Phys.org news
Phys.org / Two decades of blazar observations, and the mysteries keep piling up
Narrow jets of luminous matter may be emitted toward Earth from the nuclei of active galaxies billions of light-years away. The galaxy then appears as a point source and is called a blazar. A Polish-German team of scientists ...
Phys.org / One-third of agricultural land accounts for two-thirds of global impact, study reveals
Agriculture covers more than 40% of Earth's habitable land and plays a central role in both climate change and biodiversity loss. Yet the impact of agriculture is far from evenly distributed across space.
Phys.org / Super-Earths may be solid deep inside their mantles
Deep inside super-Earths—rocky planets with masses between 1 and 10 times that of Earth—high pressure can cause familiar minerals to take forms rarely seen on Earth. Understanding more about the temperature and pressure conditions ...
Phys.org / Bacterial enzyme switch could weaken antibiotic defenses in MRSA and other pathogens
If you ask Vijay Parashar, associate professor of medical and molecular sciences (MMSC) at the University of Delaware College of Health Sciences, human bodies are bags of bacteria. "It sounds gross, but not all bacteria are ...
Phys.org / An elegant modification doubles the range of low-noise 'white lasers' in a single fiber
Supercontinuum light sources—often called "white lasers" because they emit a broad, continuous rainbow of colors—are essential tools for everything from advanced medical imaging to environmental gas detection. However, researchers ...
Phys.org / How 'smart' hydrogel packaging tells you if your food is still fresh
The cuts of meat in a supermarket case can look perfectly fresh even as bacteria are already multiplying inside the package. Is there a way to know before you open it?
Phys.org / Siberia's growing methane threat could offset 20% of global methane reduction targets by 2050
The Arctic is warming at an accelerating pace. As permafrost thaws across vast areas and wildfires become more frequent, large amounts of methane (CH4) are being released. Together, these changes are reshaping the region's ...
Phys.org / Sugars may have helped fuel the evolution of the human brain, new research suggests
Fruit, honey and other naturally sweet foods may have helped fuel the evolution of the human brain, according to new research from the University of Sydney and the University of Glasgow.
Phys.org / Carbon nanostructure improves fuel-cell catalyst durability while reducing platinum use
The explosion of new data centers being proposed and built around the U.S. has increased demand for energy to keep them powered and cooled. The Electric Power Research Institute estimates that data centers could consume up ...
Phys.org / Liquid nitrogen may have recently flowed across Pluto's heart-shaped glacier
A new study led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) provides evidence that liquid nitrogen is rising to Pluto's surface through cracks at the northern edge of Sputnik Planitia, part of the massive heart-shaped glacier ...
Phys.org / One ant can trigger colony-wide activity bursts, mathematical model suggests
Scientists have long known that ant colonies sometimes seem to move as one. A nest that appears quiet can suddenly erupt into activity, with workers throughout the colony springing into motion almost simultaneously before ...
Phys.org / Atomic view of Alzheimer's disease peptide could inform new drugs
One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease is the accumulation of a peptide in the brain known as amyloid beta. A new study published in Nature Communications on July 22 has uncovered the atomic structure of the peptide ...