Phys.org news
Phys.org / Descriptions of mollusks in the Global South are still, for the most part, the result of 'parachute science'
Between the 16th and 19th centuries, when colonialism was the prevailing order, it is not surprising that scientific expeditions, specimen deposits in natural history museums, and descriptions of species from European colonies ...
Phys.org / An old jeweler's trick could unlock next-generation nuclear clocks
In 2008, a team of UCLA-led scientists proposed a scheme to use a laser to excite the nucleus of thorium atoms to realize extremely accurate, portable clocks. Last year, they realized this longstanding goal by bombarding ...
Phys.org / More yield through heterosis: Researchers decode gene interaction behind hybrid vigor
When two homozygous plant lines with different characteristics are crossed, the resulting offspring are often more robust and productive than their parents. This phenomenon is called heterosis. It can be caused by positive ...
Phys.org / Magnetic ordering induces Jahn-Teller effect in spinel-type compounds
The Jahn-Teller effect, proposed by Jahn and Teller in 1937, describes how molecules or crystals with degenerate electronic orbitals can lower their total energy by distorting their structure. This distortion lifts the degeneracy, ...
Phys.org / Wildfire smoke lofted into atmosphere could affect Earth's climate
Some wildfires are so intense, they create their own weather—thunderstorms driven by heat that hurtle smoke as high as 10 miles into the sky like giant chimneys.
Phys.org / Biobanking opens new windows into human evolution
More than a decade after the first Neanderthal genome was sequenced, scientists are still working to understand how human-specific DNA changes shaped human evolution.
Phys.org / Painting galaxy clusters by numbers (and physics)
Galaxy clusters are the most massive objects in the universe held together by gravity, containing up to several thousand individual galaxies and huge reservoirs of superheated, X-ray-emitting gas. The mass of this hot gas ...
Phys.org / Viruses found in carbon-storing wetlands play an active role in shaping ecosystem health
Viruses in wetland soil play a more important role than previously understood and could even be indicators of ecosystem health, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Recently ...
Phys.org / A new 'hypertropical' climate is emerging in the Amazon, exposing trees to deadly stress
The Amazon rainforest is slowly transitioning to a new, hotter climate with more frequent and intense droughts—conditions that haven't been seen on Earth for tens of millions of years.
Phys.org / A new framework addresses fair distribution of emissions
Ten years ago, on 12 December 2015, the Paris Climate Agreement was signed at the UN Climate Conference. In order to limit global warming to well below two degrees, only a certain amount of CO2 may be emitted worldwide. While ...
Phys.org / Global warming amplifies extreme day-to-day temperature swings, study shows
A new study has revealed that rapid, large-scale day-to-day temperature fluctuations have intensified amid global warming, representing a distinct climate hazard with impacts on human health. This growing volatility creates ...
Phys.org / Ultra-thin nanomembrane device forms soft, seamless interface with living tissue
Researchers have developed a new class of ultra-thin, flexible bioelectronic material that can seamlessly interface with living tissues. They introduced a novel device called THIN (transformable and imperceptible hydrogel-elastomer ...
