Site of the next major earthquake on the San Andreas Fault?

Many researchers hypothesize that the southern tip of the 1300-km-long San Andreas fault zone (SAFZ) could be the nucleation site of the next major earthquake on the fault, yet geoscientists cannot evaluate this hazard until the location and geometry of the fault zone is document … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Explosive volcanoes spawned mysterious Martian rock formation

Explosive volcanic eruptions that shot jets of hot ash, rock and gas skyward are the likely source of a mysterious Martian rock formation, a new study finds. The new finding could add to scientists' understanding of Mars's interior and its past potential for habitability, accordi … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Biologists identify a genetic mechanism in the evolution of novel traits

There has long been a debate among biologists over whether the evolution of new traits requires new genes to evolve or whether they can arise simply from the recruitment of existing genetic pathways, says developmental biologist Craig Albertson at the University of Massachusetts … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

The seed that could bring clean water to millions

According to the United Nations, 2.1 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services, the majority of whom live in developing nations. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Interfacing with the brain

The nervous system is loaded with encoded information: thoughts, emotions, motor control. This system in our bodies is an enigma, and the more we can do to understand it, the more we can do to improve human life. Brain-machine interfaces provide one way to connect with this puzzl … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Future quantum technologies may exploit identical particle entanglement

Usually when physicists perform quantum entanglement between particles—whether it be qubits, atoms, photons, electrons, etc.—the particles are distinguishable in some way. Only recently have physicists demonstrated the feasibility of generating entanglement between particles that … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Orange, tea tree and eucalyptus oils sweeten diesel fumes

Waste oil from orange, tea tree and eucalyptus essential oil production mixed with diesel provides a sweet-smelling biofuel blend with comparable performance to diesel-only fuel. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

The future of AI needs hardware accelerators based on analog memory devices

Imagine personalized Artificial Intelligence (AI), where your smartphone becomes more like an intelligent assistant – recognizing your voice even in a noisy room, understanding the context of different social situations or presenting only the information that's truly relevant to … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

CERN starts major upgrade to reap more data at atom smasher

The world's largest particle smasher is kicking off a major upgrade to churn out 10 times more data and help unlock the secrets of physics. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Astronomers see distant eruption as black hole destroys star

For the first time, astronomers have directly imaged the formation and expansion of a fast-moving jet of material ejected when the powerful gravity of a supermassive black hole ripped apart a star that wandered too close to the cosmic monster. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Modern alchemists are making chemistry greener

Ancient alchemists tried to turn lead and other common metals into gold and platinum. Modern chemists in Paul Chirik's lab at Princeton are transforming reactions that have depended on environmentally unfriendly precious metals, finding cheaper and greener alternatives to replace … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

How to save Antarctica

Decisions made in the next decade will determine whether Antarctica suffers dramatic changes that contribute to a metre of global sea level rise. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Scientists make first 'on demand' entanglement link

Researchers at QuTech in Delft have succeeded in generating quantum entanglement between two quantum chips faster than the entanglement is lost. Via a novel smart entanglement protocol and careful protection of the entanglement, the scientists led by Prof. Ronald Hanson are the f … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

New GAIA data reveals mergers in Milky Way

University of Groningen astronomers have discovered relics of merger events in the Milky Way halo. Five small groups of stars appear to represent mergers with smaller galaxies, while a big 'blob' comprising hundreds of stars appears to be the remnant of a large merger event. Thes … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

New study examines impacts of fracking on water supplies worldwide

Using hydraulic fracturing to extract oil and natural gas from shale is a common technique used worldwide. Because the technique requires large amounts of water, however, it raises the question of whether it could lead to water shortages or competition with other water uses, espe … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Multiple lasers could be replaced by a single microcomb

Every time we send an e-mail, a tweet, or stream a video, we rely on laser light to transfer digital information over a complex network of optical fibers. Dozens of high-performance lasers are needed to fill up the bandwidth and to squeeze in an increasing amount of digital data. … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

'Shocking' die-off of Africa's oldest baobabs

Some of Africa's oldest and biggest baobab trees—a few dating all the way back to the ancient Greeks—have abruptly died, wholly or in part, in the past decade, researchers said Monday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Agnetic fields could hold the key to star formation

Astronomers have discovered new magnetic fields in space, which could shed light on how stars are formed and uncover the mysteries behind one of the most famous celestial images. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

New research uses sound waves to amplify light

Yale scientists have created a new type of silicon laser that uses sounds waves to amplify light. A study about the discovery appears June 8 in the online edition of the journal Science. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

500-year-old Leaning Tower of Pisa mystery unveiled by engineers

Why has the Leaning Tower of Pisa survived the strong earthquakes that have hit the region since the middle ages? This is a long-standing question a research group of 16 engineers has investigated, including a leading expert in earthquake engineering and soil-structure interactio … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Amazon unveils nearly hands-free streaming TV device

Alexa for couch potatoes is coming: Amazon's new streaming TV device will let users shout out when they want to turn on the TV, flip channels or search for sitcoms—all without pushing any buttons. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Scientists discover bees understand the concept of zero

Scientists have discovered honeybees can understand the concept of zero, putting them in an elite club of clever animals that can grasp the abstract mathematical notion of nothing. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Juno solves 39-year old mystery of Jupiter lightning

Ever since NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft flew past Jupiter in March, 1979, scientists have wondered about the origin of Jupiter's lightning. That encounter confirmed the existence of Jovian lightning, which had been theorized for centuries. But when the venerable explorer hurtled b … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Flying car startup backed by Google founder offers test flights

A flying car project backed by Google co-founder Larry Page was closer to take-off on Wednesday, with a model for test flights by aspiring buyers. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

As solar wind blows, our heliosphere balloons

What happens when the solar wind suddenly starts to blow significantly harder? According to two recent studies, the boundaries of our entire solar system balloon outward—and an analysis of particles rebounding off of its edges will reveal its new shape. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

New tools reveal prelude to chaos

Picture a herd of sheep or cattle emerging from a shed or barn to graze a field. They head straight out of their digs to the pleasure of the pasture pretty much as one entity, but as the land opens up and the "grass gets greener" they disperse randomly in a motion that has neithe … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Transferring quantum information using sound

Quantum physics has led to new types of sensors, secure data transmission methods and researchers are working toward computers. However, the main obstacle is finding the right way to couple and precisely control a sufficient number of quantum systems (for example, individual atom … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Scientists find pre-earthquake activity in central Alaska

Earth scientists consistently look for a reliable way to forecast earthquakes. New research from University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute professor Carl Tape may help in that endeavor, due to a unique set of circumstances. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Quantum stopwatch stores time in a quantum memory

Physicists have developed a "quantum stopwatch"—a method that stores time (in the form of states of quantum clocks) in a quantum memory. In doing so, the method avoids the accumulation of errors that usually occurs when measuring the duration of a sequence of events. In this way, … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Globular clusters 4B years younger than previously thought

Globular clusters could be up to 4 billion years younger than previously thought, new research led by the University of Warwick has found. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Quantum is key to securing blockchain

Although blockchain is traditionally seen as secure, it is vulnerable to attack from quantum computers. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

German spy agency can keep tabs on internet hubs: court

Germany's spy agency can monitor major internet hubs if Berlin deems it necessary for strategic security interests, a federal court has ruled. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Team discover how microbes survive clean rooms and contaminate spacecraft

Rakesh Mogul, a Cal Poly Pomona professor of biological chemistry, was the lead author of an article in the journal Astrobiology that offers the first biochemical evidence explaining the reason the contamination persists. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

NASA CubeSats steer toward Mars

NASA has achieved a first for the class of tiny spacecraft known as CubeSats, which are opening new access to space. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Massive AI Twitter probe draws heat map of entrepreneurial personality

A world's first QUT-led study has used artificial intelligence to analyse regional personality characteristics estimated solely from language patterns in 1.5 billion Twitter posts and uncover hotspots and cold spots of entrepreneurial personality and activity across the US. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

AI-based method could speed development of specialized nanoparticles

A new technique developed by MIT physicists could someday provide a way to custom-design multilayered nanoparticles with desired properties, potentially for use in displays, cloaking systems, or biomedical devices. It may also help physicists tackle a variety of thorny research p … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

A 'self-eating' rocket engine could put satellites in orbit more easily

A 'self-eating' rocket engine which could place small satellites in orbit more easily and more affordably is under development at universities in Scotland and Ukraine. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Emissions of banned ozone-eating chemical somehow are rising

Something strange is happening with a now-banned chemical that eats away at Earth's protective ozone layer: Scientists say there's more of it—not less—going into the atmosphere and they don't know where it is coming from. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Evidence found of magnetism at the edges of graphene

A team of researchers from the U.K., Germany and Russia has found evidence of magnetism at the edges of graphene. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the researchers describe how they made their discovery and why they believe it is important. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Researchers have identified 121 giant planets that may have habitable moons

We've all heard about the search for life on other planets, but what about looking on other moons? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Scientists develop material that could regenerate dental enamel

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have developed a new way to grow mineralised materials which could regenerate hard tissues such as dental enamel and bone. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Gravitational wave event likely signaled creation of a black hole

The spectacular merger of two neutron stars that generated gravitational waves announced last fall likely did something else: birthed a black hole. This newly spawned black hole would be the lowest mass black hole ever found. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Facebook sinking fast among US teens: survey

Facebook is rapidly losing ground against rival internet platforms in attracting and keeping US teenagers, a survey showed Thursday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Earth slows the solar wind to a gentle breeze

As Earth orbits the sun at supersonic speed, it cuts a path through the solar wind. This fast stream of charged particles, or plasma, launched from the sun's outer layers would bombard Earth's atmosphere if not for the protection of Earth's magnetic field. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Why do older male birds father more illegitimate children?

When female birds have chicks as the result of an extra-marital fling, the fathers are almost always older males, and scientists are finding out why. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Atomic-scale manufacturing now a reality

Scientists at the University of Alberta have applied a machine learning technique using artificial intelligence to perfect and automate atomic-scale manufacturing, something which has never been done before. The vastly greener, faster, smaller technology enabled by this developme … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Ocean waves play greater role in trapping CO2 than previously understood

For decades scientists have investigated the influence of the world's oceans in trapping greenhouse gasses. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Britain's supply of electric cars at risk from Brexit: think-tank

Britain risks a shortage of electric cars after Brexit as carmakers will lose an incentive to sell low-emission vehicles there, a Brussels-based think-tank warned. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago