Phys.org news
Phys.org / This tiny organism contracts 200 times faster than we can blink—here's how
A tiny, aquatic, single-celled organism can contract to one-quarter of its body length in less than 5 milliseconds—hundreds of times faster than a human can blink. Researchers have discovered that the organism, Spirostomum ...
Phys.org / Synthetic chemical framework can switch magnetic spin states at near ambient temperatures
There is growing demand for smart materials that can change their physical properties in response to various external stimuli such as light, heat, pressure, magnetic fields and electric fields. One such physical property ...
Phys.org / Toward experiment-guided AlphaFold: Researchers overcome AI tool's single-conformation limitation
The AI-based program AlphaFold predicts a protein's 3D structure with remarkable accuracy. However, it tends to reduce heterogeneous structures to a single dominant conformation, or shape, and overlooks experimental conditions ...
Phys.org / Uncovering the trigger behind slow earthquakes
New research led by the University of New England's Dr. Timothy Chapman has uncovered the trigger behind slow earthquakes, providing valuable answers for those living in disaster-prone areas. The research has been published ...
Phys.org / UV light patterns thermochromic crystals without damage, unlocking color-changing designs
Color-changing mood rings, forehead fever strips and car-shade indicators all change hues as they warm and cool, thanks to a phenomenon called thermochromism. On a smaller scale, thermochromism is used in nanotechnologies ...
Phys.org / Switching spin states in manganese ions with light opens new path for molecular memory
Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have developed a new way to use molecules as tiny data storage devices with a new manganese-based material. Until now, this was possible only with iron-containing molecular ...
Phys.org / Nanopore technology identifies proteins molecule by molecule
Proteins are responsible for most functions in the human body. However, their analysis, which is essential for understanding diseases, developing drugs and discovering new biomarkers, remains highly complex. Using a technology ...
Phys.org / Tiny DNA 'hitchhikers' may be reshaping life in thawing Arctic soils
Amid the peatlands of northern Sweden, billions of microbes are quietly rewriting their genetic playbooks—and doing so far more often than scientists realized.
Phys.org / Reanalysis suggests 'Phoebe' is a variable star, not a primordial black hole
A new study debunks a recent claim that astronomers may have detected a lunar-mass primordial black hole. In a reanalysis of observations from the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), researchers found that the star nicknamed "Phoebe" ...
Phys.org / Shining blue light on gold-graphene nanodots achieves wound healing trifecta
Closing wounds, burns and deep cuts isn't enough to kick-start healing. A wound needs a clean environment, free of bacterial infection and interruption. That calls for three components working together—one to kill bacteria, ...
Phys.org / Lost megalodon vertebrae resurface, confirming 80-foot size estimate
An associated set of gigantic vertebrae belonging to the iconic extinct megalodon, or megatooth shark, that had been missing in action since the 1980s was discovered, providing new information about the shark's lifestyle. ...
Phys.org / Off-center stellar death points to wandering supermassive black hole stripped of its own galaxy
Astronomers have uncovered new details about the black hole that ripped apart a star in a tidal disruption event named AT2024tvd. Findings suggest it is a wandering supermassive black hole—the kind that is not located at ...
