangered tree at evolutionary cost
Are giant sinkholes in China's karst mountains havens or traps for the rare plants that inhabit them? A new study finds they are both—offering refuge from heat and drought while gradually eroding the evolutionary potential ...
Phys.org / How supermassive black holes feed themselves
Astronomers are closer to solving the mystery of how supermassive black holes feed themselves thanks to new images from the James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST. The images provide the clearest view ever seen of gaseous filaments ...