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76 articles from PhysOrg

Scientists home in on pairs of atoms that boost a catalyst's activity

Replacing the expensive metals that break down exhaust gases in catalytic converters with cheaper, more effective materials is a top priority for scientists, for both economic and environmental reasons. Catalysts are required to perform chemical reactions that would otherwise not happen, such as converting polluting gases from automotive exhaust into clean compounds that can be released into the...

Research in land plants shows nanoplastics accumulating in tissues

As concern grows among environmentalists and consumers about micro- and nanoplastics in the oceans and in seafood, they are increasingly studied in marine environments, say Baoshan Xing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and colleagues in China. But "little is known about the behavior of nanoplastics in terrestrial environments, especially agricultural soils," they add.

US beekeepers reported lower winter losses but abnormally high summer losses

Beekeepers across the United States lost 43.7% of their managed honey bee colonies from April 2019 to April 2020, according to preliminary results of the 14th annual nationwide survey conducted by the nonprofit Bee Informed Partnership (BIP). These losses mark the second highest loss rate the survey has recorded since it began in 2006 (4.7 percentage points higher than the average annual loss rate...

Oil forecasting technique adapted for spreadsheets may cut shale operator costs

Porous rock containing oil and natural gas are buried so deep inside the earth that shale operators rely on complex models of the underground environment to estimate fossil fuel recovery. These simulations are notoriously complex, requiring highly-skilled operators to run them. These factors indirectly impact the cost of shale oil production and ultimately, how much consumers pay for their fuel.

The 2016 US presidential election coverage a 'game changer' for reporters

The 2016 U.S. presidential election is considered a "game changer" for journalists covering the U.S. presidential elections by causing them to dramatically reconsider how they view their role—either as neutral disseminators of information or impassioned advocates for the truth—according to researchers at the University of Missouri's School of Journalism.

Young giant planet offers clues to formation of exotic worlds

For most of human history our understanding of how planets form and evolve was based on the eight (or nine) planets in our solar system. But over the last 25 years, the discovery of more than 4,000 exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system, changed all that.

New research deepens mystery of particle generation in proton collisions

A group of researchers including scientists from the RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science, University of Tokyo, Nagoya University, and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) used the spin-polarized Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory in the United States to show that, in polarized proton-proton collisions, neutral pions emitted in the very forward area of...

Red Sea climate forecasts: Handle with care

"Extrapolating future climate trends from historical data is more challenging for enclosed seas than it is for open oceans and should be done with extreme caution," according to KAUST ocean modeling expert Ibrahim Hoteit. The finding follows detailed data reanalyses and computer simulations on wind and wave conditions over the Red Sea.

A new symmetry-broken parent state discovered in twisted bilayer graphene

In 2018 it was discovered that two layers of graphene twisted one with respect to the other by a "magic" angle show a variety of interesting quantum phases, including superconductivity, magnetism and insulating behaviors. Now, a team of researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science led by Prof. Shahal Ilani of the Condensed Matter Physics Department, in collaboration with Prof. Pablo...

Click... Resistant bacteria caught in the act

As humanity fights against the coronavirus, the battle against antibiotic-resistant bacteria continues. Scientists at UCLouvain have succeeded in capturing unique images of protein soldiers that help bacteria resist drugs. This discovery is published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Chemical Biology. The image recordings will make it possible to develop new attacks on bacteria and thus...

A Metal-like quantum gas: A pathbreaking platform for quantum simulation

Electronic properties of condensed matter are often determined by an intricate competition between kinetic energy that aims to overlap and delocalize electronic wave functions across the crystal lattice, and localizing electron-electron interactions. In contrast, the gaseous phase is characterized by valence electrons tightly localized around the ionic atom cores in discrete quantum states with...

Extremely low thermal conductivity in 1-D soft chain structure

Researchers have reported a new type of simple one-dimensional (1-D) crystal structured bismuth selenohalides (BiSeX, X = Br, I) with extremely low thermal conductivity. Investigations on crystal structure reveal that the ultralow thermal conductivity is due to the weakened chemical bonding in the low-dimensional structure, showing a quasi-0-D crystal structure. These findings provide a novel...

Future space travelers may follow cosmic lighthouses

For centuries, lighthouses helped sailors navigate safely into harbor. Their lights swept across the water, cutting through fog and darkness, guiding mariners around dangerous obstacles and keeping them on the right path. In the future, space explorers may receive similar guidance from the steady signals created by pulsars.

Super-resolution microscopy reveals a twist inside of cells

If you want to understand the underlying mechanisms of cellular motility and division, then the centriole is the organelle of interest. Each cell has a pair of centrioles which help to segregate chromosomes during cell division. These special organelles are multi-molecular machines composed of hundreds of proteins and have a hidden code of post-translational modifications (PTMs), that contribute...

Pioneering research reveals certain human genes relate to gut bacteria

The role genetics and gut bacteria play in human health has long been a fruitful source of scientific enquiry, but new research marks a significant step forward in unraveling this complex relationship. Its findings could transform our understanding and treatment of all manner of common diseases, including obesity, irritable bowel syndrome, and Alzheimer's disease.

COVID-19 lockdown reveals human impact on wildlife

In an article published in Nature Ecology & Evolution today, the leaders of a new global initiative explain how research during this devastating health crisis can inspire innovative strategies for sharing space on this increasingly crowded planet, with benefits for both wildlife and humans.