Phys.org news
Phys.org / How to train your catalyst, one atom at a time
How do you keep a copper catalyst from losing its oomph? Just add a dusting of platinum, says a new study published in Nature Materials. A team of researchers, including scientists at the Department of Energy's SLAC National ...
Phys.org / Scared of spiders? The real horror story is a world without them
Members of the arachnid class—think spiders, scorpions and harvestmen (daddy long legs)—are often the targets of revulsion, disgust and fear. Yet, they are crucial for ecosystems to thrive. Given the crash in worldwide ...
Phys.org / Research reveals cosmic tug-of-war behind the Crab Pulsar's zebra stripes
For the past two decades, scientists have wondered about a bright, distinct striped pattern seen in radio waves emanating from the Crab Pulsar, the remnant of a supernova observed by Chinese and Japanese astronomers in the ...
Phys.org / Paleontologists investigate how life entered and adapted to the deep sea
The deep sea is a dark, cold place. It's just a few degrees above freezing, subject to immense pressure, and beyond the reach of the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. The life that does survive in such a hostile place must ...
Phys.org / Catching light in air: Programmable Mie voids boost light matter interaction
Atomically thin semiconductors such as tungsten disulfide (WS2) are promising materials for future photonic technologies. Despite being only a single layer of atoms thick, they host tightly bound excitons—pairs of electrons ...
Phys.org / Porpoises can 'turn down the volume' to withstand ship noise
Porpoises are entirely dependent on their hearing for survival. They navigate, hunt, and communicate by emitting rapid click sounds and listening to the returning echoes. However, with increasingly noisy oceans, it is getting ...
Phys.org / Chemists create complex DNA structures without hydrogen bonds
No "sticky ends"? No problem. A new study by NYU chemists finds that DNA tiles can assemble into 3D structures without the sticky cohesion of hydrogen bonding. This finding, published in Nature Communications, turns a fundamental ...
Phys.org / Color shortcut reveals bumblebees are efficient decision-makers
During their search for food, most insects head specifically for the flowers that promise the highest reward. But how do they know which ones to choose? Researchers from the University of Konstanz and the University of Würzburg ...
Phys.org / Antarctica has lost 10 times the size of Greater Los Angeles in ice over 30 years, satellite data reveal
A comprehensive 30-year study led by University of California, Irvine glaciologists has produced a circumpolar ice grounding line migration map of Antarctica. An amalgamation of three decades of satellite data compiled and ...
Phys.org / Limiting global warming can reduce US wildfire smoke-related deaths by thousands annually
Using future climate scenarios based on wildfire damages in North America, scientists estimate that up to 10,000 or more lives may be saved annually in the United States if society is able to mitigate climate change by keeping ...
Phys.org / Mott and Kondo insulators—how external stimuli can modify electronic energy bands
A study from the Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) has uncovered a theoretical mechanism showing how the electronic band structures of strongly correlated insulators can be reshaped by spin and charge ...
Phys.org / Smart fluorescent molecules provide cheaper path to sharper microscopy images
Multiphoton microscopy is used in biomedical research to study cells and tissues. Today, so-called two-photon microscopy is used to study processes within cells, but the technique has limitations in terms of image resolution. ...
