Tiny fossils unlock clues to Earth's climate half a billion years ago

An international collaboration of scientists, led by the University of Leicester, has investigated Earth's climate over half a billion years ago by combining climate models and chemical analyses of fossil shells about 1mm long. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Atmospheric seasons could signal alien life

Dozens of potentially habitable planets have been discovered outside our solar system, and many more are awaiting detection. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Uber shows off its vision for future 'flying taxi

It's not a bird, nor a plane. But Uber's new prototype vehicle unveiled Tuesday shows off its vision of the future of transportation—a "flying taxi" that aims to alleviate urban congestion. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

The apparent inner calm of quantum materials

Researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and multi-institutional collaborators have been studying BACOVO—a one-dimensional quantum material. They report that the material exhibits a novel topological phase transition governed by two types of topological excitation. In ad … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

What will happen when our sun dies?

Scientists agree the sun will die in approximately 10 billion years, but they weren't sure what would happen next... until now. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Deep learning comes full circle

For years, the people developing artificial intelligence drew inspiration from what was known about the human brain, and it has enjoyed a lot of success as a result. Now, AI is starting to return the favor. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Scientists reveal the genetic roadmap to build an organism from a single cell

Whether a worm, a human or a blue whale, all multicellular life begins as a single-celled egg. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Search for life on Mars could get water-enhanced boost

A new experiment designed to detect amino acids on Mars, in spite of the reactive perchlorate in the Martian soil that typically breaks organic compounds down, could fly on a future mission to Mars to help in the search for life there. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Researchers subtract a single quantum of light from a laser beam

In a collaboration between Aarhus University and the University of Southern Denmark, researchers have discovered a way to subtract a single quantum of light from a laser beam. This work has recently been published in Physical Review Letters. The method paves the way toward future … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

A new model for communication in plant cells

Plant cells share a strange and surprising kinship with animal neurons: many plant cells have proteins that closely resemble glutamate receptors, which help to relay nerve signals from one neuron to another. While plants lack a true nervous system, previous studies have shown tha … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

No sperm or egg required: mouse proto-embryo made in the lab

Scientists have for the first time created embryo-like structures in the lab from stem cells, without recourse to eggs or sperm, they reported Wednesday. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

'Game changing' space-mission power system passes tests with flying colors

A new nuclear power system that could enable long-duration crewed missions to the Moon, Mars and destinations beyond recently passed an extensive operating test in the Nevada desert, performing well under a variety of challenging conditions. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Novel reaction could spark alternate approach to ammonia production

The search for a more energy efficient and environmentally friendly method of ammonia production for fertilizer has led to the discovery of a new type of catalytic reaction. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Physicists find signs of a time crystal

Yale physicists have uncovered hints of a time crystal—a form of matter that "ticks" when exposed to an electromagnetic pulse—in the last place they expected: a crystal you might find in a child's toy. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Extreme mobility of mantis shrimp eyes

New research, led by biologists from the University of Bristol, has uncovered fresh findings about the most mobile eyes in the animal kingdom - the eyes of the mantis shrimp. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Neuro-parasitology“s insights into the neurological basis for behavior

Imagine a parasite that makes an animal change its habits, guard the parasite's offspring or even commit suicide. While mind-control may sound like something out of a science fiction movie, the phenomenon is very real—and has spawned a new field, neuro-parasitology. As outlined i … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Scientists teach neural network to identify a writer's gender

A team of researchers from the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, the National Research Center Kurchatov Institute and the Voronezh State University has developed a new learning algorithm that allows a neural network to identify a writer's gender by the written text on a … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Earth's magnetic field is not about to reverse, study finds

A study of the most recent near-reversals of the Earth's magnetic field by an international team of researchers, including the University of Liverpool, has found it is unlikely that such an event will take place anytime soon. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Scientists shocked as NASA cuts only moon rover

In a move that shocked lunar scientists, NASA has cancelled the only robotic vehicle under development to explore the surface of the Moon, despite President Donald Trump's vow to return people there. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox observed in many-particle system

Physicists from the University of Basel have observed the quantum mechanical Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox in a system of several hundred interacting atoms for the first time. The phenomenon dates back to a famous thought experiment from 1935. It allows measurement results to b … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

Study reveals number of hours it takes to make a friend

Turns out the ancient Greek knew what he was talking about. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago

World's oldest spider discovered in Australian outback

Australian researchers have discovered what is thought to be the world's oldest recorded spider, unlocking key information about the mysterious eight-legged creature. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 6 years ago