Phys.org news
Phys.org / Feeding shift may have steered 55 pilot whales toward Scotland mass stranding
New research, focused on the feeding behavior of long-finned pilot whales, has shed light on one of Scotland's largest mass stranding events. The study, led by the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) based at ...
Phys.org / Superconducting quantum circuit simulates proton tunneling phenomenon in chemical systems
Researchers at Yale, Google, and the University of California-Santa Barbara have created a device that simulates the quantum "tunneling" behavior of protons that occurs in chemistry, a process so common it occurs in everything ...
Phys.org / Hemp-based thermoplastic offers a greener alternative to plastic packaging
As the global pollution crisis caused by manufacturing and disposing of single-use plastics continues to grow, researchers have developed a non-toxic plastic alternative derived from the hemp plant—a non-psychoactive type ...
Phys.org / Gene circuits reshape DNA folding and affect how genes are expressed, study finds
When a gene is turned on in a cell, it creates a ripple effect along the DNA strand, changing the physical structure of the strand. A new study by MIT researchers, appearing in Science, shows that these ripples can stimulate ...
Phys.org / Chemists unlock two-step alkene alkylation using stable acids and polar coupling
Chemists at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung have developed a practical two-step method for alkylating alkenes via thianthrenation, addressing a long-standing synthetic challenge. This breakthrough simplifies complex ...
Phys.org / Captured mid-reaction, RNA polymerase reveals universal blueprint for gene transcription
The enzyme RNA polymerase (RNAP) carries out transcription, copying DNA into RNA. It's the first step in gene expression, and a process fundamental to all life. But the inner workings of this essential enzyme have long baffled ...
Phys.org / Western US is fending off more fires before they start—and still getting hit by its biggest blazes yet
The number of wildfires burning in the Western United States each year dropped roughly 28% over the past three decades, even as annual burned area and damage from wildfires have soared. A decline in fires accidentally sparked ...
Phys.org / Hidden 3D atomic structure of relaxor ferroelectrics revealed for first time
Materials called relaxor ferroelectrics have been used for decades in technologies like ultrasounds, microphones, and sonar systems. Their unique properties come from their atomic structure, but that structure has stubbornly ...
Phys.org / Researchers create DNA 'nano-rings' to control viral cell proteins
Scientists at Durham University, working in partnership with Jagiellonian University in Poland, have developed a new nanoscale tool that can capture and precisely position some of the most important proteins in the human ...
Phys.org / Tokamak regime sustains stable fusion plasma for one minute while easing heat loads
For the first time, a research team has demonstrated, in a metal-wall environment, a plasma regime that simultaneously achieves partial divertor detachment, an edge-localized-mode (ELM)-free high-confinement mode (H-mode), ...
Phys.org / NASA connects little red dots with Chandra and Webb
A newly discovered object may be a key to unlocking the true nature of a mysterious class of sources that astronomers have found in the early universe in recent years. A "X-ray dot" found by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory ...
Phys.org / Western music is getting simpler and more repetitive by the day and data prove it
Ever had that moment when a song comes on and it feels strangely familiar, like it reminds you of another song that came out just a few months ago? If you feel this phenomenon has become more frequent, then you are not imagining ...
