Phys.org news
Phys.org / The secret to a perfect crystal may be a precisely calibrated extra turn
Creating a perfect crystal sounds straightforward: Arrange identical building blocks into a repeating, orderly structure. At the microscopic scale, though, even subtle biases in how particles interact can push them in preferred ...
Phys.org / From swarming bacteria to tissue cells, living matter defies classic physical models of motion
A new study led by researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) reveals that living matter violates previously known physical principles of symmetry when cellular flows form and break down collective patterns. ...
Phys.org / Corals show 'vaccine-like' responses after pathogen exposure
To boost corals' resilience amid rising sea temperatures and the spread of disease, KAUST researchers have found that controlled, low-level exposure to dead pathogenic cells can help corals resist future infection.
Phys.org / Tiny quantum nanostructures could make AI less of an energy hog
Engineers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have designed a new type of quantum nanostructure that could enable optical neural networks. This emerging technology has the potential to make artificial intelligence systems, ...
Phys.org / Briny 'death pools' hold clues to early life
The origins of the earliest life on Earth, prior to the rise of oxygen and photosynthesis, remain a mystery. Graveyards in brine pools at the bottom of the Red Sea may hold some answers.
Phys.org / Largest dataset of its kind could clarify how massive stars shaped early galaxies
The more astronomers learn about the universe's earliest galaxies, the stranger they seem. Many of their surprising properties may be explained by differences between their massive stars and those in galaxies like our own ...
Phys.org / A single temporary stimulus may redirect cell fate without permanently altering genes
Which genes need to be controlled to guide a stem cell toward a desired cell type or modulate an immune cell's inflammatory response? A Korean research team has developed a general-purpose computational framework that identifies ...
Phys.org / RHIC data reveal intriguing dip in momentum fluctuations in high-density nuclear matter
Scientists using the STAR detector to study particle collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) have found an intriguing dip in their data in a relatively unexplored region of the nuclear phase diagram—a map ...
Phys.org / Earth's chorus waves show limited link to rapid electron loss from radiation belts
The Van Allen radiation belts are huge, doughnut-shaped regions of highly energetic charged particles trapped by Earth's magnetosphere. These charged particles play a major role in space weather, so studying them is important ...
Phys.org / AI companions may erode social skills among isolated users, framework suggests
As AI companions become more commonplace, new research from Singapore Management University (SMU) and Duke-NUS Medical School argues that the real question is no longer whether these technologies are beneficial or harmful, ...
Phys.org / The mosquito's transition from vegan to bloodsucker explained
Scents govern most key events in the lives of mosquitoes, and there is extensive research on their sense of smell. A new study reveals how a young female mosquito shifts from focusing entirely on nectar to seeking only blood. ...
Phys.org / Can a long-lived seabird evolve fast enough to avoid extinction under a changing climate?
As the climate changes, species face a critical question: Can they evolve quickly enough to keep pace with their changing environment?