feed info

88 articles from PhysOrg

Materials scientists drill down to vulnerabilities involved in human tooth decay

Northwestern University researchers have cracked one of the secrets of tooth decay. In a new study of human enamel, the materials scientists are the first to identify a small number of impurity atoms that may contribute to the enamel's strength but also make the material more soluble. They also are the first to determine the spatial distribution of the impurities with atomic-scale resolution.

Quantum fluctuations can jiggle objects on the human scale

The universe, as seen through the lens of quantum mechanics, is a noisy, crackling space where particles blink constantly in and out of existence, creating a background of quantum noise whose effects are normally far too subtle to detect in everyday objects.

Researchers develop computational model to build better capacitors

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a computational model that helps users understand how changes in the nanostructure of materials affect their conductivity—with the goal of informing the development of new energy storage devices for a wide range of electronics.

Laser takes pictures of electrons in crystals

Microscopes of visible light allow scientists to see tiny objects such living cells. Yet, they cannot discern how electrons are distributed among atoms in solids. Now, researchers with Prof. Eleftherios Goulielmakis of the Extreme Photonics Labs at the University of Rostock and the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching, Germany, along with coworkers of the Institute of Physics of the...

To listen is to survive: Unravelling how plants process information

Researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum München and Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) have mapped the signaling network in plants and discovered novel insights about how plants process information about their environment. This gives new potential for strategies to protect crops and help them thrive in the time of increasing droughts.

Japan begins charging for plastic bags

Retailers in Japan began charging for plastic bags on Wednesday, a move aimed at curbing Japanese consumers' love for packaging and finally bringing the country in line with other major economies.

A binary star as a cosmic particle accelerator

With a specialized telescope in Namibia a DESY-led team of researchers has proven a certain type of binary star as a new kind of source for very high-energy cosmic gamma-radiation. Eta Carinae is located 7500 lightyears away in the constellation Carina (the ship's keel) in the Southern Sky and, based on the data collected, emits gamma rays with energies all the way up to 400 gigaelectronvolts...

Looping footstep pattern in modern guineafowl sheds light on dinosaur tracks

A trio of researchers, two with Brown University, the other with Liverpool John Moores University, has found that a looping pattern in modern guineafowl footsteps is similar to those of certain dinosaurs. In their paper published in The Royal Society Biology Letters, Morgan Turner, Peter Falkingham and Stephen M. Gatesy describe their study of tracks made by modern guineafowl and how they compared...

New chemistry for ultra-thin gas sensors

The application of zinc oxide layers in industry is manifold and ranges from the protection of degradable goods to the detection of toxic nitrogen oxide gas. Such layers can be deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) which employs typically chemical compounds, or simply precursors, which ignite immediately upon contact with air, i.e. are highly pyrophoric. An interdisciplinary research team at...

Study gains new insight into bacterial DNA packing

When bacteria are put in different environments, such as one that is more acidic or anaerobic, their genes start to adapt remarkably quickly. They're able to do so because the proteins making up their chromosome can pack and unpack rapidly. Now, a Berkeley Lab-led team of researchers has been able to capture this process at the molecular level using advanced imaging techniques, a discovery that...

Even groupers have parasites

"Parasite" is a term with a negative connotation, associated with laziness and predation, and the recent Oscar-winning movie "Parasite" will certainly not improve the public's general opinion on the matter.

Surprising mammal diversity discovered in Bidoup Nui Ba National Park

New surveys have revealed surprising mammal biodiversity in Bidoup Nui Ba National Park (Bidoup Nui Ba NP), a large protected area located in the southern part of the Annamites range. The presence of numerous rare and endangered mammals in Bidoup Nui Ba NP provides a ray of hope for the long-term conservation of Vietnam's unique biodiversity.