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A mysterious particle overlooked for decades may hold the key to why matter survived the Big Bang, allowing stars, planets, and life to exist. Scientists believe this forgotten neutrino reshaped the early universe and may have left detectable gravitational wave signals that could help unlock the cosmos’s deepest mysteries.
ScienceDailyRead article →Among Kepler and TESS's many surprising exoplanet discoveries are the ultra-short-period (USP) planets. These planets move very quickly and complete an orbit in less than 24 hours. Ancient astronomers thought that Mercury was so fast—it goes around the sun every 88 days—that they named it after the Roman god Mercury, who was the fast-traveling messenger of the gods.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →What's that chirping sound coming through the detector? Did you feel something whiz past? Those are just some ways people react when they encounter microbats for the first time. Microbats are small, mostly nocturnal mammals that use ultrasonic sounds to navigate and hunt at night. They do this through echolocation, producing calls and listening to the echoes that bounce back from objects and prey.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →More people are turning to artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots for companionship and to address loneliness. But can AI-generated empathy replace human connection?
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Researchers have discovered a gene for a tandem potassium channel in an algal virus. The finding supports the view that giant viruses may have contributed significantly to the evolution of complex proteins. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Many have voiced concerns that artificial intelligence will take jobs away from humans. But assistant professor of chemistry Zhongyue (John) Yang, along with his former doctoral student Qianzhen Shao (now a postdoc at Stanford) and other team members, has created an AI tool that aims to elevate the work that scientists do—not replace them.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →It may sound abstract, but distinctions between "native," "introduced" or "invasive" species can often be life or death. Species considered invasive in Australia—such as European rabbits and feral pigs—are often culled, while most native animals are generally left alone.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →According to quantum electrodynamics, the theory describing interactions between light and electrically charged particles, a sufficiently strong electric field can, in principle, convert some of its energy into particles and their antimatter partners. A particle's antimatter partner has the same mass and, for electrically charged particles, the opposite electric charge.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →As quantum computers grow more ambitious, many researchers believe the best way forward is to build them in multiple interconnected parts. In these modular designs, separate quantum processors are linked so they can work together as one larger machine. For this to happen, however, connections must carry fragile quantum information without destroying it.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →A kerosene-based gel developed by Concordia researchers could make rocket and satellite fuels easier to store and control.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Around 2,400 years ago, at Łysa Góra in Poland, a group of people took a bronze helmet, crushed it, broke it into pieces and threw it into a pit with iron adzes and a scythe. Such helmets are sometimes found in lavish graves of the Celtic warrior elite, from Champagne, France, to Dürrnberg, Austria.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Scientists at Johns Hopkins have uncovered a crucial missing link between a common gut bacterium and colorectal cancer, solving a mystery that has puzzled researchers for nearly two decades. The bacterium, Bacteroides fragilis, produces a toxin that damages the colon’s protective lining, triggers chronic inflammation, and promotes tumor formation.
ScienceDaily AllRead article →Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have uncovered a surprising process that helps humans develop sharp vision before birth, challenging decades of assumptions about how the eye forms. Using miniature human retinas grown in the lab, researchers discovered that a vitamin A derivative and thyroid hormones work together to shape the foveola, the tiny region at the center of the retina responsible for our sharpest…
ScienceDailyRead article →Scientists have discovered a bizarre bacterial defense system that works almost completely backward from anything seen before. Unlike typical bacterial immune systems that keep a deadly toxin under control until a virus attacks, this unusual mechanism waits until an infection begins before producing the DNA that switches on its lethal weapon.
ScienceDailyRead article →A Neanderthal who died 75,000 years ago may have been killed by a wooden spear deliberately aimed at the heart, revealing rare evidence of prehistoric violence. A circular hole in the shoulder blade suggests the weapon pierced the chest and caused a rapidly fatal injury. Surprisingly, the same individual had survived an earlier devastating facial injury, suggesting other Neanderthals provided care and support.
ScienceDailyRead article →Scientists have discovered a surprising mechanism that allows certain metals to resist cracking at temperatures as low as -253°C (-424°F), when similar materials typically become dangerously brittle. Instead of breaking, two experimental alloys reorganize their internal structures, creating new ways to absorb stress and remain flexible.
ScienceDailyRead article →A major international study found that a simple blood test could help predict Alzheimer’s-related cognitive decline years before symptoms appear, with the highest-risk individuals facing a 38% chance of impairment within five years and an estimated 78% chance within 10 years.
ScienceDailyRead article →Scientists have recreated a primordial state of matter from the dawn of the universe by colliding oxygen nuclei at nearly the speed of light. The surprising results show that this exotic substance can form in smaller, lower-energy collisions than previously demonstrated, challenging the known boundaries of early-universe physics.
ScienceDailyRead article →A remarkable 4,000-year-old defensive structure discovered in Morocco is rewriting what scientists thought they knew about ancient North African civilizations. The massive fortifications reveal unexpectedly sophisticated prehistoric societies and suggest that the region played a much greater role in Mediterranean history than previously recognized.
ScienceDailyRead article →At the turn of the last century, the automobile industry was still new and evolving rapidly. In 1898, there were about 50 carmakers in the United States. A decade later, that number had increased fivefold. In 1901, the companies produced 7,000 vehicles. By 1910, production had reached 181,000.
IEEE SpectrumRead article →Among the ravenous carnivores and lumbering herbivores that roamed the Cretaceous landscape, another kind of dinosaur was evolving that started to eat something else: the plants that began to flower and produce fruit. The discovery by paleontologists from Stony Brook University, Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and the North Dakota Geological Survey reveals that a new species, Infernogallus jamesi—a type of small…
Phys.org ResearchRead article →A research team has designed and synthesized a molecular cage with an internal cavity by connecting two curved π-conjugated molecules face-to-face at three points.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →At a landmark Canadian trial focused on the government's obligations to fight climate change, the young plaintiffs suing Ottawa over alleged policy failures have sought to focus attention on their mental health.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Nearly 200 nations struck hard-fought agreements Friday at a U.N. biodiversity summit, but the outcome was accompanied by disappointment over missed opportunities to address humanity's destructive toll on nature.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →