Phys.org news
Phys.org / The book only gets 3 stars... but is considered great literature
A new study from Aarhus University shows that star ratings of books are not always accurate. Average ratings on Goodreads can hide both literary classics and highly divided reading experiences—and can therefore be a misleading ...
Phys.org / New census of sun's neighbors reveals best potential real estate for life
A new study led by a Georgia State University astronomy graduate student is a major step forward in the search for stars that could host Earth-like planets that may prove to be good havens for life to develop. Sebastián ...
Phys.org / Black hole shreds distant 'super sun,' unleashing a spectacular event known as the Whippet
A black hole has shredded a massive star like it was "preparing a snack for lunch," according to a team of scientists at the American Astronomical Society's annual meeting (5–8 January).
Phys.org / Webb telescope sheds light on ancient 'monster stars' that may reveal the birth of black holes
Using data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) have revealed the universe's most mysterious distant objects, known as little red dots, may actually ...
Phys.org / Twitter data reveals partisan divide in understanding why pollen season's getting worse
Two things are clear from a University of Michigan analysis of nearly 200,000 Twitter posts between 2012 and 2022. One, people are really good at identifying peak pollen season: The largest volume of tweets about pollen often ...
Phys.org / Catalyst behavior that could cut emissions and stabilize supply of everyday materials revealed
A Rice University-led team has unveiled how tiny molecular structures on industrial catalysts behave during the manufacture of vinyl acetate monomer (VAM), a core ingredient in adhesives, paints, coatings, packaging, textiles ...
Phys.org / Webb finds early-universe analog's unexpected talent for making dust
Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have spotted two rare kinds of dust in the dwarf galaxy Sextans A, one of the most chemically primitive galaxies near the Milky Way.
Phys.org / Cracking sleep's evolutionary code: Neuron protection traced back to jellyfish and sea anemones
A new study from Bar-Ilan University shows that one of sleep's core functions originated hundreds of millions of years ago in jellyfish and sea anemones, among the earliest creatures with nervous systems. By tracing this ...
Phys.org / Researchers build plasma accelerator that boosts electron energy and brightness at the same time
Researchers from the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), have designed innovative technology that can generate both high-energy and high-brightness ...
Phys.org / Molecular 'reshuffle' cracks an 80-year-old conundrum in controlling chirality
Researchers at the University of St Andrews have uncovered a long‑elusive molecular "reshuffle," a breakthrough that tackles one of chemistry's most persistent challenges and could transform the way medicines are manufactured.
Phys.org / Mass spec innovation uses 'bin' sorting to detect overlooked molecules
Weight says a lot. In the kitchen, it could mean cooking with too little or too much of an ingredient. For scientists, a molecule's weight can help determine its makeup. This, in turn, can shed light on whether a potential ...
Phys.org / 'Platypus' objects in the early universe look like stars but behave like galaxies
Scientists at the University of Missouri have identified a small group of unusual objects in the early universe. Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Haojing Yan and his team at Mizzou's College of Arts and Science ...