Superconducting nanowires detect single protein ions

An international research team led by quantum physicist Markus Arndt (University of Vienna) has achieved a breakthrough in the detection of protein ions: Due to their high energy sensitivity, superconducting nanowire detectors achieve almost 100% quantum efficiency and exceed the … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Aging societies more vulnerable to collapse, suggests analysis

Societies and political structures, like the humans they serve, appear to become more fragile as they age, according to an analysis of hundreds of pre-modern societies. A new study, which holds implications for the modern world, provides the first quantitative support for the the … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Breakthroughs in nanosized contrast agents and drug carriers through self-folding molecules

Self-folding polymers containing gadolinium forming nanosized complexes could be the key to enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and next-generation drug delivery, as demonstrated by scientists at Tokyo Tech. Thanks to their small size, low toxicity, and good tumor accumulation an … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

New theory claims to unite Einstein's gravity with quantum mechanics

A radical theory that consistently unifies gravity and quantum mechanics while preserving Einstein's classical concept of spacetime has been announced in two papers published simultaneously by UCL (University College London) physicists. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

A method to resolve quantum interference between photoionization pathways with attosecond resolution

The field of attosecond physics was established with the mission of exploring light–matter interactions at unprecedented time resolutions. Recent advancements in this field have allowed physicists to shed new light on the quantum dynamics of charge carriers in atoms and molecules | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Generative model unveils secrets of material disorder

National University of Singapore (NUS) scientists have utilized generative machine learning models to explore the different methods in which atoms between adjacent crystals in a piezoelectric material, which are materials that generate a small electrical voltage upon application … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Researchers show excited electrons straightening the skewed lattice of perovskite nanocrystals

Researchers from ETH Zurich, Empa and Stanford have taken snapshots of the crystal structure of perovskite nanocrystals as it was deformed by excited electrons. To their surprise, the deformation straightened out the skewed crystal structure rather than making it more disordered. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Rains pound southern India ahead of cyclone

Rains lashed southern India's city of Chennai on Monday ahead of the landfall of a powerful cyclone, with a crocodile spotted swimming the streets and cars floating away. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Hard to bear: UK's only pandas return to China

The UK's only giant pandas left Edinburgh for China on Monday after spending 12 cubless years in the Scottish capital. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Dark galactic region nicknamed 'The Brick' explained with Webb findings

In a study led by University of Florida astronomer Adam Ginsburg, groundbreaking findings shed light on a mysterious dark region at the center of the Milky Way. The turbulent gas cloud, playfully nicknamed "The Brick" due to its opacity, has sparked lively debates within the scie … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

'DNA curtain' technology provides real-time visualization of replication for new scientific insights

A research team, led by Professor Ja Yil Lee in the Department of Biological Sciences at UNIST has made a breakthrough in the field of molecular biology. Their research, published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, has successfully imaged the real-time process of DNA replicat … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

New young and highly scattered pulsar discovered with ASKAP

Using the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), astronomers have discovered a new pulsar, which has received the designation PSR J1032−5804. The newfound pulsar turned out to be relatively young and highly scattered. The finding was reported in a paper published N … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

One-step synthesis of Janus hydrogel

Janus adhesive hydrogels hold promising applications across health care fields. Nevertheless, a simple method to synthesize the material had yet to be bioengineered in the lab. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

A lethal wildlife disease is stalking South Carolina: How 'zombie deer' threaten the state

Tom Hauge, a veteran wildlife biologist in Wisconsin, was told 21 years ago that a deadly disease had shown up in deer that roamed across the state's southwest corner. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Exxon among 50 oil producers in controversial climate pact at COP28

Exxon Mobil Corp. and Saudi Arabia's Aramco, the world's largest private and state-sector oil companies, led a pledge by 50 oil and gas producers at the COP28 climate summit to cut emissions from their own operations. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Proposal for new water district sparks fear of Northern California 'water grab'

As California grapples with worsening cycles of drought, a proposal to create a new water district in Butte County has sparked fears of a profit-driven water grab by large-scale farmers and outside interests. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

'Unusual' ancient graves found near Arctic, but no remains discovered inside, study says

Just south of the Arctic Circle, within the vast forests of northern Finland, lies a sandy field dotted with dozens of "unusual" pits. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

NASA and Boeing chase jet contrails with science of climate impact in doubt

Scientific debate is getting heated over what to do about airplane contrails—the wispy lines of water vapor you often see trailing behind a jet. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

'Limbless' creature found digging beneath rotten tree in Vietnam: It's a new species

In Vietnam's driest and hottest region, a limbless forest creature took refuge under a rotten log, scrounging around for termites to eat. Suddenly, something lifted the nearly-blind animal into the air. It tried to defend itself, but to no avail. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Indonesia's coal love affair still aflame despite pledges

Sania sits in front of her home in Indonesia, less than a kilometer from Southeast Asia's biggest coal complex, where chimneys pump dark gray smoke and a chemical smell into the air. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Volunteer divers guard Oman's 'unique' coral reefs

On a sailing boat anchored off Oman's pristine Daymaniyat Islands, volunteer divers pull on wetsuits, check their scuba tanks and then take turns plunging into the clear turquoise water. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

11 bodies recovered after volcanic eruption in Indonesia, and 12 climbers are still missing

The bodies of 11 climbers were recovered Monday a day after a furious eruption of the Mount Marapi volcano as Indonesian rescuers searched for 12 apparently still missing. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Following in polar bears' footprints: DNA from snow tracks could help monitor threatened animals

Polar bears are icons of the Arctic, elusive and vulnerable. Detailed monitoring of their populations is crucial for their conservation—but because polar bears are so difficult to find, we are missing critical data about population size and how well-connected those populations ar … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Teaching physics from the din of flying discs

Disc golf is booming, with record numbers of players turning up each year to partake in the disc-throwing sport. It is also whizzing and whistling. In fact, the sound a disc makes while soaring through the air toward its target is full of information about how fast the disc is fl … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Earth is running a fever. And UN climate talks are focusing on the contagious effect on human health

With Planet Earth running a fever, U.N. climate talks focused Sunday on the contagious effects on human health. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

El Niño helped steer storms away from U.S. this hurricane season. What about next year?

This year, a record-hot Atlantic Ocean went toe-to-toe with a strong El Niño for which weather phenomena would steer the hurricane season. The winner? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

A six-planet solar system in perfect synchrony has been found in the Milky Way

Astronomers have discovered a rare in-sync solar system with six planets moving like a grand cosmic orchestra, untouched by outside forces since their birth billions of years ago. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Bottlenose dolphins can sense electric fields, study shows

A small team of bio-scientists from the University of Rostock's Institute for Biosciences and Nuremberg Zoo's Behavioral Ecology and Conservation Lab, both in Germany, has found evidence that bottlenose dolphins can sense electric fields. In their study, reported in the Journal o … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Nations rally behind renewables at COP28 climate talks

Nearly 120 nations pledged to triple the world's renewable energy within seven years at UN climate talks Saturday as the United States pushed to crank up nuclear capacity and slash methane emissions. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

To greenwash or do the right thing? Corporate dilemmas at COP28

They call the giant climate business expo running outside the COP28 United Nations talks in Dubai the "green zone". | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

As Dubai hosts climate talks, its air pollution soars

Dubai's glitzy skyline was obscured by a blanket of smog rated as "unhealthy" on Sunday as thousands of delegates attended a COP28 conference dedicated to the harmful effects of air pollution. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

50 oil and gas companies pledge to cut operational emissions

Fifty oil and gas companies representing 40 percent of global production pledged to decarbonize their operations by 2050 at the UN's COP28 climate talks in Dubai on Saturday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Maghreb farmers embrace drones to fight climate change

A drone buzzed back and forth above rows of verdant orange trees planted near Nabeul, eastern Tunisia. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Strong earthquake that sparked a tsunami warning leaves 1 dead amid widespread panic in Philippines

A powerful earthquake that shook the southern Philippines killed at least one villager and injured several others as thousands scrambled out of their homes in panic and jammed roads to higher grounds after a tsunami warning was issued, officials said Sunday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

New doubts over coral, safety at planned Olympic surf venue

The president of French Polynesia has questioned whether 2024 Olympic surfing can go ahead at the planned site in Tahiti, saying he was concerned about safety and damage to coral from a planned judging tower. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

New unified theory shows how past landscapes drove the evolution of Earth's rich diversity of life

Earth's surface is the living skin of our planet—it connects the physical, chemical and biological systems. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

As seas get warmer, tropical species are moving further from the equator

Climate change is causing tropical species in the ocean to move from the equator towards the poles, while temperate species recede. This mass movement of marine life, termed tropicalization, is leading to a cascade of consequences for ecosystems and biodiversity, and has the pote … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Bashful golden mole detected in South Africa after 87 years

A golden mole that "swims" in sand has resurfaced in South Africa after 87 years in the wilderness when many specialists feared it had become extinct, researchers have said. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Toxic chemicals in UK whales and dolphins are exceeding safe limits

Almost half of marine mammals around the UK are being poisoned by banned chemicals. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

A new possible explanation for the Hubble tension

The universe is expanding. How fast it does so is described by the so-called Hubble-Lemaitre constant. But there is a dispute about how big this constant actually is: Different measurement methods provide contradictory values. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Saturday Citations: Adorable kittens, violent pulsars, brand-new fusion reactor and a proposed giant cosmic void

This week in our wrap up, we lull you into a false sense of security with adorable lion cubs then ambush you with terrifying pulsars. We do this not out of a sense of malice but to prepare your mind for the possibility of a giant cosmic void. Also, Japan has launched a new fusion … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Massive planet too big for its own sun pushes astronomers to rethink exoplanet formation

Imagine you're a farmer searching for eggs in the chicken coop—but instead of a chicken egg, you find an ostrich egg, much larger than anything a chicken could lay. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

US leads call to triple nuclear power at COP28

More than 20 nations including the United States called for a tripling of nuclear energy to drive down emissions on Saturday as world leaders assembled for a second day at UN climate talks in Dubai. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Agriculture officials confirm 25th case of cattle anthrax in North Dakota this year

A new case of cattle anthrax has been confirmed in southwest North Dakota's Grant County, bringing the number of cases in the state to 25 this year, according to state agriculture officials. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Over 110 countries support tripling renewables by 2030: EU chief

More than 110 countries want the COP28 climate negotiations to adopt a goal of tripling renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency by 2030, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Friday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Botany must feature more prominently on the school curriculum to promote awareness of climate change, study warns

Children must be taught more about the importance of plants if education about climate change and sustainability is to be effective, experts have warned. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Social media influencers may affect more than voter opinions

If Thanksgiving dinner conversations have turned into heated political arguments over the past two decades, social media may be to blame. Popular social media figures—or influencers—who create or share distorted political messages may cause political parties to moderate their pol … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Shrinking particle accelerators with cold plasma and a large picnic basket

Twenty-five feet below ground, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory scientist Spencer Gessner opens a large metal picnic basket. This is not your typical picnic basket filled with cheese, bread and fruit—it contains screws, bolts, steel tubing, and many other parts and pieces tha … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago