Bringing consistency to methods of 2D material analysis

In materials science, the term "2D materials" refers to crystalline solids that consist of a single layer of atoms, with arguably the most famous example being graphene — a material made of a single layer of carbon atoms. These materials are promising for a wide range of applicat … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

How color in photos can make food look tastier

An appealing photo of a pizza or other menu item can help a restaurant increase sales—especially if the right filter is used, a new study suggests. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Quantum control for advanced technology: Past and present

One of the cornerstones of the implementation of quantum technology is the creation and manipulation of the shape of external fields that can optimize the performance of quantum devices. Known as quantum optimal control, this set of methods comprises a field that has rapidly evol … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Two dead in California's largest blaze this year

Firefighters in northern California were battling Monday to gain control over the state's largest wildfire this year, which claimed two lives after exploding in size over the weekend and forcing thousands to evacuate their homes. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

How some children prospered in pandemic online learning

For parents, children and teachers, one of the most striking memories of the pandemic will be the sudden transition to online learning. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Proposal by research team could revolutionize space medicine, improve astronaut health

Often when researching the molecular and biological changes that happen in space, models such as rodents, worms, and yeast are used to study the effects and consequences of long-duration space flight as a way to understand how microgravity impacts humans in space. However, OHIO's … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Researchers add second copy of gene to give rice a 40% yield boost

A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in China, working with a colleague from Germany, has boosted the yield of rice by 40% by giving test plants a second copy of a certain gene. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their work … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Fiddler crab eye view inspires researchers to develop novel artificial vision

Artificial vision systems find a wide range of applications, including self-driving cars, object detection, crop monitoring, and smart cameras. Such vision is often inspired by the vision of biological organisms. For instance, human and insect vision have inspired terrestrial art … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

The long-term consequences for Europe's climate ambitions when the EU turns off Russian gas

Just a few days after Russia commenced aggression against Ukraine, researchers from the Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering at Aarhus University began to calculate the long-term effects of cutting off Russian gas for decarbonization of the European energy system. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Turning fish waste into quality carbon-based nanomaterial

Thanks to their low toxicity, chemical stability, and remarkable electrical and optical properties, carbon-based nanomaterials are finding more and more applications across electronics, energy conversion and storage, catalysis, and biomedicine. Carbon nano-onions (CNOs) are certa … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Molecular basis of high nitrogen use efficiency of wheat cultivar

A research team led by Prof. Ling Hongqing from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), together with collaborators from Ludong University and the Computer Network Information Center of CAS, have generated a high-qualit … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Improving measurements of the kilogram

Until 2018, the SI unit of mass, the kilogram, was defined as the mass of a real object: the International Prototype Kilogram, kept in a secure facility in the outskirts of Paris. On November 16, 2018, the kilogram was given a new, internationally-accepted definition, based on th … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Study shows top 'ingredient' to good-tasting coffee

But is it the type of bean, the way it is grown—or the way it is processed that makes the most of every last drop of coffee? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Using electricity to remove persistent weeds

Researchers from the University of Missouri recently conducted two field studies to explore the effectiveness of electricity in weed control. They used a tractor attachment called The Weed Zapper to electrocute eight types of weeds common in soybean crops, including herbicide-res … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Study compares two methods for distance measurement in motile proteins

In the Middle Ages, every city had its own system of measurement. Even today, you can sometimes find iron rods in marketplaces that determined the length measurement valid for the city at that time. In science, however, there is no room for such uncertainties, and no matter what … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Seedy, not sweet: Ancient melon genome from Libya yields surprising insights into watermelon relative

The oldest known seeds from a watermelon relative, dating back 6,000 years to the Neolithic period, were found during an archaeological dig in Libya. An investigation of these seeds led by biologist Susanne S. Renner at Washington University in St. Louis reveals some surprises ab … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Scientists now understand the genetics responsible for leaf mimicry in butterfly wings

The top side of the Kallima butterfly's wings are brightly colored, featuring vibrant bands of deep blue, black, and orange. But when this butterfly flaps its wings, the undersides reveal a sharp contrast—they are shades of dull brown that perfectly mimic a dead leaf, camouflagin … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Scientists uncover mechanism that shapes centromere distribution in plants

Since the 1800s, scientists have noted configuration of centromeres, a special chromosomal region that is vital for cell division, in the nucleus. Up until this point, however, the determining mechanisms and the biological significance of centromere distribution were poorly under … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Cloud study demystifies impact of aerosols

Aerosol particles in the atmosphere have a bigger impact on cloud cover—but less effect on cloud brightness—than previously thought, new research shows. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

How the blue economy will shape the future of Canada's oceans—and its coastal communities

The words "blue economy" will soon shape the future of Canada's oceans, from the fiords and straits of British Columbia to the rugged coastlines of the Atlantic to the vast seascapes of the Arctic. The transformation of Canada's ocean economies will be felt throughout the country … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Researchers study historical developments of the periodic system of chemical elements

In the 1860s, the chemists, Lothar Meyer and Dmitri Mendeleev, independently presented the first periodic system. Since then, the well-known tabular arrangement of the elements has been the guiding principle of chemistry. A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Ma … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Marine heatwaves have devastating impacts on marine life in the tropical western and central Pacific Ocean region

Research published in Global and Planetary Change examines the trends and projected frequency, intensity and duration of marine heatwaves (MHWs). A MHW is a 'discrete, prolonged anomalously warm water event' lasting five or more days, with temperatures warmer than the 90th percen … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Kids' friendships could influence their future economic status

Growing up in a community where people with low and high socioeconomic status interact may improve children's chances of increasing their future economic status. The finding, based on an analysis of approximately 21 billion Facebook friendships in the United States, is published … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

The conservation conundrum: How to choose which species to protect?

Not all species are created equal. Some are more important than others. So how do we choose what to protect? | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Asia-Pacific heritage conservation benefits from 'cultural landscape' approach

It has been a generation now. Long enough, Kapila Silva believes, to pronounce the "cultural landscape" approach, the broad-minded historic preservation efforts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization, better known as UNESCO, a success. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Core components for the optical system of hyperspectral satellites

Pieces of plastic in the sea, chlorophyll content in bodies of water, the degree of drought in fields—since April 2022, the German environmental satellite EnMAP has been orbiting our Earth and will be collecting myriad data during its five-year mission. The Fraunhofer Institute f … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Discovery of rare snail species in wyoming

A group of researchers, led by the University of Wyoming, recently discovered a rare snail species previously unknown to the state. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Fusion simulation code developed to project fusion instabilities in TAE

On 1 August, the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE) announced that a new fusion simulation code was developed to project and analyze the Toroidal-Alfvén-Eigenmode (TAE). In TAE, instabilities occur in the course of interactions between fast ions and the perturbed magnetic fie … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Super-Earth Ross 508b skims habitable zone of red dwarf

The first exoplanet has been discovered by Subaru Strategic Program using the infrared spectrograph IRD on the Subaru Telescope (IRD-SSP). This planet, Ross 508b, is a super-Earth with about four times the mass of the Earth and is located near the habitable zone. Such a planet ma … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Researcher discovers a new species of sea bream (Sparidae) from the Red Sea

Avid fishers from the shoreline at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) near Thuwal, Saudi Arabia know well the three common species of Red Sea sea bream: the goldsilk, or picnic sea bream (Acanthopagrus berda), the double-bar sea bream (Acanthopagrus bifasc … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Proposed new vessel speed regulations to protect North Atlantic right whales

Today, NOAA Fisheries announced proposed changes to vessel speed regulations to further protect North Atlantic right whales from death and serious injuries resulting from collisions—part of a multifaceted approach to stabilize and recover this endangered population. The changes w … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Scientists reveal distribution of dark matter around galaxies 12 billion years ago

A collaboration led by scientists at Nagoya University in Japan has investigated the nature of dark matter surrounding galaxies seen as they were 12 billion years ago, billions of years further back in time than ever before. Their findings, published in Physical Review Letters, o … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Bold new model breaks homelessness cycle

The majority of 575 people in South Australia with a history of chronic homelessness have found stable housing and are well on the way to a better life after three years of intensive support under the "Aspire' program—Australia's first social impact bond targeting homelessness. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Revealing physical mechanisms behind the movement of microswimmers

Bacteria and other unicellular organisms developed sophisticated ways to actively navigate their way, despite being comparably simple structures. To reveal these mechanisms, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) used oil droplets as … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Volunteering encourages employees to connect with each other, and their jobs

For years, researchers have known that our physical and mental well-being improves when we freely give our time to help others. And when we do so through company-sponsored programs, performance-related outcomes like job satisfaction and commitment to work also get a boost. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Researchers measure the binding state of light and matter for the first time

A special bonding state between atoms has been created in the laboratory for the first time: With a laser beam, atoms can be polarized so that they are positively charged on one side and negatively charged on the other. This makes them attract each other creating a very special b … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Five new rotating radio transients discovered

Russian astronomers report the detection of five new rotating radio transients (RRATs) using the Big Scanning Antenna (BSA) of the Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory (PRAO). The discovery was detailed in a paper published July 22 on the arXiv pre-print repository. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

We found some strange radio sources in a distant galaxy cluster. They're making us rethink what we thought we knew

The universe is littered with galaxy clusters—huge structures piled up at the intersections of the cosmic web. A single cluster can span millions of light-years across and be made up of hundreds, or even thousands, of galaxies. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

What can sea squirts tell us about neurodegeneration?

A tiny marine creature with a strange lifestyle may provide valuable insights into human neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, according to scientists at Stanford Medicine. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Ocean variability contributes to sandstorms in Northern China

Extreme events such as the "North China Super Sandstorms" in March 2021 have significant impacts on human life, socio-economics and agricultural production. In addition to local meteorological conditions, sea surface temperature (SST) variability in different ocean basins also co … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Releasing non-native fish to control mosquitoes is often ineffective and harmful to environment

The increased number of mosquitoes flying around western Oregon this summer could have a potential unintended consequence: A spike in non-native fish released into home water features, public and private ponds and wetlands in attempts to control the pesky insect. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

New algorithm helps identify antibody genes

In a study published in the journal Genome Research, investigators in UC San Diego's Department of Computer Science and Engineering and Johns Hopkins University have illuminated the immunoglobulin (antibody) genes in 20 mammalian species, gaining new insights into their targets a … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Modeling reveals how dwarf planet Ceres powers unexpected geologic activity

For a long time, our view of Ceres was fuzzy, said Scott King, a geoscientist in the Virginia Tech College of Science. A dwarf planet and the largest body found in the asteroid belt—the region between Jupiter and Mars speckled with hundreds of thousands of asteroids—Ceres had no … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Safe steps for using 'probiotics' to revive biodiversity

Time is running out, say researchers who are proposing a framework to guide the safe use of microbes to restore global biodiversity loss. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Nudge theory doesn't work after all, says new evidence review. But it could still have a future

At the end of last year (2021), there was lots of excitement about the first comprehensive analysis of past research on techniques designed to change people's behavior (known as "nudging"), confidently showing that they work. This was great news for researchers, but also for gove … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Scientists 'spray paint' cells to reveal secret genes

Many of the thousands of proteins that help our cells grow and function remain undiscovered, especially the tiniest ones that occupy what some Yale scientists are calling the "dark matter" of our genome. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Is the James Webb Space Telescope finding the furthest, oldest, youngest or first galaxies? An astronomer explains

We've now seen the first data from the James Webb Space Telescope. It has observed the atmospheres of distant planets, groups of nearby galaxies, galaxy light bent by unseen dark matter, and clouds of gas and dust in stellar nurseries. | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago

Stellar flybys leave a permanent mark on newly forming planetary systems

What do UX Tauri, RW Aurigae, AS 205, Z CMajoris, and FU Orionis have in common? They're young stellar systems with disks where planets could form. It appears those disks were disturbed by stellar flybys or other close encounters in the recent past. Astronomers want to know: did … | Continue reading


@phys.org | 1 year ago