Phys.org news
Phys.org / What really controls water chemistry in nanoscale spaces
Water is the most studied molecule on Earth, yet a surprisingly basic question has gone unanswered for decades: When water is squeezed into gaps just a few molecules wide—as happens inside nanoscale pores, membranes and biological ...
Phys.org / Inorganic nanoscale device behaves like a single neuron, opening doors for AI and retinal implants
McGill University researchers have developed a light-detecting nanoscale structure that mimics how a neuron processes information. The neuron-like behavior emerges from the materials themselves, reducing the energy demand ...
Phys.org / Centuries-old planktonic shell mystery solved with discovery of self-assembling proteins
Biomaterials with extraordinary properties, such as spider silk, have so far been known primarily from animals. Researchers at the University of Salzburg in Austria have now deciphered a surprising counterpart from the world ...
Phys.org / Ancient asteroid barrage may explain why early Earth had no stable continents
New research led by Curtin University and QUT (Queensland University of Technology) has revealed that repeated asteroid impacts may have been the dominant force shaping early Earth, delivering vast amounts of heat into the ...
Phys.org / Warming may slow forest growth and cut carbon storage by 30%, model shows
Forests and land play an important role in absorbing carbon dioxide emissions, but current models and forecasts don't incorporate a surprising ecological discovery: Despite more available carbon, climate change and warmer ...
Phys.org / Seven exotic quantum phases predicted in ultracold magnetic atoms, including topological superconductivity
Strongly interacting quantum particles are key to some of the most fascinating phenomena in modern physics—from magnetism and superconductivity to topological states. Yet the complexity of such systems makes many of their ...
Phys.org / Scientists measure hidden quantum forces that could power a new generation of pharmaceutical drugs
It's one thing to design a pharmaceutical drug. It's another to know if and why it actually works; not on paper or in a computer model, but inside the chaotic world of living systems, where proteins twist into shape, atoms ...
Phys.org / Microscale hydrogel fibers could enable imaging inside tiny tissue structures
Researchers have developed light-transmitting hydrogel fibers that are just hundreds of micrometers in diameter. With further development, these soft fibers could one day make it possible to use imaging techniques to detect ...
Phys.org / Laser pulses capture unexplored polaronic states
In an international experiment, researchers observed Jahn–Teller polarons—quasiparticles that could play an important role in future ultrafast spintronic devices. These polarons emerged within the crystal lattice of cobalt ...
Dialog / Miniature satellite tags reveal diving behavior of juvenile sea turtles
Until recently, researchers were unable to conduct satellite-tracking studies on juvenile turtles because of their small body sizes and immediate dispersal into the ocean, leaving this period of their lives enigmatic and ...
Phys.org / Why these birds meet again in Africa: Flycatcher study reveals how genes and environment guide 13,000‑km migrations
Migratory birds such as the pied flycatcher typically have wintering locations in Africa close to others from the same breeding population. That means that birds breeding in the Netherlands run into each other again in Africa, ...
Phys.org / Ultra-precise technology can count damaged DNA fragments
The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science has developed an ultrasensitive immunoassay-based analytical platform that can detect and quantify trace amounts of "Small Excised Damaged DNA (sedDNA)" fragments generated ...
