Phys

Gravity and quantum information linked through a derivation of Einstein's equations - Phys.org

Sketch of a local region, faintly shaded in gray, endowed with a local Rindler horizon, consisting of the null hypersurfaces and intersecting at the horizon cross section. Within, is affinely para…

Tiny fossils reveal a missing chapter of ocean life after Snowball Earth - Phys.org

A rare assemblage of micro- and macro-fossils found in a roadside outcrop in South China, featuring thin ribbons, branching shapes and a tiny balloon on a stalk, offers a glimpse of marine life after one of Earth's most extreme ice ages.

Alternative gravity theory offers possible explanation for dark energy changing over time - Phys.org

For many years, the simplest view of dark energy has been that it remains unchanged. Throughout cosmic history, the mysterious ingredient believed to drive the universe's accelerated expansion is thought to have behaved in the same way at every epoch. However…

The dying sun could tear the solar system apart sooner than thought - Phys.org

The fate of our solar system is written in the stars—well, one star to be precise: the sun. Estimates of what the end will look like once the sun sheds much of its mass and ultimately dies vary widely. New research published in The Astrophysical Journal Lette…

Some house cats carry a gut parasite that can infect humans, study finds - Phys.org

Giardia duodenalis is a microscopic, flagellated parasite that often calls the human and animal gut its home. In most cases, it coexists harmlessly with its host, and most infected pets and people show no signs of illness. However, when it becomes pathogenic,…

Hybrid quantum computers could finally get to grips with light and matter - Phys.org

Quantum 'birthmarks' hold lasting traces of a system's past - Phys.org

Some classical physical systems can explore many configurations over time until their long-term behavior no longer reveals their starting conditions. The sampling of available configurations according to the appropriate statistical distribution is a property …

Zimbabwe's dinosaurs were different from South Africa's: New species offers clues - Phys.org

Africa boasts up to 25% of Earth's animal and plant species. This diversity is driven by varied habitats: harsh deserts, vast grasslands, dense forests, towering mountains, lush coastlines and teeming seas. It is also due to deep evolutionary roots, as many a…

Ultraviolet laser pulses engineer diamond defects selectively, leaving quantum qubits intact - Phys.org

When we think about a diamond, we often think about a material whose value comes from its perfection. In my research, however, I am interested in something almost opposite: the tiny imperfections inside diamonds. These atomic-scale defects can give diamonds n…

Why some young ants start hunting and caring for others early - Phys.org

Some insects, including honeybees and ants, live in highly organized colonies where individuals take on specific roles. In many ant societies, young adult workers typically care for developing young inside the nest before beginning to forage, or search for fo…

Hybrid quantum computer observes foundational quantum effect in a new setting - Phys.org

Physicists in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford have used a hybrid quantum computer, made up of qubits and quantum oscillators, to observe the Aharonov–Bohm effect in a quantum simulation. The effect is a quantum phenomenon in which a part…

Three quantum-inspired cores leave opposite fingerprints on the ringing of black holes - Phys.org

Every black hole hides a question at its center. Einstein's theory predicts that whatever falls in is crushed into a singularity, a point of infinite density where the theory itself breaks down. Most physicists expect quantum gravity to replace that point wit…

NASA advances LISA mission contributions with new test telescope - Phys.org

NASA has taken the next step in the process of developing a new all-glass telescope for the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission, a space observatory designed to detect ripples in space-time called gravitational waves.

Nightjar wings reveal a trade-off between hunting slowly and traveling far - Phys.org

Discovery marks the first detection of variable water clouds outside of the solar system - Phys.org

A Jupiter-sized world just 7.5 light-years away is cloudy, chemically complex and, it turns out, more like home than anyone expected. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, Brittany Miles, assistant astronomer at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory…

African antelopes spreading in New Mexico: How far could they go under climate change? - Phys.org

Majestic African antelopes known as gemsbok have been roaming the U.S. Southwest since their introduction in the 1960s and 1970s. Brought to New Mexico as a game species for hunting, gemsbok quickly settled in, expanding more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) fr…

Superconducting circuit links smaller photon groups into larger entangled states - Phys.org

Quantum computers, computer systems that leverage the laws of quantum mechanics, store and process information using qubits (i.e., quantum bits). In many quantum computers, qubits are linked via entanglement, a quantum mechanical effect that connects particle…

3D genome 'entanglement' may explain how cephalopods evolved complex brains - Phys.org

Octopuses, squid and cuttlefish, collectively known as coleoid cephalopods, have evolved exceptionally large and elaborately structured nervous systems capable of complex behaviors such as problem-solving and rapid camouflage. A new study by scientists at the…

Sentinel-3C returns its first views of Earth - Phys.org

Just two weeks after it was launched, the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite returned its first images and measurements from two of its key instruments—a major milestone that confirms the satellite is working well and on track to monitor the health of Earth's o…

Liquid-crystal-like magnetism explains puzzling properties in a rare-earth compound - Phys.org

In some materials, physical properties don't emerge from their individual particles, but from the collective behavior of their quantum spins. Now, researchers led by Pengcheng Dai at Rice University in the U.S. have discovered that in one compound containing …

Rare traces of wooden tools reveal Neanderthals were skilled woodworkers - Phys.org

There is even more evidence that Neanderthals were far from the simple cave dwellers we once thought them to be. The discovery of a clublike artifact and other wooden tools from an archaeological site near Barcelona, Spain, suggests they may have been skilled…

Largest 2D map of the universe helps scientists discover new gravitational lenses - Phys.org

Using data from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys, with help from artificial intelligence, an international team of scientists has discovered 70 new gravitational lenses—rare cosmic alignments that act as natural magnifying glasses. The new lenses further expan…

Nobel physics winner's pride at pioneering AI role - Phys.org

Francis Halzen, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, spoke with pride on Wednesday about his early promotion of artificial intelligence in his research on neutrinos. Halzen, 82, a professor at the …

Acoustic experiments confirm topology can persist at gapless critical points - Phys.org

Two studies on critical topology have recently been published in the journal Nature. These studies were led by the teams of Prof. Baile Zhang at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and Prof. Jianhua Jiang at the University of Science and Technology o…

Radio galaxy from 12.5 billion years ago may be most powerful ever found - Phys.org

Astronomers have confirmed a powerful radio galaxy from nearly 12.5 billion years ago. The source, TXS 2354+015, was originally identified as a high-redshift candidate from its characteristic drop in optical light, and follow-up spectroscopy placed it at a re…

First observation of quantum spins shifting a centimeter-scale object in the lab - Phys.org

Modern technological breakthroughs like lasers, MRI scanners, semiconductors and quantum computers rest on the study of quantum mechanics. However, the field has predominantly focused on (sub)atomic phenomena far removed from our human senses.

Levitating glass sphere becomes entangled with light at room temperature - Phys.org

Today, many physicists are actively exploring how light could be used to link objects through quantum entanglement. By fully harnessing the effect, they hope to unlock a wide array of applications, from secure communication networks spanning vast distances to…

Quantum computing shortcut makes particle collisions easier to simulate - Phys.org

Collisions between particles at high energies can sometimes produce new particles and shed light on interactions between the fundamental constituents of matter. Simulating these collisions and their underlying processes could yield valuable insights into how …

Nobel winner Halzen says years of October 'misery' finally over - Phys.org

Physicist Francis Halzen has an impressively long list of academic accolades—but every October, as the Nobel Prize rolled around, his failure to bag the biggest award of them all left him "miserable," he admits.

'Quiet firing' linked to higher levels of 'quiet quitting' among employees - Phys.org

A study of the oil, gas and petroleum industry has found that "quiet firing" by employers is associated with higher levels of "quiet quitting" among employees, while strong workplace relationships can weaken that effect. The research appears in the Internatio…

Richer people have an edge when it comes to getting national park permits - Phys.org

Many outdoor enthusiasts have spent hours in front of a computer, racing to reserve a campsite, backpacking permit or national park entrance ticket. A recent study suggests that the way these reservation systems are designed can favor higher-income visitors.

Viewing honey bee colonies as superorganisms could reshape beekeeping practices - Phys.org

A new study seeks to challenge the conventional view of a honey bee colony. Viewing colonies as superorganisms redefines the fundamental biology of the honey bee colony. These insights may have implications for modern beekeeping.

Meet the long-legged giants that light up the deep ocean - Phys.org

Thousands of meters below the waves off Australia's east coast, far beyond where sunlight can reach, a stunning light show takes place in the dark. The cause? Two species of long-legged creatures emitting a blue glow.

A gamma-ray burst's engine stayed active for nearly a month, breaking the previous record - Phys.org

Astronomers have observed the longest-lasting central engine activity ever recorded from a gamma-ray burst. The burst occurred at a redshift of 0.8577, and the activity lasted about 27 days in the burst's own rest frame—around 20 days longer than the previous…

Where are the best places for life in the cosmos? A universe in a supercomputer yields an answer - Phys.org

Earth seems like a troubled place right now, but at least our cosmic surroundings appear peaceful. This is not universally true, as explosions, collisions and other dangers lurk in other places and times.

Vanillin provides a sweet solution for chronic wound healing - Phys.org

A team from Flinders University's Biomedical Nanoengineering Laboratory has found that vanillin has pronounced antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, making it a good candidate for wound-healing formulations. Their work is published in t…

Neutrons, rotating black holes, and a galactic PeVatron at the center of the Milky Way - Phys.org

Galactic black holes are cosmic mitochondria, powerhouses of the universe. Most of the energy these supermassive black holes produce comes from the material surrounding them: superheated plasma in their accretion disks interacting with tremendous magnetic fie…

Ancient DNA evidence narrows down when people first reached the Americas - Phys.org

One of the unresolved mysteries about the history of the Americas is when the first people arrived. Despite extensive debate centering on genetic, archaeological and environmental evidence, there is still no consensus or conclusive proof. Did they enter befor…

Astronomers catch a star slowly snacking on a brown dwarf, 300 light years away - Phys.org

Like Earth, most planetary bodies circle their star in stable, detached orbits. These companionable systems can suddenly change when a planet comes too close to its star. In such a close encounter, a star can pull the planet in and swallow it whole.

Lightsaber-like plasma antenna uses laser-ionized air to transmit radio waves - Phys.org

Researchers have demonstrated a technique that uses a laser to produce a plasma beam antenna capable of transmitting radio waves. The article, "Laser-Induced-Plasma-Filament Antenna Transmitting 30 MHz VHF," is published in the IEEE Journal of Microwaves.