Phys.org news
Phys.org / Plutonium compound unlocks rare topological quantum behavior with potential nuclear science applications
Plutonium is one of the most complex elements in the periodic table. First synthesized and isolated in 1940 by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, plutonium has been studied closely for more than eight decades. ...
Phys.org / Rare inner ear cells point to regenerative hearing treatments
A study by a team of researchers from the Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at Tel Aviv University offers new hope to millions of people with irreversible hearing loss. The researchers identified a unique biological ...
Phys.org / Bronze Age boat carvings point to maritime links from Iberia to Scandinavia
Bronze Age rock carvings suggest communities across Europe were far more connected than previously thought, according to a new study led by the Department of Archaeology. The research compared ancient rock carvings, or "petroglyphs," ...
Phys.org / Deep inside crocodile skulls, 100 million years of brain evolution barely registers
Although modern crocodiles, alligators, caimans and gharials are restricted to the tropics, their fossil record tells a very different story. Ancient crocodylians once inhabited much of the globe and exhibited a remarkable ...
Phys.org / Faster tests reveal six fluoropolymer microplastics, including four rarely tracked types
Scientists around the world have been searching food, water and other environmental media for microplastics and for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). But microfluoroplastics (MFPs), the intersection between these ...
Phys.org / New Horizons tracks solar wind slowdown as interstellar atoms add drag
A new Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) study based on data from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has uncovered insights into why the solar wind gradually slows as it moves toward the edge of the solar system and the boundary ...
Phys.org / Ozone depletion began decades before discovery of ozone hole, scientists find
The Antarctic ozone hole was discovered in 1985, when scientists observed a severe depletion in Earth's protective layer of stratospheric ozone. Industrial chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), then widely used as ...
Phys.org / Why Europe's rising plant diversity may signal habitat disruption, not ecological recovery
The number of plant species in many ecosystems in Europe has grown rather than shrunk over the last 100 years. However, this is not necessarily cause for celebration, as this local increase is primarily due to generalists ...
Phys.org / Cochlea network model reveals how inner ear may sort sound from noise
Over 70 million people in the U.S. are impacted by hearing loss, and age-related hearing loss is the second most common health problem in older adults, according to the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. However, ...
Phys.org / Disorder creates direction-dependent optics in compound semiconductors
An international research team has demonstrated that the intrinsic disorder of the compound semiconductor CuInSnS₄ can be exploited to influence its optical properties. While the atomic vibrations also sense the local disorder, ...
Phys.org / Ultra-faint galaxy discovered near Andromeda may be 12.5 billion years old
A new ultra-faint dwarf galaxy has been discovered in the vicinity of Andromeda (M31), the Milky Way's large neighboring galaxy. The new study, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics suggests that the galaxy, named And XXXVI, ...
Phys.org / Red-tailed hawks maintain flight performance despite missing feathers
Red-tailed hawks can compensate for feather loss during molt by subtly changing their wing and tail movements, according to a new study by University of California, Davis, researchers in the College of Engineering and the ...
