Phys.org news

Phys.org / A microbial plastic factory for high-quality green plastic

Engineered bacteria can produce a plastic modifier that makes renewably sourced plastic more processable, more fracture-resistant and highly biodegradable even in seawater. The Kobe University development provides a platform ...

Apr 9, 2024 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Peter Higgs, physicist who proposed the existence of the 'God particle,' dies at 94

Nobel prize-winning physicist Peter Higgs, who proposed the existence of the so-called "God particle" that helped explain how matter formed after the Big Bang, has died at age 94, the University of Edinburgh said Tuesday.

Apr 9, 2024 in Physics
Phys.org / Humans have converted at least 250,000 acres of estuaries to cities and farms in last 35 years, study finds

Worldwide over the past 35 years, dams and land reclamation activities have converted 250,000 acres of estuary—an area roughly 17 times the size of Manhattan—to urban land or agricultural fields, with most land conversion ...

Apr 9, 2024 in Earth
Phys.org / Peregrine falcons expose lasting harms of flame retardant use

Peregrine falcon populations across North America are heavily contaminated with harmful flame retardants–including those that have been phased out for years—according to a new study published in Environmental Science ...

Apr 9, 2024 in Earth
Phys.org / Clovis people may have also used Clovis points to butcher animals

A team of archaeologists and anthropologists from multiple institutions in the U.S. has found evidence that the Clovis, an early North American population, may have used so-called Clovis points for more than spearpoints—they ...

Apr 9, 2024 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Unraveling the iconography of the Etruscan lamp of Cortona, Italy

A large, highly decorated bronze lamp found in a ditch near the town of Cortona, central Italy, is significantly older than previously estimated and shows the god Dionysus, a new study published in De Gruyter's Etruscan and ...

Apr 9, 2024 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Computing how quantum states overlap

Quantum many-body systems are things such as atomic nuclei that consist of many tiny particles moving in complex ways. This makes it extremely difficult to predict how the systems behave as the particles interact. To study ...

Apr 9, 2024 in Physics
Phys.org / Mysterious bones may have belonged to gigantic ichthyosaurs

Several similar large, fossilized bone fragments have been discovered in various regions across Western and Central Europe since the 19th century. The animal group to which they belonged is still the subject of much debate ...

Apr 9, 2024 in Biology
Phys.org / Impact of climate change on marine life shown to be much bigger than previously known

Fish and invertebrate animals are far more affected by warmer and more acidic seawater than was previously known. This is the conclusion of a study co-led by NIOZ marine biologist Katharina Alter, based on a new analysis ...

Apr 9, 2024 in Biology
Phys.org / Study finds 17 mountains at high risk of losing biodiversity under climate change

Species living in 17 mountains around the world are facing the risk of extinction due to the rapid rate of warming attributed to climate change. However, the establishment of additional meteorological monitoring stations ...

Apr 9, 2024 in Earth
Phys.org / Research team exerts electrical control over polaritons, hybridized light-matter particles, at room temperature

A research team has pioneered an innovative technique in ultra-high-resolution spectroscopy. Their breakthrough marks the world's first instance of electrically controlling polaritons—hybridized light-matter particles—at ...

Apr 9, 2024 in Physics
Phys.org / Quantum entanglement in quasiparticles: A stealth mode against disorder

Physicists at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) have made a discovery that could boost the understanding of the role of entanglement in high-temperature copper oxide superconductors. The low-energy quasiparticles ...

Apr 9, 2024 in Physics